For the love of Petronio Alvarez…
Every August, the city of Cali celebrates the Pacific music festival (Petronio Alvarez Festival) for 5 days. Here, they bring in various musicians from all region of the Pacific coast of Colombia. Since I started visiting Colombia in 2009, I’ve always missed this magnificent festival but this year I made it!!!
The festival was all I expected it to be – great music and pure happiness. I’m glad I was there. Even the rain did not stop the dancing on the third day of the festival. To cap it up, I had the opportunity of meeting 2 of the 3 members of ChoquibTown – Colombia’s most celebrated Hip-Hop group.
Before making it to Cali, I went to San Agustin to see the archaeological site (since I’m an archaeological junkie) and Popayan. I was really disappointed with both San Agustin & Popayan. San Agustin is a very ugly town and the archaeological site was equally depressing. The only good thing was the hostel I stayed – Hotel . It was up in the mountain, had very hot water for shower, Wi-Fi, and it was very clean. For Popayan, I only enjoyed meeting up with my friend Rudy. We meet up with other friends of Rudy and we cooked – I made the Nigerian Fried Rice & she made a delicious coconut milk soup from the Pacific coast of Colombia.
After Cali, I went back to Bogota and briefly visited Santa Marta. Although I have traveled a lot in Colombia, most of my travels have been within the Pacific & Andean region of the country so it was great returning to the Caribbean coast. Santa Marta is what you expect of a Caribbean town – hot climate, beautiful beach, great food (especially sea food), not fast paced and beautiful people. I enjoyed Santa Martha but was happy to return to Bogota. Visited Taganga while in Santa Martha, again I was disappointed and didn’t get the hype of the place. Taganga is supposed to be the party beach town of the Caribbean coast.
If you ever find yourself in Colombia in the month of August – make sure to go to Cali for the Pacific Music Festival (Petronio Alvarez Festival). Search the internet for specific date as it changes every time. http://www.festivalpetronioalvarez.com/petronio/
Mate o Nada! (Mate or Nothing)
Uruguay was my last stop in the 6 weeks tour of South America. I wasn’t expecting too much here but was inspired by the lovely people of Uruguay. I took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonial, Uruguay. It was an hour ride; I used Colonial Express ferry service instead of the Busquebus ferry service. Colonial express was half the price of Busquebus. I spent about four hours exploring Colonial – it would be such a nice city in the summer. Then I took the 2.5hours bus to Montevideo.
Immediately, I fell in love with Montevideo. The city is not fancy or big like Buenos Aires but it is pretty in its own way. The people are much nicer as well. I stayed in a really great hostel – Impeccable Hostel- very close (2 blocks) to the Plaza independencia and the old city.
One thing you would notice in Uruguay is the love for Mate. Mate is a drink made from loose leaves. Everybody (well almost) had a flask of hot water and mate in their hands on the street of Montevideo.
I took my time exploring the city; I had 6 days here so I wasn’t in a rush. I also frequented local bars with some folks from Montevideo. One night we tried going salsa dancing but ended up in a techno club (I’m not a fan).
The coolest thing was I met two Nigerians on the street of Montevideo. I enjoy meeting Nigerians whenever I travel.
Buena ONDA (Good Vibes)
The 18 hours bus from Santiago, Chile to Cordoba, Argentina was pleasant. Cordoba is an okay city, you only need a day or two there if you are not into winter sports. I met two Chilean sisters and together we explored Cordoba. The most interesting museum I visited was the Women’s Museum. After two nights here and I left for Puerto Iguazú – the city that house the amazing waterfalls. The plan was to stay one night in Puerto Iguazú but that changed. The bus from Cordoba to Iguazú was 20.5 hours. This meant that I arrived in Iguazu at 8.30am the next morning. I dropped my bags at the hostel and went straight to the Iguazú waterfalls.
