La costa norte de brasil no descansa en mostrarme playas espectaculares, arenas blancas, aguas turquesa, lindos cuerpos y mucho sol, pero no todos los momentos ni todo lo que se ve en uno de estos viajes es relajante y agradable, también hay momentos feos y molestos así como impactantes y conmovedores… uno de estos últimos quiero ahora narrar.
El viaje entre Buzios e Itacare duro dos días, saliendo del estado de Rió de Janeiro y llegando al de Bahía después de cruzar el estado de Espíritu Santo, una ruta de aproximadamente 1300 Kmts donde la constante fue el ir y venir de fuertes lluvias que se intercalaban con intensos lapsos de sol y calor que hacían de mi ropa de montar un perfecto sauna portátil mejor que cualquiera que se encuentre en el mejor SPA de Helsinki. Es claro que manejar en lluvia incrementa sustancialmente los riesgos de un accidente, y aunque normalmente no me detengo ya que es mas fácil salir de la lluvia al seguir andando, si tomo las practicas medidas de precaución: andar mas despacio, dar mas distancia y frenar mas suave. Pero lo que a veces se olvida, es que ni siquiera estas medidas básicas pueden salvarte de ser atropellado por otro vehículo que se sale de control en dirección opuesta.
Bajo una intensa lluvia en la mañana del segundo día de este viaje me encontraba rodando detrás de un motociclista que aparentemente trabajaba de domicilio para alguna compañía local, con unos 30 mts de distancia entre los dos nos aproximábamos a una curva ciega a la izquierda cuando de repente (y todavía lo recuerdo como en cámara lenta), sale de dicha curva un vehículo negro, ya en el aire y con su parte superior apuntando hacia nosotros. Lo que paso en el siguiente segundo tal vez nunca se me olvide: El auto termino su giro para caer llantas arriba y deslizarse sobre el asfalto mojado a través del ancho de la vía, para mi fortuna había suficiente espacio para frenar fuera del alcance de dicha masa de metal, pero la fortuna no habría de ser la misma para el pobre domicilio, por mas que trato de evadirlo, no pudo, y vi claramente como de frente la moto y el carro colisionaban y el volaba estilo superman sobre las llantas del auto para aterrizar unos 10 mts mas adelante al lado de la carretera.
De inmediato me baje a socorrer a los accidentados, era el primero en estar hay. Corrí hacia el carro para ver como sus 3 pasajeros salían arrastrándose por la ventanas rotas y aunque ni podían hablar de lo impactados que estaban, todos caminaron y ninguno se quejo de dolor alguno, y entonces tras corroborar que no hubiera nadie mas en el vehículo, corrí a ayudar al motociclista que gemía como un animal moribundo dentro de su casco. Llegue donde el hombre que yacía boca arriba, lo mire y estaba conciente, con los ojos abiertos, agarrándose la pierna izquierda y produciendo el aterrador ruido. Inmediatamente trate de conversar con el para que me dijera que le dolía, si sentía las piernas, si podía respirar bien, etc… pero lo único que recibía a cambio era una mirada de angustia y desesperación, como si a causa del golpe hubiera perdido la capacidad de entendimiento del lenguaje…cuando claro, caí en cuenta… el hombre no hablaba Español, y yo en medio de la agitación de la situación trataba de comunicarme en mi muy fluida lengua materna… pobre hombre!. Por fortuna para los dos, un par de carros ya se habían detenido y llame hay mismo a uno de sus conductores para que hablara con el haciéndole entender que yo no hablaba portugués.
El carro y la moto quedaron destruidos, el de la moto gemía mas del susto pues al minuto ya estaba en pie y conversando con el resto de la gente, menos mal todos vivos y coleando.
Me monte en la moto y seguí, pues poco podía hacer ya con mi limitado dominio del idioma. Los pensamientos me llovían como el agua que seguía cayendo. Si me hubiera despertado 5 segundos mas temprano aquella mañana tal vez me hubiera tocado a mi, pero luego pensé, si me hubiera despertado esos 5 segundos mas temprano, probablemente me hubiera tocado un semáforo en rojo por 5 segundos mas y hubiera terminado en la misma posición. Mejor dicho: no era mi turno… simplemente me toco ver de cerca el turno de otro y ser conciente que libre de un accidente no esta nadie así se tomen todas las precauciones del caso. Lo único que puedo hacer es ser precavido, ser positivo y seguro de que todo ha de salir como ha de salir: bien… y pa adelante!
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The Brazilian north coast does not rest showing me beautiful beaches, white sands, turquoise waters, spectacular bodies and lots of sun, but not al the moments, neither all that is seen in one of this trips is nice and relaxing, there are also ugly and annoying moments as well as shocking and eye opening ones… one of the later kind I want to share now.
