so i left you all in deep suspense [read: put you to sleep] with the crossing into peru and theft of my phone!.. more on that later.
The trip from the crossing near lake titicaca to cusco can be completed by a variety of means: public bus, motor cycle, bicycle, train or tourist bus. Being a massive fan of trains it was my intention to take the train; however, after speaking with the sales guy it was decided that the tourist bus was better. 20% of the price and more stops at archaeological sites sounded pretty cool. What old mate at the bus station didnt tell me was the next youngest person on the bus was at least double my age! We had more toilet stops and tea breaks than an englishman after a few overs to ricky ponting! To make matters worse I was sat behind a widow and widower both on a mission to re-marry but both having lost the knack for small talk. The trip became farcical when the guide was explaining the many different types of potato available in peru when an american lady (widower) on the trip said: "i can only think of four; mashed, baked, steamed and fries".. the guy flirting or.. sort of... with her.. could only be polite and say "i only knew 3". he stopped talking with her after that.
the plan in peru was pretty simple. smash and grab tourism: 4 days on the amazon and 4 days along the inca trail. of course after breaking my golden rule of travel whereby no chicken shall enter my body and of course getting sick, the amazon was cut short by a day to visit a Dr and get some personal admin done (report phone stolen etc).
the amazon was awesome, although a little less exciting due to illness and being the wet season. the main event was a 10km hike, climb and canoe through the jungle tracking down monkeys, anacondas, tarantulas, crocs (caymans) and assorted man killing bugs! the guide was awesome and was able to not only explain all the different animals in the area but track them and ensure we found some cool stuff. he also explained in outstanding detail the role of the different plants and in the area.. often more interesting than the animals!.. one example was the justice tree. it is home to the dangerous and poisonous ant of the amazon. the locals would put someone on the tree for committing a crime where the length of time spent tied to the tree was relative to the crime: murder was 24 hours and equalled death by 1 million bites. it was around 35 degrees and 7000 percent humidity for the day so it did wonders for my health. in the afternoon while others visited a mock family situation in the jungle i slept. when i woke i went for a walk and discovered a Japanese guy in the group (ken) wanted to go fishing. i joined him. he told me about his life in japan. the most... er...interesting... part was when he worked for some yakuza. they went on a trip to china to buy women to work in japan (he wasnt sure why chinese didnt like him).. and they bought 150 chinese women to take to export. anyway, he told me that the next day the airport was shut down looking for ken and his yakuza buddies. they had to escape with the women on a boat. we were interrupted by a load group approaching... he said.. let´s go. "fkn chinese are coming". sure enough 5 minutes later a large boat of chinese students arrived disturbing the quiet moment in the mud we were sharing. it was an insight into sino-japanese relations.
the following day, i returned early to cuzco to the Dr who gave me 4 different drugs to get me right and told me to rest (ie no inca trail). in the short stay in cusco i went to the police to report the theft. the conversation went something like this:
me: buenas dias
policeman 1: buenas dias snr
me: ¿usted hablas englais?
policeman 1: si
me: muchas gracias, yo no hablo espanol. i would like to report a theft.
policeman 2 interjects: when was it?
me: 19 march (4 days ago)
policeman ¨2: why didnt you report it then? where was it?
me: i was getting on a bus, there were no policemen. it was in puno.
policeman 2: well we cant help. you have to report right away.
me: oh i didnt know. i dont need you to investigate, it isnt important and i have insurance...
policeman 2: tourists just think they can tell us what to do
me: sorry, i dont want to waste your time. how can i help to get a report?
pòliceman 2: tourists are so stupid with their belongings.
me: you dont need to be impolite...
policeman 2: yes i do
me: tu entiendas "impolite"
policeman 2: yes. and i do need to be. tourists are stupid.
anyway, he may have been right. he then charged me a dollar (US) to get a report for my phone.