The waterfall is simply amazing. You really have to experience it. The pictures I took don’t quite capture this spectacular view. For reasons I don’t know, at the falls, a lot of folks asked to take a picture with me. I agreed and sometimes requested to use my camera as well. I explored the park for about 4 hours then decided to go see the Brazilian side of the falls. The Brazilian side is only 45 minutes away and the bus cost $2. However I couldn’t cross into Brazil because I didn’t have a visa – Sad. I went back to town, decided against staying the night and took the bus to Buenos Aires instead. The bus ride was almost 18 hours to Buenos Aires. At the end of the trip, I was TIRED – I stayed in bed (in Buenos Aires) for 1.5 days.
For me, I think Buenos Aires is an overrated city. Yes it’s huge and different neighborhoods offer different things but I failed to see the big deal about Buenos Aires. Yes they eat lots of steak so does people in Texas. In my opinion, you will find more delicious steak in Texas! My favorite neighborhoods in Buenos Aires are San Telmo and Downtown. San Telmo is the old city so there you will find old buildings and the likes. I’m obsessed with old cities! There was something about the Downtown area I loved.
I got the opportunity to see ‘Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo’ (The mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) in action. The mothers of the plaza began its activism during the ‘dirty war’ in Argentina where many people disappeared without a trace.
Another interesting thing I did was to hang out with a few Afro-Argentines and Afro-Uruguayan folks. A lot of us have been told that Argentina is the most European country in Latin America and that there are no Blacks or Indigenous persons. Well that is false!!!! There exist Afro-Argentines – that is descendants of the Africans that were brought to Argentina to be enslaved during the slavery period. The population of Afro-Argentines is not as large as that in Brazil or Colombia but they exist and also there are organizations that represent their interest. I visited one of the organizations –Movimiento Afro-Cultura.
I left Buenos Aires after 5 days for Uruguay.
The Battle of the Pisco!
I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama tired but eager to find out what Chile holds for me. The little town is different, there is something about it that I can’t pin point. The buildings are rusty looking; pictures cannot capture this town- you simply have to see it yourself. It is a very small town so it is possible to run into people you met while in Bolivia. That’s exactly what I happened to me, I ran into a few of the folks I met during my 3 days tour of the Salt Lake in Uyuni, Bolivia. It was great to see familiar faces, so we hung out for dinner and drinks before going our separate ways the next day.
The weather is okay in Atacama, during the day it’s sunny but pretty cold at night. Lots of tourist in town and everything is Expensive. It is advisable to have extra foreign currency (Dollars/Euros/Pounds) with you because there is a high probability the 2 ATMs in town might not work or run out of money. There are possibilities of all sorts of tours here – from sand boarding to star watching. You wouldn’t be bored in Atacama.
I did not do any of the tours, way too tired from the Salt Lake tour so I hung out for a day and left for Santiago.
The buses are so expensive in Chile; I paid $80 for my bus ride to Santiago. Santiago is nice but cold; it was an average of 12C/52F during the day and 7C/44F at night. The problem is that, there’s no heating so the hostel was freezing. Had just 2 days in Santiago, apart from the Plaza de armas, I visited the Mercado de Pescado (Fish Market) and Cerro San Cristóbal. The fish market also known as Mercado central have lots of restaurants that served a wide range of sea food. Shop around as some of the restaurants are overpriced. The Cerro San Cristóbal gives you a panoramic view of Santiago.
One thing I really disliked about Chile is the manners of some of their men. I know it is common in a lot of countries for men to pass comment to females walking on the street. In Santiago, I got a lot of comments like ‘Ven conmigo amor negrita’ (come with me black lover), hola morena guapa (hello pretty black girl), ay negra (hi black girl) & so on. Also, I got a lot of stares. Very uncomfortable!
