Buenos Aires. I have a friend in Toronto who in the last few years started traveling around the world on his annual vacations. After each return to Toronto he says – “you know Henry, Toronto is a village”.
It does not take long to feel that Buenos Aires is not a village. As soon as you get in - in our case - off the boat, you realize that you are in one of the grandest cities of the world. The place simply vibrates, oozes with activities.
We arrived around noon, deposited the laundry and off into the megalopolis to see the architecture, monuments, historical places that until now were places one read or heard about or seen on TV and movies. Impressive it is. Like New York, Paris, Shanghai it is a place that just about every street has something worth to see and spend some time.
So we will try to do what we can in the next 48 hours beside of course watch Tango, sit in one of the many great cafes, eat a huge meal at midnight, etc, etc, etc.
Click on the picture above to watch the RPC TV report on the Vuelta Sudamericana earlier this month in Brazil.
We have arrived in Colonia our last stop in Uruguay. Tomorrow we sail across the river delta to Buenos Aires. Uruguay has been a pleasant and perhaps really unexpected surprise. For one we had warm sunny days with temperatures in mid twenties, though the nights were rather cool. The roads and the drivers were absolutely great, treating us with respect, giving us plenty of space when they were passing, and being patient when needing to turn. The terrain of small undulating hills, the wind mostly benign or from behind and the vistas of cattle ranches, woodlots and agricultural produces was a daily occurrence.
The people polite and friendly, with lots of young men and women as well as families (yes four people) cruising on their mopeds and motorcycles. Colonia itself is a lovely old town set up by Portuguese in early seventeen century and the old city of cobbled stones, has several old buildings from that period. Of course the city has buildings from all periods and the place has a rather charming feel to it.
Oh and almost forgot the ice cream. Worth walking a mile or two.
Yesterday we crossed into country number three, Uruguay. The crossing was supposed to have been simple as our Uruguayan driver promised. The border is just before the large Uruguaya River on which a dam was constructed few years ago.
Unfortunately Alfonso our driver was not aware that the law does not allow bicycle (or pedestrian) crossing on the dam and as a result the truck had to wait for all the cyclists to arrive (well almost all), load the bike for the short ride across the dam and then continue on our merry ways.
The initial impressions of Uruguay are good. The roads are good with a good shoulder, the drivers polite and give us lots of room, the traffic is light, the weather has been excellent and to top it all Alfonso had his cousin prepare for us a traditional barbeque at the campsite after most of the riders had a good opportunity to soak in the thermal baths.
Ah the barbeque. According to Alfonso Uruguayan beef is the best in the world. And Alfonso’s cousin prepared tons of it. And as much as we tried to eat it all, there was still plenty left for the extended family and even a few dogs.
So who pissed off the weather gods? I knew that the road north of Carlos Pellegrini would only be passable if it was dry. On the original scout I got stuck in the mud, lost one of my shoes and had to wait for two hours at a nearby farm for the men to return from working the fields so they could pull me out with their tractor. But five days ago I returned to the infamous hwy 40, to check it out while scouting a new route through the Missiones province in Northern Argentina. The road was smooth and hard-packed, in fact the sun-baked clay was probably a faster surface than some of the paved roads we’ve travelled.
The new route was incredible. From Foz we travelled to Eldorado, 25 de Mayo and Itacaruare, none of which are real tourist destinations but as a cycling route it was a beautiful linkage. It wasn’t flat but no lung burners and the rural countryside was spectacular. We rolled through agricultural villages and along the shores of the Rio Uruguay. For the first 3 days it was sunshine, blacktop and tailwinds. Our campsites were nothing fancy, but the warm showers, green grass and cooking shelters were all the luxuries we needed. And our hosts were all friendly and hospitable. In these small towns the locals get so excited to have an adventurous group of gringos share their home for an evening.
On day 4 things changed, the weather changed, the two short sections of dirt tracks had dissolved with the torrents of the early morn. The mud-fest was anticipated but this was not mud. The clay adhered to everything. Upon completion of the stage one rider asked, “does anyone know how much Argentina weighs? … just pick up my bike cuz I’ve been carrying half the country for the last 35km”, as he smiled I noticed there was even dirt in his teeth. Brakes stopped working, but it didn’t matter because your wheel wouldn’t spin anyways. Shades became mudguards and the myriad of colourful spandex all took on the same shade of ochre.
