After a couple of hot ham and cheese sandwiches (each) for breakfast, we checked out of the hostel and departed around 10:15. The plan was to take the bus to Iguazú, then take a taxi to to Argentine airport to catch our 1:50 flight. Things did not start out well, as we missed the first bus to Argentina that passed by because we were not paying attention. We tried to wave down the next one, but the driver seemed to ignore us and did not stop. We finally boarded a bus a little after 11:00 and took it to the Brazilian side of the border, where we had to get exit stamps in our passports. Since the bus went on ahead without us, we had to wait for the next one to come pick us up - and even then, we were not sure if it would wait for us at the Argentine side of the border, as the one the day before had.
While we were waiting a taxi driver approached us and offered us a ride to the airport for "60" - we assumed this was in pesos, and made the mistake of not asking. We accepted, and he drove us there, with a stop at the Argentine border. At first, we were surprised at how easy it seemed to get into the country (especially after the lack of any real check the day before), but we were a little reassured when the border police called us aside and x-rayed our bags (and even had us open our smaller backpacks). After we arrived at the airport, we found out that the taxi driver had meant (or at least said he had meant) 60 in Reais. Since we only had Pesos, we gave him A$120, as the exchange rate was approximately double. We then checked in for our flight and took it to Buenos Aires.
After arriving in Buenos Aires (Aeroparque), we attemped to follow the directions provided by the hostel and take the #37 bus to the city. When we tried to board the bus, the driver informed us that the buses only accept coins (the smallest denomination we had was a A$5 bill), and that we should take a different bus (#33 or #45). Luckily, a kind lady at the bus stop provided us with change for our bill and told us that either of the buses would take us where we needed to go. We took the #33 and eventually made it to Avenida de Mayo, about half a mile from our hostel. During the walk, we observed that the weather in Buenos Aires was a little closer to what we would expect from winter - it hovered around 55 or 60 degrees Fahrenheit that afternoon/evening, and the occasional breeze definitely brought a chill.
After checking into the Hostel Estoril, we headed out for a walk down Avenida de Mayo. We walked to the National Congress at the nearby end, then down to the Casa Rosada at the far end. Meanwhile, we looked for a restaurant where we could have some Argentine steak, but had no luck - all the restaurants seemed to be pizzerias. We then headed north away from Mayo, and eventually found a few non-pizzerias (and a football jersey store). We were a little apprehensive, as the restaurants all seemed to be empty even at 8:00 (Argentineans dine very late), but we settled on one anyway because we were hungry. We both had the tenderloin steak, which turned out to be alright but did not live up to the hype that we had been hearing (so we resolved to try an Argentine filet mignon). After eating we headed back to the hostel on foot.
I only took 5 pictures today, and they are not worthy of a separate gallery.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
South America 2009 - Day 6 (8/12/2009) - Puerto Iguazú
We ended up leaving the hostel a little later than we had planned, but we blamed this on the sun being later to rise than we had anticipated. After breakfast, we departed around 9:30 to catch the bus to Puerto Iguazú, where we would take another bus to the Argentinian side of the falls. While crossing the border, we got off the bus once to go through the entrance portion of Argentinian immigration (take note that we did not get exit stamps from Brazil). At the bus terminal in Puerto Iguazú, we realized that we did not have Argentinian currency, so we walked down to an ATM in order to get some. After returning, we encountered two girls that we had seen the day before on the Brazilian side of the falls. We bought our bus tickets to the falls, and then took the bus there.
After we paid and entered the park (around 11:30), we ran into the two girls (Paula and Andrea - sisters from San Juan, Argentina, but who live in Spain) again. This time we decided to hang together, and we stayed that way for the rest of the day. We first walked down a short path and caught the park train to Garganta del Diablo, where we were able to walk across the river and up close to the Devil's Throat. It was about 1:30 when we were finished with this, so we had to hustle in order to grab lunch and see the rest of the park before it closed. We forewent the buffet restaurant and instead grabbed some sandwiches for lunch at one of the fast food stores. We then went through the upper and lower circuit paths, with a very wet stop close to the feet of one of the falls. This time Greg and I were prepared, and brought our rain gear.
