Gaucho, Bang Bang

I'm lying here In a hammock over looking the Quebrada de Humahuaca. Which means mountains, cactus, and desert land. I'm in a small town called Tilcara, which has many Gauchos. Gauchos are the Argentinian cowboys, with big hats and pauncos. I trekked around the area, visited a cool gorge with a famous rock because it has seven colours of rock in it. I've spent the past few days with a couple from Chicago and a Brit who have taught me a lot of Spanish. I just hope I can retain I all! I came from Salta, which was a cool colonial town but didn't have to much to do or explore. A few cool things I've noticed about Argentina are that they love dogs, there's even professional dog walkers who have up to a dozen dogs on separate leashes holding onto them all for dear life. Argentina is the number 5 country for Ice Cream, and have cool and cheap options. Driving through the Country side you can see a lot of poor towns. Many of the children are playing soccer, but the field is run down and wild horses, donkeys, or cows are sharing the field with them. Anyways, the suns setting and it's getting cold, I'll write again from Bolivia. Long live the gaucho.

Bs Asp

Its been a while since I´ve been able to write anything since I've been busy exploring Buenos Aires, and there is only one working computer with a line up of people to use it! BA has been a really interesting city, the architecture is amazing, even in the slums, while each area has a unique feel to it. I visited a really cool cemetery in an artys part of town called Recoleta. It sounds creepy but the cemetery has extravagant tombs and burial plots. The really only creepy thing is the fact that there are hundreds of cats roaming around the plots (que the creepy music). Next door is a free art gallery that has a Picaso, Monet, but mostly Argentinian artists. A few of us spent the day relaxing in the nearby park, watching people slack line around a course of trees. I almost got pick pocketed on the subway during rush hour. You're packed in there like sardines and I was wearing gym shorts with loose pockets. Anyways right when I got on there were people scrambling and brushing by, I squeezed my body in to get a spot, when suddenly it happened. Next thing I know I can feel a hand in my pocket, so I squeeze down and make eye contact with the guy and he pulls away. He didn't get anything, besides a very awkward subway ride as we had a few stare offs. On a more positive note, I had the best steak and beef I've ever eaten, it was a buffet that was amazing. They had a sushi section where you pick what you want in your roll and a guy makes it right infront of you. I was told Argentina is known for their meats, and I definitely was not let down! Well It's off to a new city, hopefully I can upload photos there! I'm finally feeling 100% healthy again, and ready for Salta, Agentina.

Argentina!

Out with the old and in with the new! Meaning hello Argentina! Iguazu falls can be seen from both the Brazil side and Argentina side. The Brazil side gives you a great panoramic view of all the waterfalls, while the Argentina side gets you really close to the action. The hostel on the Argentina side was quite nice, a group of 10 of us were hanging out at the hostel, playing guitar, lying in hammocks, while one English guy named Scott offered to cook us all his famous meatballs on a budget. The next morning a few of us went to the falls, and ended it off doing a speed boat tour that drives you right underneath one of the waterfalls. It as absolutely incredible to experience. 3 of us jumped on a bus to Buenos Aires that night, which is a 19 hour bus ride. The bus had wide seats that recline to become almost flat. They have this amazing leg rest invention that's best described as a flutter board thing that attaches to the seat for your legs to rest on. They give you a pollow, blankets, a beef and potato dinner, your own bottle of wine (which I surprisingly enjoyed) and they play movies. It's the best bus ride I've ever been on by FAR! Makes greyhound look like torture... Anyways still discovering Buenos Aires, the vibe of the city is really cool!

Iguazu

I have made it to Iguazu! I quickly made friends with Chiago, a brazilian who studied in Austalia and speaks pretty good English. He took me out for dinner at an all-you-can-eat Pizza place. There were Wings, French Fries, Pizza, Spaghetti, and Ice Cream all for about $8 Canadian. The pizza was wild too, they served White cholcolate, Chocolate with strawberries, Bamboo fruit with pineapple and cheese, as well as the normals like pepperoni and pineapple. Anyways I´m heading to the waterfalls tomorrow morning, I´ll write again when I get a chance. In the meantime I´ve posted a few pictures, not too many because it takes a while and theres only one computer, and a poker addicted German is chomping at the bit to get back to poker stars. Hope you enjoy what I´ve posted so far.

Good Bye Rio. Hello Iguazu

The past few days in Rio have been wild, filled with dancing, drinking, and singing until the sun rises. In Rio it seems to be ´the norm´ to stay out until 6am. Monday night I had tickets to the Sambadrome, a huge stadium that hosts the annual parade. Samda schools have been practicing every weekend since September to compete for the best floats, costumes, and dance/show. The show starts at 10pm and goes until 6am, which means thousands among thousands of people are in the stands singing, dancing and cheering for there favourite schools. You´ll have to see the pictures to understand how much effort is put into this parade. It attracts celebrities from around the world, such as Madonna and Bono, but this year the only celebrity sighting was Pamela Anderson at the Beach. I was out until 8am, which was the norm for the night, meaning I woke up mid afternoon, and just went to Copacabana beach to relax and people watch. Fun fact about Carnival: 80% of there annual alcohol sales are from this weekend. Meaning everyone is out having a good time, but unfortunately crime does occur. A friend from my hostel had his cell phone pick-pocketed, and then the next night was robbed by a 12 year old with a hunting knife. Today it was time to leave Rio and head to Iguazu Falls. Iguazu is on the border of Brazil and Argentina, and hosts a park with over 250 waterfalls that supposedly puts Niagra Falls to shame. However the bus broke down after an hour and now I´m stuck writing this from the side of the road waiting for the new bus to pick us all up. Luckily we are surrounded by lush forest and mountains, it could be worse!

Rio!!!

BRAZIL!! It's alive with the Carnival spirit! Well it's day 3 now, and a lot has happened. I left Canada on Friday feeling really under the weather, the plane rides weren't pleasant as I would go through packages of kleenex and try to sleep, then to top it off my luggage didn't get transferred to my plane during my lay over in Houston. So I was without a change of clothes or toiletries for a few days. However I'm feeling much better, my bags arrived to my hostel, and suddenly the sun seems to be shining brighter! So far: I've seen Christ the Redeemer, the beaches, Monkeys, and some of the most ridiculous costumes you can imagine. It's a big celebration during Carnival, with locals and tourists dressing up in a giant Halloween-esqe celebration. There's fat supermans, men in drag, the entire star wars cast, and so much more. Anyways this is my first post from Rio, It's a cool city with a big contrast between rich and poor, yet everyone seems friendly enough and speaks a bit of English. Ill post pictures and write again soon.

It's Almost That Time Again

It's February 21st, and I'm starting to get anxious about leaving Canada to explore another part of the World. This time I'll be taking my backpack to South America, to visit Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. I'm even stopping off for a week in Costa Rica on the way home for another mini vacation. I leave March 4th, and return April 27th, making this a 7-week trip. I have a lot more planning to do, and unlike last year, I'm going with a VERY loose itinerary, allowing for a bit more freedom. I'll try and keep this blog going as often as a I can while traveling, the countdown begins!