Worldtour diary- Part 5

Worldtour Diary Part V - 01 Dec - 22 Dec 06

Here we are again right before Christmas for the most boring diary of the whole system, between beaches, bitches, football and other stupid stuff.
Where were we?
1st of December 2006, after a funny 21 hour busride, including a change of bus ´cos they forgot to book me on the second part of the journey...I arrived in the biggest town I´ve ever been to. Buenos Aires.
Fully motivated to ´entirely discover Argentinian culture´, meaning 4 football games on one weekend...I didn´t pretend to be tired but rushed through the nice parts of the town, picturing 1000s of statues, parks, the beach. The sun was shining, the mood couldn´t be better, a week full of joy was awaiting me...
Jeep, but...sometimes being too enthusiastic isn´t the right way to travel...and this lesson was very hard.
Going ALONE in the DARK to a FOOTBALL game in the POOR area of Buenos Aires with my CAMERA was a little bit too stupid....and 4 nice Argentinian guys with two guns, nice as they were, explained that you shouldnt do that.
The price for this lesson. My camera, mobile and some clothes...
but as Elton John says I AM STILL STANDING.
The following days I learned some other interesting things about Argentinian culture.
People eat about two kilos of steak with 10g of potatoes and no vegetables here for dinner. Dont know how they manage to stay slim, but it tastes great!!!
Perhaps this results from thye fact that they take their dinner at about 111 pm and then head 3 hours later to the club, staying there until 8 am in the morning...
I can tell you guys...traveling (or shall I say partying ,-) ) is soooo tiring..
Besides? Meeting up again (I know you love these stories...Imagine what you want...you should know I´m an angel ) with two girls I got to know in Peru, meeting the parents of Leonardo, an Argentinian friend I got to know from England...I really felt ´home´a bit.
Nevertheless I couldnt let it and left Buenos Aires after one week, having watched a second football game (RIVER PLATE) and having changed my plans for the 50th time.
So..in order to buy a new camera I discovered the huge black market in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, changing borders between Argentina, Paraguay and Brasil 5 times in 48 hours.
Still in a rush, looking forward to the beaches of Souther Brazil, I visited the two sides of the Iguazu falls, discovered what it means to strike in Brazil (Singing and dancing like in a gym...) and...took a plane to...mid Brasil, RIo de Janeiro.
Arriving there in the rain and dark wasnt too much fun, but finally it got how it was supposed to be. 40 degrees for mid December...Christmas trees behind the Copacabana beach, street parties, Samba shows...that doesnt sound too bad, or?
Finally, after 1 week in Rio I headed direction South to the Isla Grande, the so called most terrific island in South America.
Finally a place to chill and make everybody REALLY jealous.
Wonderful beaches, in the background some palms and jungle...35 degrees and more...
Got a nice tan for Xmas which I ll spent...in the 3rd biggest town of the world, Sao Paolo.

By the way... I wish you all a nice Christmas, some funny New Year´s Eve parties (@Romain: J espere tu openses un peu a moi, c etait trop cool l annee derniere!!!) and of course...I keep you informed about my newest experiences before heading in about 4 weeks to New Zealand.
Hasta luego
Jochen

Worldtour diary- Part 4

World Tour Diary 04 - 8^th of November to 1^st of December 2006

New try...after the PC crashed down approximately 10 seconds before sending out the mail.

More than three weeks in one mail. All my "programm" between the 9th and 30th of November 2006...all what happened between the "capitals" La Paz and Buenos Aires.
Firstly I went down. By bike.A long way. More than 60km on the most dangerous road of the world.But...I must admit...I don´t really understand why it´s so dangerous and there are more than 100 dead people in the last 7 years....If you´re not Israelin...or for any other reason crazy you just accept that there´s no view at all in the fog...and do it a little bit slower.
Whereas..really tough was the following day. 18 hours in the bus to Rurrenabque...too many bumbs, too many curves..no sleep at all.
As this wasn´t tiring enough..I caught a 3day-Pampa trip directly after arriving there.
Once again no sleep, cos the about 100 moscito bites were damn itching in the night.
At daytime, I did not only fight with the moscitos, but as well with my camera. Not too easy to get these PINK !! dolphins pictured.
Much easier with the friendly alligators and monkeys..
Two early standing up for the sunrise...I arrived back to Rurrenabque really really tired...
but...once again...I couldn´t resist...and booked the next tour for the following day.
3 days of JUNGLE which were not only physically (up to 40degrees) hard, but particularly mentally. How did I feel small...being so dependent on my guide...cos he knew some things about nature..and I did not.
Despite a hell lot of wesp bites, insect bites and thanks to his chosen food (termits, cacao, other insects, piranha...) I survived as well these 3 days....and was totally happy to meet up again with Judy and Shiran, my new Israelian loves.
Passed a hell lot of evenings in the last 4 weeks with them...so my traveling habits changed a bit...and I did not do it really "local".
But...it was fun. Big fun was as well seeing a "known face" (Audrey Bonfils), a girl I studied with in France.
After this overdosis of friendship I flew again in the loneliness, hiking from 1 place to another.
So, after the experience of going from 200m (Jungle) up to 5500m (Chacaltaya mountain) and the connected headache, I discovered what Bolivian carnival means in Orururo. Shame that it was just a museum, cos the costums look pretty nice!! 1 day later I saw about 500 churches and a replica of the Eiffel Towerin the "white town" Sucre.
Then...shocking experience in Potosi´s goldmines. If you complain about your job...just come here for a day. The conditions for the guys who work- and die- here are not really funny..
Another football match, now in Bolivia, I went to do it hard for my bum.
But the 25 jeep hours were worth seeing this richness of landscapes.
Salt lake.Yes. Desert. Yes. Green and red lagoons. Yes. Volcoanoes. yes. Geyseers. Yes.
Hot bath on 4600m. Cactus island. Yes...and all that in even not three days...Just amazing!!!
Changing my inititial plan of going to Brazil then into a "quickly go to Buenos Aires to see the last football matches before summer break"..made me just rush through the towns of Tupiza, Salta and Tucuman...
So..I probably have to come back for this...DOing it slowlier is definetelt more healthy...cos 2500km in 4 days,...just hurt.
So...now I arrived in Buenos Aires...and if I dont change my plans again you should be able to get some more news about Argentina, Urugay and even Brazil before Christmas.
But--of course...I hope to hear from YOU much sooner!!
TC
jk