A Girl And Guy In Paraguay...

I first heard of Iguazu Falls seven years ago. After finding some pictures and doing some research, I was shocked I hadn't heard of it before. How could I have never heard about such an amazing place? I began to dream about going some day...long before I knew we'd move to South America. I put pictures of it on my desktop at school, staring at it when I got stressed out...

When I was a kid, The Police were my first favorite band. I got all their albums, and memorized every song. Their last album made them the most famous group in the world, winning "Song of the Year" despite going up against all the hits on Michael Jackson's "Thriller". I planned to see their concert in Portland. They canceled. Then, they broke up...

A year ago, on the plane, I stared at the cover picture of the waterfalls on our South American guide book, and read about jet-boating up the river, the rainbows and toucans. I knew I'd get there some day soon...

A few months ago, after twenty years of bucking the trend of reunion tours, the band announced a world tour...including a stop in Buenos Aires. When the tickets went on sale, I bought the best they had, two front row tickets...

We had a week between Iguazu and the concert, so, since we had to pay for the ferry to Argentina anyway, we thought, why not fill in the space between my dreams in Brazil and B.A.? We found a tour to Bariloche, the recreational resort town in northern Patagonia...
The trip would be by bus, allowing us to save money and see all the land between here, there, here, there, and here again--a big figure eight with one night back in Montevideo midway...
Alvaro, a new friend, not only helped us get the two tours arranged, but even drove us to the terminal, and wished us a good trip, "Buen Viaje!"
The first eight hours of the drive north through western Uruguay, we saw kilometer after kilometer of cows grazing in the sparsely shaded grasslands. We stopped at a few towns--San Jose, Mercedes, Paysandu, and Salto--adding passengers to fill our 44 person manifest: 39 giddy Uruguayos, 3 excited Spaniards, and 2 grinning gringos. Numerous couples were celebrating anniversaries, and others were just old friends. And, with this culture's characteristic congeniality, we were instantly adopted into the laughing family of travelers--especially after the tour guide passed around the microphone and Leandra introduced us in Spanish...

As sunset approached we crossed into the long arm of northeast Argentina, that reaches up to touch Brazil at Iguazu, and keep Uruguay and Paraguay apart. Over the course of our entire trip we crossed the border of Argentina so many times that...hey! That gives me a contest idea...

THE ARGENTINA BORDER PATROL CONTEST!!! How many times will we cross the border of Argentina during the entire trip--from Montevideo to Iguazu to Bariloche to Buenos Aires and back to Montevideo?!? Put your guesses and answers anywhere in the comments! The winner will get...well...something cool! But, I won't announce the winners until after the final post from this trip! My advice--read carefully each post carefully...
After nightfall, we pulled into a truck stop for dinner. Thanks to the clouds of bugs under the white station lights, well-fed frogs apparently eat here too. This roadside diner would also be where we'd have Thanksgiving dinner a week later! As the bus rolled into the night toward Brazil, we stared at the lightning rippling through the edge of a thunderstorm on the horizon...

Then we slept.
In the morning, the sunrise slowly evaporated the condensation on our windows. The grasslands had turned into jungle. Stopped to fuel up and stretch our legs, Leandra and I watched a bizarre bug milk the nectar from some blossoms--at first we thought it was a hummingbird--but it was a precursor of all the colorful and camouflaged creatures we'd soon discover...


An hour later, we breached the Brazilian border--no visa required!--and settled into the Dom Pedro Hotel. After a shower and short walk, we enjoyed a gluttonous buffet of every imaginable food! I gorged on sushi and swigged some Brazilian brew...
Leandra posed with some military police in front of the grill...
Outside, a small tourist market was welcoming the day's first waves of visitors. Foz do Iguazu is a modern town, pinched between Paraguay and Argentina. Today, we would cross the Friendship Bridge--connecting Brazil and Paraguay--to Ciudad Del Este to browse the black market. Later, we'd take a tour of Itaipu, the world's largest operating hydro-electric plant...

Let's let Leandra lead this leg of the tour...
"This is Friendship Bridge, opened in 1965, crossing the Parana River. You can see Foz Do Iguazu in the distance. A lot of imports and exports, most of it illegal, cross this bridge every day..."
"Welcome to Paraguay! Ciudad del Este is its second biggest city. The locals economy and inhabitants are, well, let's just say 'diverse'. This is the welcome plaza, just meters from the border gates. Let's walk up the main road--watch out for the motorcycle taxis!"

