I’m not a beer drinker myself, but it seemed to be very cheap by Western standards. The most popular cerveza brands were Atlas in Panama, Imperial and Pilsen in Costa Rica, Quilmes in Argentina and Brahma in Brazil. The legal drinking age is 18 throughout South America and alcohol is sold pretty much anywhere, including supermarkets. The best wine we had was in Argentina, but Chile also has some nice ones.

As for soda, Coke and Pepsi are widely available (even in very remote places). In Peru, we were introduced to Inca Cola, a bubble-gum tasting drink, which is actually owned by Coke. What else is new… but the name is quite cool!

In the Andes, especially in Bolivia, mate de coca was a great option. It is basically a tea of coca leaves: as the Bolivians say, “la hoja de coca no es droga” (Coke leaf is not a drug). Maybe not a drug, but it is supposed to help with soroche, altitude sickness. I’m a big tea drinker, especially of green tea, and I did like the taste of the beverage.

In Brazil as well as in Central America, coconut water was a good option. It’s cheap, it’s supposed to help you sweat less, plus drinking directly from a coconut is kind of cool, isn’t it?

In Argentina and Uruguay, mate is the preferred beverage. Okay, let me rephrase that: locals are addicted to it! Mate is an infusion, prepared by steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. The beverage is drunk from a small calabash gourd (mate) using a metal straw (bombilla). It is necessary to carry hot water in a thermos to pour over the yerba periodically to refill. Mate is a social custom and is usually shared among friends or family: a first person start drinking, and then pass the gourd to another person, refill and then pass to another one etc. The beverage tastes of green tea and coffee, it’s quite strong at first but you get used to it. Argentinians and Uruguyans carry their gourd, bombilla and thermos absolutely everywhere, and it’s common to see people refilling their mate at the supermarket, at the bank, in the bus, at the movies… !

Perfect Coffee In Liberia, Costa Rica

Drinking Coffee, Liberia, Costa Rica

Brahma Beer, Santiago, Chile

Atlas Beer, David, Panama

Inca Cola, Peru

Mate De Coca, Bolivia

Inca Cola, Coke Zero, Lima Peru

Coconuts, Parati, Brazil

Mate De Coca Cups, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mate De Coca Cups, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Coconuts, Panama Border

Coconuts, Copacabana, Brazil

Related articles:

1. The Food Saga: The Sweets
2. The Food Saga: The Feast Era
3. Perú To Bolivia

Latinos apparently have a sweet tooth: there were panaderías (bakery) just about anywhere!

In Central America, as well as in Bolivia, there were less formal panaderías, but sweet snacks were always available in the street. Nuts, pop corn, bread etc. were sold pretty much anywhere.

Throughout South America, a popular cookie was the alfajor. It consists of two round sweet biscuits joined together with dulce de leche (milk jam) or jam, and covered with powdered sugar.This is extremely sweet, but quite yummy too!

Dulce de leche — sweeten milk that looks like caramel — was found in almost all sweets and candies, and it was also used as a spread on bread. In Brazil, doce de leite was notably used as a filling for churros, sold in Copacabana.

My favorite place for baked sweet was Argentina: all cities have a panadería, which sell baked good by the dozen, instead of by the unit, like in France. Typical price was 12 pesos for 12 facturas (small pastries), which is about 30 cents each. Medialunas (“half-moon”, or croissant), sweet rolls, alfajores etc, were popular choices.

Meanwhile, Brazilians are crazy about their brigadeiro, a small candy made of condensed milk, butter and chocolate powder, rolled into a ball, and then covered in chocolate or coffee-flavored sprinkles. It was sold in the streets during Carnival. But everything seemed to be brigadeiro–flavored: ice cream, cookies, cakes, cereal bars… I’m surprised I haven’t seen a brigadeiro drink!

Selling Pop Corn, La Paz, Bolivia

Selling Nuts, Copacabana, Bolivia

Yummy Chocolate Cake, Lima, Peru

Selling Sugar Cane, Curitiba, Brazil

“Facturas”, Buenos Aires, Argentina

“Medialunas”, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Candies And Cakes, Parati, Brazil

Brigadeiro, Brazil

Related articles:

1. The Food Saga: The Drinks
2. The Food Saga: The Fish Era
3. The Food Saga: The Feast Era

Food was very good and plentiful in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. We both loved it… we feasted!