We departed the park around 5:30 and headed to Hito Tres Fronteras, the point where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet, and the Iguazú and the Paraná rivers converge. We stayed there for a bit then took the bus back to the Puerto Iguazú terminal in time to catch the last bus back to Foz do Iguaçu at 7:00. While waiting for the bus to Foz, we ran into another group of people that we had seen the day before - Luiz (a local of Foz but who has been around the Americas and Europe), Gwen (a Frenchman visiting Luiz - they met while Luiz was studying in France), and Cecilia (a couchsurfer who had hosted Luiz and Gwen in São Paulo). The bus ride back was mostly uneventful until we reached the Brazil border, where everyone got out of the bus to go through immigration. While I was going through, they noticed that I had not stamped my passport on the way out, and started questioning me about it. I didn't think it was a big deal (especially since Greg went through fine), until it looked like they were going to detain me, and the bus was starting to leave. Greg had to stop the bus while they finally let me go, and I was able to rejoin the group.
After arriving in Foz, the group decided to have dinner together at a churrascaria downtown. After eating and conversing for a while, we exchanged contact information and went our separate ways around 11:45 - Greg and I took the bus back to our hostel.
After we paid and entered the park (around 11:30), we ran into the two girls (Paula and Andrea - sisters from San Juan, Argentina, but who live in Spain) again. This time we decided to hang together, and we stayed that way for the rest of the day. We first walked down a short path and caught the park train to Garganta del Diablo, where we were able to walk across the river and up close to the Devil's Throat. It was about 1:30 when we were finished with this, so we had to hustle in order to grab lunch and see the rest of the park before it closed. We forewent the buffet restaurant and instead grabbed some sandwiches for lunch at one of the fast food stores. We then went through the upper and lower circuit paths, with a very wet stop close to the feet of one of the falls. This time Greg and I were prepared, and brought our rain gear.
We departed the park around 5:30 and headed to Hito Tres Fronteras, the point where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet, and the Iguazú and the Paraná rivers converge. We stayed there for a bit then took the bus back to the Puerto Iguazú terminal in time to catch the last bus back to Foz do Iguaçu at 7:00. While waiting for the bus to Foz, we ran into another group of people that we had seen the day before - Luiz (a local of Foz but who has been around the Americas and Europe), Gwen (a Frenchman visiting Luiz - they met while Luiz was studying in France), and Cecilia (a couchsurfer who had hosted Luiz and Gwen in São Paulo). The bus ride back was mostly uneventful until we reached the Brazil border, where everyone got out of the bus to go through immigration. While I was going through, they noticed that I had not stamped my passport on the way out, and started questioning me about it. I didn't think it was a big deal (especially since Greg went through fine), until it looked like they were going to detain me, and the bus was starting to leave. Greg had to stop the bus while they finally let me go, and I was able to rejoin the group.
After arriving in Foz, the group decided to have dinner together at a churrascaria downtown. After eating and conversing for a while, we exchanged contact information and went our separate ways around 11:45 - Greg and I took the bus back to our hostel.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
South America 2009 - Day 5 (8/11/2009) - Foz do Iguaçu
The free breakfast at Charm Iguassu was pretty impressive - they had a big spread that included different types of breads, cakes, meats, cheeses, and fruits, as well as coffee, tea, and 2 types of juice. After eating, Greg and I walked down to the bus stop, where we caught the bus to Parque Nacional, the Brazilian side of the falls. This time, we had no problems figuring out where to go - plus pretty much everyone on the bus was headed to the same place.
Once at the park, we bought our tickets and entered. From there, we hopped on another bus (transportation within the park is included in the entrance fee) that took us through the park. We got off at the Cataratas stop, and walked down the path to the falls, with stops at look-outs along the way for some photos. When we got down to the Devil's Throat walkway, we realized that we had made a mistake in not bringing along our rain gear (this was at my behest - I figured we wouldn't get wet since we didn't plan on taking any of the boat rides). We grudgingly bought plastic parkas for R$7 each, and then took the walkway out to the middle of the falls. After a few minutes of photos and videos (though I could barely see anything through my wet glasses), we continued on to the panorama area above the falls. After we were done with the falls, we headed up to the food area and had a huge lunch at the buffet restaurant before leaving the park.
