Take Risk: September 2012

Foz do Iguacu/Iguazú Falls - Brazilian side

After Brazil and with about two weeks left, I still wanted to visit two more countries before arriving in Buenos Aires, where I flew into South America and would fly out. My last few weeks included sites such as Iguazu waterfalls, Itaipu Dam, and Jesuit ruins from Brazil to Argentina. If you’re interested in viewing my complete journey, check out my map.

“Big Water” - The Iguazu Falls in Brazil & Argentina

For my Brazilian big finale, I stopped at the famous Foz do Iguaçu National Park to view the incredible Foz do Iguaçu (Iguazu, in Spanish) waterfalls, a compilation of about 275 waterfalls. 20% of the park is on the Brazilian side and 80% is on the Argentine side.

In Brazil, I not only visited the falls, but also a fun aviary (which also had some reptiles!) where guests could get up close and personal with everything from the scarlet ibis to toucans to boa constrictors. I was two inches from being shat upon by Toucan Sam, let a macaw perch on my arm and had a boa constrictor wrapped around my shoulders. One of the most entertaining groups of birds were the flamingos. In the wild, flamingos only feel safe in large groups. When they feel safe, they breed. In this particular aviary, there were not enough flamingos to make them feel safe enough to procreate, so the clever caretakers placed mirrors around the flamingos to give the illusion that there are more of them. The flamingos instantly began breeding again.

Flamingos in front of mirrors

Next, I crossed over the border with Argentina to see the majority of Iguazu Falls. I walked over, around, and beside waterfalls of all sizes. One of my favorite experiences was a thrill ride in a boat which rode under two different falls. All of us were blasted and soaked with water.

Paraguay - Yerba Maté & Hydroelectric Dams

Even though landlocked Paraguay doesn’t have much tourism, I met the nicest information attendant in its border town, Ciudad del Este. She was enthusiastic, friendly and put me at ease instantly. Immigration was the opposite. The officer looked bored and took a few moments to stop reading his newspaper before attending to me. Besides being a border town, Ciudad del Este is the place where Argentines go for shopping deals. Paraguay also introduced me to an interesting cultural phenomenon - their version of Starbucks coffee to-go cups.

Many Paraguayans drink either hot or cold yerba maté, similar to tea. Instead of drinking it for breakfast or after lunch and calling it quits, many take their maté cup and thermos with them everywhere they go. I mean everywhere. I later found out that Uruguayans do this as well.

Itaipú Dam, waterways closed

Itaipú, Largest Hydroelectric Dam
I rode six buses to reach the Itaipú Dam, on the border with Brazil and Paraguay and a joint venture between the two countries. Itaipú is a man-made wonder, which supplies 90% of the energy used by Paraguay and 20% of the energy used by Brazil. In fact, Paraguay with its 6.5 million citizens cannot use all of the energy it receives from their half of the dam, so it sells back a portion to Brazil and its 200 million citizens, at a fixed rate. While visiting the dam, I watched an educational video and went on a bus tour of the facility. Unfortunately for me and due to water levels, the waterways were not open and the dam was not operating at full capacity the day I visited.

Paraguay & Argentina - Eating Chipa & Exploring Ruins

Picnic in Encarnación - Rosalind took the photo!

After I visited the dam, I made my way to Encarnación, Paraguay’s second largest city, my base for the nearby Jesuit ruins. I arrived at Encarnación after dark and was not able to reserve a hostel room, but had a few in mind. I found a humble hostel close to the bus station, but it was booked except for private rooms. As I was about to leave the hostel to find another one, an English girl said I could stay in her room if that wasn’t too weird. She was in a room with two beds, but only using one of them. She seemed cool and it decreased the price for both of us, so I went for it. This was a great decision.

Rosalind and I spent the next two days exploring Encarnación, picnicking, shopping, and eating LOTS of chipa, the best cheese bread that I found in South America. We even treated ourselves to some sushi - there are a fair amount of people of Japanese descent in Paraguay. The sushi was accompanied with teteré, an ice yerba maté tea.

Jesuit Ruins at Trinidad

After Rosalin left to visit with a friend in Paraguay, I ventured off to the lonely, yet well-preserved Jesuit ruins in Trinidad, where a bus dropped me off in the middle of nowhere. Trinidad, the largest mission, is one of 30 in an area that spans Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. These settlements, built as early as the 1600s, mark a period where Jesuits created religious settlements to convert, education, and govern indigenous groups. Since no one was about, this gave me the perfect opportunity to try my timer function on my camera!

In contrast, the next day, I crossed the border with Argentina and due to a bus layover, took the opportunity to explore the tourist-ridden San Ignacio Mini. It was a beautiful site and I received a “complimentary” tour, but the entry price was four times more than the ruins in Paraguay.

Uruguay - Small Country with Lots of Coast & Good Food

It took much longer than I anticipated to reach Uruguay, but after crossing Argentina (to get to Uruguay from Paraguay, you have to cross Argentina - see map), getting my bag soaked again, chatting with a well-educated and friendly bus driver who let me dry my backpack inside his vehicle, I was taken aback by the modernity of Uruguay, a country of 3.5 million. I was able to throw my toilet paper into the toilet instead of a wastebasket, unlike other countries in South America. I also didn’t have to haggle for bus prices because they were all regulated and set by the government. Additionally, I learned that Uruguay’s government has proposed a marijuana legalization bill as an alternative to the war on drugs and spoke with a few Uruguayans about this. As anticipated, there were mixed opinions.