The first Argentinian city we went to was Ushuaia, in Tierra Del Fuego. Because of its geographical location — it is the Southernmost city in the world, stuck at the tip of the Americas, right in front of Antarctica — food was quite expensive. We ended up cooking in hostels a lot throughout all Patagonia for the same reason. But once back to civilization, in Buenos Aires, we truly got to enjoy the gastronomy.

Argentinians are big meat-eaters. Meats is cheap, by world standards, and is delicious. Parillas (steakhouses) are plentiful along Florida and Lavalle streets in the capital, as well as in most popular downtown areas, such as San Telmo. Even cheaper options are the ubiquitous buffets, with all-you-can-eat options at around $6 to $8 per person including a drink. Typical buffet food include rice, beans, eggs, mashed potatoes, lots of meat and few veggies. A lot of these restaurants are Chinese-owned, so you can also sample various stir-fried dishes.

Italian food is also very popular, especially in historical districts such as La Boca. But most restaurants offer at least one type of pasta, and pizzas. The only thing I got sick of after a while was the lack of “healthy” options. As I said, few dishes include vegetables (a couple of tomatoes in the pizza does NOT count) and I can’t survive on just meat!

Uruguay had similar food. Lots of meat, some good Italian food, and a bit of Chinese. I liked the popular lunch sandwiches, such as the “completo” and the “Canadiense”, mix of ham, olives, red pepper etc. on wheat bread. Argentina and Uruguay also seem to love super panchos, aka hot dogs. I even saw a all-you-can-eat hot dog place… Yep. Never had a hot dog in my life (the two on the picture are Feng’s), don’t plan to start anytime soon.

Food in Brazil was a bit more exotic, but it may also be because we don’t speak Portuguese. In the South, we were still in gaucho country (cowboy of the pampa), so there was quite a lot of meat and churrasco (Brazilian parilla). In the Southeast, typical dishes included feijoada (a black bean and meat stew), feijão com arroz (rice and beans), stew vegetables (yes, finally!). Most dishes were pretty basic but tasty. I loved the tutu de feijão (a paste of beans and manioc flour) which is used to spice up the rice, and the pão de queijo (a cheese and manioc flour roll).

Brazilians like the “comida por kilo” style restaurant: basically a huge buffet, with food priced at about $1 per 100 gr. Your plate is weighted after you make your selection. I liked that way because we didn’t need to decipher menus in Portuguese, plus I think people waste less food than in a regular buffet.

“Canadiense” Sandwich In Montevideo, Uruguay

“Super Panchos” In Montevideo, Uruguay

Famous Argentinian Steak, Buenos Aires

Parilla In Buenos Aires, Argentina

Popular Lavalle Street, Buenos Aires

Feng And His Giant Steak, Buenos Aires

Diner In Porto Alegre, Brazil

Tutu De Feijão, Rice And Chicken In Paraty, Brazil

Comida Por Kilo, Brazil

Comida Por Kilo, Brazil

Related articles:

1. The Food Saga: The Sweets
2. The Food Saga: The Drinks
3. The Food Saga: The Chicken Era

In Bolivia and in Chile, even though meat was still available, we ate a lot of fish. Good: a break from the arroz con pollo!

Food in Bolivia is quite basic, and there aren’t many supermarkets (if at all). Sanitation isn’t the country’s strong point either, and even though there were many food stalls in La Paz, I skipped on those. However, Copacabana, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, had some of the best fish I have ever had. The popular trucha (trout) can be served al limón (with lemon), entomatada (with tomatoes), al ajillo (with garlic), a la mantequilla (with butter) etc. Typical side dishes include rice or potatoes, with a small salad — not bad!

We stuck to our fish diet in Chile, which has some great seafood thanks to its extensive coastline. Some popular dishes are made with squid, soleidae (sole), albacore, codfish, hake, corvina (salmon), congridae (conger)… Fish can be frito (deep fried in batter), a la plancha (grilled) or al horno (baked).

A great place to eat in Santiago is the Mercado Central, which emphasizes on pescado (fish) and mariscos (shellfish). There are many restaurants and eateries within the market building and the food is cheap, fresh and tasty. Don’t miss the paila marina, a big seafood stew!

Fish Market, Bolivia

Fish Lunch In Santiago, Chile

Fisherman In Arica, Chile

Fish Restaurants On The Shore Of The Titicaca Lake, Bolivia

Trucha (Trout) In Copacabana, Bolivia

Fish Lunch In Santiago, Chile

Fish Market, Santiago, Chile

Fish Market, Santiago, Chile

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2. Relaxing In Santiago
3. Sydney Fish Market

A lot of you were curious about the food we ate when we were traveling (especially a certain gentleman from Tulsa!), so I decided to make a mini-series. Today, we will see… the chicken era, aka food in Panama, Costa Rica, and to a lesser extend, Peru. This is by no mean an extensive gastronomic guide, but rather an overview of what two backpackers ate on the road, and what locals eat everyday.