the inca trail was amazing and well worth the visit. our group completed a 4 day and 3 night trek covering 42km and going through 3 passes the highest at over 4200m above sea level. it was an eye opener. firstly it should be called the Quechua trail, named after the people that used and built it. the inca was just one person, the king. secondly, it should be called one of many Quechua trails as there are at least 100 already discovered. those facts aside it was a tough event and very well run. the guide explained the plants, animals and archaeological sites on the way. we visited 6 or 7 sites all from different times and slightly different roles. the 3 days were great and the 4th produced a story. after the first 3 days being quite hard everyone was eager to see machu pichu and have an easy day. however, at 5:30am when the gates to the park opened everyone suddenly forgot that we had spent 3 days walking to the site and wanted to rush. it was an uphill slog on 1m wide steps in the dark and rain. there was no room for resting or enjoying the view. several people pushed, couple of people argued and one (from our team and 1m from me) fell down a cliff. he was lucky that a tree broke his fall. while me, his girl friend and another team member recovered the guy, some people were a little worried.. others said "ok, he is fine, can we get going now". my response: "if you are in a bloody hurry why didnt you get the train!!" machu pichu was everything one is led to believe. the walk and our team was great. i recommend the trip to anyone with an inclination to attempt it.. you wont be disappointed. (wait for photos).
am now at lima airport heading to NYC for the big drive across USA... wish us luck!! bit sad to leave sth america but the trip was a great sampler of the offerings of this massive continent.
c.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Bolivia - 1000 words doesn´t give the picture..
only now that i am in peru, could i really reflect on time in bolivia. the contrast is so strong that it was needed to put Bolivia in context. Peru is lush, easy, well serviced and clean. Everything that Bolivia wasn´t. Although these are only the surface things... it did bring the time in Bolivia into focus.
After the relaxation an beach action of rio it was time to get the real trip started via Chile. Excited at the prospect of Bolivia, I was a little thrown at check in when the girl enquired "do you know your destiny?" I wasn't sure what to say other than "no".. but it was food for thought.
Arriving at Santa Cruz airport (central bolivia) at around 2am it was pretty obvious why most tourists skip it, if visiting Bolivia. After a hell flight starting at 9pm in Santiago and making some stops on the coast and an unscheduled one in the Andes somewhere it was a tough early morning cab. Despite being a key city for the trade in minerals and agricultural produce for Bolivia there was extreme poverty on display at every turn. The streets were lined with rubbish, cars, dogs, young women plying their trade, cars and makeshift housing. It was obviously very different to Santiago.
After the introduction, in the morning it all seemed to be a bad dream. Santa Cruz, by day, is great. It has a history different to that of much of south america. Firstly, santa cruz was never completely under the control of the spanish; indigenous groups were able to adapt their fighting techniques to combat the spanish and cause a significant amount of trouble for the invaders. the locals believe they are more like the brazilians than their (according to locals) less kind and uglier neighbours in the andes. Although not really considered a tourist stop it was a facinating place to be... Santa Cruz was the centre of the bolivian cocaine trade for many years but since the DEA and bolivian police made a joint effort to stop the trade there (some may say american interference for small donations to local politicians), it has moved to a nearby town!...
Santa Cruz is now the largest city in boliva, with its growth driven by the rich mineral deposits in the nearby towns and region. in addition, there is a large grazing area to the north (trinidad) that has provided significant wealth to the major trading town! the town is a grid and easy to walk around. there isn't a lot of tourist type stuff but a nice square and loads of cool colonial architecture.
The plan was to make a trail north to the beni province. However, the area around trinidad and beni is still flooded and people there are getting pretty sick. Weirdly, many people were being infected with dengue fever and malaria - even dying from dysentery but the stories were not making the world news. There were some pretty horrific stories from locals who had left the flood zone for marginally drier Santa Cruz. Despite best efforts buses and flights were cancelled and the trip plan had to change!! - personally i think chavez took my sea on my flight...
So a new plan devised, it was off to La Paz. The flight was...interesting .. loads of turbulence over remote mountains in a smallish plane with zero visibility trying to land at the highest international airport in the world (over 4000m above sea level) was.. fun. The flight took off the day after the garuda crash in indonesia with an airline with an equally impressive safety record. Rumour has it the garuda crash resulted from high speed landing.. well, in La Paz, due to the altitude the plane has to land at around double the speed of a normal plane...