Next, we headed to the bird park that was nearby. I must admit that the experience there exceeded my expectations, which were not that high. It also reconfirmed that I am scared of animals, though one of the highlights for me was holding a parrot on my arm. Others included seeing Greg being attacked by both a parrot and a toucan, and the hummingbirds in the butterfly cage. After the bird park, we took the bus back to the city and returned to our hostel (after buying some water and beer). We again settled in early for the night, intending to wake up early for the Argentinian side tomorrow.
Once at the park, we bought our tickets and entered. From there, we hopped on another bus (transportation within the park is included in the entrance fee) that took us through the park. We got off at the Cataratas stop, and walked down the path to the falls, with stops at look-outs along the way for some photos. When we got down to the Devil's Throat walkway, we realized that we had made a mistake in not bringing along our rain gear (this was at my behest - I figured we wouldn't get wet since we didn't plan on taking any of the boat rides). We grudgingly bought plastic parkas for R$7 each, and then took the walkway out to the middle of the falls. After a few minutes of photos and videos (though I could barely see anything through my wet glasses), we continued on to the panorama area above the falls. After we were done with the falls, we headed up to the food area and had a huge lunch at the buffet restaurant before leaving the park.
Next, we headed to the bird park that was nearby. I must admit that the experience there exceeded my expectations, which were not that high. It also reconfirmed that I am scared of animals, though one of the highlights for me was holding a parrot on my arm. Others included seeing Greg being attacked by both a parrot and a toucan, and the hummingbirds in the butterfly cage. After the bird park, we took the bus back to the city and returned to our hostel (after buying some water and beer). We again settled in early for the night, intending to wake up early for the Argentinian side tomorrow.
Monday, August 10, 2009
South America 2009 - Day 4 (8/10/2009) - Rio to Iguaçu
After breakfast and another cold shower (the hot water never really worked in our bathroom at the hostel), Greg and I headed out around 10:30 intending to go relax on the beach for a while before heading back to catch a taxi to the airport. Things did not exactly go according to plan. We caught the 435 bus, which one map said went to Copacabana, but after a while we realized that it was not headed anywhere near there. We figured that it would eventually loop around and reach the beach, so we stayed on. This was not the case - we reached the end of the line and had to get off. So we hopped back on the same bus and took it in the other direction. We went close to the stop where we got on (only in the other direction), and eventually made it to Copacabana...at 12:15. We walked along the beach for a while, and then stopped at one of the Bob's Burgers establishments for lunch. I must say that their #1, the Big Bob, is curiously similar to a Big Mac...hmmm...
Next, we high-tailed it back to the hostel by bus (first time quality this time), picked up our big bags, and walked down to the taxi stand at the Botafogo metro station. We somehow managed to ask (our communication skills may be improving) a cabby how much the trip to the airport would cost. He told us R$35, which was about what we expected. It ended up being about R$33, so we tipped him the extra 2. In the airport, we had absolutely no problems getting through security and finding our departure gate...apparently, Terminal 2 of that airport is not very busy on Monday afternoons. We checked our bags, thinking that they were too big to fit in the carry-on test container, but later on realized that we would have been fine had we not.
The flight to Foz do Iguaçu was mostly uneventful. They served a candy before departure and a hot ham and cheese sandwich during the flight. When we arrived, we disembarked by stairs (no jet-bridge), and we were greeted at the terminal by some musician. We picked up our bags and caught a taxi (conveniently, the taxi stand sets up fixed price rides so people don't get screwed) to the Charm Iguassu Suites, our hostel for the next 3 nights. The building seemed unoccupied when we arrived, and I started to freak out a little bit. Fortunately, someone answered the intercom after ringing the bell a few times, and the taxi driver helped explain to them that we were here to check in. We then checked into our charming little room, and settled in for the night.
