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Brazil and Latin America
  • Sean Plamondon

Brazil and Latin America

Brazil is the biggest piece of the trip but there will be stops in many other countries too Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 29, 2022
    Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Montreal

    June 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    All aboard :)

    This very long trip starts with a train to Montreal. Then a 13 hour flight to Sao Paulo.

    Montreal airport is insane today. Fortunately I was able to skip the massive checkin lineup and the even crazier security line up because of my business class ticket. Without hyperbole, it might have taken 4 hours to get through all that. Took me 90 minutes even with all my line skipping! Crazy. Even the maple leaf lounge had a 20 minute wait. Not complaining haha, just observations :) I have it verrrry good. Most of my points are gone now, gotta enjoy this last bit of luxury transportation/status while i have it. Tomorrow morning, my pod turns into a pumpkin :)

    First new experience... I am sitting at a barstool and all the walk up orders are right next to me. This young guy ordered a red wine and coke. Both in one glass together haha. After a brief chat and laugh i had to order one too, just to see (helps that its all free). It's definitely sacrilegious to the wine and maybe to the coke too but not as wretched as I expected :) cheers !

    Flight got delayed 3 times. Instead of 9:30pm takeoff its probably midnight now. Definitely missing my rio flight tomorrow :( But i ran into the same red wine and coke guys at the bar near the gate and the invited me to stay with them in Sao Paulo. Or i might take a bus to rio as soon as I arrive. We will see how things look in the morning. Also met a couple of others at the bar, Emily going to Spain and Gabriel going to Senegal for his father's sudden funeral. He was handling it well. Super nice guy. And Tas going to England via Qatar... thats messed up. I laughed at his flight plan a whole lot.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Rio - the hard way

    July 1, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Landed in Sao Paulo 3 hours late and missed my connection to Rio while we were still in the air. When i bought my airfare back in april to Rio, it was only 80 dollars. But when i checked for a flight today, the cheapest was 450. Yikes

    A taxi driver told me the terminal for that airline was a bit far. I figured the chances of getting on a new flight without paying the difference was low and asked him to take me to the bus station instead and salvage the lost day maybe without getting into a brazillian argument with no recourse. Sometimes you gotta weigh the battles vs the greater good. This felt low on the greater good scale and time was ticking to make the trek and arrive relatively early in Rio

    My taxi driver also gave me awesome intel. Its not like back home with one bus company and one type of seat. There were 50 different bus companies and I had to know which one did express routes plus comfort levels. I learned this lesson in colombia years ago.

    8 hours later, i arrived in Rio. Ugh. But I had a bed to sleep in on the bus... yes!! Still my day got wiped out but at least i was there.

    Found a local restaurant near my hotel and met a nice local Daniela who spoke great english and ordered a crazy cold drink that was smoking and bubbling - so weird. After a few drinks she went home and i moved onto another nearby spot my lonely planet book recommended and met carlos and his friend who insisted on refilling my beer glass repeatedly despite my lack of portuguese language. It really is remarkable how people can communicate sometimes with minimal common words. People everywhere are awesome. Seriously.

    Then finished the night at a copacabana beach bar which despite being super quiet, i felt was really apt. So anxious to see things in daylight tomorrow!! Actual brazil pics coming soon!! Stay tuned.

    Edit: As I type this, the nice people two tables over invited me to join them. Even as i try to take advantage of a quiet moment to write this blog, i make new friends haha. Loving brazil 🇧🇷 already    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Rio - Day 2

    July 1, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I was so tired from such a long trip and stayed in bed until noon. Went for a walk down very picturesque copacabana beach and then taxi'd to hilly santa teresa area for food and wandering around. Eventually took another taxi out of there to Botafogo beach. Gorgeous area. I was hoping to walk to the hotel from there but the sun dropped around 5:30pm and i didn't want to be walking that sort of distance at night here and found another taxi to the hotel

    Had an awesome siesta for 3 hours. Word to the wise, never buy a drink from the girls walking around with trays of drinks. on copacabana beach. Aye carumba that had a lot of kick to it.

