South America
Last year due to my accident I missed the eastern side of South America. So this year I am heading to Paraguay, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela. Brazil has always been on my buck list. Who does not want to see Rio de Janeiro after all? Venezuela right now is in a lot of turmoil and not a safe country so it is going to be interesting. The other places I know nothing about except that not very many people actually go there. I guess I will find out why soon.
Day 534~545: Tuesday, March 1 ~ Saturday, March 12, 2016
I was back to the gym and spinning classes after a 10-day break due to the surgery to remove the screws from my knees. It was really great to get back to my routine. And I really needed every opportunity to rehab my left leg. It has improved a ton since the beginning of January but it is still not 100%.
I also worked really, really hard on the website. I totally redesigned the blog section of the site so that I can make daily entries. I got all the design work done and pages built for each month since the start of my trip 18 months ago. So I feel really good with the way these 2 weeks went.
Spinning Class – 5 Days a Week for 8 Weeks
Day 546: Sunday, March 13, 2016
This evening I had to leave Buenos Aires after a 2-month stay. In 2 months Buenos Aires began to feel like a second home to me. I loved getting to know “my neighborhood”. And on my last few days there I made the rounds of places that became my favorites which included the Freddo Ice Cream Parlor. They really do have great ice cream in Argentina.
It really was difficult to leave. There is a comfort to staying in one place. But I am stubborn and I have a goal to achieve so off to country number 77, Paraguay.
Standing in Front of My Bus in Buenos Aires
Day 547: Monday, March 14, 2016
Today I arrived at 8am at the central bus station in Posadas. From there I had to make it across the river to Encarnacion, Paraguay. As it turns out there is a local bus that takes you right to the border where you get off at Argentinian immigration and then you get back on the bus which then takes you the one kilometer across the bridge spanning the river separating the countries. Once through Paraguay immigration you get back on the bus again and it takes you to the central bus station in Encarnacion. It really was a great service and took about 1 hour start to finish.
From there I got a long-haul bus to Ascuncion, the capital of Paraguay. The trip which I was told would take 5 ½ hours ended up taking 7+ hours getting me into Asuncion just about sunset. I then bought my ticket for tomorrow’s trip to Ciudad del Este (Iguazu Falls) before getting a local bus to my hostel. I figured it would only be a 10 to 15 minute bus ride but it ended up taking 45 minutes.
After checking into the hostel and getting settled I walked about 10 blocks to the center of the city where I found a restaurant recommended by the hostel staff. It was packed and I waited 35 minutes for a table. It is a good thing the food was good. I finally got back to the hostel about 11:30pm and got to bed about 2:00am. This is hard work!
Encarnacion Bus Station. These buses looked very old!
Day 548: Tuesday, March 15, 2016
This morning I got up to my alarm at 8am. I had to leave the hostel at 12:30pm to go to Ciudad del Este so I did not have a lot of time to explore Asuncion. I managed to pull myself out of bed reluctantly. Again I walked into the heart of the city but this time in the daylight. I wish I could report that the city is beautiful but it is anything but. The pictures I took really had to focus on the ugliness of the city as that dominated my perception. Having said that, I did enjoy the walk and checked out the stalls that lined the park and some of the streets. At least the drivers were respectful of pedestrians which is more than I can say for drivers in Buenos Aires.
I got the local bus to the central bus station and then the bus to Ciudad del Este with no problem. The trip was uneventful. I ended up in Ciudad del Este at a different bus station than I thought so I had to catch a local bus to the hotel. It was literally the oldest bus I have ever been on including the school bus I rode to school in first grade back in 1966.
First spotted this at night coming back from dinner. Good thing I was not drunk.
Day 549: Wednesday, March 16, 2016
This morning I made an easy trip across the border from Paraguay to Brazil. I was shocked when the bus I was on got to the border and 2 Brazilian police boarded the bus, checked people’s baggage (only very briefly) and then got off. We were now in Brazil. There was absolutely no immigration check whatsoever. I felt like I was back in the EU. So that was super easy.
I got to my hostel at 1:30pm and by 2pm I was on the bus to Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side. The park there is really nicely run. I got my first glimpse of the falls and thought that was it. But boy was I mistaken. You walk on this trail for about 2 kilometers and the falls just keep on going. It is really quite incredible.
Tomorrow I will be heading to the Argentinian side of the falls which I have heard (granted from Argentinians) are nicer than the Brazilian side. If so I am in for quite a treat tomorrow. The weather here is not and humid. Tonight it is still 30 degrees and it is midnight.
Dave at Iguazu Falls – Brazilian Side
Iguazu Falls using the “painting” effect on my Sony a7s.
Day 550: Thursday, March 17, 2016
Today started off well in that I went to catch the bus that only comes once in 50 minutes and it was stuck at a stop light right by the bus stop and I got on. How lucky is that. In the bus I met 3 wonderful young adults from Germany. When asking them where in Germany they are from they told me it was a small city in the south. I pressed them for the name of the city and they said Heidelberg expecting I would not know it. But Heidelberg is where I have my motorcycle parked so I know it well. We ended up spending a lot of the day together and plan to meet on May 2 for a beer since that is when I will be there to get my bike and head to Asia.
Getting off the bus I wanted to take a picture with them and my camera would not turn on. Damn. I charged the battery last night and forgot to put it back in the camera. I couldn’t believe it. I came to one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and no battery. I did have my GoPro though so I made do with that today.
The Argentinian side of the falls is definitely the better side. If you only have time for one side do the Argentinian side. If doing both do the Brazilian side first. I took the boat ride today and it was a fun addition to the experience. In all it was a great day.