The trip between Buzion and Itacare took two days, leaving from the state of Rio de Janeiro and arriving to the state of Bahia after crossing Espiritu Santo, a route approximately 1300 Kmts long where the constant was the come and go of strong rains that alternated with intense periods of sun and heat making my riding gear a perfect portable sauna better than anyone you can find in the best SPA in Helsinki. Is clear that riding in the rain increases substantially the risks of an accident, and even though I rarely stop since is easer to get out of the rain by staying on the road than stopping, I do take the basic precaution measures: go slower, give longer distances and break smoother. But what we easily forget is that not even these basic measures can save you from being run by a car out of control coming on the opposite direction.
Under an intense rainfall on the morning of the second day on this journey I was rolling behind a biker that seemed to work as a delivery guy for a local company. With approximately 30 mts between both of us we approached a blind left turn when out of a sudden (and I still remember as if it was in slow motion), out of the turn comes already in the air this black car with its hood pointing toward us. What happened in the next second I think I will never forget: The car finished its loop and landed tires up sliding fast across the wet road, to my fortune there was enough space to break out of reach of this moving metal mass, but the fortune was not to be the same for the poor delivery guy, despite he tried to avoid it, he couldn’t, and I saw clearly how the bike and the car crashed front to front and the rider flew superman style over the up facing bottom of the car to land some 10 mts ahead on the side of the road.
Immediately I got off the bike to help them, I was the first to be there. I ran towards the car to see how the 3 passengers got out crawling through the broken windows and even though they could not talk due to being in shock, they all walked and did not complain of any pain. After making sure no one else was in the car, I ran to help the motorcyclist that moaned like a dying animal inside its helmet. I arrive to the guy who was lying face up, looked at him and he was conscious, with his eyes wide open, grabbing his leg and producing the terrifying noise. Immediately I tried to communicate with him to get him to tell me where the pain was, could he feel the legs, could he bread normally, etc… but the only response I got was an anguish and desperation sight like if he thought that due to the crash he has lost his capacity to understand the language… of course, I realized… the guy did not speak Spanish, and in the middle of the rush I was trying to communicate in my very fluid mother tongue… poor guy!.. Luckily for both of us, a couple more cars have already stopped and I called right away one of the drivers to talk to the guy making him understand I did not spoke Portuguese.
The car and the bike were total loss, the biker moaned more due to the shock than pains since one minute later was already up and talking with everybody else, fortunately all alive and jumping.
I got on the bike and kept going since there was nothing else I could do with my limited knowledge on the language. Thoughts start falling like the water that kept raining. Had I woke up 5 seconds earlier that morning it would have been my turn, but then I thought, had I woke up 5 seconds earlier, I probably would had had to stop on a red light for another 5 seconds ending up in the same location. Better said: it was not my turn… I simply had to watch somebody else’s turn from very close and be conscious that nobody is free of an accident despite all precautions that can be taken. The only thing I can do is being cautious and positive and know that all will be as it should be: good… and forward!
080325 - Buzios :: Aprendiendo Portugués | Learning Portuguese
Brasil es el único país en mi viaje en el cual no hablo el idioma y por tanto ha proporcionado una dificultad adicional a la hora de viajar, orientarse y tratar de obtener información de simples transeúntes en la calle. Por fortuna el portugués tiene muchas similitudes con el español, y cada día entiendo más lo que la gente dice y suelto un poco a la hora de hablar y hacerme entender. Un proceso lento pero interesante, espero al salir de Brasil ser capaz de tener una conversación decente en este idioma. Hay muchas formas de evaluar el avance que se tiene día a día en la comunicación en una nueva lengua, que el saludo se vuelva natural sin tener que pensar en que decir, ser capaz de pedir una hamburguesa y un jugo sin tener que señalar en el menú y entender cuanto costo la comida sin tener que mirar la cuenta son todos muestras del progreso obtenido, lo que nunca pensé fue que mentar la madre desde lo mas profundo del alma en la nueva lengua sin pensar en ello me fuera a alegrar tanto por el progreso logrado. En medio de la ruta entre Rió y Buzios me encontré con lo que parecía ser un accidente que causaba un estancamiento prolongado del trafico, tras pasar lentamente por el lado de la vida descubrí que la causa de dicho trafico era una inundación de aguas barrosas rojizas que en el punto menos profundo media unos 20 cmts y por tanto todos lo carros esperaban su turno para pasar por dicho lado. Igual hice yo, me enfile ente un carro y un camión, subí los pies lo mas que pude y procedí lentamente para no mojarme mucho… cuando menos pensé, y no se si a propósito, sentí como el camión de atrás aceleraba fuertemente y procedía a pasarme por el lado profundo de la inundación tan rápido como podía levantando una cortina de agua que se elevaba unos dos metros empapándome de arriba abajo con la colorida agua. La ira se me subió a la cabeza, y tras salir de dicho charco me acerque a la cabina del conductor, me pare en la moto, levante la cabeza lo mas alto posible, y sin pensarlo dos veces y con toda la fuerza de mis pulmones saque un “VA LA MERDA – FILO DE PUTA”… inmediatamente, la tranquilidad volvió a mi cuerpo, y sentí una rara alegría al notar mi progreso en este esquivo portugués.
