After our exursion to Rapa Nui we arrived safely back to Santiago where we had delightful suprise ... Our English friends were in town! We ate, we drank, and we were merry. From Santiago we had the mission of booting across Argentina so we can arrive to Brazil before our Visa´s expiry. But of course we didn´t want take a grueling 60hr bus ride so we made a few stops along the way. A fun filled 8 days spent in Wine and Steak Country. And so it begins ...
Mendoza is a quaint little city. And by little, we mean 600,000 people. Our hostel had an all the amenities that we needed. ... as much red wine as you can drink. Unfortunately, our stay was much too short to enjoy the full potential of the wine. But we will be returning mid-Jan so we can assure you, the wine hasn´t seen the last of our stomaches. In Mendoza, we got our first taste of Argentinean beef. Said to be world renowned, the steaks didn´t dissapoint. 600g steak (the size of your face) is big enough to fill the biggest person. And take our word for it, everyone there is fat and 4 days away from a heart attack.
From Mendoza we headed east to Rossario. We chose to go for the `lonely plant`reviews of the beaches and beach activity. However the beach is really just a fjord where frieghters go through the many ports throughout Rossario. The brown, sludgy water is anything but appealing. Lisa got a wierd blue stain on her calf after 5 min wading in the water that didn´t dissapear to 2 days. Imagine a giant blue pen exploding on your leg. The water situation was even more dissapointing than you may think because a refreshing dip would have been a nice change from the 47 degree heat.
While walking around Rossario we came across a world food carnival/exhibit. Canada wasn´t there. Neither was America. Or the UK. So by world we mean unusual countries such as Romania, Iran, Syrah, Almania, along with all the South American countries that randomly only offered Italian Food. To Kevin´s great dissapointment only one beer was offered amongst all the stands. Argentiean Chopp.
From Rossario we took a 16hr bus ride to Puerto Iguazu. Welcome to the land of Malaria and Yellow Fever. Puerto is hot and humid and bug infested. We finally broke out the mosquito net and managed to steer clear of the cockroaches running around the bathroom. The first full day we had, we spent at the falls. Unbelievable. The thunderous roar of the 275 waterfalls pounding 20 feets away is indescribable. We took a boat trip underneath the falls and a 4x4 tour in the jungle where we saw a real live Toucan. He pooped fruit loops. Kevin ate them.
Day 2:
We took a day trip to Brazil to see the Brazil side of Iguazu. It was just as beautiful but in a different way. Instead of looking either up or down at the falls, you saw the whole Panaramic scene. Leroy loved it. We also made a brief stop in Paraguay to see the Itaipu, one of the world´s largest dams. In Lisa´s opinion, it was dumb. Damn dumb.
From here to took what was supposed to be a 20hr bus ride to Rio but with traffic it ended up being 24. Kevin´s knees were cramping but the ride was particularily rough on Lisa as she has a rule not to pee on busses.
In Rio we stayed in the famous Copacabana Beach. Thongs galore. And the men reading this might think it is wonderful, but the thoughts of delight quickly turn to disgust when you see the cellulite-y rippling asses of 50 year old fat chicks and 60 year old beer gutted wrinkly old men in their thong equivilant. Banana Hammocks. We have to add, this isn´t just on the beach. It´s shopping downtown, at McDonalds, and at the market ... rain, sleet, snow or hail. Just like the mailman.
We spent 1 full day doing the `tourist` thing. We visited Jesus. Lisa wanted to hug him but was dissapointed that she couldn´t because he towered 38m above her. We watched a futbal match but the fans were more exciting than the game. We also attempted to party like the locals. We went into a degenerate part of town where the famous `street parties`are held. It´s basically hundreds of people getting drunk in the street. The whole area smells of pee and it´s target place for muggings. (we found out the next morning that 3 people from our hostel got robbed at knife point all on separate occasions.) Mom´s, don´t worry. We were with a big group of people so we were fine.
We also visited the Santa Teresa Mosaic Stairs by artist Jorge Selaron. It has taken him 18 years and to quote him "This crazy and unique dream will only end on the day of my death." It´s an everchanging stair way of tiles from around the world that people send to him as a contribution to his, indeed, crazy dream. (Note the picture where he sneaks up behind Kevin for a photo op)
Now, it´s time to Party in Paraty.
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