Fun in Asuncion

Despite being apparently being the second poorest country in South America (that distinction belonging to Bolivia), Paraguay continues to feel very safe even while walking the capital city, Asunción late at night and definitely isn´t as sketchy as most of the capital cities in central america. Gone are the barb wire and electrical fences so pravalent in other countries, some stores simply have locked glass doors without any steel gating and the pólice do not carry machine guns. There are fewer guards here and most are just carrying a night stick. Many towns still have red dirt roads. The people are very friendly and when I asked about their mate tea, a vendor offered me his cup to try it. Sort of like green tea but more bitter, no caffine kick and comes in both  cold or hot. It´s somewhat refreshing. In fact, yesterday (July 30) was Paraguay´s official Day of Friendship where people (friends and family) gather with friends to bbq, eat and drink. About the most treachous thing I have done in Asunción is rent and ride a bike which is an infrequent sight on the road among the congested and fume spewing traffic. One way lanes suddenly turn into two lanes, buses and trucks edge you off the road and  and motor bikes zip by. Bike lanes, lights and racks (to lock up) are non-existent. The drivers are polite though and let you pass IF they see you and they do keep their honking to a minimum.

The city of Asunción is quite spread out and typical for Paraguay, the sidewalks do not feel crowded or noisy even though this is largest city in the country. People seem very relaxed and the various plazas are particularly pleasant with kids kicking futbol, people selling handicrafts at stalls, men shining shoes and locals relaxing in the sun or shade. There are a few sites to see like some national monuments and a river promenade. There was recently flooding in the city due to the heavy rains and some of the poorer people living in lower parts of the city had their homes submerged underwater. There are various sites of temporary wooden shacks for these displaced people and little communities formed with make-shift stores springing up, people washing clothes and barbequing, kids playing and day to day life continuing in these camps. The pólice are quite prevalent around these camps and generally in the city.

Riding the local buses is cheap and kind of reminds me of the  Guatemelan chicken buses though the pumping music and flashing lights are missing. As you leave the city or enter a town, there is a constant stream of vendos jumping on the bus to sell apples, tomatoes, toothpaste, medicine, cough drops, DVDs, drinks, cooking oil and books, soap and everything in between. I lost count at 30 on my last trip.  However, the local buses are VERY SLOW and a true test of patience and meditation. It took over 2 hours to get to a town only 57 km from Asunción as it stopped every 200 to 400 meters to pick up or drop off passengers. Just stand by the road and wave, and the bus will stop. There are a few towns near Asunción that make good day trips including ones close by lakes and one with the large Basilica De Caacupé and plaza but be prepared for a long day of bus riding unless you rent a car or go on a tour. I noticed the locals seem to be have an affection for
garden gnomes which were selling everywhere in these towns. Porky Pig, Angry Birds, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman, Mushrooms, Frogs, Hello Kitty... they were all there in ample supply.

I will be taking a 20-hour bus tomorrow to cross into Bolivia to the city of Santa Cruz. But before I leave, I plan to track down a Korean restaurant in Asunción´s maze-like mercado. I met a Korean traveller who came straight from Foz Do Iguaçu because he heard there were many Koreans here. He was in need of some Korean supplies and craving his home food. He found one hidden in the back alleys of the mercado and swore "it is the real thing." He also managed to stock up on his supply of Kimchi. It always brings me smile that the Koreans manage to travel with Kimchi in their backpacks ! He knowingly gave me a nod when I showed him my suppy of chilli "Sarachi" sauce.

Bye, Bye Brasil... Hello Paraguay !

I am in the city of Encarnation in southern Paraguay having come from Brasil by crossing over the "Friendship Bridge" to Ciudad Del Este in Paraguay. The bridge is also known as a favorite smuggler's route for contraband (knock-offs or fake) goods and the city is regarded as "the Department Store of South America." Big GAP labeled hoodies are popular and electronics are apparently cheap compared to Brasil. There are also more Chinese merchants here and the city even has a plaza called "Chinese Park" including a knock-off pagoda and semi-Chinese bridge. I picked up a "Nike" top for $7 as it is rather cold here in the winter. The main street through Ciudad Del Este is like a huge, chaotic market with noisy traffic crossing the border both ways.

