I managed to sleep in the bus. The ride was decent and quite comfortable. I reached Porto Alegre around 915 and managed to jump immediately into another bus with destination Florianopolis. I can already see the change in the nature and in the climate. Green all around with a flourish and luxury vegetation mixed by many little lagoons and the ocean which can be seen far away. I already love it here. I love this kind of climate and this nature. I arrived around 7.30pm and went straight to the hostel that was suggested in my guide book. It was a good hostel, clean and with a very good service. I had a quick dinner and went to bed for a well deserved night sleep after a pretty boring day spent on the bus.
Saturday 20 November 2010
Day 79 – Montevideo – Porto Alegre
It was a lazy day, characterized again by rain... lots of rain. I woke up around 9.30am and had a quick breakfast at the hostel. Dave and I returned the car and went to the bus station to get info about our next travels. He managed to find a connection back to Buenos Aires at 13.30 while I fortunately found a night bus to Porto Alegre. I was very sceptical about finding a connection to Florianopolis the same day but I was lucky. Basically there is only one direct connection a week to Florianopolis but there is every day to Porto Alegre. From there it is very easy to find a bus to Floripa. I said goodbye to Dave, another new good friend I have found during my journey and a very good companion during the last 10 days in Argentina and Uruguay. I hope I will see him again in Rio in December. I returned back to the hostel and from there I went for lunch. Immediately after, I started a little tour of the city. As every respectable Italian I tried to see the house of Garibaldi, one of our national hero, but unfortunately it was closed. Everything was closed actually. I must admit that from a cultural perspective Montevideo lacks the charm and the vibe of his cousin Buenos Aires. Lazily I walked around the old town and took some decent pictures until I went back to the hostel. A good long shower and packing again. I am running out of clean clothes and I desperately need to find a laundry service soon. Nothing more than this today. I went to the bus station and jumped on the bus for an 11 hours journey which will take me to Porto Alegre tomorrow morning at 9am where with a little bit of luck I will be able to catch the 9.30am bus to Florianopolis for another 7 hours journey along the shores of Southern Brazil. I am in the bus now, where food is crap and there is no movie. I better try to sleep.
Day 78 – Punta del Diablo, Punta del Este
We left early in the morning with the intention to rent a car to go to Punta del Diablo and Punta del Este. Eventually we found a good deal in the nearby hotel where we managed to hire a car for 24 hours. The destinations are considered very beautiful and important in the country mostly known as holiday resort the second and paradise for surfers the first. Let’s start immediately saying that both places were a complete disappointment. Probably it was due to the very bad weather, or because the season didn’t start, but both places didn’t really match with the expectations. Punta del Diablo, so well recommended by the majority of people I met in Argentina and Uruguay, was a small semi-town, with barely a shop open and no infrastructure whatsoever. The beach was dirty and there were no facilities or bars at least to make a quick stop over before driving back. So here we are, driving back to Punta del Este in the hope of something slightly better. We arrived there around 7pm and almost everything was closed due to the fact that the summer season hasn’t started yet. Punta del Este is exactly the opposite of the place we had just visited. Immense buildings and hotels with the most expensive bars and restaurants all scattered around and a concrete wall of residential houses and apartments along the coast. Basically it can be considered the Miami or the Cancun of the South America. I realized how there was only ‘black or white’ and no different shades of greys in the towns here. Either ‘Las Vegas’ or some under developed town with no running water.
However, despite the disappointment of the places we visited, we were both glad with the choice of travelling around Uruguay and its coast. Having the car, driving around with our own time, pulling over when we wanted to and sightseeing by car chatting and listening to music was a form of travelling that I have kind of forgotten and I was glad to have done it again. I really enjoyed the trip after all.
We returned back to Montevideo quite late. Just the time to find a good parking place, eating at the usual cheap restaurant next to the hostel and then straight to bed.
Day 77 – Colonia - Montevideo
Dave and I left Buenos Aires in pain. Getting up so early again after having slept only 3 hours it was something extremely painful and excruciating. We arrived at the harbour to then jump into the boat to Colonia in Uruguay. I do not remember much of the journey since I slept pretty much the whole time. We arrived in Colonia around 13.30. I left the bag at the station and we started walking around the little town. Surprisingly, Colonia is a very beautiful and well preserved little town with lots of precious corners to discover. We had lunch in an extravagant place listening to some nice local music and enjoying decent fresh food for a reasonable price. I took lots of pictures while walking around the little streets or along the coast to reach the harbour. Our bus was booked for 6pm and we gradually walked back to the station. It was approximately a 4 hour ride to Montevideo. Once there we managed thanks to the good advice of the taxi driver, to find what it was probably the best hostel in the city, right in the centre of the main square, Plaza Indipendencia. We went to bed fairly early not only because the city didn’t really have to offer as much as Buenos Aires, but mostly because we were really exhausted. I was so tired that paradoxically I couldn’t really fall asleep if not when it was already late; enough to be sleepy one more time the day after.
