Jackie Steves is guest-hosting her Dad’s blog with 17 posts in 17 days. Follow the adventures of Andy and Jackie Steves as they ‘ the first Steves to venture into South America ‘ report on their experience.
We were five and six of six packed into a five-person car when we got picked up from our hostel the next morning. One was the driver, a middle-aged man with kind eyes. Two was a soft-spoken Asian-American from San Diego. Three and four were lively, talkative, 19-year-old British girls. Soon they revealed themselves to be the crazy hooligans they were. One of them mentioned getting a split lip when she instigated a fight with a cab driver she disagreed with. She proceeded to break off his windshield to whack him with it, and while her friends wrestled with him, she went to grab the key from the ignition. The driver surrendered the argument. One of their other stories showed another reason they weren’t to be messed with: When a few guys pissed them and their friends off, they got them kicked out of the hostel. Then they called around to other hostels so the guys were barred from most places in the city and had to sleep on the street.
Without asking the driver, one of them turned on the radio to blasting volume. At a rest stop they immediately started chain-smoking and drinking beers. It was only noon. One of them wore high heels, Daisy Duke jean shorts, an absurd wide-brimmed sun hat, and a tank top hanging so low her nipple peeked out on occasion. They had Andy and I nonstop laughing as they talked about their travels and their schemes on how to swindle money from their parents to extend their trips. They provided entertainment the rest of the car ride, singing and dancing along to popular music. I almost envied them with the insane stories they told so casually like it was nothing. While they both looked like they could use a good shampoo, teeth cleaning, and facial, they certainly had style with panache.
We transferred to a boat to be ferried over to Ilha Grande, pure underdeveloped paradise. Yellow-sand beaches, rustic Pirates-of-the-Caribbean ambience, people lazing away in hammocks, a harbor speckled with small weathered sailboats, absolutely no cars, and nothing more than a dirt trail stringing the town together. It didn’t bother us that our six-bed dorm room was dingy and crammed because maximum time would be spent in the sun.
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Do you see what I am saying? Enlarge photo |
Andy and I followed the dirt path and the sandy shore into town. Restaurant owners were wheeling their food supplies back with them from the small grocery. It was the kind of small town where nightlife was going out on a stroll and bumping into all your friends. We had our own happy hour with French fries and caipirinhas, the typical cocktail of Brazil, consisting of a rum-like liquor, sugar, and lots of lime.
Andy remarked, “This is where I would honeymoon.” I seconded that. It surprised us that big developers had not yet commercialized and overdeveloped this haven. We were grateful its more natural, virgin magic was protected and intact.
Our dinner was all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbeque back at the hostel’s restaurant. The hostel’s youthful employees sang behind the bar while they cut bread, sliced tomatoes, and grilled chicken.
The hotel’s surroundings again had that rusty, jungley Pirates-of-the-Caribbean feel. So did one of the male employees, who looked like he could be straight out of the movie with a big, crooked smile, nearly black skin, long messy dreads, and a rum-drunk laugh.
We all sat at long wooden tables with chill Jack Johnson playing over the speakers. I met a sweet Swedish girl who met her Aussie boyfriend on the road a month ago and had been traveling with him ever since. We met a British Tweedledee, Ian, and his Italian Tweedledumb, Paolo, whose grins and jokes kept us laughing all through dinner.
Not long after the people had cleaned their plates of food, we all started making our way to the dance floor. Jack Johnson was replaced by the rave techno music they love so much down here. Some local Brazilians drifted in. Dance dynamics turned crazy so that even the shier backpackers broke out of their shells. Dance-offs and this one Brazilian goofball swinging from the ceiling beams all made for a wild, fun dance party.
Much as I might want to admire Jackie and Andy, in spite of bad grammar, (“they had Andy and I non-stop laughing”), this is the Rick Steves` Europe website and I don`t care about the young people`s adventures in South America. If this must be published, can you make it a sidebar and return to Rick`s thoughts and impressions about Europe? Am I the only one who doesn`t buy into “cute?”
I find Jackie`s blog a refreshing change from her dad`s thoughts. Jackie presents a new generation of travelers and I`m glad to read there are others out there who compete with the “ugly Americans”. We now have a cariature of the young British 20 something. Rick and company may be experiementing with expanding their successful business.