I am finding out that having a Canadian passport is a lot more hassle and costly in South America than other passports like from France it UK. For Paraguay,  Canadians have to get a visa at the consulate and shell out $95 or else be turned back at the border (technically, no one checks at the Friendship Bridge but you will be fined heavily if leave the country by any other route). Having a US and Australia passport is equally difficult as our governments make it difficult and costly for their nationals to enter into our countries. Even worse for Chinese nationals as their passports need to be sent to the capital city which can take several weeks.

As for Encarnation, it has a recently renovated river walkway and beach area and is close to several Jesuit Mission ruins (following their expulsion from South America in 1767). As Paraguay has very few tourist (as it has few major attractions), this is both is good and bad. The good, the ruins hardly has anyone there and you can walk through the church and mission remnants practically alone. Land locked and literally in the heart of South America, it is often by passed. People are friendly and genuinely curious and often greet you as you walk down the street. The bad, there is no real tourist infrastructure and you have to take local buses or taxis to each of these places which can take time as evidenced by my bus breaking down today. You can not go to most of the national parks without a car and you will have to arrange a tour but I have yet to see a tour company. There is often only Spanish in signs and most people here do not speak English.

I like Paraguay so far. It has the distinction of being the first independent country in South America in May 1811 when it separated from the Spanish Empire without shedding any blood. Unfortunately, Paraguay has also gone through a series of dictators including the longest running dictatorship in South America from 1954 to 1989 with General Alfredo Stroesssner's rule.

On a positive note, there has been an enclave of Arabic immigrants in Encarnation so that means some great, cheap street food with a local twist.

Essentially, a Swarma  or stripes of roasted chicken or beef wrapped in a pita bread with tomatoes, cabbage and mayonnaise (yes !) and then put in a clam shell to grill the outside. Delicious, especially when you add sarachi sauce. The Paraguayans also like to eat chippa, a sort of crunchy, semi-sweet roll roasted over a fire pit. The locals also drink lots and lots of mate tea and you will often see many locals carrying a themos and insulated cup with a straw and full of tea leaves.

Off to sleep for me, another chilly night.

Fall On Me

I have been in the border town of Foz Do Iguaçu for the past two days after taking a 26 hour bus ride from Rio De Janeiro. Initially, I thought I had booked a promo flight on Azul Airlines for $75 from Rio to Iguacu only to find out two days before my flight that my credit card did not go through because I had used the Portuguese internet site and not the English one! Crazy. Although I received a payment confirmation and reservation number, the airlines response was... to buy another ticket at 6X the original price. When I asked a hostal staff about this, she simply shrugged and stated "It´s Brasil."

Foz Do Iguaçu borders both Paraguay and Argentina and is a relaxed and pleasant town that is known for Iguaçu Falls (Brasilian side known as Trilha Das Cataratus) which is apparently one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Iguaçu Falls is a series of impressive falls and sort of a bigger South American version of Niagra Falls. The paved park trail also leads you to a walkway right into Garganta do Diabo (Devil´s Throat) where the Rio Iguaçu makes it´s plunge. Being in the rainy season, the water is significantly higher and thick brown with sediment. Walking the trail into the falls, you can feel the power and rush of the water. Wear a raincoat as you will get quite wet.

Foz Do Iguaçu is also near the second largest dam in the world (the largest being the Three Gorges Dam in the China), the Itaipu Dam. The Dam is a huge concrete wall and the reservoir above is a flooded land (now, a large lake) that powers 75% of Paraguay and 15% of Brasil.


I am off to Paraguay in a day or two and will make my way diagonally across the country to Bolívia as it is a good time of the year to the visit the country. It looks like my beach time is over and time to head into colder, mountain áreas.    

What the Favela Is Going On?