In, Central America, as well as in Peru, you just need to know three words to order food: arroz (rice), frijoles (beans) and pollo (chicken). Makes life easy, doesn’t it! However, the food may be quite basic, and at one point, you’ll be desperate for something other than chicken. I mean, how much chicken can one eat???

In Central America, breakfast is somewhat a bit American-style: eggs, rice, beans are very common. A popular Costa Rican dish is gallo pinto: rice and beans fried together with spices such as cilantro, onion and peppers. Incidentally, Nicaragua also claims gallo pinto as its national dish — a big disagreement between the two countries. In Panama, you can have your eggs revueltos (scrambled), fritos (fried), duros (hard-boiled), pasado por agua (soft-boiled) etc. In Peru, desayuno americano (American breakfast) is also quite common, even if locals will also eat tamales (boiled corn with meat or cheese and wrapped in a banana leaf).

At lunch or at diner, the same ingredients are used: the usual rice and beans mix, plus some kind of meat (yes, most of the time, it is chicken). A common side dish in Central American is patacones (fried plantain), in Peru, it’s  choclo (corn).

A interesting fact in Peru is the numerous chifas. Chifas (from the Chinese “chifan” 吃饭, to eat) are Peruvian-Chinese restaurants, typically serving fried rice, wantan soups and vegetable stir-fries. The food is nor very Chinese nor very Peruvian, but an interesting combination of the two, which locals of all socio-economic levels enjoy.

Markets are always very interesting to visit, but you need to have a strong stomach. The meat section can be quite a display, with cow heads and numerous dead chicken (and the smell, oh, the smell…). On the other side, spices are colorful and the veggie section is interesting to browse, since they are a lot of things we don’t have. All markets also have a snack area and it’s always packed at lunch with locals… great place to grab a bite, but make sure it’s clean enough!

Eating Breakfast In San Jose, Costa Rica

Meat At The Market, Arequipa, Peru

Gallo Pinto Style Breakfast In Costa Rica

Choclo Con Queso (Corn and Cheese) In Arequipa, Peru

Grabbing A Snack At The Market, Costa Rica

Veggies At The Market, Peru

Related articles:

1. The Food Saga: The Drinks
2. The Food Saga: The Feast Era
3. The Food Saga: The Sweets

Drinking In Rio

We both loved our trip in Central and South America. And now that we are home again in Canada, we thought about it: what were the best places, the best cities that we saw… and what were the worst experiences?

We loved most countries we have been to. That said, we could have done without a few experiences… see which ones!

In Panamá

The best:

• The contrast between old colonial buildings and brand new skyscrappers in Panamá City.
• The quiet city of David, less dangerous than Panama City and quite picturesque.
  
• Casco Viejo in Panamá City: It’s an old district (hence the name) downtown the capital. It’s safer than it used to be where we were there in 2002, and if you stand on Plaza De Francia, the view is quite amazing.
  

The worst:

• Not being able to walk around freely, especially in the evening or at night, because a lot of places are quite dangerous in the capital.
  
• The overpriced hotels in Panamá City: the value isn’t that great (buildings are old).
  
• Ordering food in restaurants in Panamá City. Everything is so s-l-o-w… think 20 minutes to get the menu, another 20 minutes before someone is willing to take your order, one hour wait for the food (assuming you only ordered simple stuffs like chicken or eggs), another 30 minutes to get the bill, plus additional time to get your change back.

In Costa Rica

The Best:

• Beaches on the Pacific Coast and the beautiful sunsets.
  
• The wildlife (we saw monkeys, iguanas, parrots…).
  
• The canopy experience in the cloud forest in Monteverde. A great adrenaline rush, plus the views are amazing.
  

The Worst:

• The border crossing between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, with its endless lineup and the chaos.
• Food is really overpriced, and going to the supermarket in beach towns along the Pacific Coast made me feel like I was shopping in a convenience store (expensive  and useless junk ).
• The chicken bus rides on unpaved dust roads (think the bus ride from San Isidoro to Manual Antonio National Park)

In Perú

The Best:

• Lima, quite safe and nice now, compared to seven years ago.
• The city of Arequipa, lost in the mountains, with its church and the huge monestary.
  
