Part IIX: Brazil - Back to the heat after the cold Patagonia...

My birthday room!!!

And companion!!!

Yea!!! It is Hommer Simpson smoking a....

My nice hut in Punta del diablo...

Hey Guys,

How are you doing? Sadly enough this might be the last mail in the blog, since I’m going back just in a few weeks, come back to real life, and work!! My Goooodddd!! I will try to organize a BBQ in London and one in Madrid so be ready!! Ok now more bit and pieces...

On my first day in Buenos Aires I met a craftsman in the park. After a nice chat with him he told me something that I didn’t quite understand at that time. ¨Buenos Aires is as melancholic as Tango¨. I didn’t give it any more thoughts…The following day; I went for a walk around the city. There is a street called Defensa, that every Sunday becomes pedestrian so it is full of tango dancers and singers. Some of them are young and good looking; some are old people trying to get some money for their retirement. There are also some old ladies and gents, part of the public, that in between songs and shows they always try to get a dance with the good looking young street dancer. You can see melancholy also in the architecture, buildings show the footprint left by the colonial time. Big old colonial buildings and loads of antique good furniture resting in the selves of antique shops, articles from the rich times...

Next I’m going to give you an example of human naivety and stupidity. I was in Buenos Aires in “Calle Florida”, the equivalent to Oxford Street in London. So I was walking there with one pound left for the next two days in my pocket. I had some problem with the credit cards so couldn’t withdraw money and of course I didn’t have any emergency dollars (I spent them on my very first day of travelling to buy the ticket from Delhi to Kathmandu) So walking down the street trying to avoid all these people harassing tourist to buy leather articles. This guy stops me offering me a free pass for a girls bar – Sorry mate, not interested - I was waiting in a traffic light so I kept talking to him waiting for the green light. At some point he tells me that if I just go to the bar and look interested for later, they will sign the card and he will earn three pesos, half a pound – Ok, still not interested, but the bar is on my way so, don’t mind to go, look interested for a few minutes, get the flyer signed, you get your money and I go home. – Ok.

So I walk with the guy into the bar. At that moment two very friendly looking girls take me into this quite dark room full of sofas. They sat at both sides of me, cough!! They start telling me the rules of the house, 25 pounds a drink for me and 30 for the lady – ok, that’s great but my friend is waiting for me, we will be back this afternoon. I said. At that point one girl put the hand on my inner leg and the other girl put my hand on her thigh, mmm, cough cough!! (Start sweating) they keep talking about all the different erotic massages they could do to me. I’m laughing and just wanted to leave the place but a third girl comes with a trade with three drinks and they ask me for 100 pounds for the company and the drinks – ok, I had enough, standed up and left the premises…

Stupid, no?

I want now to explain the title of the last mail ¨Did you know word was created in Chile...?¨ It is good, because since local language in most of South America is Spanish, it is more easy to learn about the way of being in each country. In the last months I have been listening, watching and asking and I can sketch you now some of my conclusions…

The Chilean guy is quite proud, Chile is one of the most prosperous countries in South America, and they are proud about this. They think everything was created and invented in Chile but copied by some other countries later.

The Argentinean is melancholic, because of the Tango and the old times. They usually know the answer to any question although often they haven’t got a clue about what was the actual question.

The other day I did some research about Uruguay. I was Punta del Diablo. There is soooo good vive there!! I learned that the Uruguayan is nostalgic. They won the football against Brazil in the fifties and they still remember about that. They can also share a Mate, this bitter tea, with an Argentinean or a Brazilian but always acknowledging and proud that mate is original from Uruguay.

Brazilians are the happiest ones although they are poorer, they love to drink and dance with friends. Big smiles and a lot of body worshiping.

Different subject now, yesterday evening I found out about another sound that will make people to turn around and look at you.

First time I thought about this, I was in El Bolson, Argentina. It was my first night in a quite nice guest house and I didn’t know anyone. Bought myself a bottle of wine for the dinner, wine in Argentina is cheap and cheerful, so great! So I was there in the corner of a big kitchen-dinning room, trying to open the damn bottle of wine that didn’t wanted to get opened. While standing up with the damn bottle of wine between my legs and doing an Ulyssean effort to open the damn bottle. Suddenly the cork gave away and the bottle opened with a clean sounded pooop!!! I was standing there with the bottle in the hand when everybody in the room turned around with a slight smile, I could just raise the bottle and say - Salud!! (Cheers!!)