Gnocchi made from eggplant - yum

Montevideo - Steak Sandwiches & Gnocchi
Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay with 1.8 of the 3.5 million citizens living there. I arrived at night and settled into the old, colonial part of town. When I arrived at the hostel, I was greeted by amiable hosts who invited me to the hostel’s chivito dinner that night. I joined for a little social time and to eat one of the national dishes. Chivito might be the best “hamburger” I have had. It’s a steak sandwich filled with goodness: bacon, fried eggs, ham, steak, red peppers, olives, mozzarella...etc.

The next day, I explored the Sunday flea market, with everything from pictures frames to fruit to car parts, and then went on a search for some good gnocchi, a traditional and popular dish from poorer economic days. One of the receptionists sent me on a hunt, where I experienced the newer part of town, as well as a fraction of the 27-kilometer (17-mile) Rambla, a beautiful coastline with beaches and a walkway for joggers, bicyclists, and anyone else who would like to use it. The gnocchi was decent and the Rambla was beautiful, even in the winter.

Sleepy Colonia del Sacramento

That evening, I sipped maté with my roommates, Daniela and Luciana, and we plotted meeting up in Buenos Aires for a famous Argentine steak. After dinner with them, I went with a girl from Europe to experience the Sunday-night candombe drum street gathering. It started around 9 p.m. and wound up going until 11 p.m. We bussed and walked over to a colonial neighborhood and joined the throngs of people congregating in the streets. Eventually there were drums and more people. After about 30 minutes, we found ourselves walking and dancing with children and adults to the candombe beat.

The next day, I visited a few museums and gave gnocchi one more go before leaving Montevideo for Colonia. It was well worth it. At the Brazilian cafe across from my hostel, I had the best and my first eggplant gnocchi, which I finished with a satisfying espresso.

Colonia del Sacramento - Sleepy, but Conversational
Colonia was a pretty, colonial, seaside town, but small and sleepy. I can’t vouch for the summer, but it’s slightly dull in the winter. I ended up having coffee with a guy from Portugal who came to Uruguay for work, hanging out with a real estate agent with high-hopes from Buenos Aires who just bought property outside of Colonia, and having great conversation and exploring with a recently-finished Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, who was from Mississippi. Talking with Juliane was the highlight of my stay. Her experience working with children in rural Peru and providing sex education, among other things, was inspirational. If you’re interested in reading her blog, check it out at http://julianemolesworth.blogspot.com/.

From Colonia, I took a ferry boat across the water to Buenos Aires to visit friends and finish my journey.

Argentina - Back in Buenos Aires

Enjoying wine at a bar in Cañitas - with Fernanda

To help me transition back to “reality” in the United States, I decided to position myself in a relaxed neighborhood with plenty of restaurants and art. I found myself in Palermo. The next four days were a whirlwind of eating, chatting, and relaxing - something I had done little of during the last six months. I met a delightful girl from Chile who was studying to be a pilates instructor. She even took me to one of her classes, which was a refreshing experience. We ate out a few nights and enjoyed each other’s company. Additionally, I had various reunions with friends I met along the way: Fernanda (Celeste was sick!), Sebastian and Facundo, and Daniela and Luciana. All live in or around Buenos Aires.

Good Argentine steak barbecue with Luciana and Daniela

Dinner & Drinks with Fernanda - Fernanda and I met in February when she and her friend, Celeste, were traveling to Rosario, Argentina for Carnival. They introduced me to my first maté. I contacted Fernanda and she, her friend from childhood, his German colleague, and I met up in Palermo for some appetizers and wine. Afterward, we drove over to Cañitas for more drinks. Between the three of us and our three different first languages, we had a wonderful time chatting and hanging out until 4 a.m.
Good Steak with Las Chicas - I met Daniela and Luciana at the hostel in Montevideo. They promised me that they would lead me to an excellent and affordable steakhouse. They did. We met in the Recoleta, got the complete grilled selection for three, and still were not able to finish. It was excellent. Afterward, Luciana gave me a private tour of her workplace, a foundation which focuses on providing educational opportunities to those with special needs. I even got to join in on one of their activities.
Italian restaurant in Palermo - with Sebastian, Nancy, Facundo

Exploration & Dinner with the Guys -
Sebastian, Facundo and I met in Córdoba, Argentina in February as they were on vacation. We shared the same hostel room and he and our other roommate, Kim, ventured out to explore Córdoba together. We connected online and met for an early dinner right before I left for the airport. To my delight, Sebastian also brought his fiancee, Nancy, with him. We three raced around town and then found a nice Italian place in everyone’s price range. We devoured pasta and then they helped me find my bus to the airport. This was no easy feat and I don’t know if I would have made it without them!

After almost seven months in South America, it was finally time to fly home. I was sad to leave South America and my new friends, clearly, but made up my mind that I was ready for it and was at peace with that new reality.

My body might have been ready as well; the last day in Buenos Aires, I started to feel like I was getting a cold. By the time I was on the plane, I knew I had one. I spent 10-hours between waking, sleeping, and coughing. I apologized to the guy beside me (he was from Buenos Aires and hopefully was immune already!) and felt a little bad about potentially infecting 300 other people. This, folks, is how disease is spread. I landed on US soil and was engulfed and embraced by family.

Although I loved my journey and will miss South America, I know that what I experienced will help guide and propel me to my next adventure. Don’t worry South America - I’ll be back!

Next: South America In Review - Recap & Reflections

Ciao,
Ashley