Monthly Archives: March 2006

A Slow Lifestyle

March 5, 2006
Day 158

I went to a park this afternoon with Laura and some of her friends. We sat around and drank mate for a few hours. Everyone else at the park was sitting around and drinking mate, too. At some point when we we were sitting there, I finally truly realized how much slower life moves here than in the States. On weekends, everything is closed. On weekdays, it's hit and miss. Shops open for a few hours, then close for a few hours at siesta time, then open a few more hours in the afternoon. There's no set schedule for anything, and nobody is ever in a hurry. Sometimes I like the laid-back attitude that Argentines have, but sometimes it's frustrating. I still feel like I should be doing something every day, but not much has been going on lately. I guess that I should just accept that I'm learning about this culture by living the local peoples' lifestyle, and stop trying to fit my always-busy lifestyle into theirs.

A Visit To Parana

March 4, 2006
Day 157

I went with Laura early this morning to nearby Parana, a city slightly smaller and much more hilly than Santa Fe. Laura had been taking photography classes there and needed to pick up her license. It was a nice place to walk around with lots of parks and a riverside walkway. We sat around and took in the scenery for a few hours before heading back.

Today was too hot for me to do anything but sleep. I had gotten lucky with some cool weather the last week or so, but my luck ran out today when summer returned. I have to get readjusted to having such hot weather after being in cool Patagonia for so long. The good news is that summer should be ending soon, but the bad news is that various people have promised me that it does get much hotter than it was today around here.

The Original Santa Fe

March 3, 2006
Day 156

Some dug up graves at the original Santa Fe church.

There isn't much for tourists to do in Santa Fe, so Laura suggested that I check out Cayasta, a small town about an hour and a half away that is near the original location of Santa Fe. A bus dropped me off in front of a museum displaying artifacts from the native settlers here, as well as from the first colonial settlement. The museum was filled with spears, coins, pottery, and murals from a mixture of cultures.

When I finished walking through the museum, I met Angelina, my English-speaking guide. I was the first native English speaker she had all year, so she was a bit nervous, but she ended up doing a fine job of showing me around the area once she learned that I spoke some Spanish.

The first thing we looked at was the church, which doubled as a graveyard. It was filled with the well-preserved bodies of settlers from over 400 years ago. When the area was first excavated fifty years ago, most of the bodies were shellacked with black and red paint to preserve them. The only one that was left alone is now just a pile of dust. The bodies were placed a certain way according to status within the church, and it is now known who most of them were because of the record keeping that the city did.

Next, we saw the remains of the houses of some Portuguese settlers. There wasn't much to look at as the houses have since crumbled, but our last stop was to some replica houses from the first civilization. It seemed that the settlers lived well with lots of food, big dining rooms, and luxurious bedrooms. Too bad Santa Fe became too dilapidated after a major flood and had to be moved to its present location, brick by brick.

I still had a little time before my bus arrived, so I had some mate with Angelina and her coworkers, and she showed me around Cayasta a bit. It's a small city where everyone knows everyone, so it had a certain amount of charm to it. I actually enjoy visiting small cities more than big ones, but I wouldn't want to live in one. I think it'd get boring after the first few days.

The photo album for this entry is here.

Couchsurfing in Santa Fe

March 2, 2006
Day 155

Me, Laura, and Daniel get together for dinner.

The next city on my way toward Salta in the north of Argentina was Santa Fe, the capital of the Santa Fe province. It's smaller than Rosario, but still has over half a million people. The best part about going to Santa Fe was that it gave me another opportunity to try couchsurfing.

I'm staying at a girl named Laura's apartment in Santa Fe. She's studying to be an English teacher, so she enjoys hosting people whose native language is English. Laura, her friend Daniel (also studying to be an English teacher), and I had a long dinner where we discussed life in Argentina and the United States. We switched between English and Spanish a few times, so we each got a fair amount of practice.

Let's Get Physical

March 1, 2006
Day 154

Jack and I spent most of the day wandering around Rosario today. We quickly realized that we should have left yesterday as there is not much for tourists to do here. At some point in the afternoon, sloth caught up with both of us and we decided to check out a gym. I hadn't lifted weights in over six months, and I quickly learned that I have since withered into a small pile of skin and bones. I wasn't too frustrated with my weakness, though, because the weights were listed in metric, so I never really knew how much I was lifting (or attempting to lift). Metric or not, I'm sure I'll be sore for the next week.

