Cupcakes in South America

I was surprised to find that the “cupcake craze” had indeed filtered its way from New York City, all the way down to a small little beach town, La Barra, in Punta del Este, Uruguay. My fascination with cupcakes was re-ignited last year as I read through beautiful blogs proclaiming their love of cupcakes, with images of the cutest cupcake shops. At the time, I was still living in Amsterdam, and was seriously having a hard time finding a cupcake shop. One day I came upon a teensy American bakery, which I raved about here, and satisfied my cupcake craving while in Amsterdam. To this day, “Cupcakes in Amsterdam” is still the number one phrase that people find my site by, via Google.

Needless to say I was delighted when we discovered Muma’s Cupcakes in Uruguay. Gabriel was such a sweetheart and completely spoiled me with a yummy carrot cake cupcake (my favourite) and overpriced cappuccino. He made me laugh as we sipped the coffee and marvelled at how this uniquely American craze had been brought to Uruguay. Such a great boyfriend I have, who will indulge me as I rant and rave about how cute, beautifully decorated, and adorable I thought Muma’s was.

The woman behind the counter, who seemed like the owner, was extremely helpful and willing to speak English. She had visited New York and was inspired by the beautiful bakeries she found. I smiled when a customer was having difficulty understanding the difference between large muffins and the pretty cupcakes…I guess its easier to just find out via taste than try to explain?

Have you ever wondered…

…about some of the bloggers you read about? From time to time I seem to find myself wondering about a certain blogger’s favourite place to travel to, their life, or what inspires them. On a few of my favourite blogs, bloggers have posted Question and Answer posts, which I always find entertaining and fun to read. I’d like to do that here on Life Abroad this week, seeing as it might be a nice interruption from the overflow of South America-inspired posts.

I receive a lot of e-mail regarding living in Amsterdam, what resources to scout out before living abroad, and how to go about making a big move. From the best restaurant recommendations to more personal questions, I have enjoyed responding to each and every question I’ve received. So this is your opportunity to ask away, and learn a little bit more about my life (both abroad and here in Canada), if you’re interested!

 

Feel free to leave a question in the comments section, or send one over to life.abroad@yahoo.com!

Beach Living in Punta del Este

To me, Punta del Este, Uruguay, was always a magical place where Gabriel spent his childhood summers. Like a fairytale, I would listen enraptured as he told stories of giant hand sculptures, long stretches of sandy beaches, beautiful summer cottages, and bustling streets. To South America, Punta del Este is the retreat of Argentina’s elite. The Hamptons of South America. It was our first location that we talked about when planning our vacation, and funnily enough, was the hardest place to secure lodging.

We rented a car and drove from Montevideo to Punta del Este. Armed with a vague map, we simply followed the coast east and were well-guided by street signs. The drive was beautiful, and we took lots of exciting mini side-trips along the way.

Two of the four days we were in Punta it rained. Poured. The malls were packed, and the line-up to the movie theater was enormous. We spent our time in Punta eating wonderful breakfasts under an umbrella in our hotel’s courtyard, wandering along Av. Gorlero (the main shopping/eating street), lounging on the beach, and sipping daiquiris by the hotel pool.

After a diet consisting of mostly ham, cheese, eggs, and beef, I was desperate to arrive in Punta where I knew there would be a larger selection. We dined at Lo de Tere, one of Punta’s top restaurants. With an exclusive guest-list and long waiting lines, we were lucky to score a wonderful table. Gabriel tried their famous black seafood pasta, while I tried the “Robert Redford” (some of their dishes have fun celebrity names, like “Brad Pitt”). We also ate mollejas, a delicious type of meat that Gabriel has always raved about. Served with a citrus flavour, they were excellent at Lo de Tere. It was only once we returned home and I Googled mollejas, did I realize that they were actually the thyroid glands of young cows. Lovely.

We also enjoyed a yummy sushi feast at Miro. It was so nice to enjoy international cuisine at some interesting restaurants in Punta. Plus, it was fun to watch the highly plastic-surgery enhanced women trotting around with elderly men.

In front of Punta’s famous hand sculpture

Tales from the Crypts: Recoleta Cemetery

While in Buenos Aires, Gabriel and I walked from our hotel on Ave. 9 de Julio (an incredibly large, 18-lane highway!) to the barrio (neighbourhood) of Recoleta.

Recoleta is considered by most to be the posh, luxurious barrio. Featuring stores like Louis Vuitton, Recoleta boasts wonderful restaurants, shopping, and opulent hotels. Our time in Recoleta was spent somewhat differently, however. We walked to the famous Cementerio de la Recoleta, the city’s most prestigious address.

