Travel Journal
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Paraty (Brazil): Travel diary
After Rio, it’s time to explore the surroundings. The weather isn’t very nice at the moment, so instead of going to Ilha Grande where the main activity is to go from beach to beach, we decide to go to Paraty Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Days 1 & 2 : We take an Uber to go to the bus terminal of Rio. This terminal is located in a crappy area so it is better to go there by cab or Uber. We buy 2 tickets at Costa Verde on the first floor on the right. 90 reais/person for Paraty The departure is planned…
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Rio de Janeiro (Brazil): a city full of contrasts (1/2)
Oi, tudo bem? We are finally in Rio de Janeiro! Our small passage in Foz do Iguaçu did not make us realize that we were on the Brazilian ground because too close to Argentina. But this time, yes! We hear the accent carioca everywhere around us, we are well in Brazil! Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Note : The last time our luggage went through a Brazilian airport (in transit from Bolivia to Paraguay), my luggage was very badly treated: padlock ripped off and bag searched (0 loss fortunately). I realized this because my stuff moved around. So, this time, for our trip…
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Buenos Aires (Argentina): an air of France in South America
After several months of junk food (especially in Paraguay & Uruguay), homesickness is beginning to be felt. Fortunately, we have planned a week in Buenos Aires, a version of Paris (for the better) Travel Notebook Reminder: In the previous episode, we were in Uruguay, in Colonia del Sacramento exactly. After a very hard night because of many bites (of unidentified insects), we get up at 8 am to take the boat to Buenos Aires at 10:30 am (it is necessary to be at the terminal at 9:30 am to pass the immigration controls). I notice that the bites are swollen. Neither one nor two, we go directly to the hospital…
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Watch a game of San Lorenzo and River Plate in Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Every day, we come across Argentines tattooed in the colors of their favorite team Every morning at the youth hostel, we have breakfast under the portrait of the living god Diego Maradona (next to Che Guevara) 24 hours a day, several TV channels broadcast Argentinean or Spanish soccer In the province of Buenos Aires, there are no less than 19 professional teams and the Superclásico between River Plate and Boca Juniors is reputed to be the hottest derby on the planet In Argentina, soccer is a religion, impossible to miss As a soccer fan, the desire is great to discover the atmosphere of the Argentinean stadiums. The timing is perfect:…
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Moody ticket: Uruguay, bed fleas, hostels
If I’m not posting as often as I used to, it’s because I’m not inspired and because I frankly don’t feel very good here.. Because of the very high cost of living in Uruguay (in summer anyway), we have to opt for dormitories in youth hostels (15€/person). Usually, youth hostels in South America attract frequent travelers, traveling through South America in 4-6 months. They are independent, intelligent, funny and know how to behave as a community Here in Uruguay, we find ourselves with young Argentinian/Brazilians who come to spend a few days in “fiesta vacation” mode. It isn’t the same atmosphere nor the same level of education. It’s not uncommon…
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Piriapolis & Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay): travel diary
It’s hard not to love these two cities, with a relaxed and contagious atmosphere, beautiful sunsets and miles and miles of beach. Piriapolis Piriapolis is only 30 minutes drive from Punta del Este. The beach of Piriapolis is even more beautiful than Punta’s, thanks to its super fine sand, the water isn’t deep -> perfect for children. The water is unfortunately not turquoise like the one you can see in Thailand, but it is clean.Piriapolis is “the city that rises”, a paradise for those who want to escape the many tourists in Punta del Este. The atmosphere is more local, family oriented here. And the sunset reminds me too much…
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Punta del Este (Uruguay): dream beaches
If you’re the type of person who loves beaches as far as the eye can see, Punta del Este is the place for you Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary How to get there We take an Uber to go to the Tres Cruces terminal in Montevideo. The ride costs 130$UR, twice as much as if we had taken the public bus CA1 (30$UR per person). The COT company is one of the two companies providing the Montevideo – Punta del Este trip (I will put the schedule at the bottom of the article). The buses are very comfortable even if they are much…
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Review of our 9 months around the world tour
We still have two months left before the end of our world tour. Time to make an assessment To date, almost all the “must see” have been visited except Rio de Janeiro and Cuba Kruger park (South Africa) Taj Mahal (India) Temples of Bagan (Burma) Tahiti (French Polynesia) Easter Island (Chile) perito Moreno glacier (Argentina) uyuni wage earner (Bolivia) Machu Picchu (Peru) Iguazú Falls (Brazil and Argentina) Carnival (in Paraguay and Montevideo) A few must-see places are to be visited in the coming years the Grand Canyon in the US spring in Japan jeju Island in South Korea the Great Wall of China (for JB) New Caledonia angkor temples (for…
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Montevideo (Uruguay): a carnival like no other
Coming to Montevideo in the middle of the carnival isn’t necessarily a very good idea for the wallet Coming to Montevideo during the last week of carnival is like being in Paris during the week of August 15th Everything is expensive, and everything is closed And since we didn’t know enough (not at all?), we went to Montevideo during the last week of the carnival (i.e. the last week of February this year, in 2017) Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary We have already told you how we almost slept in the street because we couldn’t find a hotel available. Luckily, for the next…
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Our misadventures on the first day in Uruguay
We are getting more and more m*rde, a sign that after 9 months of mop, we are starting to get tired We take a bus from Iguazú to Concordia (Argentina), a city 1 hour drive from Uruguay. We plan to cross the border to spend a night in Salto (Uruguay) This “shortest way” (going to Uruguay from the border in the North-West instead of going all the way down to Buenos Aires -> Montevideo) finally attracts us more trouble than anything else The day before, a little research showed us that there was only one hotel left in Salto, or expensive hotels next to the thermal springs next door. Thinking…