Tonight, we tried to find some kind of a night scene, but apparently there is none. Even the locals didn't know of anything going on in town. Maybe the weekends are better here, but it still seems amazing to me that there's nowhere fun to go in a city of over a million people.

Questions Answered, Part V

1. What one thing you wish you had brought from US?

When I first started my trip, I wished I had brought some warm clothes. I figured Peru was near the equator, so it would be hot all the time there. I didn't even bring a long sleeved shirt. That plan backfired bigtime. Most of my time in the country was spent at high altitude, where it got really cold at night, so I had to buy a bunch of warm clothing while I was there. Still, I think I only spent about $15 for a shirt, gloves, hat, and scarf, so it wasn't that bad.

Sometimes I wish I had brought some camping gear, but then I realize that I would only have used it for maybe two weeks out of my whole trip, so it wouldn't have been worth it.

This list is small, which taught me an important lesson about traveling: I can easily buy just about anything from anywhere in the world without much trouble, and other than electronic equipment, it will probably be much cheaper than in the US. Therefore, it's better to start out with only the stuff you know you'll use and acquire the little things you didn't think to bring after you're there and you know you'll use them.

2. What things you should not have brought?

Luckily, this list was really small for me too. I was surprised to find that I didn't use my binoculars at all. I thought they would come in really handy, but every time I wanted to see something far away, I just used my camera's telephoto lens. The other thing I regretted bringing was my walking stick/monopod. I never used it as a monopod because I found that the best time to use a monopod is when shooting sports, which I haven't done yet. I almost never used it as a walking stick because it didn't seem to help me much, although I must point out that a lot of other people find using one or two sticks very useful when trekking. I ended up sending both items back home after I was gone for three months.

3. What one thing are you most glad you brought?

Of course I'm glad I brought some underwear, but that's probably not what you meant. For items that I considered leaving behind but still ended up bringing, I'd have to say my laptop and my SLR camera. I know that's two items, but I just can't see my trip being even remotely similar to what it's been so far without either of them. I use my laptop nearly every day to update my blog and look at photos. I don't use my SLR camera quite as often, but I've taken around 15,000 pictures with it since leaving, many of which simply would not have been possible with a small point and shoot camera.

4. Night scene?

Argentina easily has the best night scenes I've ever experienced. Restaurants don't even open until 8:00 PM here, and most people don't eat until 10. Steak seems to be the national religion here. You can get a huge cut of whatever type of meat you want at any restaurant, and it has a reputation for being the best beef in the world. The best part is that a steak meal in a restaurant can cost as little as $5. Red wine is almost always served with dinner, and it's some of the best wine in the world. I think the only reason Argentine wine hasn't gotten a better reputation is that the local people drink so much of it that there isn't much of a need to export it.

The culture is so laid back here that people don't go out to clubs until 1 or 2 in the morning. I don't even know when they close here yet because I usually want to go to bed by 7:00 AM, when the clubs are still going strong. The other thing is that anyone from 18 to 70 can go out at all hours of the night and have a good time without feeling too old or young.

5. Smoking?

One downside of Argentina is smoking. I think everywhere I've ever visited, people smoke more than in the US, but it's taken to another level here. People smoke in bus stations, shopping malls, Internet cafes, beauty salons, and basically wherever else they want to. Cigarettes only cost 63 cents per pack here, so I guess I can see why it's so popular. It's definitely not a good place to go if you want to quit.

6. How are bars, clubs,disco (Whatever they call them there)

This goes along with the night scene question, but the clubs, discos, or boliches (people use all 3 names, but the last one is the funniest because it means "bowling alley" in Mexico) are great. They don't get going until 2:00 AM and stay open until everyone leaves, which seems to be never. Drinks are usually expensive ($2-3 per mixer), so most people just go there to dance. The drinking age is 18 here, just like most of the world, which means that a lot of young people go out late. Still, people of all ages go to the clubs here.

7. Just curious, have you run into people/back packers from countries other than Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand and US?

You listed most of them, but a few other common ones are Canada, South Africa, Japan (although most aren't backpackers), and especially Israel. Everywhere I go, I run into a lot of Israelis. In Israel, military service is required for men for 3 years and women for 2, and when they get out, they almost always travel somewhere. It seems like half of Israel is in South America now. They usually travel in large groups, and even though they all speak English, it's really hard to break into their social circles. At hostels, there are the Israelis and Everyone Else. However, I should point out that the few Israelis I've met who were traveling alone were nice and more social with non-Israelis.

