Before I
forget, I should dedicate a quick paragraph to all of my wonderful friends and
family that are graduating today or soon. We have, for example, some of my very
dear study abroad pallies, and then of course my beautiful smart sister and
dear cousin Paula (who’s graduating high school). I would like tos ay
congratulations to all of them and BOO that I have to do the same thing in just
a year’s time!
Since it’s
been about a year and a half since I posted, I have no clue where to begin but
considering I’ve taken two wonderful trips since then, I’d say it’s appropriate
to start there…
Two weeks
ago, the group of Clemson students and a few others that chose to tag along went on a little romp to the
north of Argentina. We Left on a Friday night and got to the province of
Túcuman the next morning, just in time for a brisk morning hike.
This area
is called Tafí del Valle and it’s a little town with a lake and beautiful
scenery. It’s also freezing there which was fab since I definitely didn’t pack
appropriately.
After, we
went and explored some Indian ruins, but it was more of a hike with the guide
pointing out vague housing structures and pieces of broken pottery on the
ground. The cool part was seeing a change in the landscape because in
comparison with Tafí del Valle, the ruins were very dry with cacti and rocks
everywhere instead of green lusciousness.
On Sunday,
we went to the province of Salta where, in a town called Cafayate, we did a
wine tasting and had lunch. Before that though, we bussed around “Ruta 40” that
does a lap around the entire province and has look out points, and various
natural phenomenons, like the “garganta del diablo”.
Isn’t it
BEAUTIFUL? This trip was similar to the one we took last year, but also very
distinct because we went to different places, obviously. Overall I think I
enjoyed this one more because we weren’t in the bus/van for 2 hours to arrive
at a hike that would take 20 minutes!
On Monday,
we went to see the ruins of a tribe of indians called “Quilmes”, that were
forced to march from Túcuman, all the way to Buenos Aires. Much of their
original territory has deteriorated or was destroyed, but we were able to see
some redos as well as past structures.
Monday, we
found ourselves back in Córdy, around 12 midnight where we all had to wait
twenty nine hours to get taxis, but all in all it was a good trip. It was nice
to be away from the city for a while, breathing fresh air for once.
I only
stayed put, however, for Tuesday and Wednesday, because on Thursday I had my
trip to Brazil!!!
We almost
couldn’t leave the country though because our tourist visas had expired and we
didn’t think to bring student documentation, but by some miracle, we had nice
men as border officers, and they let us go without having to pay a ridiculous
fine.
We arrived
in Uruguay and headed to our hostel and walked around Montevideo a little bit,
but it was late and I was feverish, so we just ate and went to bed early since
we had a somewhat early flight the next day. Montevideo is so beautiful though!
I went last year, but don’t think I really appreciated the contrast between
there and Córdoba! There are trees everywhere, and it just gives off really
good vibes in my opinion.
Well,
Friday, we touched down in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, por fin, at around
4? We found our hostel and then explored some, before embarking on the first
cooking adventure. The problem with our hostel (or advantage, as some would
say), is that they offer a dinner every night for R$14 (US$7), so making your
own food is nearly impossible unless you want to eat dinner at 6:30 (a crazy
notion here in S. America), or at midnight. We managed, but obviously didn’t do
it again. After dinner, we planned our Saturday with some Canadian girls, then
went on a walk and crashed early so we’d be able to wake up for a tour of the
Christ Redeemer!
After
visiting that big guy, we went to the beach near our hostel (we stayed in
Copacabana, a beachside neighborhood) and then rested and that night we all
went to this placed called “Lapa” that was a lot of bars and clubs. It’s really
cool because there are always street performers and people dancing outside to
the beat of the music from the clubs! We were all tired though so lamely, I
think we got back to the hostel around 2am? Wow…
Sunday, we
woke up early and went to the beach for a few hours and then did a tour of the
biggest favela in Rio. The difference between the wealthy and the poor there is
actually quite ridiculous which is why the favelas sprung up in the first
place. At first, I thought that a tour seemed like an exploitation of the
people there, but it turns out that they like sharing their culture with
outsiders. Hanny and I got followed a lot by little boys wanting to talk to us
in English, which was so adorable. The concept of having blonde hair seems even
more lost on Brazilians considering they typically have DARK complexions. Like,
there are no black people in Arg, but Brazil has much more of a mix. The people
in general, I noted, have less inhibitions that the Argentines, especially when
it comes to their bodies. Here, the women wear thong bathing suits, but most
aren’t QUITE as revealing as the ladies in Brazil and OMG THE MEN! They were
all in speedo-type suits, which was fine for some, but horrible for others.
 |
| delicious, hey? |
That night,
we cooked early and then went for a super long walk to a nearby beach where
they were having a free outdoor concert. It was so cool getting there and
seeing how many people were out on the “boardwalk” walking, jogging,
rollerblading, etc. Although in general the people seem heftier in Brazil, they
seem more active and jolly!
Monday, we
had to be at the airport at 6:45, which was terrible, and if there is one ugly
thing about Rio, it’s their airport- I wish I had gotten a picture! Anyways, we
arrived back in Córdoba, just in time for classes and for the bus strike that
was to last for 3 days!
Gotta love
Córdobeses and their protests!
Tired of
typing- more later xoxox
