First Stop: South America

The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, or MST is a landless workers’ movement in Brazil that started around 1985. The MST insists its existance is to battle unjust land appropriation with new land reforms for Brazil. It’s main argument lies in the Brazilian constitution that states that land should be used with a “larger, social function” in mind. To fight this, the MST finds land that it deems is not living up to its constitutional standards, which includes the adequate usage of natural resources and the exploitation (while preserving the environment) of land for the well being of its owners and workers. The MST will then occupy this land and protest. While the land is occupied the MST also follows a legal plan which expropriates the land and gives titles to the workers. At the same time, the current owners fight to keep their land. This may seem a bit outrageous until you consider the distribution of land in Brazil. About half the land in Brazil is owned by 1.6% of the population, the lucky landowners. All arable land in Brazil is claimed by only 3% of the population. Because of this, the MST is the largest socially organized movement in South America with around 1.5 million MST members. Find more information about the MST on www.mstbrazil.org/.

In Argentina and parts of Uruguay, the locals share more than just mate. At the end of the 19th century, after Domingo Faustino Sarmiento wrote his great literary work called Facundo that invited Europeans to join the Argentine community, Lunfardo was born. Lunfardo is a Spanish argot. Meaning that it is a way of speaking, though not slang, that utilizes words that are not Spanish. However, many of these words have become very popular and have wound up as part of the daily Spanish of those living around Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The development of Lunfardo occured because of the arrival of European immigrants specifically thought to be derrived from Italian immigrants. Many others believed that the Lunfardo words originiated in jails and were only spoken by prisoners. Today, the words are unintelligible to other Spanish speakers around the world. Lunfardo is mainly used in Tango lyrics to supplement the usage of words that allude to sex, drugs and other criminal activity that characterizes the Tango. An example of Lunfardo is the word for girl: amina. Laburar means “to work” and is directly derrived from the Italian word “lavorare,” of the same meaning.

Not too far from our beloved Southern city, Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata is about 400 km south of BA. Mar del Plata resides on the Atlantic coast and is known for its sea lion colonies. In the summer, there are a plethora of events to partake in. The Fiesta Nacional del Mar is a festival that opens summer by the coronation of a sea queen. The Mar del Plata international film festival is one of the best in South America. Furthermore, the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Natural Science are some of the top museums to visit. The Casino of Mar del Plata is also famous and worthy of a visit. Lastly, the summer season brings in more than 50 theatrical performaces each year. There are two daily trains from Constitution to Mar del Plata.

You may wonder why South America is know as the meat culture of the world. There are many answers to this question. The first answer is Argentina. Beef in Argentina is among the best in the world. Many enthusiasts argue that this is because the cattle are grass fed rather than grain fed as in most countries. This allows for a more natural production of meat from so argued “healthier” cattle. Meat eaters alike tend to agree that the beef in Argentina is more tender and jucier, making for an all around better steak. The popular way to cook beef in Argentina is on a parilla, or grill, in the popular asado (BBQ) style over charcoal. Here are some beef cuts that you should know: Ojo de bife (rib eye), bife de lomo (filet mignon), matabre (flank steak), and bife de chorizo (sort of like serloin). Don’t forget the chimi churri, a great salsa served with your beef. You wont regret it. Buen Provecho!

Torres del Paine is a large Chilean National Park that is renowned for its luxurious hiking circuits and multitude of flora and fauna. Hikers can get a look at glaciers, lakes, mountains, and deep blue rivers. The park was labeled as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. Cougars, foxes and guanacos are the most prevalent animal species found in the Torres del Paine. Hikers can choose from various courses. The first is just a day trip to see the famous “towers” at Torres del Paine. The second is about a five day hike and the last is about an 8 or 9 day journey to see the most breathtaking views of Torres del Paine. The trails are clearly marked for hikers and it is higly illegal to hike off of these trails as Torres del Paine is a national park. Refugees are availble in the park for hikers to rest or sleep in.

If those aren’t enough reasons to chek out Torres del Paine, just take a look at some pictures!

Looking for a fun place to travel? Buenos Aires is obviously a huge hit for many South American travelers. One of the most exciting spots in Buenos Aires is Puerto Madero, the old port. Puerto Madero occupies a huge portion of the Río de la Plata. In the early ’90’s, Puerto Madero underwent huge urbanization developments as the port side warehouses were converted into high end houses and businesses, many of which are trendy resturants. It is one of the most successful waterfront renewl projects, beating the decay of the degrated zone from the early ’20’s. Other than the massive amount of resturants availble at the port, you can also take a tour of an ancient ship at the Uruguay Corvette museum. The Puente de la Mujer is a fun, architecturally askew bridge in the port. Lastly, Puerto Madero borders a natural reserve, that you can run, hike or bike around depending on how much time you want to spend at the reserve. If thats not enough for you, check out the nightlife. Asia de Cuba is a popular club nearby, but dont forget to try the myriad of other bars around the area.

If you decide along your journey in Peru that it might be wise to travel to Trujillo (it is), then you might also decide to stop along the way in Chiclayo. Chiclayo is about 128 miles from Trujillo and about 474 miles from Lima. It is said that the god, Naylamp, once sailed all the way to Chiclayo to begin his grand empire. Since that time, Chiclayo has since flourished, becoming on of the many important trade cities in Peru. Not only is Chiclayo located at the crux of agricultural harvesting, it is also the meeting place of many important Peruvian roads. Chiclayo is coveted for its educational museums, which harbor a great wealth of information about Peru during pre- Incan times. The Bruning Museum, The Museum of the Royal tombs of Sipan and Sican National Museum are the three most famous museums in the area. After Cusco, Chiclayo is the second most important archeological tourist destination in Peru. So come, and be a part of Peruvian history at Chiclayo.