Ahora me encuentro en Buzios, un famoso destino turístico para los Cariocas (habitantes de Rió) que quieren disfrutar de playas diferentes durante sus vacaciones. Lastimosamente llegue en medio de la lluvia un día Lunes y por tanto hay poco para ver alrededor. Antes de llegar a Buzios y luego de mí último relato visite las dos ciudades más grandes del Brasil y un pequeño pueblo en la costa verde sencillamente espectacular.
Sao Paulo, la ciudad mas grande de Suramérica, con 17 millones de habitantes en su área metropolitana, es una muestra perfecta de mezclas culturales, crecimiento difícil de controlar en todas las dimensiones, trafico caótico, legado histórico y cultural y multiplicidad de opciones de vida nocturna de alta calidad. La lluvia no seso en los días que estuve en esta ciudad, pero eso poco me limito para conocer un poco de su centro y sus parques y disfrutar de las noches con mis viejos amigos que conocí previamente en viajes de trabajo a esta ciudad. Finalmente el sol salio y por hay derecho yo también. Tome ruta al noroeste con destino final Rió de Janeiro pero con la intención de disfrutar los paisajes de la famosa costa verde y hacer alguna parada en uno de los múltiples destinos turísticos que se encuentran en esta vía costera que une las dos ciudades. Al anochecer aquel día y ya en busca de un lugar donde pasar la noche vi finalmente un aviso que indicaba la salida hacia Trinidade, un destino previamente recomendado por Martin, mi amigo argentino. Pues allí llegue y me quede un par de días disfrutando de unas playas paradisíacas que se forman entre rocas que descienden de la montaña selvática creando un paisaje de ensueño. El sol estaba radiante y el clima perfecto, un buen descanso de las grandes ciudades… y listo estaba pues para el bien famoso Rió de Janeiro.
En Rio habría de encontrarme de nuevo con Eran, mi amigo Israelí con el que ha viajado en múltiples ocasiones. Rió es su ultima estación y allí se encontraba tratando de vender su moto antes de regresar a su país, una labor difícil debido a tener licencia de Ecuador. En el hostal se encontraban otro par de personajes, Brendan, un estadounidense de la Florida con un carisma, humor y energía de alto nivel, y “Pinky”, en realidad Mikael, un sueco finísimo que recibió dicho apodo debido al lindo color rosa que tomo después de un día bajo el sol. Los cuatro nos apoderamos del hostal y vivimos cuatro días de goce interrumpido entre la playa, la sala de televisión, las discotecas y el puesto de jugos y sanduches de la esquina… Buenos momentos para recordar y una perfecta despedida entre Eran y yo luego de tantos kilómetros compartidos en esta aventura. El hostal estaba ubicado en la famosa Copacabana, y sus playas, las playas de Ipanema y el cristo redentor del Corcovado, el cual visite con Keren, una amiga Israelita, fueron los únicos sitios famosos de dicha ciudad a los que fui… el resto del tiempo simplemente, disfrutando de buena compañía.
El Noroeste de Brasil se ve venir, y muchos cientos de kilómetros todavía por recorrer en este gran país. Definitivamente, solo la costa de Brasil requiere por lo menos un año de dedicación y un gran premio de lotería para poderlo explorar completamente.
Brazil is the only country in my trip in which I don’t speak the language and therefore it has provided a higher level of difficulty when it comes to traveling, orienting and trying to get information from simple pedestrians in the street. Luckily, Portuguese has a lot of similarities to Spanish, and every day I understand more and more of what people says and I am able to speak a little more and have people understand me. A slow but interesting process, I hope that when I leave Brazil I am able to have a decent conversation in this language. There are many ways to asses the improvements you have every day on the communication on a new language, greetings in the morning becoming natural without have to think about it anymore, being able to order a hamburger and a juice without having to point out at the menu and understanding how much did the food cost without having to look at the check are all displays of improvement achieved, what I never thought of, was that being able to swear from the deepest in my soul in the new language was going to make me so happy for the skills obtained. In the middle of the route between Rio and Buzios I found what looked like an accident causing a long traffic jam, after passing on the side slowly I came to discover that the reason for the jam was a flooding of muddy red water that measure around 10 inches on the shallowest part and therefore all cars waited for their turn to cross on this location. I did the same, set in the line in between a car and big truck, lifted my feet as high as possible and proceeded slowly to not get wet…. all of a sudden, not sure if in purpose or not, I heard how the big truck accelerated strongly and proceeded to pass me on the deepest side of the flooding as fast as it could lifting a curtain of water about 6 feet tall getting me completely wet from head to toes with the reddish water. Anger flushed to my head, and after riding out of the water, I got as close as possible to the truck cabin, stepped up in my foot pegs, lifted my head up and shouted with all my lungs strength a very loud “VA LA MERDA – FILO DE PUTA”… immediately calm came back to my body and I fell a strange satisfaction for the improvements on the not easy Portuguese language.
Now I am located in Buzios, a famous tourist destination for the Cariocas (citizens from Rio) that want to enjoy different beautiful beaches on their holidays. Unfortunately I arrived in the middle of the rain on a Monday and therefore there is no much to see and enjoy in the area. Before getting to Buzios and after my last narration I visited the two biggest cities in Brazil and a little town in the Costa Verde that is simply spectacular.