Here there are 2 banks, but the ATM in one of the banks is out of service making this the only functioning one. There is always a long line. On this day, money ran out of the ATM. So be safe, have some dollars/euros/pounds/pesos with youI took the 16hours bus ride with Tur Bus to Cordoba, Argentina. Tur Bus is very professional and cool. They serve you food, I guess the USD$50 I paid was worth it. The ride to the border was very beautiful. Looking forward to Argentina, before this, I’ve met really cool folks from Argentina on the trip.
As for the title, apparently Peruvians and Chileans always argue on which countries invented the Pisco and who have the best Pisco. Pisco is an alcoholic drink typical in Peru and Chile. I’ve tried both the Pisco from Peru and that from Chile. If you ask me who have the best Pisco, I’ll happily say PERU!!!!!!! Well whenever you are in Peru and/or Chile, make sure to try Pisco or Pisco Sour
Illegal in Bolivia
Bolivia is cheaper than Peru. Taxis are also cheap – about 10-15 Boliviano (USD$1 = 6.7Bolivano) for a 20-30minutes ride. Copacabana was my first stop in the country, much nicer than Puno in Peru. I did the half a day tour of sun Island. This island is so beautiful; hiking up the island was not easy. Some old guy I met on the boat happily gave me the tour of the Island. He explained the difference between the Sun Temple and the Palacio de Inca. The former is a spiritual journey while the later is physical structure with great significant for the Incas. The food in Copacabana is not so great.
La Paz was fun. I stayed with a couchsurfer in Miraflores part of town. I went winter shopping in La Paz in a market called La Feria del Alto. I needed winter clothing for my upcoming visit to Salar de Uyuni (Salt Lake). I got a winter jacket, thermal base layers (top & bottom), sweater, leg warmer, winter hat & pants and socks 200Bolivaros (USD$30)– cheap, right? And the winter jacket is Ralph Lauren.
I left La Paz after 2 days for an Afro-Boliviano town in the Yungas region. The town is called Tocaña – about 3hours from La Paz. To get there, you have to go through the ‘Death Road’; it is called this because it has the highest number of death (caused by accidents) in the world. Well I made it up and down the death road. The road to this village is not paved. The houses are sparely located on the steep hill and there’s abundant of forests in between houses. I had fun in Tocaña, the people in the community were very pleasant.
The tour was amazing. I had a great group (there are 6 people in the group) and we had fun. The weather was freezing – sometimes below 0 with no heating. On the first day, we visited the train wreck, the salar and isla pescador (fish island). By the way, it wasn’t an island nor did it have any fish.
On the second day, we visited some volcanoes and 3 lagoons. It was warm during the day but extra freezing as soon as the sun went down. The hotel we placed in was very basic compared to the first night. On the first night, we placed at this really cute place made from salt. There was no floor made of cement, instead the floor was salt. All six folks from your group stayed in the same room. On the third day, we went to a thermal springs – a pond of very hot water in the middle of a very cold place. Amazing but I did not dare go into the hot springs because of the freezing weather one would experience as soon as you come out from the hot springs. After this, I changed jeep so I could transfer to Chile.
Things you need for the 2 or 3 or 4 days tour of Salar de Uyuni:
Very warm clothing – wool everything: socks, hat, sweater, thermal base layers, a real winter jacket, wet wipes (it is almost impossible to take a shower, so you need this), toilet paper (bring your, the hotel/hostel never have one), enough cash (there is no ATM or Casa de cambio) and medicine for attitude sickness – the elevation go up to 5800. I paid 800Bolivianos but I met others than paid 580Bolivaros, so give yourself a few hours or even a day to shop around for a good price – there are 80 tour agencies in Uyuni.
Pisco and Chifa
Since Machu Pichu had been on my bucket list for a very long time, it comes as no surprise that I put Peru on my itinerary this summer.
Lima was my first stop and I loved every minute of it. I originally planned on staying for 3 days but ended up staying for 6 days and even then I was hesitant to leave. Something about big cities just makes me happy. In Lima, I stayed with two different couchsurfers – both were pleasant experiences.