• The road from Perú to Bolivia, in the altiplano, where you can spot lamas, mountains and highland lakes.
  

The worst:

• The popular salchi-papas snack: fries with sliced sausages on top. Er… no.
• Trying to sleep in Hostal Belem in Lima, giving up at 5:am. Thanks mosquitoes, thanks bar downstairs.
• The smell of bloody cow heads at the local market (especially at 9 am).

In Bolivia

The Best:

• The boat ride from Copacabana to Isla Del Sol. A sunny day on the Lake Titicaca, beautiful clouds and feeling like we are on top of the world (well, actually, we were).
  
• The colorful markets and the traditional dress worn by women.
  
• Hearing people chatting in Quechua in the bus.

The worst:

• Guys who pee everywhere… sorry, that´s gross.
• Soroche, or altitude sickness. At over 3,000 meters high, breathing is hard and we had a constant headache.
  
• La Paz, chaotic and ugly. I’m sure some people love it, but I didn’t.
  

In Chile

The Best:

• The border crossing between Chile and Bolivia, starting at over 5000 meters and going to to sea level. The views are awesome: imagine snow-capped mountains, an endless stretch of road, and wilderness around.
  
• The Torres Del Paine National Park in Tierra Del Fuego. Climbing to see the Torres was very hard but it was worth it.
  
• Santiago, a South American city with a European feel.

The worse:

• The afternoon “siesta” (nap) time. Great if you feel lazy, not so great if you are hungry or need to buy something, since stores are closed from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm (not in Santiago though).
  
• The currency, which comes in thousands ($10 is 6,000 peso…). Everything looks very expensive at first! Especially for maths-challenged people like me.
• Landing in Tierra del Fuego: with the wind, you are in for a crazy ride!

In Argentina

The best:

• The natural wonders, such as the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Foz waterfalls.
• Buenos Aires, cheap, relaxing and safe. It has everything, from colorful neighborhoods like La Boca to great nightlife. It’s also a great city to sample the Argentinian cuisine…
• The Argentinian culture, whether you are a football fan or have an artistic side, whether you love food or are into history, there is something for everyone.
  

The worse:

• The lack of change! It’s a real pain everywhere in the country, but especially in Buenos Aires.
• In Patagonia, the cost of living. Ushuaia is very expensive, and so are the bus rides around. On one side, visiting Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego is an unforgettable experience, on the other side, be prepared for long and expensive bus rides, and overpriced accommodation and food.
• The Argentinian accent! Well, I’m half-joking here… but it did take me a while to get used to. For example, Argentinians pronounce the Spanish “ll” as “sh”, instead of “y”. So “la calle” (the street) sounds like “la cashe”, “la llave” (the key) sounds like “la shave” etc. When we first crossed to Argentinian, I grabbed a Coke at the bus stop, and the woman asked me: “para shevar o para tomar asha” (“para llevar o para tomar allá” — to go or to drink here), and I thought she was speaking Portuguese! I wasn’t used to the sound.

In Uruguay

The Best:

• The boat crossing on Rio de la Plata, the chocolate-color river.
• The amazing beaches along the coast. I wasn’t sure what to expect and it turned out the beaches were almost better than in Brazil!
  
• Montevideo, relaxing and beautiful. If you are in Argentina, it definitely worth a few days (or more!) of your time. Plus, traveling within Uruguay is easy.
  

The worse:

• Lack of accommodation in Montevideo… maybe we were just unlucky, but it was hard to find a place to stay!
• The uneven pavement in Montevideo… I still have a scar on my leg! Okay, I should not wear sandals to walk long distances… I know.
• The hostel in La Paloma: overpriced for a very crowded 10-beds dorm.
  

In Brazil

The Best:

• The Carnival, whether you celebrate it in Rio de Janeiro, or elsewhere… like us in Paraty!
• The beaches, long stretches of white sand in a paradisiac setting.
• Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful city with Copacabana and Ipanema, the Sugar Loaf, the Corcovado… and it always looks better when you see it with your own eyes!
  

The worse:

• Big cities are not exactly safe, and it’s not advisable to hang around at night.
• It’s hot, hot hot, especially around Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre. Seriously, you start regretting Canadian cold…
• The border crossing in Chuy. Sorry, but not being able to find the border…!

All in all, we had a great trip though!

Related articles:

1. The Blog Carnival Stories Are Here!
2. Hello Frozen Hell…
3. St Malo — A Walled City

We have been gone for over three months now. As much as I would love to travel longer, I just have to be realistic. We need to go back to Canada. We need to go back to work (er… find work). We need to settle a bit, again.