Life at 4000m is hilarious. After reading a little about the problems of altitude and not believing any of it, i thought i could just waltz off the plane and grab my pack in quick time!! well i was wrong. the thin air leads to errors of judgement, dizziness and other problems. carrying the pack to the taxi took me about 10 or so minutes with 3 or 4 rests. unfortunately, the area was clouded on the drive in to La Paz, which i later found out was spectacular. the motorway coming into town is was really empty and the trip was quick...until the realisation that being a weekend it was "protest on the motorway day" All traffic came to a standstill. the driver said he wanted to turn back (like everyone else) and drive the wrong way along the road to get off the motorway. The choice was: go with him - and risk travelling the wrong way on a motorway at 80kph at 4000m above sea level.. or walking the 1 or 2km down hill to the city. sounds easy huh? well... there was a lot of traffic still waiting and noise and pollution and protesters and i was really struggling with the thin air.. (note; the protest was in relation to a gas shortage and high prices. locals cannot afford to heat their homes or cook).
the city is pretty full on. loads of noise, poverty, pollution, really really really difficult to climb streets, witches and taxis. the setting is mind blowing. ranging from 3000-4100m above sea level and some snow covered peaks in the distance it is easy to see how visiting football teams are both intimidated and mind blown by the scene that greats them. there is a lot to see and do here but getting around is so difficult due to the thin air. anyway day two was a lot better as the acclimatisation gets going, but it is still hard to walk up the most difficult streets.
After a couple of days in La Paz it was pretty obvious that a trip to the amazon in bolivia was off - plan B was to visit the salt lakes in the andes and it didn't disappoint. the area is all over 4000m and parts are 5-6000m and it is mostly flat with the tops of the 6000m peaks like pimples on the Altiplano. the area has massive salt flats, tin mines and brightly coloured lagoons in an area stretching from central bolivia to the argentine border. the landscape changes from minute to minute with moonscapes, salt lakes, weird rocky outcrops and very little vegetation. some of the poorest people in bolivia live in the region. they work in the cold and heat extremes of the area either shovelling salt off the lake, down a tin mine or farming lamas. some of the lucky ones own a toyota landcruiser and take small groups of tourists to see these spectacular landscapes. agostino took our group. he had the worst landcruiser in bolivia but somehow it managed to survive with only 2 breakdowns and 1 or 2 flat tyres. (photos to follow when i arrive in NY in week or so).
on returning to la paz i was treated to a really great night with a friend of a friend. lisa and charles live in la paz (she for an ngo and he teaches english). they are both canadian and had never met me. that didn't stop them cooking a lovely dinner and entertaining me and some other randoms at their house. it was very funny to be so far from home but feel so welcome. anyone off to la paz: let me know and I will intro you for a free night out, some wine and entertaining conversation. i hear that after i left it degenerated into leg wrestling so you could even hang out for that.
i left early for a day of mountain biking on the "worlds most dangerous road". while it didnt live up to its reputation, it was a great day out. the instructors were excellent and the road is spectacular. it was a little sobering when we were standing at the spot of a recent death and the instructors described in a lot of detail what happens when a tourist runs off the road and falls 400m onto rock. it had happened twice in a 2 week period. after the ride it was off to the pub with one particularly interesting guy - owns some internet travel site and plans to ride a bike from mexico to canada in 3 months - to celebrate st patricks day. it was pretty funny although not spectacular. the irish had won both their cricket and rugby matches during the day so by the time we rocked up the party was pretty much dying under its own weight.
from there a quick stop at lake titicaca (a lake at around 4000m) in the andes before crossing into peru.
PS. my phone was stolen while i was in near Copacabana (bolivia), just over into peru in a small town call Puno, so I have no numbers..please let me know postal addresses and numbers!
After the relaxation an beach action of rio it was time to get the real trip started via Chile. Excited at the prospect of Bolivia, I was a little thrown at check in when the girl enquired "do you know your destiny?" I wasn't sure what to say other than "no".. but it was food for thought.
