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Brazil’s #1 Export

Forget about coffee, oil, acai, chocolate, fruit, whatever. I’m going with flip-flops are the most exported commodity of Brazil. Not just any flip-flops but Havaianas, THE national brand of Brazil. Seeing as how I personally bought 9, ok, 10 pairs of them (not just for myself, they make great gifts) and my friend bought 16, maybe 20 for herself and for her family back home in Oz. Havvies come in rainbow bright solids and in a myriad of cool designs from cutesy to edgy. If you’re going to Brazil be sure to leave plenty of room in your suitcase because you can’t just buy one pair, kinda like Pringles, “once you [flip]-flop, you just can’t stop”.

[livelymorgue]

April 1, 1974: “We never speak of dying,” a misspelled ad boasts, quoted in a roundup of hair coloring techniques available in the city. While the procedure pictured here — which required 1,000 feet of cotton stripping — might resemble some kind of April Fool’s prank carried out by the colorist, it was apparently a real thing for fine hair, called balayage au cotton. Photo: Barton Silverman/The New York Times

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Cabo Polonio, Uruguay Bumping down a sand road, in the freezing cold, I realized I spent quite a bit of time and energy getting to out of the way places. The huge 4x4 laden with 8 people and their luggage/supplies struggled 6 long km to Cabo Polonia a settlement on the coast of Uruguay. Upon getting dropped off and having no idea where I was going or how to find a hostel I did a few cartoon circles before spotting a blue roof with "hostel" painted on it in huge white letters. That was easy. The girl inside was weaving backpacker bracelets and she showed me a bunk then patted a seat by the fire. As tempting as that was I needed to see the place before the sun set. Facing the frigid wind, I tripped up the beach towards some dunes in the distance. Cabo, at first glance seems ramshackle but after some scouting around, it's apparent that the community is sustainable in its own right, the buildings are constructed of found materials and are completely solar powered, the inhabitants have trades which they use to support one another and any tourists that happen to be around. Four times a day, the 4x4's drive through town for pick-up's and drop-off's . The local supermarket is a drift wood building with about 10 packaged items on his shelf and everything else is measured out of bulk containers, rice, beans, maza, potatoes & spices. I would have liked to explore more but it was starting to get dark and I was already very cold. So I meandered back through town. During season Cabo Polonia has around 95 residents and some tourist traffic, so the restaurants that I passed were shut due to lack of populace but boasted extensive menus of fresh seafood and South American staples like rice, empanadas and beef. During off season, maybe 70 people were there and I spent the night tending the fire and chatting with an Argentinian guy who was riding a Honda CB500 around Uruguay.

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Montevideo, Uruguay: I wasn't fair to Montevideo. Understandably, I was a little disappointed, coming out of a 3 1/2 month stint in Buenos Aires, posted up in Milhouse the liveliest, partiest, craziest hostel in town, to out-of-the-way El Viajero. The staff was great and the hostel is clean, tidy, comfortable but very, very quiet. While taking care of paperwork for my visa to Brazil I spent a little time roaming the city but much more watching re-runs of Law and order in Spanish. Jero, in reception suggested that instead of running straight to Brazil, I should really stop at Cabo Polonia. Cabo is beach settlement between MV and the border, that way I could actually see a small portion of the real Uruguay. As intent as I was to get to Brazil I thought I might as well, seeing as how it took three weeks (between Buenos Aires and Montevideo) to get my visa, a couple more days wouldn't hurt. As for Montevideo, it was so similar to BsAs that I couldn't appreciate it, I was doing the dreaded comparison everywhere I went and nothing was better. To me it was a less populated shadow of my favorite city in South America. So, feeling rested, with a shiny new visa to Brazil in my passport, I got a bus four hours east. Onward!

[mmoirae]

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #15 Nightclubbing: Most northerners are well into their cups when Argentines are just heading to dinner. Forget gringo hours, clubs don’t even open till 2 a.m. then go on till report-for-duty hours.

Photo courtesy of http://www.joecornell.com

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Nuevo Cien Peso con Evita

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #14 Tango: (sigh) the sultry, sexy, intoxicating dance of lost love.

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #13 Snack at 6 / Dinner at midnight: I’m hungry all the time so this works for me, but Argentines are either eating really early, or really really late.

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #12 Knowing the difference between Vino Tinto & Malbec: I pick wine based on the aesthetics of the label so when people talk about Malbec, grapes and notes, blooming and airing, I say that’s nice I prefer Fernet and that gets a wrinkled nose response. Full on snobbery.

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #11 Empanadas via Delivery The version of comida rapida here is in the form of pizza, savory tartas and empanadas. I’ve eaten these delicious pockets of perfection at all time of night. Walk-up windows around the city hand them out, piping hot, on cardboard trays with a handful of napkins. However, getting empanadas delivery is such an Argentine “thing". Open the carton, it’s better than a box of chocolates. With basic and gourmet options like veggie, jamon y queso, pizetta, caprese, carne, pollo y champinones con crema, cuatro queso, how can you go wrong?

[internationalpanda]

Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #10 Having an Alfajor Addiction: The best way to get a dulce de leche fix without the sticky side effect. Eating an alfajor a day is now a ritual for me. They are the best cookies ever on the face of the planet. Do I love them more than Oreos? Yes. Will I be able to find them when I leave Argentina for other world destinations? Probably not, which begs the question, however will I go on living?

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #9 Are you Familiar with Quilmes?: The national beer of Argentina. I don’t drink beer so I really can’t say if it’s good. People drink it, because, well, it’s the national beer.

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #8 Choripan de Street Vendor: This I took to relatively quickly. Choripan. Fatty, savory chorizo, grilled over carbons in a shopping trolley, tucked into a torn-off piece of crusty white bread then drenched in bottled chimmichurri, pickled salads and fresh salsas. I really don’t mind how much of it gets on my face. It’s just that good.

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #7 Drink maté: do you own a termos, mate, bombilla and have a rigid plastic container divided so as to hold both yerba & sugar? Yes? ‘Nuff said.

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Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #6 Have a Hot Boyfriend/Girlfriend: Out of all of South America, Argentinians are the best looking per capita. In Buenos Aires this is especially true, sometimes its hard to stay focused with all the eye-candy around.

Milhouse Ave. & Hipo staff, Buenos Aires, Argentina

[internationalpanda]

Becoming Argentinian in 15 Easy Steps

Step #5 Ride the Subte: I am in love with underground railway systems, the heat, the rush, the press of people, the racket of the train as it pulls to a hard stop at the platform. Buenos Aires has an 80’s NYC feel to it and more so in the subte where all the train cars are covered in graffiti.