Favela, a Brasilian term for shanty town, slum, squatter community or ghetto in major cities. The word ¨favela¨ originates from a rugged, tough plant or shrub tree found in Bahia region in north-east Brasil. Following the Canudos War of 1895-1896,when government soldiers defeated Canudo rebels while living among the Favela trees and then returned to Rio De Janeiro for their payment. However, the 20 000 soldiers did not receive any payment and thus, settled into one of Rio´s hills and renamed it ¨Morro de Favela¨ after the trees they had previouly lived by. The soldiers were never paid and they never left the hills so the first favela originated from these roots. The favelas also grew from freed African slaves who had no land title and lived in these communities. Beginning in 1950s with the urbanization of Brasil and the mass migration from the poor countryside to the cities in search of work, favelas grew. Initially using scrap metal and wood for their lodgings to more permanent cement foundations and walls. By the 1970s, the number and population of favelas exploded but sanitation, electricity, health, schooling and other public services did not extend to these impoverished communities. My previous assumption was wrong about Brasilla which has the largest favela in Brasil. Rio De Janerio has the second largest favela, specifically, Rocinha. There are more than 950 favelas in Rio itself. Currently, 12 million Brasilians live in favelas or 6% of the whole population of Brasil.  

During the military and CIA supported dictatorship in Brasil from 1964-1985, left-wing political prisoners were imprisoned with petty criminals in a prison on llha Grande (an island in south-east Brasil) which led to the formation of the first favela gang in Rio, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) in 1979. Initially, the group had political ideology (then known as the Red Phalanx) but soon it was based on criminal enterprises. Essentially, the gang promised schools, electricity, water and services and that crimes like rape would not occur in the favelas on the condition its inhabitants looked the other way and kept quiet of the gang´s activities like drug dealing, bank robberies, extortion and kidnappings. There are now two other gangs that control Rio´s favelas, `Friends of Friends´ and  the `Pure Third Command´ and mainly gang wars fought in the 1990´s and early 2000´s. There is believed to be at least 6000 active gang members in Rio. In the last few years, the government has tried to take control some of these favelas through `Police Pacifying Units (UPP)´, following a police helicopter being shot down by the gangs in 2009 and the ensuing street battles over the years between heavily armed police (sometimes up to 3000 members and the use of tanks, armoured vehicles and military helicopters) and gang members. There are currently 39 UPP controlled favelas but the number of favela pacified has stopped as there is no more money and many locals believe this was purely `for show´ for the World Cup and the upcoming Olympics and the government has no real interest in eliminating the gangs as their payoffs are too lucrative. My initial impression of the UPP, were that they do not appear to immerse themselves in the community and did not have the approach of `beat cops´or community policing. The UPP I saw were always in groups of 4-6 in para-military gear carrying machine guns and usually two pistols (one issued and one personal). They did not seem to interact with the community and no one approached them. Except for the badge and police uniform, they looked like another gang.    

Below only to the United States, Brasil is the second most consumer of illicit drugs in the world with a rising middle class and disposable income and neighbouring cocaine producing countries of Columbia, Peru and Boliva (with the ideal higher elevation for the cocoa leaves not found in Brasil) and the number one producer of marijuana in South América, Paraguay. In addition, Brasil is the funnel for the flow of cocaine to Europe using through shipping (illegal cargo) through Morroco and Mauritânia in West África and then onwards to Spain or France. The favelas are only a small trickle of this trade and cater to the domestic drug users. 

You too can own a 2 bedroom apartment in a favela for about $60 000 US overlooking Rio and the Atlantic Ocean as oppose to the same apartment in Ipanema or Lebon for $500 000 to $600 000. Some people including hostel owners and apparently even futebol star, David Beckham have moved into one of the 39 UPP-controlled favelas due to these prices. However, it is still a favela and many gang leaders still live nearby or in the upper sections. There is no guarantee the UPP will remain post-2016 Olympics, You might get a knock on your door one day from a guy with a machne gun demanding your home. Unfortunately, one hostal owner was also recently shot.   

