PaulFreak.com

Finally… right?

The last leg of the trip…. When we flew into Lima, I think it was about midday. I recall leaving the Jammin Club around 1:30am to go finish packing and catch the 3:45am cab to the airport in Santiago. There was the most amazing sea of clouds below us as we descended upon the airport in Lima. I wish I had a picture.

We pretty much landed, went to our friend’s apartment to drop our stuff, and then partied for the weekend. I can’t remember now what happened which night, but there was an awesome live salsa band, a house party that sort of reminded me of the frat parties in IV only less pretentious, a VIP night at a hot night club on the cliff over the ocean, and a couple capoeira engagements. We book-ended the Peru experience with all of that over two consecutive weekends. During the week in between those two, we had a whole other adventure.

The flight to Cusco was short and the altitude (3395m/11203ft) was noticeable as soon as the door to the plane opened. Our mission was simple: see as much of the city, local ruins and Machu Picchu as possible. Room and board were cheap and came with all the coca tea you could drink. They say it helps with altitude acclimation, but I say it gives me crazy dreams… not a fan… or am I… hmm…

As per usual, it’s good to know people. Our friends in Lima had a friend in Cusco. That got us a trusty (sort of) cab driver for the ride through the Urubamba valley to Ollantaytambo, where we would catch the train to Aguas Calientes. From there, we’d have a bus ride up the mountain to the entrance of Machu Picchu. I might have preferred to walk in before the buses arrived via the Inka trail, but that pleasure has to be booked well in advance. We were wingin’ it.

Wouldn’t you know it, the Cusco friend had a friend in Aguas Calientes. But, that didn’t get us much to speak of, except piles of faulty information. We figured it out for ourselves and managed to arrive at the entrance to Machu Picchu some time between 6 and 7am. It was pretty foggy all morning. As we strolled in, a feeling hit me… a very peaceful feeling… very tranquil.

The first thing we did was walk across the whole thing to get to the entrance leading up the mountain called Wayna Picchu. You can see it as the bigger mountain in the very middle of the picture here, which was taken from the Inka Trail entrance to the ruins (by somebody other than us, obviously). The climb up the thing was pretty brutal, but totally worth it. The last picture I have below is from up there.

When we got back down, we started exploring the ruins themselves. I must say, the place has an eerily good vibe to it, except for the people who blow their whistles at you when you walk somewhere you’re not supposed to be. I was determined to spend a moment out in the center of the big grass field in the middle, but apparently that’s a no-no. They were blowing whistles at me from all the way up at the sacrificial temple. Maybe there was a reason I’m not allowed down there, though, because it wasn’t long after that I started to feel ill. It seems one thing they failed to mention was that just about everybody gets sick on their way through Cusco and the surrounding towns.

Fortunately, I had already explored the majority of the ruins before it really got me. I had to leave Thang in there and get back out to the main entrance where there was a bathroom and a lawn I was allowed to lay in. The bus ride back down was a real test. I was shaking, sweating, going numb, hyperventilating, all while trying not to puke. The next two days were spent in bed and in the bathroom. I never did throw up and I’m very proud of that. Unfortunately though, Thang did, as he wound up with virtually the same thing the following day. All I have to say is I’m glad we got to make it through the Machu Picchu ruins first.

Check out the last of the footage…

(more…)

There’s no escaping the winter. I knew we would hit it, but I think the first six weeks in Brasil had me in denial. Again, it’s below freezing at night and I’m cold, wearing everything I brought at once. This time, we’re staying with a capoeira buddy and her family in Santiago. What a trip. I won’t even get into it.

We got to see most parts of Santiago, including a really nice view from up in the mountains one clear night with a full moon. There were some interesting dance performances we went to and some pretty good music shows too. It seems the people in Santiago are very deep rooted in emotion and artistic expression of such. Everybody we met studied one form of art or another, be it dance, music, painting, etc. As a result, I came back with a good sized pile of Chilean hip hop and reggae music… good stuff.

Check these pics for a glance…

(more…)

What a dramatic change… from warm, sunny beach weather to the bitter cold of winter. When we first stepped off of the plane, I didn’t think the 7°C (44°F) was very cold… but that was around 9pm. I had no idea what I was in for.

After getting ripped off by the cab driver, we made our way to the place we were to stay. This was an apartment of a friend of a friend on the 11th floor at Corrientes and Bulnes in the heart of Buenos Aires… well, I think it was the heart anyway. It seemed like every corner was the heart of the place. The city is quite a metropolis… yet another dramatic difference from where we were in Brasil.

I’ve got to give a whole lot of thanks to Javier, the friend of a friend mentioned earlier. He hooked us up with a map, keys to his place, and instructions for getting around by bus, cab and metro. We set out on a tourist adventure for the next few days and got to see a good amount in the city. We saw all around the nation’s capitol buildings, most of the shopping districts, the biggest mall I’ve ever seen with no parking lot, Evita’s grave, Puerto Madero and much more.

The first few nights were so incredibly cold. It was definitely below freezing. I had all my warm clothes on and I was borrowing a jacket… and I was STILL cold. We saw mostly gray and rain until the last couple of days, when it miraculously turned to very nice weather.