Sao Paulo, the biggest city in South America with 17 million citizens on its metropolitan area is a perfect display of cultural mixtures, difficult to control growth on all the directions, chaotic traffic, historical and cultural heritage and multiplicity of options for a high quality night life. Rain did not stop during the days I stayed in this city, but this did not limited me to get to know a little of its center, its parks and enjoy the nights with old friends I met in previous work trips to this city. Finally the sun came out, and so did I. I took the route northeast with final destination Rio de Janeiro, but with the intention of enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the famous Costa Verde and making at least a stop in one of the famous tourist destination located on the coast road that joins this two cities. At sunset that day and when already thinking about where to stay for the night, I finally saw the sign indicating the exit to Trinidade, a destination previously recommended by Martin, my Argentinean friend. Well, I got there and stayed a couple of days enjoying of some paradisiacal beaches that form in between huge rocks that descend from the jungle in the mountains creating a dream like landscape. The sun was shining and the weather perfect, a very good rest from the big cities… and ready I was for the famous Rio de Janeiro.
In Rio I was to meet with Eran again, my Israeli friend with whom I have traveled in multiple times. Rio was his last station and there he was trying to sell his bike before returning to his country, a quite hard job since the bike has Ecuatorian license. In the hostel there were a couple more characters, Brendan, an American from Florida with a high level humor, energy and personality, and “Pinky”, in reality Mikael, an extremely funny Swedish guy that received that nickname due to a beautiful pink color he turned to after a day under the sun. The four of us took over the hostel and enjoyed four days of uninterrupted fun in between the beach, the TV room, the discothèques and the sandwich and juice stand around the corner… Good times to remember and a perfect farewell between Eran and me after so many shared kilometers on this adventure. The hostel was located on the famous Copacabana, and its beaches, the Ipanema beach and the Corcovado Christ, which I visited with Keren, and Israeli girl, were the only famous places I went to in this city… the rest of the time was simply and enjoyment of some good company.
The northeast of Brazil is now coming, and many hundreds of kilometers still to ride in this huge country. Definitely to completely explore just the Brazilian coast completely you need at least a year of dedication and a jackpot on the lottery!
Ahora me encuentro en Buzios, un famoso destino turístico para los Cariocas (habitantes de Rió) que quieren disfrutar de playas diferentes durante sus vacaciones. Lastimosamente llegue en medio de la lluvia un día Lunes y por tanto hay poco para ver alrededor. Antes de llegar a Buzios y luego de mí último relato visite las dos ciudades más grandes del Brasil y un pequeño pueblo en la costa verde sencillamente espectacular.
Sao Paulo, la ciudad mas grande de Suramérica, con 17 millones de habitantes en su área metropolitana, es una muestra perfecta de mezclas culturales, crecimiento difícil de controlar en todas las dimensiones, trafico caótico, legado histórico y cultural y multiplicidad de opciones de vida nocturna de alta calidad. La lluvia no seso en los días que estuve en esta ciudad, pero eso poco me limito para conocer un poco de su centro y sus parques y disfrutar de las noches con mis viejos amigos que conocí previamente en viajes de trabajo a esta ciudad. Finalmente el sol salio y por hay derecho yo también. Tome ruta al noroeste con destino final Rió de Janeiro pero con la intención de disfrutar los paisajes de la famosa costa verde y hacer alguna parada en uno de los múltiples destinos turísticos que se encuentran en esta vía costera que une las dos ciudades. Al anochecer aquel día y ya en busca de un lugar donde pasar la noche vi finalmente un aviso que indicaba la salida hacia Trinidade, un destino previamente recomendado por Martin, mi amigo argentino. Pues allí llegue y me quede un par de días disfrutando de unas playas paradisíacas que se forman entre rocas que descienden de la montaña selvática creando un paisaje de ensueño. El sol estaba radiante y el clima perfecto, un buen descanso de las grandes ciudades… y listo estaba pues para el bien famoso Rió de Janeiro.
En Rio habría de encontrarme de nuevo con Eran, mi amigo Israelí con el que ha viajado en múltiples ocasiones. Rió es su ultima estación y allí se encontraba tratando de vender su moto antes de regresar a su país, una labor difícil debido a tener licencia de Ecuador. En el hostal se encontraban otro par de personajes, Brendan, un estadounidense de la Florida con un carisma, humor y energía de alto nivel, y “Pinky”, en realidad Mikael, un sueco finísimo que recibió dicho apodo debido al lindo color rosa que tomo después de un día bajo el sol. Los cuatro nos apoderamos del hostal y vivimos cuatro días de goce interrumpido entre la playa, la sala de televisión, las discotecas y el puesto de jugos y sanduches de la esquina… Buenos momentos para recordar y una perfecta despedida entre Eran y yo luego de tantos kilómetros compartidos en esta aventura. El hostal estaba ubicado en la famosa Copacabana, y sus playas, las playas de Ipanema y el cristo redentor del Corcovado, el cual visite con Keren, una amiga Israelita, fueron los únicos sitios famosos de dicha ciudad a los que fui… el resto del tiempo simplemente, disfrutando de buena compañía.