Day 68 – 76 – Buenos Aires
Well well well... I actually don’t know where to start. I arrived at the station on Saturday at lunch time. Dave very kindly came to pick me up and we went directly to his place. Since then, I never actually left his place until our departure to Uruguay 9 days later. There was no need to find another place to sleep because Dave and his flatmates host me throughout the entire time. Buenos Aires offers you everything: from incredible and endless nights out, to museums and interesting place to go sightseeing, shopping, a beautiful harbour, tango, music sports and many other cultural activities. I must admit I tried to take the best out of the city visiting as many museums as I could, going out and meeting new people. Dave and his flatmates were extremely kind to host me for all those days and this also allowed me to save quite a lot of money in hotels or hostels. Buenos Aires has as well a very strong Italian soul: a soul given by an incredible amount of Argentineans with Italian origin (now more than half of the entire population of the country). Despite the constant economic crises that Argentinean people are always complaining about, the situation seems pretty ok. Infrastructure, public transport and general safety seem to be present and well working throughout the city. I could see myself staying in Buenos Aires for long time. It is that kind of city that you would never feel really tired to be in because there is always something interesting or different to do. I met new people and made new friends here. I, for 1 week, went to live the life of a city boy again, experiencing a completely different type of travelling. I leave Buenos Aires now with a smile and a little bit of sadness.
It is definitely time for me to move on with my journey. Uruguay, I am coming!
It is definitely time for me to move on with my journey. Uruguay, I am coming!
TWIMO!
Sunday 7 November 2010
Day 67 - Rosario
The city of Rosario is nice and neat. Perpendicular roads leading you pretty much everywhere in the city without getting lost. I walked around on my own, with my little camera and a super consumed map. I felt very well and strangely well rested. The city looks well developed with shops and amenities like in many other areas here in Argentina. However I still think as a personal opinion that Mendoza is standing out for being the best city I have visited so far in Argentina. I am still trying to understand if it is because I was coming from the desert (and then any place would have looked like heaven) or if it is because of its real intrinsic beauty. The monument of the flag reminded me somehow an area in Rome where I grew up my first years, with that typical neoclassical-fascist style which characterized the years of the early 20s and 30s.
At night I went out with the girl from the hostel. She took me to an excellent and elegant restaurant by the river. The night was warm and very peleasant, sharing good wine, juicy steak (obviously) and a deep and long converstation until very late at night.
I would have had an early morning catching the bus to Buenos Aires. I didn't really had an idea on when exactly, but I didn't want it to be too late. I then returned to the hostel around 3am to find out that the dorm where I was sleeping was now filled with 8 people and that they were all aready fully sleeping snoring. Glad I had my earplugs!
A great day with a snoring finale!
Friday 5 November 2010
Day 66 – Cordoba – Rosario
Woke up in the morning around 10am with a slightly headache and completely dehydrated. It was raining but overall it was a fresh and cool morning. Quick breakfast in the local bar to then say goodbye to the guys and heading to the bus station. Nothing really interesting today if not that I managed to sleep a couple of hours on my way to Rosario and that I will reach the town tonight around 8pm. I am crossing hundreds of mile of plantations, farms and loads of horses and cows. This is the real Pampa as I have always imagined it.
Day 65 – Cordoba
Cordoba is a pretty hectic and lively city. I arrived punctual and for almost 1 euro I took a taxi to the hostel. In front of the hostel I met Jo, who left Mendoza almost with me but with an earlier bus and two Dutch girls who were also in the bus with me. Jo an dI went out to discover the city and to eat something for breakfast. The first half of the day was spent visiting the city which I admit offers a lot but purely from an architectonical and historical perspective lacks a deep history compared to its European counterparts. This is however a common ‘issue’ for Argentinean and more in general South American history, due to the lack of deep history as we instead might experience in Europe and in Asia.
I used the afternoon to relax in my room until we all went to a city tour organized by the hostel around 7pm.
I prepared dinner for the four of us, and I really enjoyed to finally cooking again. Eating ravioli and drinking red wine on the rooftop of the hostel in the middle of Cordoba is something as random and as beautiful as many things that are happening to me in this long trip. After dinner we decided to hit the nightlife. We went to what is considered the Cordoba ‘movida’ area first going to few bars and finally to a club nearby. We returned around 4.30am in the morning in a pretty bad shape... The real first night out in such a long time and I loved it. Even if the club wasn’t special and the drinks pretty bad, the idea of finally going out again and for few hours not to think about the next bus to take, it was a great sensation. I am sure in Buenos Aires it will be even better!
Day 62 – 63 – 64 – Mendoza
I arrived in Mendoza late morning. The station was quite empty and I went looking for a taxi to take me into the city. Once in the main square I went to one of the recommended hostel in my book. It was the best choice. The hostel was clean with a great vibe and lots of young people from all over the world. I really liked it. I met many people that I will probably meet again in Buenos Aires and in other cities I will visit. In particular two guys, Dave and Jo, I am sure I will meet them again throughout my journey.
I spent the afternoon visiting the city, walking around parks, large streets and sightseeing beautiful houses. I love Mendoza. It is a perfect blend of Italian, Spanish and Latin American culture. Elegant and sober, it definitely stands out so far as one of my favourite cities in the entire South America journey. Moreover people are incredibly open, friendly, easy going and with a passion for running and sports hence they are incredibly fit. Food and wine are as well amazing, with tons of winery and farms all scattered around. This is really my kind of place.
The three days were spent visiting wineries and a wine tasting tour, eating in good restaurants and drinking in fancy bars, chatting with friends in the local hostel and a day tour visiting the surroundings reaching the border with Chile. I am pretty sad to leave Mendoza. I can easily see myself spending few weeks here but unfortunately this is the sad rule of crossing South America in 2 months. You are always on the go.
I am catching a night bus train to Cordoba and I should arrive around 7am. The bus is empty and comfortable. The screen is showing Terminator Salvation. I think I will watch the movie and trying to catch some sleep.
TWIMO
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)