    I had heard about a brazillian festival happening downtown, so after my nap, i took an uber there to check it out. Tons of people and food stalls and lots of dancing. Met some really nice brazillians at a shared table and spent the night with them. Janaina, Janderson and i forget the other's name.. something really complex. And back to the hotel, which by the way is Hotel Canada haha

    Happy Canadá day 🇨🇦    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Rio - Day 3

    July 2, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Had another lazy morning, getting up late. But ambitious plans to hike a local iconic mountain called sugarloaf or in brazilian, pao acucar. Actually, you can only hike up mt urca and you need a cable car ride to get you rest of the way.

    As i started on the path, i came across a sign warning about venomous snakes ! Ok haha. And shortly after, a came across a big family of adorable marmosets. They look a lot like lemurs but different i think too. Cool vid in the pics.

    The hike to the top of mt urca was steep but only about 30 minutes huffing and puffing hard. I was proud of myself; 50 year old on a busy, hard trail, and i passed many younger, fit people and no one passed me. Perhaps i am just more stubborn haha.

    The views from there were fantastic but there was still a cable car ride higher to the top of famous sugarloaf mountain. And what a view. Worth every penny. I hung out there for a few hours taking pictures and writing a blog entry over a beverage. Incredibly inspiring and magical.

    I eventually came back down the mountain, and got myself to a cool beach bar near my hotel in copacabana with live music as the sun went down. Went to a nice restaurant across the street for some food and met more locals who invited me over and i hung out with for a few hours before calling it a night. I feel very blessed by all the friendly souls here. Its such a loving vibe. I am quickly realizing Rio is a very very special place on this planet.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Niteroi

    July 3, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today i picked up my rental car and i was planning to drive to some pretty villages in the interior mountains. But my friend Daniela who i met on my first day in Rio offered to give me a tour along the Niteroi coast, across the bay from Rio. A personal tour from a local is pretty amazing; i gladly accepted. And she is excellent company.

    First we stopped at a few beaches and a museum in the city. And we drove down the coastline of endless beaches and stunning views of the Rio mountains across the bay.

    Stopped at a beach restaurant for a late lunch of fried shrimp and a beverage. And then drove up a mountain to a viewing platform to see the dramatic sunset unfold. Insane colors and very dramatic backdrop of Rio and its mountains.

    And finally back to the town of Niteroi for supper. After that we also went to a place that specializes in craft beers. So far i am very impressed with brazil's craft beer scene and i haven't really sought out places as much as i usually do. I will have to correct that issue this week 😁    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Ouro Preto - Day 1

    July 4, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Leaving Rio area today and driving 6 hours into the interior mountains. Which turned into a 7 hour drive because i made one small wrong turn. The highways and roads are so complicated in Rio and impossible to know which ramp is the right one sometimes as there will be several lanes all exiting at once to different roads. My gps will say exit right and there are 4 options to the right haha. And then finding a way back to where i need to be is even worse. Very challenging!

    Once outside of Rio, it was smooth sailing. Very good roads through the mountains and almost always a divided highway. Finally reached Ouro Preto which is a gorgeous town built on the top and steep sides of a mountain. All narrow steep cobblestone streets, and quaint European buildings. And lots of huge ornate churches.

    Arrived later than i wanted. Sun down is at 5:30pm here so i quickly picked a hotel that i had just drove past and set off exploring before it got too dark. Walked around the main plaza and tried to find a nice restaurant but almost everything was closed. Seems most things are closed on mondays. But then stumbled across a really nice cellar gastro pub with a hobbit sized door :) And made this my home for most of the evening before getting a good night's rest from a long day.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    1

    Ouro Preto - Day 2

    July 5, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Started the day driving the insane vertical streets of ouro preto to see some more of its famous churches. Which got me lost in many different places. Its incredibly confusing, and the hills make it really difficult to read the map. But its a fun type of being lost because every street is full of beautiful old european style buildings.

    Then started making my way to the nearby town of Mariana. Just before reaching Mariana, i stopped at an old gold mine that is only used for tourists now and also for divers in the subterranean lake down there. They converted and old mining cart into seats and we were lowered down 315 meters down the tracks into the mine. Unfortunately the tour guide didn't speak english but it was still a neat trip into a mine. The underground lake was a striking blue color.

    From there, continued to Mariana. Smaller, more quaint version of Ouro Preto. I walked around for a while and realized very few places were open because it was a tuesday. Decided to head back to ouro preto and maybe return to Mariana on Wednesday instead as i could see thats when most businesses were re-opening

    Got lost again on the way back. Nothing new here haha.