"Here's a lovely fountain. Let's head into the market area--you probably want to keep your digital camera down. Now, remember, there's a reason the prices seem too good to be true. Almost everything you can buy here is stolen, smuggled or fake. If you do buy anything, haggle your heart out and don't be surprised if it breaks as soon as we get back to Brazil..."
"Oh look! A private armed guard--wonder what's in there! Let's get a picture with him and his machine gun. It's also not uncommon to see Asians and Arabs here..."

"Behind and below the tourist market areas, you can get a glimpse of real life here in the City of the East..."
"Oh look! Christmas stuff--I love shopping for Christmas decorations!"

"Here we have some interesting sporting goods...""Maybe we should try our luck at the slots. At casinos here you can use four different kinds of currencies: US, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay! Let's see...1 dollar is 1.79 reals which is 3.13 pesos or 4698.75 guarani! We won! No, wait a second, we lost 23,493.75! Oh well, let's look around some more..."
"Brazilians especially come to shop here for the outrageous tax-free deals--you can buy anything and all the best brands are represented...supposedly. To make it easier, there are hundreds of motorcycle taxis that carry buyers back and forth across the border bridge. Want to take a ride?"
"They even give you a helmet! It must be safe!"
"And, the drivers are accredited professionals! But, I did just wash my hair, and that seat looks a little small for both of us...maybe we should just walk back to our tour bus."
"And that's Ciudad del Este! Thanks for visiting Paraguay with us!"

Beep Beep!

Well, that was the seventh South American country we've set foot in. I actually did buy something--these Nike sunglasses, $4 USD--and got a laugh about traveling all the way from Portland, the home of Nike, to Paraguay to buy a Nike product. Of course, we knew they were fake. How, you ask? They said, "Made in the USA"!

We also got a chuckle out the Uruguayans on our bus--many of them considered this shopping opportunity to be as valuable as visiting Iguazu! Between their love of whiskey and the low liquor prices, half of them happily re-boarded with a bottle or two. I know; I was asking each one as they climbed the stairs to their seats..."Que es esso?", I'd say. "Whiskey!", they'd cutely reply...

Once aboard, we rolled on to...
Itaipu is the largest power plant on Earth, currently (get it?). This massive joint project between Paraguay and Brazil blocks the Parana River and generates over 100 billion kilowatt-hours of power--electricity that supplies over 80% of Paraguay and 25% of Brazil.
After a decade of discussion, actual construction began just before I was born, in 1971, and the final generators came on-line in 1991--when Leandra was starting high school! It's enormous spillways open twice a year, and can release 62,000 cubic meters of water--40 times the average volume of Iguazu. In 1994, Itaipu was voted one of the "Wonders of the Modern World"...
Itaipu's length is 7.23 km (4.5 miles) and actually consists of four different dams: an earthfill dam, a rockfill dam, a concrete main dam, and a concrete wing dam. It's height is equal to a 65 story building. It's concrete could build 15 Chunnels and it's iron and steel could build 380 Eiffel Towers...

We left Paraguay the way we came, crossing the Rio Parana...
That evening, we went for a walk and drinks in town before turning in...


Tomorrow we'd rise early--if we could sleep. The next day our dreams of Iguazu would come true with an all-day visit on the Argentina side...

Dos Dias

Recently we took two family outings with our friends. One was a day trip by train to the outskirts of Montevideo to a small community called Progreso. First we piled into the Campbell mobile with Aaron, Emily, Victoria, Emma, Madelena, Elijah, and Ike to meet Suki, Kai and Lucia at the station near the Port of Montevideo...

Despite its older appearance, this VolksWagen bus was built in Brazil in the 90's, and couldn't be cooler to bounce around town in...
The former train yard is a shell of it's past glory, when Montevideo had British-built rails extending all over the country. But, a few commuter lines still run from a rebuilt station which was restored with all due historical appreciation when Uruguay's proudest modern skyscraper, the Antel telecommunications tower and office, was built adjacent...

A football field's worth of weeds fills the space between the new station and the old. And, after a fun ride trundling down the tracks through Montevideo's poorer neighborhoods, we found ourselves sticking out like strangers at the Progreso station. We spent an hour picnicking in the small plaza before heading back...
Posing for posterity at the depot...


A passing dog lounged on some outdated equipment, as we pulled back into the station in Montevideo...
A week later Uruguayos were celebrating Dia de Patrimonio, a day of heritage, and the Mendiondo's--Javier, Monica, Milena, and Mateo--took us to several sites: a classic grocery store, to the top of the Antel building, and down to the port to get aboard the navy ships that were docked and ready for visitors...

