Travels4Yourself

In Argentina, there is one of the seven recognized wonders of nature - the incredible Iguazu Falls on the border with Brazil. But, in fact, there are many more miracles here: natural, cultural, and gastronomic.

Do you know at least one person who saw Argentina and was left disappointed? Me not. From the bustling Buenos Aires to the harsh Patagonia, from the penguins at the end of the world to three hundred waterfalls on the northern border of Argentina - this is one big bag with wonders. And if suddenly it’s not enough, you can always look to the neighbors: they also have something to surprise and please.

Buenos Aires Rhythms and Montevideo Calm

The scale of Buenos Aires will catch your eye when a metropolis sparkling with lights appears in the porthole. “The city of good winds” is like a wind: in perpetual motion, always different, and sometimes it takes your breath away. The rhythm of the capital is especially acute during the daytime on the streets of the historical center, along which a crowd of “portenos” rushing off somewhere (“port dwellers”, as locals proudly call themselves), constantly plying. In this case, everything is done leisurely and thoroughly.

Buenos Aires - as several cities in one. The capital is divided into 48 districts, and each of them has its own face: bohemian Palermo, creative San Telmo, fashionable Puerto Madero, elegant Recoleta ... And sometimes there are even several faces, like La Boca: the bright, hospitable, touristy Piglet Caminito adjoins with dilapidated, gloomy quarters, where the ragged boys are chasing the ball, and where the prudent traveler should not meddle. But how not to meddle if here the luxurious La Bomboneroa is the stadium of the Boca Juniors team, the delight of which even a traveler far from football will experience.


These contradictions are the whole “Bayres": the city of immigrants, the port city where prestigious neighborhoods border on slums, skyscrapers on unpretentious buildings, boutiques on flea markets. As Istanbul combines Europe and Asia, Buenos Aires is both Europe and Latin America. Advanced and backward, rich and poor, passionate and slow, dangerous and benevolent - controversial, but very charming.

And quite nearby, on the other side of La Plata, is Uruguay. An hour of travel by ferry - and you are in the cozy colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento, founded by the Portuguese in the 17th century and repeatedly passing from them to the Spaniards and back (for several decades it even went to the Brazilians). From here it is a stone's throw to Montevideo. The capital of Uruguay is also a metropolis, where most of the country's population lives. But the rhythm here is not at all the same as in Buenos Aires. Montevideo will charm with old buildings and cars, cozy retro bars, calm, relaxed atmosphere. Go to the port in the late afternoon and see for yourself: people walk slowly, fish on the pier, enjoy the sunset and sip a mate (and every first one drinks it).

Uruguayans are funny, cute and simple: they talk to the first person they come across, sing all the way and do not lock the doors (it’s so safe here), and their former presidents lose their immunity, go unguarded and live a normal human life. By the way, in Montevideo souvenirs are still very popular with Jose Mukhika, nicknamed the “poorest president in the world” for modesty: while still being the head of state, Mukhika gave almost all his salary to charity, lived on a farm with his wife and three-legged dog, and rode an old one Volkswagen Beetle 1987.

"Big water"

But not only and not so many cities are rich in the region. In the north, divided between Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu Falls are noisy: not one, not ten, but as many as 275 powerful streams up to 80 meters high amid raging tropical greenery. Huge colorful butterflies flutter in the humid air, in one of the ponds an alligator froze warily, and cunning little animals scurry under their feet: they fight, dig the ground and brazenly rob gapeous tourists. Water falls down with tremendous force, and you stand wet through the spray, trying to shout down the roar and once again tell the world that you do not believe in the reality of what is happening. Because this reality is strikingly reminiscent of the scenery for the movie "Avatar". Iguazu (“big water” in the language of the Guarani Indians) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a place where you especially acutely feel how beautiful our world is and how lucky you are to see this part of it.

Perito Moreno (and all of Patagonia)

Well, lovers of the north - to the south, in the harsh and beautiful Patagonia. Like Buenos Aires, you appreciate it even from the air, looking at the endless pampas floating under the wing interspersed with unnaturally blue lakes. Patagonia is surprised even after Iguazu: take at least the Perito Moreno Glacier - a giant ice field the height of a skyscraper and an area larger than Buenos Aires. The giant lives its own life: it shimmers with the colors of the Argentine flag and constantly makes noise - sometimes lulling, like on the sea coast, then frightening with a deafening roar when huge boulders crack off from the blue-white mass and fall into the water.

Patagonia is Mount Fitzroy, whose capricious weather shows only to the most successful travelers, and the turquoise Lake Argentino, and the granite “towers” ​​of the Torres del Paine National Park on the Chilean side. These are fjords, lagoons, icebergs, mountains and timid guanacos on the sidelines of endless, empty Patagonian roads.