The food in Buenos Aires is just ridiculous. It’s meat… and it’s all you can eat… and it’s cheap. I couldn’t get enough at first, but by the end, I was ready for a change. The ice cream is damn good, and so are the milanesas.

But… the single most important thing for me to mention about Buenos Aires is this: La Bomba de Tiempo. Check them out on YouTube or at their website here: http://www.labombadetiempo.com. I’ve never seen a better drum circle. I’m not sure if I would even call it that. It was more of a half-circle. And in the middle… a conductor. That’s right… a conductor… just like the symphony. But this was a symphony of percussion. It was mostly drums, but there were other percussive instruments too, like symbols, cowbells, shakers, etc. There was also a special guest who played a variety of other instruments: guitar, keys, small brass. And the show? Absolutely amazing. I’m running out of words. You have to see for yourself. They play every Monday night down there for really cheap (currently 7 Argentinian Pesos). Apparently, they’ve been doing this for years and have managed to not ’sell out’. I don’t think I’ll be posting my videos of the show, because they don’t do it justice. Look it up, though, and if you can, check out a show. It will be well worth it.

I can’t forget to mention the tango show we saw.  It was at this back-alley Italian social club, of all places.  The crowd was mostly older than me and many were a whole lot older.  We showed up after midnight and the place was pretty well packed.  People were dancing everywhere.  This was my first exposure to tango and I must say… it’s interesting.  It’s a slower dance and is noticeably intimate.  The show itself simply consisted of a single couple dancing around the room.  It was somewhat entertaining.  I think what entertained me the most was this one 80 or 90 year old man who danced non-stop… even during the breaks where everyone else would stop… that and the fact that when we left around 3am, all the old folks were still going strong.  And did I mention this was a Wednesday night not a weekend?  Very impressive, gramps.

Now for some pictures…

(more…)

I can’t say enough good things about this place, so I won’t even try. All I can really say is I loved it tremendously and I plan to return as soon as possible. After our trip to Trancoso, mentioned in the previous posting, we made excursions to Caraiva and Itacare.

Caraiva was not unlike Trancoso, a small town on the beach with lots of little shops and eateries. Getting there was a few hours on the bus, followed by a few minutes across the river in a canoe. The canoe ride was pleasant, what with the lack of a rumbling motor and the soft sound of water all around. We were a small group this time, so it made for much easier getting around and decision making. We stayed one night in a pousada, where the seven of us cooked a meal and enjoyed some serious stargazing. The night sky was so incredibly clear that I would say it easily rivaled the skies I’ve seen from 10000 feet above sea level in the mountains of California… and we were AT sea level.

Itacare was a different story. This was a much bigger town… very touristy. The place seems to revolve around surfing, in a way. Unfortunately for us, it rained the entire time we were there, which was two nights. Supposedly, there is a stretch of five incredible beaches that we didn’t get to see. We did make it out for a minute to the other main beach around the corner from those five, but the skies were gray and the mood was too. We were disappointed because it was some 6 or 7 hours in a car to get there and was to be even longer in a bus to get home to Arraial d’Ajuda. There were some good moments, but all in all, the rain killed it.

Our last couple of weeks in Arraial were tranquil. Capoeira classes were mellow and nowhere near as crowded as before the encontro. I like that… room to breathe. Partying died down as well, and nights were ending at 2 and 3 instead of 5 and 6 in the morning. I had a chance to meet a lot of people, a few of which became good friends really fast. I left feeling like I’d been there a really long time and had known some of these people for years. One example is my man Florencio. I ate, drank, spat rhymes, boxed beats, witnesses the most unbelievable battle of breakdancing one could imagine and got invited to a wedding all in one night with the guy like I’d known him since way back in the day. The wedding was AWESOME, by the way. I’ll have to refer you to another site to check those pictures, but perhaps I’ll post some video.

Anyway, Brasil was amazing. Thang and I have since travelled our way through Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile, where we are now. Those updates are on their way with pictures of their own. Until then, enjoy these last few pictures from Brasil!

(more…)

Today was the first day with some real sun since last Saturday. We took full advantage and made a short road trip to Trancoso, a small town down the coast about 25km. The US guys, the Peruvian ladies and a couple from Italy made the trek. This place is incredible. I don’t have enough adjectives. Just check the pictures.

The town itself is a small set of shops, restaurants and dwellings all lined up in the main square around a large grass field that houses a big kids’ and little kids’ soccer field. The people are pleasant, just like in Arraial. There is still a fair amount of people in town from abroad. Capoeira classes are more low key than they were in the weeks before the encontro. The good thing with that is I get to play more. This is too much fun.

This week (finally), I’m breaking out the spanish skills and chatting with the Chileans. I’ve made a number of friends and am helping Thang set up our arrival there in a few weeks. We’re probably gonna stick around here in Arraial for another 8 or 10 days, then most likely head to Buenos Aires. We haven’t booked any flights yet, so I guess that means it’s still up in the air. Undoubtedly, we’ll solidify plans next week. Chile and Peru are a must. Argentina… eh… well… we’ll see. But first… more honing the Portuguese.

Check the pics below…

(more…)