Although it still operates and is open daily, La Giraldita, according to Javier, is a historic landmark in Montevideo that is recognized for it's age and authentic antiquity. It still has the hardwood appeal of a turn-of-the-century mercantile, which includes ice powered coolers, countless cupboards and jars, and walls plastered with ads that have far outlived there wares...



After learning a bit about the famous tango singer who's hand drawn and autographed portrait adorns one corner of the store, we headed across town to climb Uruguay's most modern edifice--the Antel building. Representing Uruguay's entry into of the Age of Communication, the architect designed the complex to resemble ships at sea. As the tallest structure in the country, it's viewing deck is over one hundred meters high and provides one of the only panoramic views of Montevideo...
Rising next to the train station, it's height dwarfs this forgotten smoke stack...
As artfully done as any other in the world, the sleek curves and glass make the mind wander in its own imagination...
An amphitheater, courtyard, sculptures and fountains make the campus one of the few places in Montevideo where you can escape the time-warp that wraps the city in its days-gone-by feel...
After passing murga bands and candombe drummers, snaking through the crowds of families toting wide-eyed toddlers, we entered the lobby and found all sorts of displays: artifacts of the telecommunications industry, mock-ups of early telegraph lines being built, interactive history lessons, and halls lined with local art and sculpture...
Leandra, Monica and the kids giggle for the camera...
One interesting re-creation was the Medio Mundo, complete with actors and musicians in appropriate attire. We learned that Montevideo used to have a colorful barrio where blacks primarily clustered.
Unfortunately, in 1978, the government ordered the heavily populated apartments to be emptied and destroyed, forever dispersing another of Uruguay's unique cultures among the dominant European influences we see today--much like the native Charrua culture that was virtually exterminated for lack of submission to the Spanish and Portugese...
Eventually, we wound our way to the top and gazed out on the clear skies and flat horizons in all directions...
Looking west, Cerro, or the hill, in the distance was the site of a Spanish fort which is now the museum we visited months before. The natural harbor here is what initially inspired Montevideo's chosen location...
Turning south we see Ciudad Vieja, the Old City, where the remnants of the walls that fortified young Montevideo still stand. To the left you can see the tip of Palacio Salvo, which was once the tallest building in South America. To the right, freighters and ferries bring people and supplies to and from Buenos Aires...
To the east, somewhere, is where we live in Punta Carretas. If you take a close look at the water behind the cityscape, you can distinguish between the silty flow of Rio de la Plata and the cool blue of the Atlantic--a feature that is even more visible if you care to search for a satellite photo...

After Antel, we rolled down to the port to get a closer look at Uruguay's naval history. Their ships are not impressive modern marvels, but rather, mostly hand-me-downs from other countries that have upgraded their fleets. But, perhaps it is more impressive that Uruguay maintains peaceful relations to the point where a military spending is minimal. But even so, Uruguay has played important roles in world history, as the watchdogs of the Rio de la Plata, most notably in its role with the German pocket battleship, the Graf Spee, which was scuttled in 1939 to avoid capture in the river...
An actual wood-burning small-gauge steam train still runs through the port, giving rides to gleeful families...
After posing by this anchor--nearby rests the decapitated top of the Graf Spee's tower--we walked down the wharf to get aboard some of Uruguay's ships...
Some specialist sailors were happily showing off their high speed zodiac, spinning in circles in muddy water to the joy of passersby...
After strolling through the decks, Javier and family headed home, and Leandra and I crossed the street to enjoy lunch at Montevideo's famous Mercado Puerto--the place where we met Javier those first early days in Uruguay...
With asado smoke filling the air around the old clock tower, we had a wonderful lunch...
After a hug, we grabbed a taxi home, before Justo arrived to shuttle us to Carrasco Airport--Leandra was headed home for a month, courtesy of her colleagues and some conferences in the Pacific Northwest...
Ahh Uruguay...nobody in the migration office to stamp Leandra's exit visa, followed several minutes later by a serious lecture on laws and extra fees, only to get a stamp and a backhanded wave of "don't worry about it" smirk from the employee...

Blink, blink. We all smiled, turned and took Leandra to her gate...
As we drove back, the kite-surfers along the beaches of Malvin were out in force, as gales grabbed there sales and sent them skimming across Montevideo's shores...

Uno