One side effect of UPP control, is that once they move into an area, streets names appear and official address are formed which also means proper electricity bills, taxes, cable bills, sanitation and plumbing and usually at least a 10% increase in rent. Many families simply can not afford this increase and have no choice but to move further out to gang controlled favelas where electricity, cable, internet, water, etc. are siphoned (stolen) off and offered by the gangs at a fraction of the cost. Many public service and construction workers (civil engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc.) come from the favelas and work in the city. So they use their skills in the favela. You will see crazy electrical wiring and building built in top of one another (up tp maximum of five stories), all clinging the side of mountains. One thing I find funny in Rio is that favelas are right next to expensive, gated communities or built right up to a highway and with the most expensive mall in Rio or an exclusive golf course or country club on the other side. The views from the favelas would only be for the rich in many other cities.

A complex urban problem but also shows the resiliency of the human condition to adapt and survive.     

Relaxing in Rio

Rio is truly a beautiful city surrounded by long stretches of white sand beaches, dotted with mountain peaks and communities built around these peaks, favelas (shanty towns) built up the hills and nearly spilling into the sea and a lively atmosphere. For the first few days, I was with three friends from Canada and we stayed at a rented airbnb apartment about a five minute walk to Copacabana beach. We took in the various tourist hotspots with the throngs of other tourists. Two hour waits at Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer view points for the beautiful vistas.


My recommendation is to get up early and head to these sites by 7:30 am to avoid the crowds. I prefer the views from Sugar Loaf though it doesn't have the famous statue of Jesus overlooking the city. Rio also has the pleasant Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, a large 8 km lake smack in the centre of the city full of rowers, runners, bike riders, botanical gardens and couples taking romantic walks. There are also little exercise machines around here and the beaches to get rid of some of the fat from the startch  / carbohydrate rich Brasilian diet. Rio also has an old town (Lapa) with cobbled stone sidewalks and bars with live Samba music and dancing and the famous tiled staircase, Escadaria de Clarion. Over 2000 tiles from over 125 countries are found on this brightly colored staircase. Unfortunately, the Chilean artist of the staircase apparently killed himself at the bottom of the steps as it feels somewhat incomplete as there ate no tiles on top of the steps and some parts remain empty.

Rio is slowly returning back to itself following the end of the World Cup with most of Argentians having left and the disappointment of the Brasilians waning over their team's implosion and poor showing in the last two games. I attended their 3 - 0 lost to the Dutch. Where was the defense and mid-field and with the exception of the injured star player, Neymar Jr. there was little to no offensive power or someone to send the ball to. You can not have a team dependent on only one player. Good thing the whole staff of the national team has been fired. The team played without much heart and by the end of the Brasilia game, some of the Brasilians were in a foul mood with near fights, beer being thrown and booing. The Brasilian team didn't even come out after to thank their fans as other teams did who went around the field acknowledging their fans.

One local complained futbol use to be considered a lower class sport with many players starting out in barefoot or playing in the favellas. He complained the national team was now made up of middle and upper class players who went to soccer school and did not have to struggle to get out of poverty. He was disgusted by their play and a taxi driver bitterly joked the Brasil team has two super heros on the team... the Hulk and the Invisible Man (a.k.a. the mid-field - Fred). 20 Billion was spent and the GDP for Brasil in June and July 2014 went down. It will be telling if the team´s loss willl have any impact into Brasil´s next election this September 2014.


I never realized how much rivary Brasil and Argentina have over futbol. The swarms of 100 000 or so Argentinians sleeping on the beaches, stadiums and hotels must of irked the Brasilians. Especially the fact, they were playing for the Cup in their country. On the day of the World Cup final, there were so many blue and white Argentinian team jerseys around, fans singing that Maridona was better than Pele and making fun of Brasil's recent 7-1 loss to Germany. You think they were playing Bras instead. Many Brasilians were supporting Germany (or more precisely any team playing against Argentina) and with their 1-0 win, the claim that no European team has ever won the World Cup in Latin America was broken. The Argentinians were much subdued and disappointed and unlike the Brasilians, do not party their blues away. The police and riot squads were out but nothing happened. I was at thr Fanfest in Copacabana beach and there must have been 40,000 plus of mostly Argentinian fans. With a giant tv screen on one side and the surf and waves on the other side, it was hard to beat with the sunset.