El Noroeste de Brasil se ve venir, y muchos cientos de kilómetros todavía por recorrer en este gran país. Definitivamente, solo la costa de Brasil requiere por lo menos un año de dedicación y un gran premio de lotería para poderlo explorar completamente.
Brazil is the only country in my trip in which I don’t speak the language and therefore it has provided a higher level of difficulty when it comes to traveling, orienting and trying to get information from simple pedestrians in the street. Luckily, Portuguese has a lot of similarities to Spanish, and every day I understand more and more of what people says and I am able to speak a little more and have people understand me. A slow but interesting process, I hope that when I leave Brazil I am able to have a decent conversation in this language. There are many ways to asses the improvements you have every day on the communication on a new language, greetings in the morning becoming natural without have to think about it anymore, being able to order a hamburger and a juice without having to point out at the menu and understanding how much did the food cost without having to look at the check are all displays of improvement achieved, what I never thought of, was that being able to swear from the deepest in my soul in the new language was going to make me so happy for the skills obtained. In the middle of the route between Rio and Buzios I found what looked like an accident causing a long traffic jam, after passing on the side slowly I came to discover that the reason for the jam was a flooding of muddy red water that measure around 10 inches on the shallowest part and therefore all cars waited for their turn to cross on this location. I did the same, set in the line in between a car and big truck, lifted my feet as high as possible and proceeded slowly to not get wet…. all of a sudden, not sure if in purpose or not, I heard how the big truck accelerated strongly and proceeded to pass me on the deepest side of the flooding as fast as it could lifting a curtain of water about 6 feet tall getting me completely wet from head to toes with the reddish water. Anger flushed to my head, and after riding out of the water, I got as close as possible to the truck cabin, stepped up in my foot pegs, lifted my head up and shouted with all my lungs strength a very loud “VA LA MERDA – FILO DE PUTA”… immediately calm came back to my body and I fell a strange satisfaction for the improvements on the not easy Portuguese language.
Now I am located in Buzios, a famous tourist destination for the Cariocas (citizens from Rio) that want to enjoy different beautiful beaches on their holidays. Unfortunately I arrived in the middle of the rain on a Monday and therefore there is no much to see and enjoy in the area. Before getting to Buzios and after my last narration I visited the two biggest cities in Brazil and a little town in the Costa Verde that is simply spectacular.
Sao Paulo, the biggest city in South America with 17 million citizens on its metropolitan area is a perfect display of cultural mixtures, difficult to control growth on all the directions, chaotic traffic, historical and cultural heritage and multiplicity of options for a high quality night life. Rain did not stop during the days I stayed in this city, but this did not limited me to get to know a little of its center, its parks and enjoy the nights with old friends I met in previous work trips to this city. Finally the sun came out, and so did I. I took the route northeast with final destination Rio de Janeiro, but with the intention of enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the famous Costa Verde and making at least a stop in one of the famous tourist destination located on the coast road that joins this two cities. At sunset that day and when already thinking about where to stay for the night, I finally saw the sign indicating the exit to Trinidade, a destination previously recommended by Martin, my Argentinean friend. Well, I got there and stayed a couple of days enjoying of some paradisiacal beaches that form in between huge rocks that descend from the jungle in the mountains creating a dream like landscape. The sun was shining and the weather perfect, a very good rest from the big cities… and ready I was for the famous Rio de Janeiro.
In Rio I was to meet with Eran again, my Israeli friend with whom I have traveled in multiple times. Rio was his last station and there he was trying to sell his bike before returning to his country, a quite hard job since the bike has Ecuatorian license. In the hostel there were a couple more characters, Brendan, an American from Florida with a high level humor, energy and personality, and “Pinky”, in reality Mikael, an extremely funny Swedish guy that received that nickname due to a beautiful pink color he turned to after a day under the sun. The four of us took over the hostel and enjoyed four days of uninterrupted fun in between the beach, the TV room, the discothèques and the sandwich and juice stand around the corner… Good times to remember and a perfect farewell between Eran and me after so many shared kilometers on this adventure. The hostel was located on the famous Copacabana, and its beaches, the Ipanema beach and the Corcovado Christ, which I visited with Keren, and Israeli girl, were the only famous places I went to in this city… the rest of the time was simply and enjoyment of some good company.
The northeast of Brazil is now coming, and many hundreds of kilometers still to ride in this huge country. Definitely to completely explore just the Brazilian coast completely you need at least a year of dedication and a jackpot on the lottery!