Gateway to Antarctica

Someone considers Ushuaia a well-advertised tourist destination, where they go for a show: they say, I was in the southernmost city on earth. But how can one remain indifferent when there are cozy village houses in the city, snowy mountains around, and ships sailing from the port to Antarctica?

If the white continent is not yet in your plans, be sure to go on a six-hour voyage along the Beagle Channel: to get acquainted in the natural environment with cormorants, cormorants, dolphins, lazy sea lions and hilarious penguins that settled on local islands. And to think - that you, indeed, are on the edge of the earth, what’s next - only Antarctica, from which a little more than 1000 kilometers separate you.

By the way, you can still do something for show (or rather, for fun): go to the city department of tourism and put a penguin stamp on your passport stating that you visited Ushuaia, the gateway to Antarctica. Checked: more than one border guard smiles at such a label.

People talking

A distinctive feature of the locals is the ease with which they get to know and start a conversation. Here is an elderly tango dancer in Patagonia discussing with you about Russian classical literature and its impact on Argentine authors. A young musician waiter retells the story of his wanderings while you sample wine. The owner of the bar draws for you a map of the trekking routes of El Chalten. The grandfather-driver flies free of charge from a broken bus to Paraguay to talk about the good and future of the Guarani language. A bookstore employee treats the Paraguayan terere infusion, a cold mate counterpart. The landlord in Ushuaia teaches you to drink Fernet liquor while making a fire for a barbecue. Each will bring his list of new friends from the trip, but he will definitely be, do not hesitate.

Football passions

And also - nowhere so passionately, madly do not like football. Diego Maradona, who made the Argentines world champions in 1986, and now for the locals is a living god, and the current star Lionel Messi will have to sweat solidly to share the Olympus with him. T-shirts with idols and talk about your favorite sport are everywhere here, and the ball is chased even at the end of the world, in Ushuaia. Go to the match of the Libertadores Cup - an analogue of the European Champions League - and you will get to the holiday. At the stadium - dancing and music, something fried, laughing, getting to know each other. At the stadium - they sing in a loud voice an hour before the match and do not fall silent until the final whistle.

Food and wine

Those who think that calling food a miracle is inappropriate just did not try the juicy Argentinean steak “Bifé de Choriso”. They didn’t crawl out of the restaurant after a good portion of asado fried meat. They did not drink the tender Patagonian lamb with a glass of Malbec. Argentina is a place where you regret not to eat ten times a day; where you promise yourself not to take so much more - and you do it again, and you remember a few more years a sandwich with a piece of meat in a street stall.

Hot as coals under asado, like tango, as the first big sip of wine. Cold as the glaciers of Patagonia, like crazy spray of Iguazu waterfalls. Argentina is a country where your head is spinning: from a whirlpool of faces in the crowd of Buenos Aires, from the colors of La Boca, from the cry of fans, from the contrasts of nature. From miracles.

Poor, poor Basques! Imagine - this nation does not have a single relative in the whole world: their language does not belong to any group. There was once a theory that they were supposedly relatives of Georgians, but now they have abandoned this seductive idea. No one really understood where the roots of their language and traditions were, unlike anything else. The only thing that can be argued: the Basques are relatives to the Gascons, tribesmen of D’Artagnan. But who are where they came from? Some hypotheses.

I won’t tell you all about the Basque Country, there’s not enough time, but here are some interesting things. First: local men take off and rent a room equipped with a kitchen. It turns out to be a closed "gastronomic club". If you want, bring your products there and cook yourself, but if you want, order the cook, he will buy and do everything himself. An outsider is booked, and you always have a table there free to eat with friends and tasty.


About to eat is another interesting thing. Here they have no idea what “tapas” is, but they drink cider. It happens like this: the waiter comes up with a special teapot, raises it above his head on his outstretched arm and, looking straight into your eyes, manages to get a trickle of the drink exactly into the glass.

Speaking of Spanish “tapas” - pleasant snacks that are free of charge attached to a glass of wine in any institution. In Basques, they are called pinchos, and the main difference is that goodies should be on skewers, and then the waiter will consider them when the time comes to pay. So: these "pinchos" - just some indecent rampant gastronomic fantasies! By the way: Bilbao, the main city, it is no coincidence that several years ago it was declared the "culinary capital of Europe." It is believed that everything caught in the cool Bay of Biscay is the most delicious!


Fourth interestingness of a different kind: in one and a half to two decades, the Basques turned the wilted Bilbao into the third most visited city in Spain. Fortunately, so far the Spaniards themselves come here mainly, and not one of our Chinese friends.