    I found a nice outdoor patio near my hotel and met Iuri and Maira. Iuri eventually had to leave so maira and i went to another spot for food and a few more drinks before ending the night relatively early.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Mariana

    July 6, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The goal to start the day was to drive to the tiny village of Lavras Novas and hike to a canyon. The drive there had dramatic scenery with lots of red rock and high up in the mountains. I read that a specific hotel in the village is helpful with hiking maps so i popped in there and got some directions and off i went

    The trail was very rocky and lead me up and over a mountain. It didn't seem like the right direction for a canyon hike but there were trail markers every so often, so i assumed i was on the right path. The trail took me far down the other side of a mountain and eventually to a fence that said private property. So i re-traced my steps all the way back to my car.

    The lady at the hotel said it would take about 2 hours and thats exactly how long it took me. So either i was on the wrong trail that coincidentally took 2 hours, or the hotel lady and i had a miscommunication and i ended up exactly where i was supposed to go :) It was really scenic, just not what i was aiming to do.

    The hike back was extremely difficult and i was exhausted. I was planning to drive back to ouro preto but i decided i needed to sit down somewhere for a beverage and relax for a bit. Shortly after sitting down, a very nice couple Antonio and Cleide from Sao Paulo asked me where i was from and this kicked off a really nice conversation about all our travels and brazillian life. Amazingly, Antonio once drove from brazil to alaska and back, driving both coasts of north america and all across canada too. An unbelievable task that Antonio says is only possible because he is mentally disabled to try such a thing haha

    They had ordered some local food and asked me join them and try it, and i happily accepted. Very tasty pork stew (i think). They are such nice, warm people. It was so wonderful to meet them and especially after my frustrating hike. I stayed far longer than i had planned because it was such a nice conversation with great people. But it was about an hour before sundown and i had an hour's drive to get to mariana so i had to get going too. I try very hard to not be driving anywhere at night.

    Got to mariana just before sundown. Quickly found a hotel in the old town and made my way to a local brewery in the central square. Then had a nice salmon liguine at an italian restaurant nearby. Met a very nice local there named Mirian and we chatted over a few drinks. And home early as i had a 6.5 hour drive back to Rio in the morning.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Rio again

    July 7, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Long drive back to Rio today. 6.5 hours according to Google maps. But its such a fun drive over and around mountains all the way. I was about an hour outside of Rio at noon and i pulled over to check out a castle i saw near the highway that has a restaurant but unfortunately it was closed.

    Nearby Petropolis has brazil's oldest brewery, so i went there instead. Had lunch there and then checked out the very pretty town. Tons of mansions and palaces. But i couldn't park because i had already incurred a parking ticket near the brewery (and i got one in mariana too). I pulled over for a few quick pics on one street where i found an opening. But around the corner i saw the parking ticket lady putting tickets on every car, so i scurried back and left. Certainly not the types of towns i imagined before arriving in brazil. Lots of german settlements here and there apparently.

    Made my way to chaotic Rio. Driving in this city requires a certain level of insanity and patience haha. Often there are 4 lanes of traffic and no lines on the road, and everyone is jostling for position like a race track. And my map will say to exit to the right but there will be one ramp going up and another going down. Google maps isn't 3 dimensional, so its a coin flip every time, and I'm losing more than winning :) But i just laugh and recalibrate Google maps for a new route and try again. I can't imagine doing this without google maps.

    Got to my hotel in copacabana. This time i ended up with something much nicer and somehow much cheaper. Got in contact with Daniela again and she took me to a really cool restaurant in Ipanema where you can order off a menu, but i don't recommend doing that. Because, there are waiters circling the establishment with different trays of small plate appetizers every 10 minutes that you can take off their tray and they add it to your bill. You can see the food and decide, whereas i have no idea what anything is in print. Brilliant! And delicious!

    Then we went to a craft beer spot a few blocks away for a little while. She had to be up at 5am and i was exhausted from the long travel day so we both needed to get some rest and get out of there after a quick pint.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    11

    Buzios

    July 8, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After breakfast, retrieved my car from the coolest garage I've ever seen. Its basically an apartment building for cars with 3 elevators to move the cars up and down and a neat device that grabs the car and pulls it in and out of the elevator.