 

I am back to traveling solo again and it has been an adjustment sleeping in a cramped 12-bed dorm where privacy is a luxury. I am sleeping on the top bunk of a 18 foot bunk bed and it kind of reminds me of my old Naval Reserve days sleeping on destroyers. I also miss the company and laughs of my friends which reminds me of home. I'll have to start making friends again but the downside of hostal friends is that it is always transitory.

I am planning to take  a favella tour and see a little more of the city before I fly out on Monday to the Iguacu Falls. More adventures awaits.

Basking in Brasilla

I am in the capital city of Brasília to meet up with my friends from Canada to watch the conciliation game (third place) between Brasil and Netherlands. Thankfully, they have brought some sarachi sauce (Vietnamese chilli) and peanut butter. My palate thanks them.

Modern, new and expensive, Brasília was a "created" capital city from the 1960's by then president / dictator Jucelino Kubitschek and his architect and urban planner. The is dotted with post modern and  minimalist / communists like architectural buildings and long stretches of empty fields and boulevards. The president had moved the capital city from Rio De Janeiro to here in the hopes of bringing more development in the interior. Create an artificial lake and insert city in the desert-like landscape. The city was definitely not built for pedestrians as walking involves long stretches of uncovered sidewalks or roadways, crossing over highways perilously  and no metro. This is a city built for cars and although it could have bike lanes, there are none and very few riders. Most people here work or are connected with the government and therefore the city is more affluent and no favelas (shanty towns) as the city has no industry to attract poor migrants. Shaped like a big airplane, the points of interest are in the fuselage. However, most Brazilians consider Brasilia to be boring and without much character. Give it a day or two at most as I find the city doesn't have much soul or history and expensive. However, the beautiful blue stain glass Dom Bosco church and brightly coloures stain glass National Cathedral are truly impressive and what I would consider, a "must see" if come to this city.

Sad Day In Brasil

Dreams of a sixth star have been dashed with the stunning 7-1 loss to Germany. Jaws dropped and Brasilians were in complete shock as the German team made their quick successive goals. By half time and down by 5-0 all the Brasillians had the look of dejection.  As soon as the game was over, the band started to play at the restaurant I was in and the Brasilians consoled their loss by how else, dancing, singing and partying. Everywhere I walked, there was music playing and people dancing away their blues.

The Party Continues...

With the Brasil’s win on Friday, hopes remain high despite the injury of a key player (Neymar. Jr) and plenty of Brasilian flags hang from the apartment buildings and team jerseys worn. Yellow and green are definitely the IN colour in these parts.
 

I am in the beach city of Natal after spending a relaxing time in Joao Pessao with plenty of nice accessible beaches and a pleasant and safe city centre with a bit of historic flair (multi-coloured buildings). There were not too many foreign tourists in the city which often gets over looked but there were a fair number of vacationing Brasilians. Because of the World Cup, vacation and school holidays time which is normally in July got moved to June. I spent the day with some friendly Brasilian teachers and a Chilean (who was still recovering from his team’s loss to Brasil). and joined them with a hired driver to visit nearby beaches and then a two hour drive to the Campina Grande for the largest Forro celebration and festival of Sao Joao. The festival runs for a whole month as the feasts for Santo Pedro and Antonio are also celebrated just so they won’t be left out.

 

Farro and all the traditional dress, music, dance and customs is best described as Braillian’s version of country music. There were lots of live bands playing in various stands and the whole site was constructed to look like a Western town complete with wooden churches, taverns and shops. Families walked around and couples danced the two-step (or if you were drunk, you ended dancing by yourself). Needless to say it was a fun time and despite the communication problems with the Brasilians and Chiliean, they were very helpful and hospitable. That is one of the advanatges of traveling alone, people are generally more open to talking with you and in this case, join their group. On the other hand, it is nice to share experiences and expenses with another person or someone to look after your stuff when you need to use the bathroom in a busy bus station.

