A Week in a Poem

While we regret to leave out the intricate details of our journey south, a briefer summary of our last few days in Brazil and our entire Uruguayan experience is necessary for us catch up to real time. So, a poem...

Limehouse hostel in Sao Paulo,
With a book exchange and a kitchen.
Near a grocery store and a bakery,
Our first real hostel stay was bitchin`.

We made mango shrimp with lots of garlic.
And breakfast was at Liberdade,
A Japonese street market.
But we were early, it was sad.

Vila Madalina´s a snazzy neighborhood,
With beer shops, parks, and a graffiti alley.
Our bar was closed and it started to rain,
But after a brief rest it was time to rally.

Meet a Belgian while cooking dinner,
Then to a bar for some ´craft´ beers.
Though, the (poor) quality and price we paid
Almost brought us tears.

Back to the hostel to grab our bags.
Rush to the metro to get to the bus station.
Play cards with some locals while we´re waiting.
Their good moods prevent a language barrier frustration.

Get to Curitiba at 5 in the morning,
Find a hotel and go to bed.
Wake up, free breakfast, and we wander the streets,
But things are all closed, it´s like the town is dead.

Public park with a zoo,
A used book store,
And dinner´s a giant pizza
Because it was the only open door

Wake up, pack, and try to leave.
We gave our smelly clothes to hotel receptionist
To wash and dry
But it takes so long our bus is almost missed.

We reach Port Alegre at 11 at night.
Acacia gets mistaken for a hooker
Goofey hats, a kilo of honey.
Shotgun beers with more than one on-looker.

All you can eat buffet full of vegies.
Visit a gaucho museum full of art.
Goodbye Brazil,
You were our start.

Border town of Chuy at 3am.
Lost exit card, but it was ok.
Supposed to be fined and held,
But waved into Uruguay.

Jump off bus at immigration,
To grab a new one for Punta del Diablo.
Sitting on cinder blocks at 5 in the morning,
Our moods were low.

Shuttle to a campground.
Pitch a tent and we´re out before first light.
We had no pesos
To pay for food or a campsite.

Only atm in town is broken,
So hitch a ride back to border
To change currencies
And get things in order.

Half-meter pizza for lunch
Then a ride back to Diablo.
John concocts mango shrimp for dinner
We eat by our headlamps´ glow.

John lost the sunscreen and demands a trip to town
With the sun directly above our head
Highest point in Uruguay is a no go
Acacia looks lobster red.

Everyone´s just BBQing on the grill
So John buys a hunk of beef at the store.
Acacia makes a SOUP to cure her cold.
Cooking over an open flame, dinner isn´t a bore

Bus to Montevideo and arrive hungry
Everything´s closed so pricey pizza for dinner
Montevideo Carnaval closures made it lacking
Cards and wine, after bad beers the winner.

John loses money at the casino
Plans fell through, one after the other
But we finally got our empanadas with dulce de leche
Bus/ferry tickets led to a smooth departure.

Confused arrival in Buenos Aires leads to a taxi.
Hostel´s are packed but we get lucky.
Some wandering and homemade pasta for cheap
Makes us happy.

We trek for good beer,
But its way too crowded
Cemetery, and biking in the rain.
We visit two breweries, its not regretted.

It´s 1 in the morning and we´re drunk
But we´re poets
This beer is good
And we didn´t know it.


Cheers folks!