080315 - Curitiba :: De Uruguay al sur de Brasil | From Uruguay to south Brazil
Argentina se quedaba atrás, o casi atrás, pues volvería al noreste de este país a conocer las majestuosas cataratas de Iguazú. Durante mi viaje he tenido la oportunidad de comprobar que no hay nadie que nos pueda descrestar mas con sus obras que la misma naturaleza, de norte a sur he tenido la fortuna de apreciar los mas increíbles paisajes naturales que este continente tiene para ofrecer. La inmensidad del Gran Cañón, los colores de Key West, los paisajes montañosos de las Smokey Mountains y el Blue Ridge Parkway, el sonido estremecedor de la caída del agua en las cataratas del Niagara, la vida salvaje de las grandes praderas en las Dakotas, los picos nevados en Yellowstone y los Gran Tetones, los desiertos de Baja California, las profundidades del Cañón del Cobre, los humeantes volcanes de los países centroamericanos, las hermosas playas del Parque Tayrona, los imponentes picos andinos en el Ecuador, la pureza que inspira el salar de Uyuni, los colores turquesa de los lagos bajo la inquietante sombra de las Torres del Pine, y la caída estremecedora de inmensos bloques de hielo en el Calafate son entre otras muestras de la fuerza, inmensidad y mas que todo belleza que nuestra tierra tiene para deleitarnos. Las cataratas de Iguazú son en mi opinión una de las mas grandes muestras de esta imponencia, la cantidad de agua es inimaginable, el sonido producido a la caída te desconecta y todos los sentidos parecen unificarse en un fenómeno que requiere de mas que 5 de ellos para ser percibido en su totalidad. Otro destino recomendado al 100%.
Entre Buenos Aires e Iguazú recorrí toda la costa Uruguaya y la provincia de Rio Grande do Sul en el Brasil. Lastimosamente la lluvia se hizo presente de manera constante durante mi trayecto por la costa Uruguaya y limitó un poco el disfrute de sus famosas playas y ciudades costeras. Montevideo tiene un lindo centro de la ciudad con viejos edificios que dan un toque colonial muy agradable para divisar mientras caminas por sus calles, Punta del Este como me lo esperaba tiene el típico toque de destino vacacional de primera clase, y ni me imagino como será en la alta temporada, igual es una ciudad muy bonita rodeada por múltiples poblaciones mas pequeñas todas creadas alrededor del turismo. Cabo Polonio es la antitesis de Punta del Este, provee unas espectaculares playas interminables alrededor de una pequeña comunidad que poco se preocupa por lujos, grandes fiestas e interacción social, y más bien pone sus intereses en compartir entre todos a bajo costo, disfrutar la naturaleza, el surf y la vida tranquila. Rio Grande do Sul simplemente lo recorrí de punta a punta en mi vía hacia Iguazú, casi 1000 Kmts por excelentes vías ondulantes a través de pequeñas lomas llenas de cultivos bajo un cielo azul con grandes formaciones nubosas que se dejaron descargar sobre mi en mas de una oportunidad. El cruce de nuevo a Argentina lo realice por balsa sobre el rió Uruguay en la población de Cabo Soberbio, una aventura diferente pero con el agravante que no había policía de migración Brasilera y por tanto no quedo registro de mi salida de dicho país. Bueno, todo problema tiene su solución y tras una prolongada charla con los oficiales brasileros cuando entre de nuevo a este país y soportar un leve regaño en un Portugués que poco entendía, me arreglaron la situación y aceptaron nuevamente en este inmenso país.
Ahora si el recorrido por el penúltimo país en mi viaje comenzaría oficialmente, el primer destino seria el famoso Florianópolis y la isla de Santa Catalina. Brasil es famoso entre otras cosas por sus playas, y aquellas que encuentras alrededor de Florianópolis son una excelente muestra del porque se ha creado dicha fama. La isla tendrá un perímetro de unos 200 Kmts y aunque no me la recorrí en su totalidad pude claramente apreciar como existe una playa para cada tipo de gusto, desde las relajadas playas de Barra de Lagoa y Pantano do Sul hasta las mar refinadas y sofisticadas Jurere y Playa Brava, en todo caso un destino bien especial y con algo para todos los gustos.
La lluvia se veía venir y entonces decidí tomar rumbo norte y alejarme un poco de las playas para conocer Curitiba. Esta ciudad es ejemplo en Brasil de un desarrollo urbano sostenible, ordenado y con visión ecológica. Como se pueden imaginar es una ciudad bien verde, completamente limpia y llena de obras arquitectónicas modernas pero en acople con el estilo de la ciudad. Uno de sus atractivos es el museo de Oscar Niemeyer, que lleva el nombre de su arquitecto quien es reconocido a nivel mundial por sus obras con formas continuas y especial manejo del espacio que acoplan funcionalidad con belleza y amplitud.
Visitare próximamente Sao Paulo ya que tengo varios amigos allí y luego me dirigiré nuevamente a la costa para seguir disfrutando de las maravillosas playas Brasileras.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Argentina was left behind, or almost behind since I would came back to this country to know the majestic Iguazu falls. During my trip I have had the opportunity to realize that there is nobody who can amaze us more with its works than nature itself, from north to south I have been fortunate to appreciate the most incredible natural landscapes this continent has to offer. The immensity of the Grand Canyon, the colors of Key West, the mountainous views of the Smokey Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, the shocking sound of the falling water in the Niagara falls, the wild life on the big prairies of the Dakotas, the snowed peaks of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, the deserts of Baja California, the depths of Copper Canyon, the smoking volcanoes of the Central American countries, the beautiful beaches of Tayrona Park, the huge Andean peaks in Ecuador, the purity inspired by the Uyuni salt lake, the turquoise colors of the lakes under the shade of the Torres del Pine and the mind blowing fall of huge pieces of ice in El Calafate are among others, displays of the strength, immensity and more than anything the beauty that our planet has to show us. Iguazu falls are in my opinion one of the biggest displays of this immensity, the amount of water is unimaginable, the produced sound by the falls disconnects you as all your senses seem to unify on a phenomenon that require more than 5 of these to be perceived on its full dimension. Another 100% recommended destination.