Walking through the cemetery is like a history lesson in the power and prestige of Buenos Aires’ elite. Beautiful, large crypts, adorned with sculptures and intricate wrought-iron gates are packed into this expensive piece of real estate. The mausoleums are so grand, and so ornate, that we were instantly fascinated with looking at each and every one.

From crumbling relics from the 1930s, to sparkling black stone creations from just a year ago, Cementerio de la Recoleta hosts every type of crypt you could imagine. I was absolutely enthralled with the rooftops of the crypts, and with the fact that so many of these tombs were now falling into serious disrepair. According to my trusty guidebook, the economic crash of 2001 caused many families to be unable to maintain their family crypts/mausoleums. Walking through the cemetery you will see glass doors smashed in, vines twirling their way up iron gates, coffins smashed open, and facades crumbling. Disturbing, spooky, and tragic.

After seeing Eva Peron’s resting place, in the Familia Duarte tomb, we toured the cemetery a bit more before leaving. Upon exiting we noticed signs boasting the Argentine government’s recent renovation and restoration project. Noticing the importance and historical significance of these crypts, they have now begun to restore them to their original splendour, which I think is incredibly important.

Cementerio de la Recoleta is open everyday from 8am until 6pm, and the entrance is free. Beware of “charities” asking for donations at the front gate. While some may be legit, others definitely were not, and we saw countless tourists being easily duped by their pleas. Nonetheless, Recoleta was the highlight of our time in Buenos Aires, and was a completely awe-inspiring way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

The highlight of the trip for me was our four-day excursion to Iguazu Falls, in the Misiones province of northern Argentina. On our first full day in Puerto Iguazu, we took a taxi into the National Park. We arranged for our taxi driver to pick us up six hours later, which he told us would be sufficient time to explore the entire park. We set off through the park, politely declining any invitations for private tours or planned excursions. While many people were taking part in these activities, we wanted the freedom to explore the park at our own leisure.

The small train that took us around the park

Our first stop was the small train station which would take us out to see Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), a large powerful waterfall. While on the small train, it began to rain, and we started to feel like we were really in a subtropical rainforest. After disembarking from the train, we stopped at a small restaurant/shop in the park to enjoy some empanadas (pastries filled with meat).

“Stay on the trail and beware of snakes!”

Walking out to the Devil’s Throat

Then it was on to the Devil’s Throat. We walked out to the waterfall on narrow metal bridges, suspended over islands and various rivers. While it was pouring rain, we kept our eyes peeled for any signs of wildlife. At one point I heard a German family pointing and marvelling at something they saw in a nearby tree. Stopping to look, we saw an enormous black toucan with the most colourful beak. It looked like plastic, and definitely stuck out amongst the rest of the green vegetation.


Continuing on our walk we saw hundreds of beautiful butterflies. In every size and colour imaginable, butterflies would flit between us as we carefully walked closer to the falls. They seemed to really like my bright orange raincoat, and kept landing on me and coming along for the walk!

One of the many butterflies attached to me!

When we reached Garganta del Diablo, the noise was overwhelming. We had heard that Iguazu was experiencing higher than normal levels of water, and that the volume of water pouring over the falls was the highest it had been in many years.

Garganta del Diablo

As we inched closer to the edge of the barricade, I began to think how, if this were in North America, that we would never be allowed to get this close to the mouth of the waterfall. No more than 5 feet away, the falls opened up into the river below. It was our first sight of the falls (besides on the airplane when we passed over it!), and was absolutely incredible.

 

 



We spent the rest of the day exploring the Superior and Inferior circuits of the other waterfalls. The rain stopped, and we were able to explore the entire park without any mosquitoes or harsh sunlight (thanks to the abundance of insects and birds, and the thick canopy).

Can you see the cayman in the photo above? And the camoflauged lizard below?

Brightly coloured birds, small lizards, and coatis (large racoon-like animals that loved to scavenge for food) were everywhere. Around each turn of the well-maintained paths, we found narrow, wide, small, large, short, and long waterfalls. The amount of waterfalls was incredible!

A fearless coati scouring the park for food

We were also amazed at the amount of plant species. It seemed that as we worked our way through the park, we consistently saw new and beautiful plants, vines, and trees. For lunch we stopped at a buffet restaurant inside the park. Although I am not a fan of buffets, it was actually pretty decent, and served all of the traditional Argentine fare, including a parrillada.

Six hours later, we were tired and ready to find our taxi. On the way out of the park we stopped at a series of make-shift shops set up by local people. I bought a wooden carving of a large coati, which now sits proudly atop my bookshelf; a reminder of our magical trip to Iguazu Falls.