I also meet a fair amount of people from other Latin American countries like Mexico, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. In Argentina especially, I meet a lot of Argentines. They understandably love traveling around their own country, and it's summer here, so a lot of people have vacation time. In Buenos Aires, I think I met more Brazilians than any other nationality.

9. Are you sick of traveling yet?

No, I don't think it's something I'll ever get sick of. I like to take a few days to relax every now and then, but I always get a feeling of adventure whenever I go somewhere new. In fact, I think I'm just getting started with the whole traveling thing. It might be nice to take a small break and head back home for awhile at some point, though.

10. What is the difference between Argentina and Patagonia?

Patagonia isn't a country. It's the name for the area at the south of both Argentina and Chile. Where Patagonia begins is debatable. Chileans usually say that it begins after the island of Chiloe, and Argentines think that it starts around Bariloche, which is much further north. Sometimes Tierra del Fuego, the chain of islands at the bottom of the continent, is considered part of Patagonia, but usually it isn't. So when I mention Patagonia, I'm really just talking about southern Chile and Argentina, but I don't want to keep repeating the same words over and over.

11. Machu Picchu - How far did you walk each day on the hike in?

The total walk was about 40 KM and lasted four days. Day 1 was easy because most of it was spent driving to the start of the trail. I think we only hiked for about 4 hours with frequent breaks. Day 2 was the hardest because we had to cross the First Pass, which was at around 4200 meters altitude if I recall correctly. We probably walked for a total of about 8 hours that day. Day 3 took ten hours or so, but it was easy walking for the most part. Day 4 took only about 2 hours to walk from camp to Macchu Picchu and was very easy. Once we got there, we had a walking tour that lasted about 2 hours, but it took about 6 hours for me to see the whole complex.

If you're asking this question because you're thinking about doing it and want to know how challenging it will be, it is fairly tough, but very rewarding, and you can probably do it even if you're not in great shape. The biggest issue is the altitude. It's very important to rest in Cusco for a few days before beginning the Inca Trail so you have some time to get acclimatized. If you don't like the idea of carrying 20 pounds of gear with you, you can hire a personal porter to carry your stuff so you'll only need to carry a camera and a bottle of water. The guides are very patient with people who need extra time, so as long as you are in decent shape, it will be challenging, but not impossible.

Another option to see Machu Picchu is to take the train directly there from Cusco. A lot of the backpackers I met did this because it is a lot cheaper than hiking the Inca Trail. I'm still glad I took the Trail, though. I got to see ruins along the way and learned about the Inca culture from a knowledgeable guide. I think this added to the experience of seeing Machu Picchu because I knew what it, and the people who built it, were all about. It also gave me a sense of accomplishment because after 4 days of hiking, I was rewarded with the biggest and most beautiful ruins site I have ever seen, while the people who took the train didn't have to do any work to get there.

Museums and Stuff

February 28, 2006
Day 153

The view from my hotel balcony.

Between extremely long sessions of eating and drinking outside, Jack and I took a long walk around town today. The city is nicer than I previously thought. Yesterday, I didn't venture too far from my hotel, and I thought Rosario was pretty run down. I guess I'm just staying in the ghetto, though, because today I learned that the city has a lot of nice places, like the riverside walkway, which gives you the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere instead of in a city of over 1 million people.

Our main goal of the day was to get to the art museum, located a long distance from the hotel on the other side of town. After lots of walking, we finally got to the museum. Much to our dismay, there was a sign on the door stating "Sorry, the museum is closed until the end of March for repairs." I felt like Chevy Chase in Vacation when he finally got to Wally World after lots of trials and tribulations only to have a moose tell him to go home.

Instead of getting dejected, Jack and I walked back to the other side of town to the modern art museum. However, when the lady at the desk told us that the elevator was being repaired, I thought about making a visit to the sporting goods store. After some sweet-talking, she agreed to let us in, but we had to use the stairs, and the building was ten stories tall. The museum had a few nice exhibits, but the most interesting thing to me was the panoramic view of the city at sunset.

After visiting the museum, we stopped for a "licuado," a fruit smoothie available at almost any restaurant here, at a cafe on the river. Jack has taught me the value of relaxing for hours outside with a cold drink in hand. Of course, when you do that four times per day, there's not much time left for other activities.

Later in the night, we went to see Jarhead at the movie theater. I hadn't heard of it, but that doesn't surprise me because I haven't kept up at all with any movies that have come out since I started my trip. It was an OK movie if you want to kill a few hours, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

The photo album for this entry is here.