Miles and I were desperately trying to find a more sheltered alternate to our intended swamp camp and the day just kept getting weirder and weirder. At one point we were debating squatters rights with a local vagrant at an abandoned schoolhouse and next we were being warned about highway 40 from a gas station attendant when an emu walked out from behind the pumps and stared us down. I’m disappointed that we did not make it to ibera park but the clients were thankful for the dry accommodations here in Mercedes.
Things are not getting any easier. Tomorrow will be the longest stage of the tour so far, 176km and the forecast is for headwind. Soon we will enter Uruguay and then take a boat from Colonia to Buenos Aires for some well deserved days of rest. B.A. is one of the most metropolitan cities on this continent. We will have a few days to enjoy the food, art, music, shopping and maybe even time for a tango lesson.
This trip pushes you to do things you didn´t think you could do and then rewards you with things you never imagined.
On the third 150 km day in row on sawtooth hills I ran out of food. I had been eating on the road at about twice my normal rate. Sandy MacMillan gave me two bananas and an energy bar that got me to the top of the next two hills and then to a grocery store where I bought a bag of mints that kept the legs going to the end.
The next day was another 150 to Foz do Iguacu, the impossibly beautiful waterfalls that decorate the intersection of the borders of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The mints stopped helping 30 kilometres before Foz, but the view of the town´s surprising skyline (office towers built by money spilling from the tourist trade and the world´s largest hydroelectric development at Itaipu) the smell in the falls in the air and the mist-forest starting to appear aound us -- those things lit my spirits.
Two days here to see and wonder and rest and fix the bikes. You jump off the tourist bus and walk up river to the falls, view on view of increasing drama, the permanent rainbow in the morning, the sound of the falls rising and falling, a foot bridge across the foam at the foot of the largest catarct, everyone soaked and laughing. Riding a Zodiac back up the river, bucking on the rapids and ducking in and out of smaller falls, a blizzard of water and light. The boat driver reaching over the side to rescue a hawk caught in the water crashing around us, the bird recovering its wits on a seat beside us . . . and then scrambling back into the sky, heart beating as loud as our own.
- Tim Padmore
We have arrived in Foz do Iguazu and the first section of Vuelta Sudamericana is done. It was not easy. After riding for three days and then a rest day, then four days and a rest day, we rode for eight days arriving if Foz
yesterday. The terrain difficult, many rather too many rolling hills, the lodging varied from lovely camping, to nice hotel, to an interesting hostel, the food good to excellent, the weather mostly cooperative, the scenery an interchange of green farms, forested areas and small towns, the only problematic issue - Brazilian drivers. But the group was not fazed by all of this and in fact the challenges seem to have positive affect on the group.
All are in good health and now are enjoying the sights and sounds of one of the most spectacular waterfalls on the planet. Personally having had the opportunity to visit Victoria Falls four months ago, Niagara Falls two months ago and seeing the Iguazu Falls
this morning, I would have to say that the Iguazu Falls and the surrounding area are certainly the most spectacular of the three.
Tomorrow another rest day, time to decide what to do - see the falls from the Argentinean side, go for a day to Ciudad del Este or spend the day in the city.
bckbk
This morning it looked bad once again. It was foggy and cool. There was a feeling that after a couple of nice sunny days we were back to the weather of last week. But a couple of hours later, the sun burnt the fog, and with the wind in our backs we sailed into Curitba, a city famous for its public transportation system and creation of public places.
Short history...
It was in the 1960s when Mayor Jamie Lerner came up with an almost heretical concept and created surface metro which used buses, dedicated lanes and other innovations. The result was that, for a fraction of what it costs to build an underground subway and all done in a fraction of the time, Curitiba's bus system now manages to move as many people as efficiently as a subway would.
Today Curitiba has the highest standard of living in Brazil, with some great pedestrian areas, many historical buildings and a general sense of a city that works. It is no wonder that for many city planners Curitiba is high on the list to visit.