    Waiting for Daniela to get off work, i went to a craft brewery called Hocus Pocus near Botafogo area and relexed with my book. Eventually Daniela showed up, had a quick bite and then drove to top of a mountain (Mirante Dona Marta) for an amazing view of Rio and the Christ the Redeemer statue.

    Then we fought through traffic for an eternity to escape the city and find a beach town called Buzios, 3 hours north of Rio. Took us 4.5 with the crazy traffic and a few wrong turns. When we arrived, we got delayed even more by the guesthouse owner not opening the door because she had not received the reservation yet. So we stood there for about 30 minutes.

    Finally got in and then shortly after made our way to the streets with countless restaurants and lounges. It was about 10pm by the time we finally sat down for supper. Had an awesome catch of the day meal seaside and walked around a bit before ending a pretty long day. Anxious to see what this place looks like in the daylight.

    Interesting detail, this place got a lot of fame from Bridgette Bardot staying here many years. There's lots of hotels that use the bardot name and a statue of her too.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Cabo Frio

    July 9, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Started with a quick walk to the Buzios centro beach to see it in the daytime. Then drove to Arraial do cabo and joined an all afternoon boat tour of a nearby island and some different beaches. Striking colors of water everywhere. And gorgeous isolated beaches but certainly not isolated from other boat tours. Wow, there had to be 50 different tours going on at the same time. Felt like a mux of greece and the carribbean.

    Enjoyed relaxing at a few of those beaches and eventually back to the port and then drove further down the coast to Cabo Frio. Arrived just before sundown in time to grab a snack and beer by the waterfront while a hotel search was finalized. Pretty sweet way to cap the exploring.

    After visiting a canal, had a crazy cheesy shrimp and brazillian cheese meal, followed by drinks at a trojan themed bar and then an old rock n roll place. I frequently have to remind myself i am in brazil. I'm not sure what i expected but its such a lively and diverse culture and environment. Very chill place to be once beyond the big cities. The language is the biggest challenge for me. Portuguese is very similar to spanish but also quite different in non intuitive ways :) i learned a few small phrases and otherwise lean heavily on them recognizing my spanish words, which has been a wonderful strategy so far haha. My Spanish is considerably better than a year ago but not really conversational yet.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    11

    Foz do Iguacu

    July 10, 2022 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Mostly a travel day. After a quick peak at the cabo frio beach, drove 2.5 hours back to the Rio airport, dropped off the car and boarded a flight to Foz do Iguacu, home of arguably the world's best waterfalls. To be continued.

    By the time i got out of the airport and to my hotel, it was after 4pm. No time to do anything touristy. But i did notice there was a beer garden near my hotel. Unfortunately there were no craft beers, so i stayed for one drink and left

    I walked towards a tap room a few blocks further and passed by multiple huge restaurants that were packed and loud with dj's and full of energy. Paid a couple dollars to get seated in one of them... had an amazing stew type meal with cut up steak absolutely drowning in gargonzola sauce. Ridiculously rich and savoury. But perhaps 10,000 calories too haha. I had no idea what i ordered at the time but it worked out.

    Eventually got to the tap room and they had an awesome craft beer list, so i got cozy in there for a while. Met Fernanda who is a doctor, and works just across the border in paraguay 🇵🇾. She couldn't stay long as she had a 36 hour shift the next morning. Thats not a typo. Wow.. canada labour code would not agree on that shift length at all. She said she has a shift like that once a month.

    Then wandered over to another spot with a live band and people dancing. I have never seen a sunday night like this anywhere. Last night in brazil, so i decided to enjoy the ambiance while it lasted despite needing to be up early for a big day. Why not, its a vacation.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    12

    Iguazu / Ciudad del Este

    July 11, 2022 in Paraguay ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Big day today. Anxious to visit world famous iguazu falls. I saw them from the Argentinian side in January and am excited to revisit and see what the brazillian view is like. Have heard its very different. Some say better.