One of the things that made my stay in Lima amazing was the varieties of Afro-Peruvian activities. June is the month of Afro-Peruvian heritage in Peru. So I attended various events organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Afro-Peruvian museum. There I met amazing folks from feminists to poets to actors to intellectuals and activists. At the event was a girl I met 4 years ago in Guatemala. We met at a park, went for drinks and said good-byes. We didn’t exchange information so there was no way to keep in touch. So it was a pleasant surprise to see her at the National Museum in Lima. This time, we exchanged contact information.
While I was in Lima, there was an earthquake – nothing devastating. I woke up confused, first I thought the washing machine was in use (washing machine in LA has this strong vibrating effect) but then the trembling was way too strong. Anyways that made it my first earthquake.
After Lima, I went to Chincha Alta. Chincha is an Afro-Peruvian town about 3.5 hours from Lima. The weather was nicer there a
nd the family I stayed with was awesome. The Ballumbrosio family is very famous in Peru – they are Zapateros dancers. The zapateros dancing I was told has roots in the Bantu ethnic group of Congo. I also visited the Hacienda San Jose – I was slightly depressed after my visit. Slaves worked at the hacienda during the slavery era. It wasn’t until a slave rebellion broke out that the slaves were able to free themselves. I was showed the basement of the hacienda where slaves were punished to death and the various instruments that were used to torture the slaves. I left the hacienda with a very bitter taste in my mouth.
individual room is decent, breakfast is included in the price and the customer service was great.My last stop in Peru was in Puno – one of the ugliest cities I’ve ever been to. I think you will be better off at one of the islands. I stayed only one night and crossed the border to Bolivia the next morning. The border crossing was one of the most interesting events I’ve ever experienced. I’ll tell you more about the experience on my next blog on Bolivia.
As for the title of the blog, Pisco is the national drink – I loved the Pisco sour . Chifa is what they call Chinese food and chifa was everywhere. So when next you find yourself in Peru, make sure to try Pisco Sour and eat some chifa.
Adios until next time.
Puerto Rico: Delicious Street Food and Amazing Architecture
Like everyone else, I imagined PR to be just like the US (whatever that means). I’ve been told by folks who have been to PR that PR is very modern and at the same time underdeveloped.Well this is my opinion of San Juan, PR. To a certain extent, it can be compared to Miami. However, to me it is very comparable to any Caribbean country or the Caribbean coast of any Latin American country. Comparable in terms of the developed infrastructure in place for tourists, the vibe, the old town/colonial zone and so on.
I stayed in the Old San Juan and I loved it. I am easily charmed by Old towns/Colonial zones. The architecture is amazing, people watching, shopping, good food, insightful museums and local attractions were all worthwhile.
The architecture of the walls-castle-morro surrounding old San Juan is the most impressive I’ve seen so far. The ones in Cartegena, Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Santo Domingo, Nassau is nothing compared to that of Old San Juan. It is breathtaking – I walked along the walls, the castle and morro 3 times. That’s a lot given that I was in PR for only 4 days.
The food was delicious as well – Mofongo is the typical food here. Mofongo is made from ripe plantain and your choice of chicken, meat or pork. I had another delicious food made from ripe plantain (I don’t remember the name now) in Piñones. Piñones is outside San Juan and the place is famous for the best street food.
I couchsurfed and met up with another couchsurfer. My host was cool and the girl I met up with was pretty cool as well. I think I’m in love with couchsurf – I’ve met really awesome people through this. Another thing that made my trip remarkable was meeting up with a group of amazing folks. Three of them are originally from Liberia and one originally from Jamaica but they all live in the US now. I hung out with them and I had a blast. Plus the Jamaican and one of the Liberian can cook :), I know this because both cooked and the food was GOOD!.
DR: You just look like you are from here!
The Dominican Republic was awesome. I was in Santo Domingo mostly but took a day trip to Santiago de los Caballeros. Santiago de los Caballeros is about 2.5hrs by bus from Santo Domingo and the city is very rich in Arts and Culture. I visited lots of Arts Exhibitions.