Arriving at Santa Cruz airport (central bolivia) at around 2am it was pretty obvious why most tourists skip it, if visiting Bolivia. After a hell flight starting at 9pm in Santiago and making some stops on the coast and an unscheduled one in the Andes somewhere it was a tough early morning cab. Despite being a key city for the trade in minerals and agricultural produce for Bolivia there was extreme poverty on display at every turn. The streets were lined with rubbish, cars, dogs, young women plying their trade, cars and makeshift housing. It was obviously very different to Santiago.
After the introduction, in the morning it all seemed to be a bad dream. Santa Cruz, by day, is great. It has a history different to that of much of south america. Firstly, santa cruz was never completely under the control of the spanish; indigenous groups were able to adapt their fighting techniques to combat the spanish and cause a significant amount of trouble for the invaders. the locals believe they are more like the brazilians than their (according to locals) less kind and uglier neighbours in the andes. Although not really considered a tourist stop it was a facinating place to be... Santa Cruz was the centre of the bolivian cocaine trade for many years but since the DEA and bolivian police made a joint effort to stop the trade there (some may say american interference for small donations to local politicians), it has moved to a nearby town!...
Santa Cruz is now the largest city in boliva, with its growth driven by the rich mineral deposits in the nearby towns and region. in addition, there is a large grazing area to the north (trinidad) that has provided significant wealth to the major trading town! the town is a grid and easy to walk around. there isn't a lot of tourist type stuff but a nice square and loads of cool colonial architecture.
The plan was to make a trail north to the beni province. However, the area around trinidad and beni is still flooded and people there are getting pretty sick. Weirdly, many people were being infected with dengue fever and malaria - even dying from dysentery but the stories were not making the world news. There were some pretty horrific stories from locals who had left the flood zone for marginally drier Santa Cruz. Despite best efforts buses and flights were cancelled and the trip plan had to change!! - personally i think chavez took my sea on my flight...
So a new plan devised, it was off to La Paz. The flight was...interesting .. loads of turbulence over remote mountains in a smallish plane with zero visibility trying to land at the highest international airport in the world (over 4000m above sea level) was.. fun. The flight took off the day after the garuda crash in indonesia with an airline with an equally impressive safety record. Rumour has it the garuda crash resulted from high speed landing.. well, in La Paz, due to the altitude the plane has to land at around double the speed of a normal plane...
Life at 4000m is hilarious. After reading a little about the problems of altitude and not believing any of it, i thought i could just waltz off the plane and grab my pack in quick time!! well i was wrong. the thin air leads to errors of judgement, dizziness and other problems. carrying the pack to the taxi took me about 10 or so minutes with 3 or 4 rests. unfortunately, the area was clouded on the drive in to La Paz, which i later found out was spectacular. the motorway coming into town is was really empty and the trip was quick...until the realisation that being a weekend it was "protest on the motorway day" All traffic came to a standstill. the driver said he wanted to turn back (like everyone else) and drive the wrong way along the road to get off the motorway. The choice was: go with him - and risk travelling the wrong way on a motorway at 80kph at 4000m above sea level.. or walking the 1 or 2km down hill to the city. sounds easy huh? well... there was a lot of traffic still waiting and noise and pollution and protesters and i was really struggling with the thin air.. (note; the protest was in relation to a gas shortage and high prices. locals cannot afford to heat their homes or cook).
the city is pretty full on. loads of noise, poverty, pollution, really really really difficult to climb streets, witches and taxis. the setting is mind blowing. ranging from 3000-4100m above sea level and some snow covered peaks in the distance it is easy to see how visiting football teams are both intimidated and mind blown by the scene that greats them. there is a lot to see and do here but getting around is so difficult due to the thin air. anyway day two was a lot better as the acclimatisation gets going, but it is still hard to walk up the most difficult streets.