    I hired an uber driver and he told me the falls are closed on mondays. 😥 i talked to my hotel guy and he said the same thing. Oh no, this is a big reason i flew here and today is the only day i could visit the falls because i have an itinerary with more flights. My hotel called to be sure, and its open! Phew!! That would have been fairly devastating

    Arrived at the park and had to board a park bus to get through the jungle to the waterfall trail. Once off the bus, coati were everywhere and almost pet-able. I was pretty impressed by being able to view more of the falls than from the Argentina side but also much futher away. In Argentina you are practically in the falls. Brazil has the panorama and argentina has the up close experience. Both awesome.

    I don't know how to describe the falls. I will let the pictures do the talking. But i will add that the falls stretch over several kilometers. Sooooo maaaaany waterfalls. Otherwordly situation of waterfalls. Speechless and awe struck. I can only attach 2 vids per blog entry so here's my two favorites.

    After i left iguazu i got back to my hotel, grabbed my bags and got an uber to the bridge to paraguay. Started walking across the bridge, got my brazil exit stamp (so sad) and eventually my paraguay entry stamp. Surprisingly both these things were optional. No joking i could have walked past both offices and right into paraguay without talking to anyone except thr people trying to sell stuff to me. I was literally asking people where the migration office was to make sure i entered legally and got the passport stamp. Weird. So different than back home.

    A guy on the other side bought my remaining brazillian real for paraguay... pesos? I dunno yet haha. But they come in big quantities! 5000 to 1 Canadian dollar

    After checking into the really nice howard johnson downtown i chatted with alexa and then ubered to another waterfall in the city. Gorgrous and up close. Ciudad del este is not a nice city so i decided to hang out at the waterfalls all day as they had a nice bar setup over the falls. And beer was 2 dollars. Wrote my blog and almost solved world hunger. Hopefully i have more time next visit :)

    Ubered to an awesome craft beer place playing 80s music all night with great beer selections. Was going to switch locations but a big storm hit and powered out the city. So just relaxed on the dark with my beer and music. Back on now... but interesting scenario. Best 80s compilation of music ever with great ipa beers. I was the only customer all night but it was too good to desert :) shout out to my nice bartender vanessa who patiently answered all my questions.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    My hotel

    Asuncion - Day 1

    July 12, 2022 in Paraguay ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Got up early and made my way to the bus station and got comfy for a 6 hour ride to the capital, Asuncion. Honestly not much scenery on the ride but these double decker coach buses are incredibly comfortable with seats that almost go vertical, a leg rest and wifi. For 5 dollars more, i could have had a bed but the beds were sold-out. Oh well, certainly not suffering.

    Checked into my super swanky hotel.. probably the nicest hotel i have ever been in. Got changed and got an uber right away to a micro brewery not far away. Had a beer there, then noticed there was another brewery across the street. I was the only person at either but an older couple walked in and i cheered them and we ended up chatting for a few hours. Klaus and Carla from Sweden. Carla used to work at the swedish embassy in ottawa as a cook! Small world.

    Switched locations for some food. Chatted with paraguayan Yanini for a while who was sitting nearby. And then at a nearby pub, met Chilean Geraldo who is a diplomat at the Chile embassy here in Asuncion. He had some really interesting stories that I'm assuming were a bit more classified than he treated them haha. And back to the hotel. One last detail.. when you order a bottle of beer in this city, you get an ice bucket to keep it on ice all the time. Nice touch.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    2

    Asuncion - Day 2

    July 13, 2022 in Paraguay ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The people i talked to the night before had mixed opinions about downtown asuncion. Some said it had nice places and others said to not go because it is ugly. I caught an uber there to form my own opinion and i gotta agree with the ugly remark. I walked around for an hour and only found a couple of nice buildings. Everything else looked almost abandoned and in great decline, but lots of people going about their business in the streets.

    I couldn't find a decent restaurant either so i got an uber to the very popular and restaurant heavy area of carmelitas. But strangely, not a single place was open until 5 or 6pm. So I made my way back to my hotel and found an American eatery in the next door shopping mall. It feels like i am the only tourist in this country.

    My friend Abdel travels to Paraguay a few times a year for work and he gave me his co-worker's contact info. Simon met me at a micro brewery in carmelitas and we bounced around to few different places. Also met a paraguayan katherina at one of the places and she tagged along with us. Not much to do in this city during the day, but very fun at night.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    OwnerChef

    Montevideo

    July 14, 2022 in Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    My flight to Ecuador incldes a 16 hour layover in Montevideo, Uruguay, which is fine by me. I get to explore a new city.

