RTW

Gallery: Brazil I

distenz — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:17:00 GMT

Brazil

Uruguay

distenz — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:58:00 GMT

Uruguay, most of the westeners heard of it for its beaches of Punta Del Este. My first stop was Montevideo after a short flight from Buenos Aires. It definitly looks much quieter than Buenos Aires, sitting on the other side of the Rio Del Plata.

I stayed one night in the city center, for the NYE, and that was definitly the worst idea I had. All the shops had closed even before I had time to get into town, and nonody could be found in the streets. Damm, everyone is on the beach at Mar Del plata in Argentina, Punta Del Este in Uruguay of in Rio in Brasil, but I am the only one here. Well, the party was short as never started, found the only restaurant open, in which the waiters showed no interest for the customers. I was quickly back to the hotel, opened the TV and watched few minutes whats happening in Copacabana Beach in Rio, O Well!! Next year, haha.

As Montevideo was as dead as the last night, I jumped in the first coach heading to Colonia. It is a small village very well preserved, 2 hours from Montevideo, West. A few bars were open for business, including one very coloured, where food was cooked in front of you in the middle of the tables. That was probably the highlight of the day, as nothing else was available to do, a long walk (30mn) and I was back to the almost abandoned station.

Last day in Uruguay I couldn't not go to Punta Del Este, famous for its beaches. It is 1 hours drive from Montevideo (east). The arrival made me think it is still an authentic beach resort, but the more the bus was driving towards the center, the more skycraper could be seen. Ok, so this is full of cement, some sand, lots of money and finally nothing very exiting. Legend, there is no more.

But in the next days I will test another legend, Rio de Janeiro, lets go.

Gallery: Uruguay

distenz — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:36:00 GMT

Buenos Aires

distenz — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:52:00 GMT

Flight without incident to finally land again in south america. Hello Argentina, first time here. Short lift to the hotel in the San Telmo district and ready for a walk through the city.

The city center looks a bit old and would need some refurbishment but human activity is there during the day gathering round the Calle Florida with tons of shops. Nothing much to visit around, except the Casa Rosada, which is the official presidential residence and government headquarters, and the Congress building.

Next day, I went out of town, for a short trip to El Tigre, a city nearby Buenos Aires, sitting at the estuary of the Rio Del Plata, between Argentina and Uruguay. It is easily reached by train from Buenos Aires, it takes about 1 hour. This place is a maze of canals, the only way to access the houses, real luxurious houses to very simple huts, edging the water. Many boats leave the harbour of El Tigre next to the train station, and leave regularly. You got the choice between short trips and longer ones (about 3 hours). On the big boats, drinks and food are served. I was lucky enough to meet colombians on this trip, who I carried on with back in the city.

At night, we chose to go to a Tango show. I kindly asked my hotel to find me a good one, and they succeeded. The place was full and nothing seemed tacky. Diner was included in the price (round 40$), with some wine. They introduced the audience to different styles of tango, with a brief history of the dance with a short video. We left the place at 2am and went for some drinks in an other area. That place was full when we arrived and still the same when we left at 6am, but for us was time to sleep.

Next day, sunday, we heard it was a good day for a walk in La Boca district and also San Telmo, so we headed there. For s start we drove to La boca, to visit El Caminito. It is not bigger than a couple of narrow streets, but it attracts all the tourists of Buenos Aires, and it is justified. However you can forget to visit it "outside business hours", after down the police would take you out to save you from trouble. During the day, this is definitly one fo the best place you could be, even if this is kind of made for tourists, the ambiance is great and you will want to stay there a little more. Every bar has its own band, couple, or tape playing tango, and with the fellow dancers coming along with it. They either have you taken in a picture while undergoing a pass, or they will take you for a short dance if you want to try the adventure. The toll is about a couple of dollars though.

If you get to leave El Caminito not too late, it's time to head to San Telmo, where there is a huge street market every sunday. Everything is sold here, and also you will notice bands playing tango, and dancers (again).

For me, was time to leave Argentina, I hope next time I will be able to see more, as I had a great time there. Uruguay is coming up.

Gallery: Argentina I

distenz — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:37:00 GMT

Buenos Aires