Backpacking is tiring. I haven´t had a hot shower in months, and my book supply is quite low (I rely on book exchange in hostels). We miss cooking and frankly, I wouldn´t mind watching a current US movie.

We visited 8 countries, bused over 13,000 kilometers. 13,000 km. We sat on hundreds of buses, trains, boats, taxis. We walked till we couldn´t feel our feet. We looked around us like two kids amazed by the beauty of the world.

Have we changed in three months? Well, we are both tan and quite fit. Our Spanish is better, although I can´t say the same for my Portuguese. We got a few scratches along the way, as well as tons of bites from mosquitoes and other unidentified insects.

When I left in December, I was quite tired of my job, and I had been looking for other opportunities. Not surprisingly, no one has pop on yet to offer my a dream job (i.e chocolate-taster, cheese-eater, book-reader, picture-taker…). Yet, I realized how much I loved to create art, whether it is writing, photography or drawing. I realized that working in an office was not exactly a career choice for me. So I´m still not sure where I´m heading, but I know what I like to do a little bit better. That makes me confident in the future.

I´m happy to come back to a country I chose to live in, and that I like. My citizenship application is hopefully in progress and I can´t wait to be Canadian on paper. I´m also glad to see my friends in Canada. I shouldn´t be sad to leave, anyway.

I´m turning 26 on Saturday, March 21st. I still have a lot to learn, and a lot to see.

Meanwhile, see you guys back in Canada!

Panamá License Plate

Costa Rica License Plate

Perú License Plate

Bolivia License Plate

Chile License Plate

Argentina License Plate

Uruguay License Plate

Brazil License Plate

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Overview Of A Fall

On our second day, we crossed again to Brazil to visit the other side of the waterfalls. While the Argentinian side allows close-up, the Brazilian side is the grand overview — and what a view! The misty atmosphere made great rainbows too.

On both sides of the falls, we spotted a lot of wildlife (not including mosquitoes, who spotted us just fine as well). Crocodiles, huge ants, raccoons, and thousands of pretty butterflies… quite amazing.

The trip back on the Argentinian side was quite a rush after a few hours in the park. We had to take three buses, and we barely made it for our 17:00 overnight bus to Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires and… back home…

On Top Of The Falls

Water Curtains

Near The Water

Rainbow

Overview Of The Many Waterfalls

Little Falls

Heavy Waterflow

In Rainbow

Butterfly At The Falls

88 Butterfly

Butterfly Following Us

All Yellow…

Related articles:

1. Cataratas del Iguazú (Argentinian Side)
2. Crossing To Uruguay
3. Argentinidad

So Many Waterfalls…

On our way back to Argentina, we couldn´t miss the greatest waterfalls in South America: Iguazú.

The falls are located between Argentina and Brazil. The national parks have a total of 275 falls (!), some over 80 meters tall! Basically, just when you think you took the perfect picture, there is another better waterfalls just around the corner.

The most impressive one if the Garganta Del Diablo (the Devil´s Throat), a U-shaped 700 meters long waterfalls. The waterflow is so high, and the falls so powerful, that it is impossible to see the bottom of it — it´s just mist. As you get closer, you just get soaked (I did!). It is said that this waterfall is very close to how people used to imagine the end of the world… water and a bottomless hole.

The Argentinian side of the falls allows extreme close-up views. Several catwalks lead to many falls, and you find yourself sometimes on top of them, sometimes under them. I was always surprised to see the water so calm, right before it hits the edge of the cliff and then suddenly flows so quickly and powerfully.

Arriving Close To Garganta del Diablo

Garganta del Diablo

A Rainbow

Highest Waterfalls

Close To The Edge

Overview

Falls In The Jungle

Powerful Waterfall Curtain

Crocodile In The Fall!

Looking Down From The Top

Waterfall And Rainbow

Overview Of The Park

Close Up

Boat And Falls

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2. Niagara Falls In The Winter
3. Niagara Falls

Beaches Of Brazil

By the time we got to Rio de Janeiro, we started to look for plane tickets back home. But they were very expensive, so we knew we had to come back to Buenos Aires, in Argentina.

No worries. We bused back, stopping in Florianópolis and in Curitiba, enjoying the beautiful beaches along the way.

A La Praia!

Trindade

Feng Hit By The wave

Paraty

Praia Mold

Praia Mold

Ilha Catarina

Huge Waves

Rocks, Sea And Blue Sky

Cactus On The Beach

Empty Beach

Empty Beach

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