    Landed around 3pm and got through customs and baggage claim and into a taxi in about 15 minutes total. Crazy. Got to my hotel in centro and walked to old town. There's a number of nice old buildings but mostly a mix. Found a mercado by the port that has several restaurants under one roof. It was closing soon so i kept going.

    Went to another mercado close to my hotel and ubered to a 3rd mercado that Simon recommended. It was pretty quiet everywhere. Maybe i was too early but it was cold and rainy too. Shame about the weather because there are beautiful beaches everywhere here but its their winter.

    Then walked to the Simon-recommended Montevideo beer company, which was a mansion turned into a brewery/club. Super nice and fun. Walked more to another beer place but it was closed and so i sat down at a busy place across the street for some food finally.

    I chatted with the guy sitting next to me until his friends showed up. And just as i was about to ask for my bill to go somewhere else, another beer got placed in front of me. And the guys invited me over to try some of their food.

    Decided to order the same dish for myself, and the chef came out to explain something. I didn't really understand but agreed to whatever he was saying. Later the chef came back out to make sure I enjoyed the meal haha. When does that ever happen? Talked to the owner quite a bit too. Super friendly place.

    Slowly making my way towards my hotel, found one more brewery. Made it my last stop after chatting with the bartender and off to bed.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Salinas

    July 15, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Got up at 4:45am to catch a 7am five hour flight to Lima, with a 4 hour layover and eventually land in Ecuador. And then a 2 hour drive to the beach town of Salinas. On both flights the airlines made me wear 2 masks on top of eachother. Ugh.. Very long day. Thats 13 hours in transit with awful start time. I think the rest of my flights are more reasonable and a lot shorter legs.

    Arrived in Salinas just after the sun went down. Got an awesome mixed seafood platter with grilled fish, squid, octopus, crab and mussels. Eventually found my hotel, had a couple of ipa's at the hotel bar, but my eyes were closing, so I was in bed a little after 10pm. Hopefully fresh as a daisy the next day.

    Short entry so i will throw in some closing observations on Uruguay. It was definitely the most expensive latin American country i have been to. Prices were pretty close to what i would pay in Canada. Maybe outside the capital, the prices are better. I was very impressed how much english there was. Every single person i spoke to knew some english. This has definitely not been the case anywhere else in latin America except belize where it is their official language.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Montanita - Day 1

    July 16, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    After a quick breakfast found a taxi that would drive me 90 minutes to Montanita for $30. I can't even get to the ottawa airport for that price.

    Unfortunately I did not bring the Brazil weather with me. Very cloudy and coolish at the beach. But still, montanita is one of my favorite places to be. Small surf town with most structures built with bamboo and an incredibly laid back vibe. Lots of backpackers and Ecuadorians getting away from things. Endless restaurants/establishments. And at night, super lively.

    Spent the afternoon walking around the town, chatted with a few locals, and hanging out on the beach. Early afternoon it was low tide and no surfers. But late afternoon the tide returned and there were a ton of very talented surfers. I found my favorite beach bar with craft beer and watched the surfers battle the waves for a few hours. Incredibly enjoyable and relaxing.

    Back to town for ecuadorian ceviche, which is amazing everywhere in this country and unique in how they prepare it. Yum!! And then a quick nap before heading out to the crazy montanita Saturday nightlife.

    I found a live band bar that i was at 2.5 years ago and i found the same cat sleeping on the same bar. Hilarious! That cat is the most chill cat ever. This is an extremely loud music bar, like eardrum pounding, and the cat sleeps through all of it, surrounded by people getting their drinks.

    Bounced around between beach parties, and clubs and finished at a quiet place where I was told i could get craft beer. Challenging in montanita! But i think I have all the spots mapped now. Chatted with the owner, a young guy whose mother is from Quebec and an American father but has lived his whole life in Ecuador. Got back to my room late but all i could hear was pounding club music. I have a knack for choosing poor hotel locations it seems.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Montanita - Day 2

    July 17, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Started the day with a yummy ceviche by the beach. And then spent the afternoon on the beach sipping a few beers listening to my music and riding the boogie board i rented. I was very tempted to ride a surf board instead but wasn't feeling that ambitious today. And relaxed watching surfers in the waves. So enjoyable. Amazed to see many of the really good surfers were young kids.