After close to a month in Brasil, I have made some observations about this country and its people:

1) Brasil is HUGE. I have only seen a small part of the North West but essentially there are either beaches to visit on the coast, mountains and plateaus in the centre and the Amazon jungle (which I will save later in my trip as it is quite a fair distance away and flying to and from these places are expensive).

2) The people are great. Friendly, honest, open and extremely helpful from locals offering seats to elderly people or concern for me carrying my backpack to helping me when I am lost. Although locals may not approach you, when you ask for help, they go above and beyond. I also like the emphasis on families here.

3) Brasil is expensive for both tourists and locals. With the minimum wage of $840 Brasilians Reals (or $420 Cdn) a month or average income of $5000 to 7000 Brasilians Reals a month for the middle class. Then factor in the costs of rent, cars whcih are almost double, food, eating out which they like to do ($10-20 Cdn for a restaurant meal) and a incredible 53% income tax. I feel that at best, Brasil is maybe 10% cheaper than Canada but programs, services, health care, education, infracture are definitely not 90% of our standard of living. Conclusion, the Brasilians are getting ripped off. Whether it is the lack of schooling, roads, social programs, crime and security. Drinking tap water is not recommended.

4) Brasilians are not picky eaters. How else can you explain the popularity of the  charge by weight of food at local eateries some of which are $25 Cdn per Kg. Meat, potatoes, rice, vegetables are all the same. I also find that they do not use a lot of spices in their food and either it is rather bland or too salty or sweet for my taste. I hope I am not insulting any Brasilians but I have not been enamored by their cuisine or coffee (which tends to be very sweet) and find they are not concerned if the food is freshly cooked or hot. The restaurants also have this irritating practice of charging meals for two people and if you ask for half portions, either they will not do it or they will charge you 65% for 50% of the food.  Crazy.

5) There are a lot of pharmaries here. Almost two or three blocks will have one.

6) Brasilians like using the finger wag to denote a negative. Whether it is a mother saying no to her children's request for ice cream, a bus driver telling you are in the wrong bus or a national furbol star arguing about a referee call. The finger wag will come out and at times I have used it!

7) English is not spoken fluently, by most Brasilians especially in the north despite the government's free English classes for locals in preparation for the World Cup. It can be tough to get around but I guess that is traveling.

8) Brasilians have a general distrust of their government and consider them corrupt and not accountable. When I asked what they can do about it, there is general apathy to the electoral  process and all the different polical groups are the same. The locals are mad about their government overspending on the World Cip and stadiums.

9) The juices and fruits are great and abundent though they often add sugar to the juices.   Every breakfast comes with fruits, a great way to start tge day. However, they only make eggs scrambled or over easy well done. I tried to get them to boil, poach or soft over easy my egg in the hostels or restaurants. They just don't do that here.

10)  In order for locals to afford things, there  are plenty of no-nterest lay away plans for furniture, appliances, holidays, and yes, even  the treasured futbol jerseys.

11) Malls are definitely gathering places for locals and the Brasilian games will have giant TV screens and cheering fans. I love it when they sing their national anthem.

12) There does feel to be any racial tension here as in some other countries. That is one thing I like about Brasil, people seem very integrated in their history, cultural and way of life and there are plenty of mix couples and families.

I am off to arrange a  3 hour flight or 43 hour bus ride to Brasilla to meet another set of friends from Canada for the third place game.

 

 

Game Day in Brasil

About a hour to Brasil's futbol match with Columbia and the anticipation is palatable in the air. Stores, super markets, schools and businesses shut down when Brasil plays (even the banks close) and people  gather in malls, bars or return home to watch with their families and typically have a BBQ.  It is practically an informal holiday. Some of the fireworks are going off already here in the pleasant beach city of Joao Pessoa. It is located in the most eastern side of Brasil and the whole continent. Dakar is on the other side if you were to sail across.

Off to watch the game, go Brasil go !!!!