Second time was in Buenos Aires, Argentina as well. It was St. Patrick’s Day. After four years living in London it seems I have developed some new habits and costumes, and St. Patrick’s Day is a day to celebrate wherever you are, so, again, first night in the hostel knowing no one, I decided to buy two bottles of beer. There is always someone to share a drink with. As I went into the kitchen, I walked almost unseen between the people seated. When I was reaching the fridge I hit the bag with the beers and both bottles his each other with an again sounded, plink. Again everyone turned around and smiled – objective achieved, ice broken…

Then third time came, after Argentina I went to Uruguay and then to Brazil. First place to arrive was Florianopolis, some kind of bikini heaven. I got to this backpackers, cool house right on the beach with hammocks and free surfing boards. There were loads of European travellers so party was assured every night, on my three days stay I got the Caipirinha master ship. The bar worked on a trust system. You took and made your own drinks from the bar and then write it down on a huge board with all the names. It didn’t mattered who were you talking with but when you heard the sound of someone shaking the mixer with a Caipirinha you had to turn around and look to who was behind the bar…

Actually I just thought about another thing I noticed, or maybe better remembered, It is about the ability of Irish for beer drinking. As I told you before there was this big board where you noted your drinks. It was good because the board was cleaned everyday at 6 in the morning, so everyday when you woke up you had a fresh clean new board to write into. So there were these two Irish guys, at the beginning of the day they would be drawing big arrogant b´s (for beer). At the end of the night you could see them leaned against the board, trying not to fall off and writing the new drunk b´s inside the big old ones…

It is funny how mood changes while travelling. When you travel with someone it is easier to keep a constant mood, but when you are alone it is easier to change. Usually it is good; you are out of the office anyway. Sometimes can be very tiring to be changing places and meeting new people all the time, and in a few occasions you get to places where everything is so nice that you can get something very close to an absolute happiness.

What a day!!!

I was planning to go from Punta del Diablo in Uruguay (Really cool place, in case you are around) to Brazil or at least a town near the border. First thing was to miss the bus at 13:00. Next bus was at 19:30 (too late) so decided to hitchhike. First pick up, leaves me in the middle of the road at 3 o’clock on a very hot day, second pickup had so many holes in the back (tow??) that I could see the road passing very very quickly straight below me, all the way stressed trying not to put too much weight on any point in case it brakes…

Arrive to the border town. Decided to look for a map of Brazil in internet for being able to ask for a ticket to somewhere, still have no guide of Brazil or know anything. When I was going to pay realised that had lost my last 50 Uruguayan pesos. ok, leave the bags in the internet shop and promise to come back.

For no explained reason the bank didn’t opened that day so started looking for cash machines, non of them gave me any money, even more, one went out of service after using it. Since didn’t have a f..ck..ng penny, decided to start asking in normal shops to see whether they can do a cash advance for me. None of them could. After two hours walking finally find a cash machine that gives me money... Kissed it and swear by Judas that will withdraw some dollars next time for emergency situations like this (like who promise on Sunday morning to stop drinking for ever)

Ok, go to the bus station and ask for my ticket, bus full, no tickets until tomorrow, ok, - give me any ticket to Brazil, no matter destination. ok, they tell me to go to the Uruguayan border that apparently was 10 blocks away. The furthest 10 blocks I have ever seen, it was actually out of town (after the two hours looking for money). Get to the place and they asked me for some paper I have never heard off. The guy gets pissed off and tells me off, never mind I get my passport stamped. Start walking back, see a tow pulled by a horse, asked the guy if I could jump on the tow - yes of course. As soon as I get to the tow, realise there was a huge dead open pig on it...

My trip is coming to an end after 8 months and I have to say that my stomach and sphincter keep holding in. Can not say the same about my feet though,

Have you ever heard of a body boycott? Well, I seem to have one. Every time I plan to go scuba diving my feet boycott me, no joke. First time was in Ko Tao, Thailand, after New Years Eve, the cuts in my feet really boycotted my diving plans. Now I’m in Brazil. I heard of some place called Buzios, 3rd best place in Brazil to dive. A few days before going diving I woke up in the bus from Curitiba to Rio with this very itchy feeling. At the beginning I thought it could have been the ants that bitted me that afternoon while I was trying to get my way through the island and stepped right on a anthill, not very good idea. After a few days my right toes started growing ugly. After two days waiting for it to get better, it didn’t got any better, so I go to the hospital to learn that it was a dog worm that you can get walking in the beach. Pretty disgusting. You can actually see the path the worm has taken in his dive inside my feet, yuck!!

I always thought that I was a very balanced person, in the good and the bad, the fair and unfair, right and left. I have now another proof, since same day my right feet started growing ugly because of the worm thing, I unintentionally kicked a metal bar with my left bare foot getting an wound and a swelling similar to the one in the other foot...

Thank you very much to those who greeted me before, on the day and after my birthday, first of May. I want to say that I had a really idyllic day on the beach next to a nice girl, Alex. It couldn’t have been more relaxing…

Ok guys, will contact you soon about the barbecue,

Looking forward seeing you all,

Qr,…