    Again, lousy weather. No sun, not hot, and not cold but definitely not the montanita i had in mind when planning this trip. Instead of spending 4 days in montanita, i found a cheap flight the next day to get to cuenca instead. Which is also exciting... I love cuenca. It will be much cooler but more to do and see.

    As it got darker, i relocated to a restaurant in town where i ran into jeff (new orleans) and Valentina (Quito) again. I had already chatted with them a few times and our paths kept on crossing. Really nice, friendly couple.

    Most of the town was closed this day. Massive difference from Saturday night when it felt like the whole country was in montanita. Found another place to wind down and got to bed at a good hour. Another travel day tomorrow, so seemed wise. Unfortunately my hotel room was poorly situated as others clearly did not have the same desire to sleep and it was another night of loud music.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Cuenca - Day 1

    July 18, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    I was going to say I had a quick breakfast but this is montanita. Nothing is quick. Found the bus stop at 11am and luckily boarded a bus immediately. Unluckily, it was not a direct bus. Took me 2 buses and 4.5 hours to get to the guayaquil bus station. And despite the bus station being meters away from the airport, it took 30 minutes to get there. Ah latin America haha

    And when I tried to check in, the girl assisting me printed out my baggage tag and for some reason i looked at the airport codes on the tags (which i never do but will always do from now on) and could see it was wrong. My bag was going to go to quito first. I would have not received it in cuenca. I questioned it right away and they agreed it was wrong and that took another 30 minutes to sort out.

    Finally in quenca, checked into my old world posada and then walked around taking a few pictures of the gorgeous buildings here. Found a downtown brewery location and hung out at the bar where i met Gabriela who was just grabbing food to go but we chatted over an hour. Everything was closed on a Monday but found a tiny karaoke place and met 3 more locals, one who took more of a liking to me than i would ever reciprocate haha. Anyways, nice people.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Cuenca - Day 2

    July 19, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Slept in and excitedly made my way to my favorite restaurant ever, tiestos cafe. Ordered their famous steak and giant prawns. This is incredibly hard to beat.

    Walked around and captured some nice buildings and sat down at a few terraces along the way. The night prior I coughed a lot and had a sore throat and lost my voice too. I went to a pharmacist and got some losanges plus antibiotics. I have had this a few times with an infection in my throat. Feels similar. Otherwise i am fine.

    After a nap, i finished the day at craft beer location and met a lot of people from different countries. Peru, Colombia, China, honduras, united states, Norway and ecuador of course. Eventually this location closed and the Honduras guy told us he has a restaurant a block away and we all piled in there instead.

    I showed him why his tap lines were expelling mostly foam haha and Otherwise a hilarious night of laughs and good vibes. The Norwegian viking guy had me in stitches all night. And everyone else was lovely. Amazing unexpected night of global friendships.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon
    Proof I am capable of catching a flightMy bed for the night

    Quito

    July 20, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Slept in again but this time i really needed to not do that because i missed my flight to guayaquil. Rebooked a flight for the evening and headed back to Tiesto's cafe for their amazing steaks. The waiter literally cuts it with a spoon when delivering it to demonstrate how tender it is. So good. And this time they put me at the exact same table in the atrium area that i was at 2.5 years ago. Very nostalgic.

    Got my backpack and found a nice place downtown to relax until my flight. When it was time to go, i couldn't find a taxi forever, at least 30 to 40 minutes. And when I got to the airport, they said i missed checkin by 5 minutes. Argh! Twice in one day! Rebooked my flight to the Quito airport and then a very early flight to san salvador via panama.

    Since my flight arrived at 9:30pm in quito and my departure was at 6am, i decided I would just sleep in the airport and be sure to not have any more flight issues. Found a nice comfy bench with a cushion and made it home for a number of hours.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    El Cuco

    July 21, 2022 in El Salvador ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Woke up on the airport bench around 3am surrounded by bolivians in their cute hats everywhere. My flight to panama was at 6am, so I was finally able to checkin. Had a 3.5 hour layover in Panama and sitting upright in an airport lounge chair was not cutting it, so I found a nice carpeted area in a corner to lie down for an hour or so. Soooo tired. Woke up and i started a trend with many others lying down nearby too.