Next, we high-tailed it back to the hostel by bus (first time quality this time), picked up our big bags, and walked down to the taxi stand at the Botafogo metro station. We somehow managed to ask (our communication skills may be improving) a cabby how much the trip to the airport would cost. He told us R$35, which was about what we expected. It ended up being about R$33, so we tipped him the extra 2. In the airport, we had absolutely no problems getting through security and finding our departure gate...apparently, Terminal 2 of that airport is not very busy on Monday afternoons. We checked our bags, thinking that they were too big to fit in the carry-on test container, but later on realized that we would have been fine had we not.
The flight to Foz do Iguaçu was mostly uneventful. They served a candy before departure and a hot ham and cheese sandwich during the flight. When we arrived, we disembarked by stairs (no jet-bridge), and we were greeted at the terminal by some musician. We picked up our bags and caught a taxi (conveniently, the taxi stand sets up fixed price rides so people don't get screwed) to the Charm Iguassu Suites, our hostel for the next 3 nights. The building seemed unoccupied when we arrived, and I started to freak out a little bit. Fortunately, someone answered the intercom after ringing the bell a few times, and the taxi driver helped explain to them that we were here to check in. We then checked into our charming little room, and settled in for the night.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
South America 2009 - Day 3 (8/9/2009) - Rio - Botanical Garden, Maracana
After breakfast at the hostel, we started out intending to go to Tijuca Forest, which is in the same direction as the Jardim Botânico (botanical garden). While we were on the bus toward the garden, we realized that we didn't really know how to get to the park, so we decided just to go to the garden. The garden is pretty big, and we probably didn't see even half of it in our two hours of walking around.
We took the subway to the stadium, and arrived about one hour before the 16:00 game. We waited in line for tickets, and at one point needed help from a kind fan to determine which of the 3 branches of the line to take. We chose the middle one (the one on the left was for the upper deck, and the one on the right was for the expensive seats), and we ended up quite satisfied with our decision. There was no assigned seating with our tickets, and we ended up by one of the end lines, about 20 seats up from the field. During the game, we each bought a jersey from a guy selling bootleg jeryseys out of a backpack. Flamengo ended up winning the game 1-0 (at least that was the score when we left late in the second half) on a goal by Adriano, whose jersey we each had bought.
When we left the garden, we took the bus back to Botafogo. After getting off, we searched for some quick lunch, eventually stumbling across a Subway. We took our sandwiches back to the hostel, where we were to meet our new friend Jill (an astronomer from Wisconsin, currently living in Seattle) before heading to the football game at Estádio do Maracanã (Maracanã Stadium). We lucked out, as the game was between Flamengo and Corinthians, the two biggest teams (in terms of fan base) in Brazil.
We took the subway to the stadium, and arrived about one hour before the 16:00 game. We waited in line for tickets, and at one point needed help from a kind fan to determine which of the 3 branches of the line to take. We chose the middle one (the one on the left was for the upper deck, and the one on the right was for the expensive seats), and we ended up quite satisfied with our decision. There was no assigned seating with our tickets, and we ended up by one of the end lines, about 20 seats up from the field. During the game, we each bought a jersey from a guy selling bootleg jeryseys out of a backpack. Flamengo ended up winning the game 1-0 (at least that was the score when we left late in the second half) on a goal by Adriano, whose jersey we each had bought.