Between Buenos Aires and Iguazu I rode across the whole Uruguayan coast and the province of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Unfortunately the rain was present in a constant manner during my travels along Uruguay and limited a little the enjoyment of its famous beaches and coastal cities. Montevideo has a beautiful city centre with old buildings that give a colonial touch which suits pretty well for taking nice walks through its streets, Punta del Este as I expected has the typical touch of a first class holiday destination and I can’t even imagine how would it be on super high season, it is though a very nice city surrounded by multiples little towns all built to serve tourism. Cabo Polonio is the anti Punta del Este destination, it provides some spectacular unending beaches around a small community that little worries about luxuries, big parties and social interaction, and has focus its interests more on sharing with others at a low cost, enjoy nature, the surf and a quite life. I just crossed Rio Grande do Sul from one corner to the other in a single day in my way to Iguazu, almost 1000 Kmts through excellent wavy roads going up and down multiple small hills full of plantation fields all under a deep blue sky with huge cloud formations that unloaded over me more than one time. I crossed again to Argentina in a small ferry over the Uruguay River on the town of Puerto Soberbio, a different adventure with a little problem: There were no Brazilian migration officials on this border crossing and so there were no record of me leaving the country. Well, all problems have a solution and after a prolonged chat with the Brazilian officers when I reentered this country and receiving a sermon in a Portuguese I could hardly understand, they arranged everything and accepted me again in their huge land.
Now my trip was officially on the second to last country on my adventure, the first destination would be the famous Florianopolis and the Santa Catalina Island. Brazil is famous among other things for its beaches, and those around Florianopolis are and excellent display of why such a fame has been created. The island may have a perimeter of about 200 Kmts and even though I did not ride it completely, I could clearly appreciate how there exists a beach for each different taste, from the relaxed beaches of Barra de Lagoa and Pantano do Sul to the more sophisticated Jurere and Playa Brava, in any case a very special destination with something for every body.
I could see the rain coming and so I decided to head north and get a little away from the beaches to get to know the city of Curitiba. This city set an example in Brazil for its organized urban development with an ecologic vision. As you can imagine is very green city, completely clean and full of modern architecture buildings that cope perfectly with the style of the city. One of its attractions is the museum Oscar Niemeyer, which is named after its architect who is recognized world wide for its developments with continuous shapes and special management of space to form places with perfect harmony between functionality, beauty and amplitude.
I will visit Sao Paulo next since I have several friends here and then I will head again to the coast to continue enjoying of the marvelous Brazilian beaches.
Entre Buenos Aires e Iguazú recorrí toda la costa Uruguaya y la provincia de Rio Grande do Sul en el Brasil. Lastimosamente la lluvia se hizo presente de manera constante durante mi trayecto por la costa Uruguaya y limitó un poco el disfrute de sus famosas playas y ciudades costeras. Montevideo tiene un lindo centro de la ciudad con viejos edificios que dan un toque colonial muy agradable para divisar mientras caminas por sus calles, Punta del Este como me lo esperaba tiene el típico toque de destino vacacional de primera clase, y ni me imagino como será en la alta temporada, igual es una ciudad muy bonita rodeada por múltiples poblaciones mas pequeñas todas creadas alrededor del turismo. Cabo Polonio es la antitesis de Punta del Este, provee unas espectaculares playas interminables alrededor de una pequeña comunidad que poco se preocupa por lujos, grandes fiestas e interacción social, y más bien pone sus intereses en compartir entre todos a bajo costo, disfrutar la naturaleza, el surf y la vida tranquila. Rio Grande do Sul simplemente lo recorrí de punta a punta en mi vía hacia Iguazú, casi 1000 Kmts por excelentes vías ondulantes a través de pequeñas lomas llenas de cultivos bajo un cielo azul con grandes formaciones nubosas que se dejaron descargar sobre mi en mas de una oportunidad. El cruce de nuevo a Argentina lo realice por balsa sobre el rió Uruguay en la población de Cabo Soberbio, una aventura diferente pero con el agravante que no había policía de migración Brasilera y por tanto no quedo registro de mi salida de dicho país. Bueno, todo problema tiene su solución y tras una prolongada charla con los oficiales brasileros cuando entre de nuevo a este país y soportar un leve regaño en un Portugués que poco entendía, me arreglaron la situación y aceptaron nuevamente en este inmenso país.