    Finally arrived in San Salvador, picked up my rental car, and drove 2.5 hours to remote southwest coastal beach town El Cuco, passing by many huge volcanoes. Beautiful. The resort I booked was decent but in desperate need of a makeover. Hopped in the ocean for a bit and then drove to the tiny town area for some ceviche at a very rustic restaurant on the beach. This town is so sleepy that all the restaurants closed before 8 oclock and they kicked me out. On the short drive back to the resort, i stopped at a local outdoor cantina for a beer and in bed early... which was much needed.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Comayagua

    July 22, 2022 in Honduras ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Drove down the coast to check out some of el salvador's far reaches that are much less traveled. Reached El Jaguay point and got to a vantage point of being able to see the Gulf of Fonseca and its islands that belong to El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. Backtracked a bit and popped into Las Tunas which had a very unique setting of buildings on stilts on the beach and the tide creating a river between buildings and like the beach is inside to town. Hard to describe, will attach a vid.

    From here, headed to the Honduras border. Took me a very long time to get across this border. At the El Salvador exit office, i was told I needed to checkin online for honduras. I tried to do it but it didn't work and figured i would get there and sort it out at the honduras entry office.

    Then i got to a bridge and a border stop where i was given a link to another online form. Every time i submitted, I would get an error and all my info would get wiped out. I eventually did the whole thing in front of an official on my 4th attempt, and he witnessed it and gave me a piece of paper. Drove a bit further and entered a large building with a huge lineup to finally get my passport stamped. Whole thing took me 90 minutes but i admit if i knew the steps, it would have been a lot faster.

    Finally, in Honduras. Shockingly, it was a brand new 4 lane divided highway the entire drive to comayagua; which was a gorgeous drive high up in the mountains often with panoramic views all around. Arrived at my very cute downtown hotel and went off to see the town before it got dark. Very pretty colonial town in the mountains but unfortunately clouds blocked out the views.

    Grabbed some supper, and bounced around to a few different locations but was very quiet, especially for a friday. Went to a pretty beer garden and to a hotel owned craft beer place that was very ornate. Locals told me nothing really happens here until Saturday. Oh well, at least everyone was really nice and i get more much needed sleep :)    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonBrazil and Latin AmericaSean Plamondon

    Lake Yojoa - Day 1

    July 24, 2022 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Another dramatic drive through and over mountain tops to reach Lake Yojoa. Honduras is extremely mountainous and pretty. I had to circumnavigate the lake to reach my hotel, which is a jungle lodge and also a brewery/roastery. Rustic cabins in the jungle and cute outdoor eating areas and hammocks.

    Sampled some of their home brewed beers while waiting for my cabin to be ready and then rented a kayak in the nearby river and made my way to the lake. I thought i was paying for a guided kayak tour but the guy pushed me and my kayak in the river and waved goodbye to me haha. Took quite a while on the river before reaching the lake but worth the effort. Mountains surrounding the lake on all sides but also big dark clouds rolling in, so decided I better start paddling back soon. I found a small cantina on the lakeshore, so I paddled up and as i got out of the kayak, i slipped and fell into the lake with my phone in my pocket!! Uh oh.

    Then paddled back furiously to try to beat the storm. Got hit with some rain but ultimately just beat the storm because wow it rained a lot over several hours. Took a small nap and then to the restaurant area for food and beers. I was wearing a port alberni (British Columbia) brewery tshirt that i bought last october when i was there with friends, and a holland guy approached me because he was there in canada a month ago. Chatted a lot with him and his girlfriend. And i also met the general manager of the lodge and chatted with him for over an hour. Then finished the night hanging out with a really nice couple from honduras, carmine and juan carlos who kept filling my glass from their pitcher.

    As for my phone, i wasn't able to charge it because there was "moisture in the charging port" area - no kidding! I spent a few hours trying to get the water out and was getting concerned as my battery was getting low and i wouldn't have a way to communicate with the world or even navigate my way out of here haha. And the offline translator on my phone is invaluable to me. I took the fan in my room and put it up against my charging port... and thankfully 8 hours later, the moisture was gone. Phew!! The hotel GM also gave me a bag of rice for it but in the end, i didn't need it.    Read more

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