Category: Daily Notes

- TRAVEL DIARY3 South AmericaArgentinaDaily Notes

Gradual changes @Gualeguaychú, Argentina, August 6, 2018

I came back to Argentina. Two months ago, I was in Northern Argentina, but I was mostly driving to get to Paraguay. So I came back to get to see the country better – this huge country seemed to deserve it. I’ll travel Argentina for as much as possible before I conclude the South American leg of the travel in Montevideo at the end of this month. In the morning, my destination for the day was Rosario, but by the time I left the Uruguayan/Argentinian customs,...
- TRAVEL DIARY3 South AmericaDaily NotesUruguay

la mano, punta del este, Uruguay, August 2, 2018

Uruguay is much smaller than its neighboring countries. And it’s sweet to be reminded that I can get to almost anywhere in the country within a couple hours of driving. And the roads are, to quote wikitravel, boringly straight and flat. I’ll have to spend more time in Uruguay at the end of this month when I ship my vehicle to Europe. So for now, I’m mostly “passing by” the country at a comfortable speed. But I stopped by “punta del este” to see the sculpture...
- TRAVEL DIARYBrazilDaily Notes

Botanical Garden, Curitiba, Brazil, July 19, 2018

Curitiba is another city in Brazil that I’ve been hearing about for many years. The first time was when I was living in Paraguay a decade ago and I heard about how well organized and livable the city was. The second time was when I was working in Washington D.C. and Curitiba was frequently cited colleagues as a success case of a sustainable urban planning. The night I arrived in Curitiba from Sao Paulo, I immediately noticed that the place was “different”. Streets and roads were...
3 South AmericaBrazilDaily NotesMoments Together (Friends)

Giovani (Brazil) @Old West Restaurant, Curitiba, Brazil July 18, 2018

I ran into Giovani in a corridor as I was checking in to an airbnb in Curitiba. It was brief but the initial connection with a lot of curiosity led us to get to know each other better the following day. Other than his intriguing current work, helping others become better Youtubers, his unique stories of dealing with life’s challenges helped us connect stronger. Serendipities are always enjoyable, and I am happy to make this one more special by visiting his town next week. Giovani (Brazil)...
- TRAVEL DIARYBrazilDaily Notes

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 13, 2018

For many years, I’ve heard a handful of scary stories of violence in Rio de Janeiro. A month ago, when I heard about an unfortunate anecdote directly from a friend, I wondered whether it was worthwhile to visit the city in the first place, against all the risks. In general, I believe that the level of insecurity of a place tends to be exaggerated among travelers, but Rio seemed like a definite red flag. In the end, I spent one whole week in Rio and now...
- TRAVEL DIARY3 South AmericaBrazilDaily Notes

Iguazu Falls, Foz do Iguacu, Brasil, July 4, 2018

The Iguazu falls is shared by two countries: Brazil and Argentina. I visited the Brazilian side in 2009, about a month before my service finished in Paraguay. Naturally, the ‘common sense’ decision would be to check out the Argentinian side this time. But in the last couple weeks, one thing led to another and at the end I chose to visit the Brazilian side again and skip the Argentinian side. I don’t intend to explain in detail the reason but as it always has been, travels...
3 South AmericaBrazilDaily NotesMoments Together (Friends)

Brett – Natalia, Restaurante Tirol, Foz do iguacu, Brasil, July 3, 2018

Reuniting with Brett with my Paraguayan friend Natalia. Brett and I first met in Panama. We found out that we had started our trips almost at the same time, we are almost the same years old, and we have many similarities in personalities. He’s been my remote travel buddy with whom I could share the ups and downs of my emotions. We’ve met in six countries so far. This might be the last time since he’s going back to the US and I’m headed to Europe....