If you ever get the chance to visit Iguazu Falls, you absolutely must! We hadn’t originally planned on including it into our itinerary, as it is a little bit out of the way. However, a short 1.5 hour plane ride with Aerolineas Argentinas brought us right into the vicinity, and as mentioned in my previous post, the accommodations were outstanding. What started as a last-minute add-in to the trip, eventually turned out the be the most exciting part of all!

Tales from the Jungle Lodge

One of my absolute favourite parts of our trip to South America was our stay at La Aldea de la Selva, a lodge and spa in Misiones, Argentina. Set at the northern border where Argentina meets Paraguay and Brazil, Misiones is home to Iguazu Falls. La Aldea de la Selva (Village in the Jungle) is an international accommodation, in a rustic setting, and for affordable prices. Not heavily advertised, it was difficult to stumble upon the lodge during my search for suitable accommodations near Iguazu Falls. I had wanted something that wasn’t a standard hotel, yet had to fit into our criteria: clean, good location, friendly service. La Aldea de la Selva exceeded all of our expectations, on all of these aspects.

When we arrived at the Cataratas airport, we were greeted by a driver who took us and another couple on the short 20 minute drive to the lodge. Although the airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, had lost Gabriel’s baggage, we were assured that it would arrive later that night. When we pulled onto a bright red dirt road, we began to realize that we wouldn’t be staying at a typical hotel. Gabriel was a bit uneasy about the whole “jungle lodge” experience, but was instantly put at ease when we rolled up to the front entrance. La Aldea de la Selva is completely built out of bamboo, wood, and old brick. Tastefully decorated in terracotta and green (the colours of the area), it was everything we had hoped for…and more.

The quiet concierge led us out of the lobby and onto a wooden path, leading through the jungle. All around us the sounds of insects and birds chirped. You know when you walk into a Rainforest Cafe, and the sound of the “jungle” is overwhelmingly loud? Well, that was what our walk to the cabin sounded like! Our cabin was called Macuco, and was absolutely beautiful, clean, airy, and well-equipped. We had all the modern necessities, such as a flat-screen TV and air conditioner, yet with special touches that made us feel like we were truly someplace exotic. Our balcony was equipped with a comfy hammock, and a lazy outdoor wooden ceiling fan let us spend some time out in the humid jungle.

What really set the experience apart for me was the level of service we received at the lodge. There were only a handful of cabins, and the same staff was present during our entire stay. If we wanted a delicious poolside hamburger and caipirinha, it would be delivered on a teak tray to us. If after a long day of trekking through the jungle we requested some mate (a traditional Argentinian/Uruguay herbal drink), it would arrive at our room.

The high quality service and facilities were great, but could be found anywhere in the world. What made the entire experience unique, was the setting in which it occurred. Lush, abundant rainforest surrounded us. At 3:00pm we were serenaded by the loudest, most incredible-sounding insects I have ever heard. Butterflies the size of both of your hands would flit around us as we strolled the wooden walkways. Opportunities to try a jungle zip-line (although we didn’t have time to do it!) were offered, and nightly parrillada (Argentinian barbecues) were held. One evening we were even entertained by a beautiful sounding Brazilian singer, and treated to traditional foods from the Misiones indigenous population.

La Aldea de la Selva made our stay in Misiones absolutely the most relaxing, exotic, and fascinating experience of the trip. It gave us a quiet and comfortable respite to return to after our daily excursions, and provided the excellence in service that any world-class boutique hotel would.

Home from South America

I’m back from our trip to Argentina and Uruguay! Two weeks ago, I left Canada at the exact time that Gabriel left the Netherlands. Flying across time zones, countries, and oceans, we met up at the customs lines in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Romantic, no? The next 14 days were spent discovering the historic streets of Buenos Aires, marvelling at the majestic beauty of Iguazu Falls, flying from city to city (10 flights in 14 days! woohoo new record for us!), recapturing Gabriel’s childhood in Montevideo, living the high life in Punta del Este, and returning for time with family in Buenos Aires.

Eye-opening. That’s the word I’ve been using to describe my experiences in Argentina and Uruguay. Others include: Shocking. Cultural. Relaxing. Breathtaking. Astonishing. Heart-breaking. Beautiful.

I have so much to share with you all. From the little things that amused me, shocked me, and generally made an impression on me, to recommendations on where to go, what to see, where to eat, and how to make it through a whirlwind travel experience, I am so excited to have new material to post on the blog!

Please join me on this new travel chronicle series of Argentina and Uruguay!