After the game we took the metro back to the hostel. There, we ran into a few other people and invited them out to dinner with us. The other attendees were Dorian (one of our roommates, from France) and another guy from Israel. After wandering around indecisively for a while, we settled on a pizza churrascaria and buffet. We opted to go the unlimited pizza/pasta route. My favorites probably were the desert pizzas that came out towards the end: chocolate, chocalate-cream, chocolate-strawberry, and chocolate-M&M. A couple of other guys from the hostel showed up at the restaurant and joined our table midway through the dinner. After eating and conversing for a while, we headed back to hostel. A couple of the astronomers (there's an astronomy conference in Rio last week and this week) took off for an astronomy party, but Greg and I stayed in.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
South America 2009 - Day 2 (8/8/2009) - Rio - Sugar Loaf, Central
We were up a little after 9:00, in time to get some of the free breakfast offered by the hostel. I had some toast and an apple. After eating, we readied ourselves and headed out for the day. We walked to Urca, where we took the cable car up to the tops of Morro da Urca and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), looked around for a while, and then took the cable car back down. During the journey up the mountain I realized that my camera battery was dying and I did not have the back-up, so I had to revert to my cell phone - which actually has a higher megapixel, but less capable, camera. After getting back down, we took a quick stroll by the beach nearby.
Next, we walked back up to the road to a churrascaria that we had seen on the way, and had a late (for us, but not for Brazilians) lunch there. The experience there was about comparable to what I had at the churrascaria in St. Louis (Bacana Brazil). Considering that we walked in and sat down without knowing how much they were charging, I was pleasantly surprised when the bill came out. I predicted R$240 for the both of us (including 3 drinks and a dessert), while Greg said R$170 - the total was $115, or about US$60.
After lunch we caught a bus to Centro, where we wandered around for a while. We went by a few places, including Praça XV, but only briefly stopped in one building (because it had a "Be Kind, Rewind" exhibit). After a while we headed to the hostel, and were back before dark (around 6:30). It's about 8:15 now, and I'm about ready to crash.
Pictures:
Friday, August 7, 2009
South America 2009 - Day 1 (8/7/2009) - Arriving in Rio
After our 9+ hour flight from Atlanta arrived in Rio de Janeiro at about 8:30 in the morning, Greg and I soon realized that we would be pretty much screwed in terms of getting around in Brazil. We got through passport control and customs fairly easily (to my surprise, I was not searched), but once we walked out into the terminal we had no idea what was going on. We were harrassed by some taxi drivers who wanted to score a fare, but we mostly warded them off. After walking around for a while, we eventually found out (with the help of one of the taxi drivers) that the ATMs were up on the third floor. We eventually found them in the far corner of the building, and I was able to withdraw some cash. Unfortunately, Greg's card did not work, so I had to spot him a little cash up front.
We eventually found a bus into town after about an hour of wandering around the airport. The bus ride took a long time, and a couple of other riders would not stop complaining about it. We overshot our desired stop in Botafogo, and ended up getting off at Copacabana with a couple of other young travelers. We walked over to the nearest Metro stop and took it one stop up to Botafogo. From there we wandered around for a bit before finding our hostel, the Vila Carioca. By the time we checked in and put our stuff away, it was after noon.
Next, we headed out to find some lunch. Once again, we wandered about for a while, half-lost and hesitant to make a decision about anything. We eventually settled on Mr. Pizza Express, where Greg had a small "pepperoni" (more like tiny salami) pizza and I had a ham calzone. After that, we wandered over to Cosme Velho (a bit of a hike from Flamengo), intending to take the Funincular tram up to the top of the Corcovado. We were intercepted by a guy (he referenced me as "Bob Marley") who was selling car rides up to the Corcovado but with stops at top of Morro Dona Marta and a nearby helipad. This only cost R$4 more than the tram, so we thought it was worthwhile. We were a bit worried the whole time that the driver would leave us at each stop, but it all ended up working out. After our visit to Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), I attempted to buy a figurine of the statue at a gift shop, but could not because I did not have enough cash (they did not accept cards).
Once we made it back down the mountain we caught a bus back towards Botafogo. Once again we missed our stop, and had to navigate back to the hostel (after dark) - and once again, we got a little lost. After making it back and putting some stuff away, we headed back out to find dinner. After much indecision, we settled on an American restaurant named B-52s in a multi-storey mall. We both had burgers (Greg's was of the monster variety), and I was disappointed by mine. On the way out of the mall I grabbed a McFlurry.
We walked back and settled in for the night. We headed down to the living area of the hostel to use the Internet, and ended up meeting a few fellow travelers who provided some good conversation and activity advice.
Pictures below:
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