After a couple of days in La Paz it was pretty obvious that a trip to the amazon in bolivia was off - plan B was to visit the salt lakes in the andes and it didn't disappoint. the area is all over 4000m and parts are 5-6000m and it is mostly flat with the tops of the 6000m peaks like pimples on the Altiplano. the area has massive salt flats, tin mines and brightly coloured lagoons in an area stretching from central bolivia to the argentine border. the landscape changes from minute to minute with moonscapes, salt lakes, weird rocky outcrops and very little vegetation. some of the poorest people in bolivia live in the region. they work in the cold and heat extremes of the area either shovelling salt off the lake, down a tin mine or farming lamas. some of the lucky ones own a toyota landcruiser and take small groups of tourists to see these spectacular landscapes. agostino took our group. he had the worst landcruiser in bolivia but somehow it managed to survive with only 2 breakdowns and 1 or 2 flat tyres. (photos to follow when i arrive in NY in week or so).
on returning to la paz i was treated to a really great night with a friend of a friend. lisa and charles live in la paz (she for an ngo and he teaches english). they are both canadian and had never met me. that didn't stop them cooking a lovely dinner and entertaining me and some other randoms at their house. it was very funny to be so far from home but feel so welcome. anyone off to la paz: let me know and I will intro you for a free night out, some wine and entertaining conversation. i hear that after i left it degenerated into leg wrestling so you could even hang out for that.
i left early for a day of mountain biking on the "worlds most dangerous road". while it didnt live up to its reputation, it was a great day out. the instructors were excellent and the road is spectacular. it was a little sobering when we were standing at the spot of a recent death and the instructors described in a lot of detail what happens when a tourist runs off the road and falls 400m onto rock. it had happened twice in a 2 week period. after the ride it was off to the pub with one particularly interesting guy - owns some internet travel site and plans to ride a bike from mexico to canada in 3 months - to celebrate st patricks day. it was pretty funny although not spectacular. the irish had won both their cricket and rugby matches during the day so by the time we rocked up the party was pretty much dying under its own weight.
from there a quick stop at lake titicaca (a lake at around 4000m) in the andes before crossing into peru.
PS. my phone was stolen while i was in near Copacabana (bolivia), just over into peru in a small town call Puno, so I have no numbers..please let me know postal addresses and numbers!
Friday, March 9, 2007
Rio de Janeiro - shirts optional
After 3.5 years of living in London it is time to go. while this was more sweet than bitter, decision was difficult and one of mixed emotions. Despite being in a position of enjoying my job and being happy enough to live there something said it was time to go!! I had a brilliant time and made some great friends.....more on that later.
Before heading off to Sydney, the plan is to go to Rio, Santiago, Bolivia, Peru (Cuzco and the Inca trail). After that the plan is to drive across the US (with Caleb) and finish with a few days in Mexico (baja california).
Brazil was first up. My first interaction with the fabled Brazilian attitude started on the plane: having made the wise decision to check-in online and get a decent seat, the air hostess asked me about possibly moving to another seat so a pregnant lady with a small toddler in tow could take my seat. I was happy to oblige, but was quite surprised when my (approx) 20 yr old neighbour said "does she need or does she want to sit in these seats"... shocked, the hostess replied "er, she wants, I suppose" the girl then replied "well, NO then, she cannot have my seat. If she needed it, that would be different".
Arriving in Rio there is an immediate confrontation of the senses: poverty and beauty, all within about 5 minutes. While what I saw was not as full on as the poor areas of Africa, Asia or even Iran, the so called favellas line the motorway from the airport to the city on one side or the other. On the opposite side of the road to each of the favellas is either some nice stately homes or a great view of the beach or forest. The drive presents with some interesting smells, also in contrast: raw sewage at one point then forest flowers at another. The road had two old rust buckets, still smoking or burning from the night before, resting on the side and new luxury saloons sped by. Somehow, surprisingly at the time, it felt so much like Portugal (except with more water) that I kept thinking I was there. The roads were the same, the language the same and the feel, the same.