I aplaud Jackie and Andy`s adventures in South America. As viewed from the backpacker`s level it shows the non-tourista version and real life experiences younger and more risk taking travelers may experience. Parents may cringe…but remember the baby boomers did wild and crazy things too and survived to become grandparents.
Each to his own of course. Science has proven that the lobe of the brain which includes judgment is not fully developed until about age 25. And just as you can`t predict the ultimate outcome when you permit an inexperienced person behind the wheel of your car, you never know what you are going to get when you give a very young person free rein to your blog. Jackie`s blog doesn`t say much for her generation but it`s basically harmless – except perhaps to tourism in Uruguay and Rio.
No one is forcing you to read it!
Ah, but my complete devotion to Rick Steves does force me to read his children`s blogs whether I want to or not. My point is that this is the Rick Steves` Europe website and I don`t think South America fits in here, ok?
Like really, can`t anybody tell Rick and Jackie what they think? Like, hasn`t anybody heard of the loyal opposition? Makes you wonder if there is a Steves` fan club like Lindsey Lohan`s. Doesn`t matter what they do, what they say, how moronic they might seem to be from time to time – they are OUR morons.
Jackie, I think that you are going to be a writer. Really I shouldn`t be interested in the topic…but I am hooked. I check every afternoon! As for the complainers – each day that Rick is off the air might be one less visitor to the Cinque Terre!!! More room on the paths from village to village! (for my American readers, that is supposed to be a joke!).
I find Jackie`s descriptions to very vivid. She`s not as polished a writer as her Dad, but give her time. This is a nice change of pace. If you`re missing the Europe Blog hit the archives. I think it`s only going to be on for about three weeks which is a great amount of time to be exposed to a little variety. It`s the spice of life, n`est pas? Pam
I think the value of a travel writer is to evoke such images of a place that the reader wants to visit themselves. I have not read a blog yet by Jackie about S. America that makes me go, wow, I want to go there! I`ll stick to Europe but I`m curious to read Andy`s writings. Lastly, constructive criticism is not a bad thing so all the defenders need to respect others impressions of the blog.
I continue to enjoy your blog, Jackie. I think your writing really makes all of the places you describe come alive and I look forward to reading your blog every night
Wow, you don`t want to go to Manchu Pichu? I`m trying to figure out if I have the energy and strength that trip that Jackie described. I got up today at 4:30 to catch a flight, so I`m thinking I could do the 3:45 wake up, but can I climb the mountain? Pam
I too am a Rick Steves devotee and would prefer to read his thoughts over others posted on the blog. However, I recognize that he only recently concluded the bulk of his 2010 European travels and may want to have a bit of a break from the near daily blog entries he posted for us while traveling. Until he returns, I consider Jackie`s entries to be sort of a mental palate cleanser that will help refresh my brain so I can dive back into European dreams from Rick. OT – my favorite line so far – “Old women stooped sleeping, images of decay.”
Thanks Jackie for that virtual adventure! Do you know much Portuguese? Were you practicing it? I like this blog entry because you were doing things my daughters do with me when we travel. Dancing while sipping caipirinhas and dodging the swinging customer, how cool! BTW, check out Ta Falado, the Portuguese-Spanish podcast. It`s great!
Holy Cow…if I was Jackie I would be devastated to read such harsh comments, I hope she does not have thin skin. She is a young girl sharing her thoughts and time with us and although we may not be interested in South American, to be so critical of her and try to stifle her creativity is not very kind. I have been a fan of hers for the last few years she has written and although South American is the last place on the planet for me to visit I appreciate her sharing her time and thoughts we us. It`s one thing ragging on Rick, he has his big boy pants on, but these are kids.
By and large the comments have been favorable to Jackie and her writing. If she puts her writing out there for the public to read, I am sure she is prepared for the comments, good or bad, that come along. What doesn`t kill you makes you stronger, right?
Jackie does have a future in writing, and I also enjoy this nice change of pace and perspective. As someone stated above, no one`s forcing this to be read. Take a break from Rick Steves and find another diversion for a while. Now, as for the story of the 3 Brit hooligan girls, that`s really pathetic, especially since they seem proud of their disgusting behavior…perhaps “Ugly American” has become outdated and it should now be “Barbaric Brit”!
Jackie has some good descriptive writing. To those of you who are not wowed by S. America yet[INVALID]remember, her blog of activities are what she and Andy did. There`s more to SA than that! My experiences are quite different because I`m no longer 20 something!!