Ahora si el recorrido por el penúltimo país en mi viaje comenzaría oficialmente, el primer destino seria el famoso Florianópolis y la isla de Santa Catalina. Brasil es famoso entre otras cosas por sus playas, y aquellas que encuentras alrededor de Florianópolis son una excelente muestra del porque se ha creado dicha fama. La isla tendrá un perímetro de unos 200 Kmts y aunque no me la recorrí en su totalidad pude claramente apreciar como existe una playa para cada tipo de gusto, desde las relajadas playas de Barra de Lagoa y Pantano do Sul hasta las mar refinadas y sofisticadas Jurere y Playa Brava, en todo caso un destino bien especial y con algo para todos los gustos.
La lluvia se veía venir y entonces decidí tomar rumbo norte y alejarme un poco de las playas para conocer Curitiba. Esta ciudad es ejemplo en Brasil de un desarrollo urbano sostenible, ordenado y con visión ecológica. Como se pueden imaginar es una ciudad bien verde, completamente limpia y llena de obras arquitectónicas modernas pero en acople con el estilo de la ciudad. Uno de sus atractivos es el museo de Oscar Niemeyer, que lleva el nombre de su arquitecto quien es reconocido a nivel mundial por sus obras con formas continuas y especial manejo del espacio que acoplan funcionalidad con belleza y amplitud.
Visitare próximamente Sao Paulo ya que tengo varios amigos allí y luego me dirigiré nuevamente a la costa para seguir disfrutando de las maravillosas playas Brasileras.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Argentina was left behind, or almost behind since I would came back to this country to know the majestic Iguazu falls. During my trip I have had the opportunity to realize that there is nobody who can amaze us more with its works than nature itself, from north to south I have been fortunate to appreciate the most incredible natural landscapes this continent has to offer. The immensity of the Grand Canyon, the colors of Key West, the mountainous views of the Smokey Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, the shocking sound of the falling water in the Niagara falls, the wild life on the big prairies of the Dakotas, the snowed peaks of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, the deserts of Baja California, the depths of Copper Canyon, the smoking volcanoes of the Central American countries, the beautiful beaches of Tayrona Park, the huge Andean peaks in Ecuador, the purity inspired by the Uyuni salt lake, the turquoise colors of the lakes under the shade of the Torres del Pine and the mind blowing fall of huge pieces of ice in El Calafate are among others, displays of the strength, immensity and more than anything the beauty that our planet has to show us. Iguazu falls are in my opinion one of the biggest displays of this immensity, the amount of water is unimaginable, the produced sound by the falls disconnects you as all your senses seem to unify on a phenomenon that require more than 5 of these to be perceived on its full dimension. Another 100% recommended destination.
Between Buenos Aires and Iguazu I rode across the whole Uruguayan coast and the province of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Unfortunately the rain was present in a constant manner during my travels along Uruguay and limited a little the enjoyment of its famous beaches and coastal cities. Montevideo has a beautiful city centre with old buildings that give a colonial touch which suits pretty well for taking nice walks through its streets, Punta del Este as I expected has the typical touch of a first class holiday destination and I can’t even imagine how would it be on super high season, it is though a very nice city surrounded by multiples little towns all built to serve tourism. Cabo Polonio is the anti Punta del Este destination, it provides some spectacular unending beaches around a small community that little worries about luxuries, big parties and social interaction, and has focus its interests more on sharing with others at a low cost, enjoy nature, the surf and a quite life. I just crossed Rio Grande do Sul from one corner to the other in a single day in my way to Iguazu, almost 1000 Kmts through excellent wavy roads going up and down multiple small hills full of plantation fields all under a deep blue sky with huge cloud formations that unloaded over me more than one time. I crossed again to Argentina in a small ferry over the Uruguay River on the town of Puerto Soberbio, a different adventure with a little problem: There were no Brazilian migration officials on this border crossing and so there were no record of me leaving the country. Well, all problems have a solution and after a prolonged chat with the Brazilian officers when I reentered this country and receiving a sermon in a Portuguese I could hardly understand, they arranged everything and accepted me again in their huge land.
Now my trip was officially on the second to last country on my adventure, the first destination would be the famous Florianopolis and the Santa Catalina Island. Brazil is famous among other things for its beaches, and those around Florianopolis are and excellent display of why such a fame has been created. The island may have a perimeter of about 200 Kmts and even though I did not ride it completely, I could clearly appreciate how there exists a beach for each different taste, from the relaxed beaches of Barra de Lagoa and Pantano do Sul to the more sophisticated Jurere and Playa Brava, in any case a very special destination with something for every body.
I could see the rain coming and so I decided to head north and get a little away from the beaches to get to know the city of Curitiba. This city set an example in Brazil for its organized urban development with an ecologic vision. As you can imagine is very green city, completely clean and full of modern architecture buildings that cope perfectly with the style of the city. One of its attractions is the museum Oscar Niemeyer, which is named after its architect who is recognized world wide for its developments with continuous shapes and special management of space to form places with perfect harmony between functionality, beauty and amplitude.
I will visit Sao Paulo next since I have several friends here and then I will head again to the coast to continue enjoying of the marvelous Brazilian beaches.
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