The first day brought about a few other "early impression of Brazilian people" moments; of course they were all on the beach. Copacabana has been usurped by Ipanema as "the" beach to be seen at in Rio. This supposedly happened a long time ago but they forgot to tell the tourists and accordingly the touts. Luckily the hotels are cheaper there, so I was there by default. Anyway, i was immediately struck by the showing of flesh by everyone. Not one person had a shirt on, very few hats and only the ubiquitous havianas on their feet. It was very hard to really connect with it. Although obviously joining the action, Australian beaches are usually so empty with just a few surfers or dog walkers or fishermen, so I hadn't seen such a beach before. Old, young, whatever, people were in budgy smugglers or bikinis. It was impossible to tell the locals from the tourists, other than the tourists looked less at ease. After a day of sun, volley (ball), coco(nuts) and caparhinas the sun was going down... and... people started to applause!! It was amazing. I felt the need to join in of course. A few people hugged and others kissed each other bye and that was it. A day over.
During the rest of the time I managed to see the Christ the Redeemer, visit the sugar loaf, tour the favellas (see below), eat lots and lots of meat (the food and drink in Rio was a real highlight - great quality and real variety), get in 4 minor bus accidents (the drivers are not as mad as in Asia but a lot worse in their execution) and ....
visit the maracana stadium.... this was something to behold. The stadium officially holds 140,000 people but has once held around 200,000 for a football match!! The game was Flamego (the largest club in South America and possibly the world with over 30 million fans) versus some other team in the league. It was a cup final - like say the FA cup in the UK. For those who don't know, this means all teams in the region enter and play knock out games until two are left. This type of competition can mean a non premier league / top division side can make the final. In Rio they play a best of two final series unlike in the uk. For the game, it was 35 degrees and played in the baking sun. Everyone was drinking beers and chanting and singing. Somehow there was a sinister feel to the chanting although I know no Portuguese I could feel the tension rising along with the temperature. More and more police began to show an interest, until the away team scored and Flamengo had a player sent off. At this, some people in Flamengo shirts started to leave and abuse (and beer cans etc) was thrown from die hard fans at the leaving groups..... the police showed up with batons, a beer was spilt and about 3 feet from me all hell broke loose!! The police with guns (not drawn) and batons, the fans turning on each other with beers and chairs were soon covered in blood. Somehow it cooled a little, giving enough time for non combatants to exit. I got out with a father and his 2 little boys. The battle continued outside until the riot police turned up. Luckily, I found my bus and was able to get away. The end result 0-1 to the visitors! 0-10 to the police. (nb: while it was pretty wild, the fans left me alone and were not interested in me at all. All in all it was great to go to a game in Brazil).
Favellas (for those who have not seen city of god) are the slums of Rio. Somewhere around 1 m people live in the slums of rio. There is unemployment reaching 70% in some of them. In Rio there are around 800 Favellas with the biggest being around 160k. The problems depicted in the city of god movie are apparently real. the favellas are a haven for drug dealers and in some there is little or no police presence due to fear and danger. The crime rate is, according to the guide who took me there, lower in the favella than anywhere in Rio. But, he did point out that almost all of it is violent and usually results in death. The drug dealers do not want much crime as it brings in the police... so I was safe as I posed no threat (and I suspect I was in the safest Favella in the world!!). The problem, said the guide, is that the poverty cycle is hard to break. He said that many people come to the cities for jobs and only get minimum wage (i cant recall the figure but it was less than my daily budget (around US$50 per day) for this trip per month). This means drug dealing is a way out of this cycle. The Favella was an eye opener, a city within a city, its own rules and its own life.
Overall Rio is a weird place. When I arrived I did not feel that at home there. Although I was very impressed by its beauty and amazing vistas, the beaches and.. the locals. I really enjoyed my time there.. actually the longer I stayed and especially towards the end, I was a little sad to leave. It is like anything .. it took me a while to find my rhythm there - something that comes naturally to the locals!! I was reading a death in Brazil (thanks suze) while I was there and while the book itself annoyed me for some reason there was something in the themes of the book - the fusion of sex, food, music and body politic that rang true in Rio. Certainly worth another visit.