In Santo Domingo, I stayed 10mins walking distance from the zona colonial and again I enjoyed being close to the colonial zone. My host was great and I felt like a part of the family. I didn’t do lots of touristy stuff here; I just hung out with the locals and immersed myself in the culture.
This meant that I attended classes with my host at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD), I took the guagua (public transport) and went to a local discoteca.
One of the highlights from this trip was people’s perception of me. A lot of people thought I was Haitian and others thought I was from the Dominican Republic. Below is a glimpse of conversation directed to me on a daily…
On the streets of Santo Domingo:
Man: speaking to me in Haitian Creole
Me: looking dumb because I don’t understand
Man: (in Spanish), why are you pretending you are not Haitian. You should be proud of your country
Me: am not Haitian, Am from NIGERIA.
Man: stop lying! You look like my sister, how can you be from Africa?
Me: hmm am not lying. Am really not from Haiti
————-I was introduced to some groups of kids as a visitor in the country
School girl: How can you be visiting your own country? Oh, you are one of those Dominicans that live in NY who thinks they are Americans?
Me: but am not from here, am from Nigeria.
School girl: I don’t believe you. You just look like you are from here. Look at the way you are dressed, just like you are from here.
………………..This type of experience was an everyday occurrence.
Another highlight was meeting up with a Nigerian in Santo Domingo 🙂
Brazillllllllll!
Hmm I’m not going to write much but you should be aware that this country is slightly overrated. First, the drop dead gorgeous people you are expecting to see probably don’t exist. Don’t get me wrong, you will find gorgeous folks in Brazil but the beauty is comparable to that of the US or Colombia. I walked off the plane assuming 99% of Brazilians are drop dead gorgeous and it took me a week to get over this shock. One thing though is that the Portuguese language is charming (yes more charming than Spanish).
I only visited Rio de Janeiro and Salvador (Bahia). Both places are ok. The only crazy thing I did on this trip is to take a 31 hours bus ride from Rio to Salvador. I’ll never repeat that again.
I spent New Year’s Eve in Salvador and yes we went to the beach to watch the fireworks. I attended lots of live shows, the best is the one by Magary Lord. The Pelourinho (the city center) always have something going on. I really like Salvador, maybe because of the awesome folks I met and hung out with. Plus I met Nigerians :). I visited the Nigerian Cultural house, and the representative made me my favorite Nigerian food :). Salvador is said to have the largest population of African-descendants outside of Africa. Here, the Afro-Brazilian culture and religion is very strong. Salvador is ore enjoyable for short stays because there is only so much you can do for entertainment here.
After 2 weeks in Salvador, I left for Rio. In Rio, I did most of the touristy stuff – Lapa, Pao de Azucar, Ipanema beach, the stairs where Snoop and Pharell shot the video of “beautiful”. The only thing I didn’t do was go to the Christ statue. One of the most fun things I did in Rio was Funky dancing. Funky dancing is similar to Reggeaton, Dancehall, Whining or Grinding dancing.
The Lay-Over Country
Since I always fly Copa Airlines when travelling in the Americas, I always have to connect flight in Panama. Sometimes it’s just an hour in transit and other times it’s a day. Panama is a beautiful country, apart from time spent here in transit; I have visited this precious country three times in the past.
Well, when next you find yourself in transit in Panama and you have a few hours before your next flight, there are several sites to check out in Panama City. The Panama Canal is one; there is Albrook mall (a bit far from the airport); Metro mall (very close to the airport and there is a free round-trip shuttle from the airport); the Afro-Antillano museum (interesting place to learn about the Afro culture in Panama, cost $1, address is Calle 24 Este y Avenida Justo Arosemena); and Casco Viejo.
FYI, do you know the Tocumen International Airport has a church, I think it is new because I did not notice it before
The Adventures of a Nigerian-American 