Three countries in two weeks! Tail end of Brazil, A drive-by of Uruguay, and the gates of Argentina!

(Feb 27, 2013)

It has been a wonderful wind down from The Carnival excitement (with one border crossing exception)!

After my relaxing time with Daniel and his family in Paulínia, I headed deeper into the sprawling metropolis of São Paulo. My tour guides in the city were John and Bruno, a pair of great guys who I had met on the bus from Paraty to Paulínia a few days before. I arrived early into the city and together John, Bruno and I walked end to end of the city’s main business district. During my time in the city I became fascinated with the comprehensive subway system which, though fast and user friendly, remained packed with riders all the way up until its closure at 12am! It was amazing to me to watch the torrid flows of people gliding purposefully by in huge streams en route to or from the train platforms.  The number of people in São Paulo (around 11 million) is hard to get one's head around! 

My transportation learning continued through to the last days in Brazil. From São Paulo John and I headed to the city of Curitiba, globally recognized as a leader in urban planning due to its progressive urbanist features. Jaime Lerner, the city’s 3 time mayor, has been accredited with many of the impressive measures which include the installation of one of the world’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) integrated systems, which has since inspired similar models from Mexico City, to Bogota, to Quito, to Rio de Janeiro. Lerner is also upheld for his innovative use of flood plains as recreation spaces and started the tradition of employing sheep to  help with park maintenance, while selling their wool to support children’s programs. Curitiba also champions pedestrian space in harmony with car space and the city is an attractive place to be no matter what mode of transit you prefer. John and I spent two days dashing around the city’s various parks and famous architectural sites, and enjoyed the time spent with our kind and musically-inclined host, Daniel (He is a DJ and his apartment is his music-making playground!).

John and I split up, with him returning to São Paulo, and I embarking on the most harrowing bus trip of my journey so far. I won’t go too far into details besides saying that it involved missed connections; a nerve wracking wait in an empty bus, in an empty parking lot, at midnight; being a witness to theft by bus company personnel; ripped pants at the height of my frustration; a sleepless night in a bus terminal with the most uncomfortable seats imaginable; and a long winded border crossing to Uruguay after 14 hours of sleepless travel.

I was happy to arrive in Tacuarembo and thrilled to be welcomed so warmly into the house and family of my new host, Valentina. The city of Tacuarembo is very small and has a decided rural feel, with horse-drawn carts pulling through the streets. Tacuarembo is located in the Northwest of Uruguay, where the rolling hills and plateaus make for excellent cattle raising. ‘Gaucho culture’, which is like a cowboy culture unique to Argentina and Uruguay, is tantamount here and the male fashion statement involves checkered shirts and barret-like hats called Boinas. During my short visit, Valentina and her wonderful friends and family showed me around the city and breathtaking countryside, throwing in a traditional BBQ party and horseback riding experience in for good measure! Unfortunately I will miss the Patria Gaucho Festival, which highlights the diversity within Gaucho culture, but I’ll keep it in mind for my return!

From Tacuarembo I took a blissfully short bus ride to Montevideo, where I was met by Valentina’s brother and brought back to their ocean-front apartment. I spent the next two days interspersing Skype meetings and job applications with wanders along the city’s coastline and weaving through the old city. I was very interested to find that neither the old city, nor the nearby waterfront promenades, had been developed for expensive real estate or tourism. I wonder what market and political forces are hindering this development? For now this area largely comprises a historically steeped residential neighbourhood for lower income city dwellers, who seem unfazed by the parades of tourists that wander up and down its central corridor.

From Montevideo I headed further West to the beautiful small and colonial town of Colonia de Sacramento and wove through the cobble stone and tree-lined streets of the old city, enjoying the atmosphere and perfect climate. More meetings and job applications in the evening and following day, leading up to where I sit now, on the boat to Buenos Aires!

BUENOS AIRES AND TANTE HELOISE HERE I REALLY COME!

This vacation through the wine country of North/Central Argentina is sure to be a fun one! Tune in next time to hear all about our antics (there are sure to be many)!