After the 5 days in Rio I headed off to Santiago (where I am now). Arriving in Santiago 5 days after arriving in Rio demonstrated a stark contrast. It showed why it was hard to leave Rio. The difference is like the difference between Spain and Portugal. Now this is an idea formed on very little knowledge of any of the four countries, only brief visits. While it may be stating the obvious given their former colonisers. Rio felt something like portugal - run down, good food, great beaches and people seem very content. That said, there were political undertones of anger at the present Government that I was unable to understand in my short visit. On the other hand, in santiago it feels like spain: great roads, really great roads... and a brand new airport (my image of spain) and everything seems to work. Getting from the airport to the city was quick and cheap and it all seemed too easy. None of that may be even remotely correct '- but it felt true at the time.
When I arrived in Chile I realised I didnt have a phrase book or a map. I purchased both quickly and found it was a real help. I was able to get a bit of a feel in a short time. Santiago is not far from the coast and is right in the foothills of the Andes. It feels a little like melbourne, flat, well organised and dry air. After a day and a bit of walking around the city, checking out a few sites I got to the airport again. It is pretty impressive and very well run. I went to the check in to be greated by: "buenas noches señor, blah blah" I said... "yo no entiendo" (i do not understand) she said "do you know your destiny", I laughed and said "I wish".
Off to bolivia now. Chavez will be there just as Bush is now in Brazil!!
Hasta Luego.
Before heading off to Sydney, the plan is to go to Rio, Santiago, Bolivia, Peru (Cuzco and the Inca trail). After that the plan is to drive across the US (with Caleb) and finish with a few days in Mexico (baja california).
Brazil was first up. My first interaction with the fabled Brazilian attitude started on the plane: having made the wise decision to check-in online and get a decent seat, the air hostess asked me about possibly moving to another seat so a pregnant lady with a small toddler in tow could take my seat. I was happy to oblige, but was quite surprised when my (approx) 20 yr old neighbour said "does she need or does she want to sit in these seats"... shocked, the hostess replied "er, she wants, I suppose" the girl then replied "well, NO then, she cannot have my seat. If she needed it, that would be different".
Arriving in Rio there is an immediate confrontation of the senses: poverty and beauty, all within about 5 minutes. While what I saw was not as full on as the poor areas of Africa, Asia or even Iran, the so called favellas line the motorway from the airport to the city on one side or the other. On the opposite side of the road to each of the favellas is either some nice stately homes or a great view of the beach or forest. The drive presents with some interesting smells, also in contrast: raw sewage at one point then forest flowers at another. The road had two old rust buckets, still smoking or burning from the night before, resting on the side and new luxury saloons sped by. Somehow, surprisingly at the time, it felt so much like Portugal (except with more water) that I kept thinking I was there. The roads were the same, the language the same and the feel, the same.
The first day brought about a few other "early impression of Brazilian people" moments; of course they were all on the beach. Copacabana has been usurped by Ipanema as "the" beach to be seen at in Rio. This supposedly happened a long time ago but they forgot to tell the tourists and accordingly the touts. Luckily the hotels are cheaper there, so I was there by default. Anyway, i was immediately struck by the showing of flesh by everyone. Not one person had a shirt on, very few hats and only the ubiquitous havianas on their feet. It was very hard to really connect with it. Although obviously joining the action, Australian beaches are usually so empty with just a few surfers or dog walkers or fishermen, so I hadn't seen such a beach before. Old, young, whatever, people were in budgy smugglers or bikinis. It was impossible to tell the locals from the tourists, other than the tourists looked less at ease. After a day of sun, volley (ball), coco(nuts) and caparhinas the sun was going down... and... people started to applause!! It was amazing. I felt the need to join in of course. A few people hugged and others kissed each other bye and that was it. A day over.