My new friends from Heidelberg, Germany
Iguazu Falls’ Main Attraction
Never ending waterfalls!
Day 551: Friday, March 18, 2016
Today started out very early as I had a 6:20am flight from Iguazu to Sao Paulo. In Sao Paulo I went to the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo where I had a reservation. Now if you have been following my travels you know that I don’t usually stay at this nice a place. In this case however I had earned one free night through my Hyatt Visa Credit Card and I had to use it by the end of March or I would have lost it. Well I wasn’t about to let that happen so here I am. Last night I was in a $10/night hostel in a room with 8 beds and tonight I am at a several hundred dollars a night 5 star hotel. And to top it off, when I went to register they told me they had given me a complimentary upgrade to a suite! This room is really huge and has a great view. So much for going out on the town tonight. I am staying in my room and enjoying it!
Nice digs for a change. Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo.
Day 552: Saturday, March 19, 2016
Today was a travel day. I took the omnibus from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. Between that and getting from the hotel to the bus terminal and then getting from the bus terminal in Rio to my hostel it took all day. Once I got to the hostel I settled in and worked on the website some more.
Day 553: Sunday, March 20, 2016
I got a later than desired start to my day today. Once out the door of the hostel I decided to go to Sugar Loaf instead of the Christ thingy because I was told it took several hours to do the Christ thingy. First I took the subway and that was easy. I then wanted to change to a bus. The bus I wanted came but did not stop. This happened to me yesterday as well. So after waiting 30 more minutes I gave up and walked the 35 minutes to Sugar Loaf. Sugar Loaf itself was a nice visit with great views of the city and surrounding scenery.
From there I went to Ipanema Beach to check it out. It was pretty late in the afternoon by the time I got there but the beach was packed. However not much after arriving a lot of people began to leave as sunset was approaching. On my way back to the hostel I was walking between the subway station and the bus stop I needed and was using my cell phone to navigate my walking route. All of the sudden a young kid on a bicycle comes up from behind me and tries to grab my phone out of my hand. Fortunately he missed and after staring each other down from about 50 meters he decided to ride off and leave me alone.
Copacabana Beach from atop Sugar Loaf
Sunset at Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro
Day 554: Monday, March 21, 2016
Probably the most famous tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro is Cristo Retender, the huge statue of Christ on top of a mountain overlooking the city of Rio. So today was my day to do my tourist duty and go there. It was no easy feat. By the end of it all I had spent 5 hours getting there and getting back and only spent 15 minutes at the foot of the statue (which was more than enough time).
I still had time to hit the beach so I went to the other famous beach in Rio, Copacabana. I was only on the beach for an hour before it started getting dark but that too was enough. It really is amazing all the vendors that walk along the beach. You can buy pretty much anything right from your beach blanket. This includes ice cold cocktails. Unlike many other places in the world these vendors are in no way aggressive or annoying. They simply walk by and only approach you directly if you call them over. It really was nice and I enjoyed an ice cold Coke Zero.
Cristo Retender – Overlooking Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro seen from Cristo Retender
Welcome to Copacabana Beach
Fresh and cold watermelon right on the beach – Copacabana Beach
Days 555~563: Tuesday, March 22~Wednesday, March 30, 2016
This morning I had to get up at 4:30am to head to the airport as this was a travel day to Salvador, Brazil and a resort I was going to spend the next several days at. Why not, right? I felt in need of a real vacation from my travels. I got to the Costa do Sauipe resort about 1 hour north of Salvador about noon.
Over the next several days I relaxed, walked on the beach, read, swam in the pool, and did some fun activities.
The beach at Costa do Sauipe, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
My first time trying standup paddle boarding – as easy as it looks.
Day 564: Thursday, March 31, 2016
Today was a travel day. I ended up leaving the resort I was at around midnight and got to the Salvador airport about 1am. My flight was at 5:45am so I stayed at the airport but there was no way to sleep. Three flights later, all on perfect schedule I arrived in Cayenne.
I had read during my research that public transportation is basically non-existent here so I opted to rent a car despite the outrageous cost. The cost is $200 for a 2-day rental but half of that is due to the fact that I will be dropping the car in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni at the Suriname border. Plus with the tight schedule I am on I wanted to have the car with the hopes of getting to see more of French Guiana in the 2 days I have.
While en-route using free Wi-Fi at the airports I was able to arrange a Couchsurfing accommodation in Cayenne so I thought I was all set for my arrival. French Guiana is really expensive so I was happy with the Couchsurfing find.
Upon arrival the Budget Rental Car counter was unattended. Damn! The last thing I felt like I needed given I only had an hour of daylight left. Finally an hour later the guy showed up. He only spoke French but even then I could tell he made no attempt to apologize for the 1 hour wait. Fortunately another customer arrived a few moments later and she was kind enough to translate. Fifteen minutes later I was on my way to find the Couchsurfing location.
I found the Couchsurfing location without any problem thanks to my Maps.me app on my phone. I was greeted by my host and his girlfriend and 3 other guys that apparently live there. They were all sitting outside, it was dusk, and the mosquitoes were abundant. There were 2 very old, ragged looking sofas sitting outside as well. They point to them and said I could have my pick. OMG! This was a nightmare. I hadn’t eaten all day so I told them I needed to go out and get some dinner which really was the truth. Thank God I had a car and had left all my bags there. I told them I’d be back after eating but deep down I knew that I would not be returning. It just was not possible to stay in those conditions.
I headed into the center of town and stopped at the Central Hotel where I paid $100 for the night but felt it was well worth it considering the circumstances. So I finally got to sleep after nearly 40 hours and the ordeal of traveling.
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