During the rest of the time I managed to see the Christ the Redeemer, visit the sugar loaf, tour the favellas (see below), eat lots and lots of meat (the food and drink in Rio was a real highlight - great quality and real variety), get in 4 minor bus accidents (the drivers are not as mad as in Asia but a lot worse in their execution) and ....
visit the maracana stadium.... this was something to behold. The stadium officially holds 140,000 people but has once held around 200,000 for a football match!! The game was Flamego (the largest club in South America and possibly the world with over 30 million fans) versus some other team in the league. It was a cup final - like say the FA cup in the UK. For those who don't know, this means all teams in the region enter and play knock out games until two are left. This type of competition can mean a non premier league / top division side can make the final. In Rio they play a best of two final series unlike in the uk. For the game, it was 35 degrees and played in the baking sun. Everyone was drinking beers and chanting and singing. Somehow there was a sinister feel to the chanting although I know no Portuguese I could feel the tension rising along with the temperature. More and more police began to show an interest, until the away team scored and Flamengo had a player sent off. At this, some people in Flamengo shirts started to leave and abuse (and beer cans etc) was thrown from die hard fans at the leaving groups..... the police showed up with batons, a beer was spilt and about 3 feet from me all hell broke loose!! The police with guns (not drawn) and batons, the fans turning on each other with beers and chairs were soon covered in blood. Somehow it cooled a little, giving enough time for non combatants to exit. I got out with a father and his 2 little boys. The battle continued outside until the riot police turned up. Luckily, I found my bus and was able to get away. The end result 0-1 to the visitors! 0-10 to the police. (nb: while it was pretty wild, the fans left me alone and were not interested in me at all. All in all it was great to go to a game in Brazil).
Favellas (for those who have not seen city of god) are the slums of Rio. Somewhere around 1 m people live in the slums of rio. There is unemployment reaching 70% in some of them. In Rio there are around 800 Favellas with the biggest being around 160k. The problems depicted in the city of god movie are apparently real. the favellas are a haven for drug dealers and in some there is little or no police presence due to fear and danger. The crime rate is, according to the guide who took me there, lower in the favella than anywhere in Rio. But, he did point out that almost all of it is violent and usually results in death. The drug dealers do not want much crime as it brings in the police... so I was safe as I posed no threat (and I suspect I was in the safest Favella in the world!!). The problem, said the guide, is that the poverty cycle is hard to break. He said that many people come to the cities for jobs and only get minimum wage (i cant recall the figure but it was less than my daily budget (around US$50 per day) for this trip per month). This means drug dealing is a way out of this cycle. The Favella was an eye opener, a city within a city, its own rules and its own life.
Overall Rio is a weird place. When I arrived I did not feel that at home there. Although I was very impressed by its beauty and amazing vistas, the beaches and.. the locals. I really enjoyed my time there.. actually the longer I stayed and especially towards the end, I was a little sad to leave. It is like anything .. it took me a while to find my rhythm there - something that comes naturally to the locals!! I was reading a death in Brazil (thanks suze) while I was there and while the book itself annoyed me for some reason there was something in the themes of the book - the fusion of sex, food, music and body politic that rang true in Rio. Certainly worth another visit.
After the 5 days in Rio I headed off to Santiago (where I am now). Arriving in Santiago 5 days after arriving in Rio demonstrated a stark contrast. It showed why it was hard to leave Rio. The difference is like the difference between Spain and Portugal. Now this is an idea formed on very little knowledge of any of the four countries, only brief visits. While it may be stating the obvious given their former colonisers. Rio felt something like portugal - run down, good food, great beaches and people seem very content. That said, there were political undertones of anger at the present Government that I was unable to understand in my short visit. On the other hand, in santiago it feels like spain: great roads, really great roads... and a brand new airport (my image of spain) and everything seems to work. Getting from the airport to the city was quick and cheap and it all seemed too easy. None of that may be even remotely correct '- but it felt true at the time.
When I arrived in Chile I realised I didnt have a phrase book or a map. I purchased both quickly and found it was a real help. I was able to get a bit of a feel in a short time. Santiago is not far from the coast and is right in the foothills of the Andes. It feels a little like melbourne, flat, well organised and dry air. After a day and a bit of walking around the city, checking out a few sites I got to the airport again. It is pretty impressive and very well run. I went to the check in to be greated by: "buenas noches señor, blah blah" I said... "yo no entiendo" (i do not understand) she said "do you know your destiny", I laughed and said "I wish".
Off to bolivia now. Chavez will be there just as Bush is now in Brazil!!
Hasta Luego.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