And the Basque Country is beautiful. And not at all like the dull landscape of the Costa Brava, where you spend your vacation. Oddly enough, the north of Spain reminds me most of all ... Siberia and Crimea at the same time. Mountain slopes overgrown with pine trees stretch along the coastal road. Eye-catching! Who was not in the north - in Galicia, Asturias, the Basque Country, did not see Spain.

And the last: in vain you did not go with me! You yourself will never find Fat Fat Jesus - the Cheese King of the Basques. Not to meet Pedro - a smiling baker and artist from Bermeo. Oh you, Thomas unbelievers. I must obey!

Ecuador is probably one of the most spoiled New World countries by tourists. And the capital of Ecuador, Quito, built by the Spaniards at an altitude of almost three thousand meters above sea level, is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You must admit that not every capital can boast of this today. But lovers of mountain hikes tend to come here. It is believed that the snow-covered Cordillera is almost the ideal place for this: it is not as high as in the Himalayas, and the climate is milder ...


Like the inhabitants of other poor countries, Ecuadorians are friendly, sociable, sharp on the tongue, but emphasized politely. It is difficult to imagine that the seller here would not smile at the buyer or, oh, the transport police officer, for example, would turn to the driver for “you”. For themselves, Ecuadorians often use the Spanish adjective humilde. There is no exact equivalent to this Spanish word in our language. Umilde is a poor person who does not have enough stars from the sky, is satisfied with fate, does not make claims to anyone and does not envy anything.

Ecuadorians are religious - most of them regularly attend Mass and certainly cross themselves with themselves, passing by the church. Family ties are strong here - in a difficult situation, everyone has the right to count on the help of sisters and brothers, godfathers and matchmakers, and, in turn, is ready to turn his shoulder to them. Of course, such ties are stronger in rural areas than in cities, where, contrary to all that has been said, street crime rates are high. This, however, is more a consequence of poverty than a national property.


Well, about the delicious. I cannot but mention the main export wealth of Ecuador? They say that bananas are the most delicious in the world. Which is not surprising, in general. After all, from the equator closest to the sun. Almost a third of the total able-bodied population grows, collects and packs them in boxes. It’s no joke - five to six million boxes of bananas float out of the local ports weekly. They grow, of course, on private plantations, but before being loaded onto ships, state controllers carefully check the boxes. Not everyone, of course: of course, they select at random several boxes from the entire batch. The fruits in them must be immaculately green and hard. If at least one yellow or with a speck is found, the whole batch goes under the knife. Bananas are a delicate item. If spoiled in swimming, all cargo can be gone. And they turn yellow and ripen upon arrival at the place in special terminals and already get yellow in the markets ...

Finally, I will share with you the star recipe: “From the evening mix half a cup of thick cream and two tablespoons of dark rum. Cut a large banana into circles and fill with cream. In the morning, serve for breakfast, sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon and nuts.”

Macau is much less known than its neighbor in Hong Kong's colonial past. But only real travelers know why you need to go to Macau, well, or at least why you should look at this peninsula along the road from Hong Kong or China. What do the two former colonies have in common, why Macau has a second name and how the Portuguese past affected the present - you will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

Are Macau and Macau the same?

In China, two names are common - Chinese and more familiar to us. For example, the Chinese name for Beijing is Baijing. That is exactly what the name of the capital sounds in the generally accepted system of transcription of the Chinese language into Russian, and in the Pinyin system - Běijīng. Hong Kong's former name is Hong Kong. So the island was called before Hong Kong became a British colony. The British popularized their name and now it is known throughout the world. Chinese Macau also owes its name to Macau to the colonial period.

Macau is considered the oldest European colony in Southeast Asia. The Portuguese discovered the Celestial Empire before the British and stayed here longer, so Macau is called the first and, at the same time, last European colony in China. There are several versions of the origin of the name. According to the most common, the words of Macau and Macau are simply similar in sound, but another legend says that when the first Portuguese just landed on this shore, they first asked the locals what the name of this land is. The locals thought that the Portuguese were pointing their hand at the temple built in honor of the goddess A-Ma - the patroness of fishermen, sailors and sea merchants - and the Portuguese had not heard this word before from mouth to mouth until A-maa-gok turned into Macau.

Was Macau a Portuguese colony?

Macau was a Portuguese colony, but contrary to the widespread stereotype of the Portuguese invading China, there was no expansion. The history of Portugal in Macau began with a trading post. An agreement was concluded between the Portuguese king and the Chinese emperor, according to which the Portuguese paid an annual rent for the right to use this port. So, Macau became a transit point through which trade routes from Europe to Asia, and in particular with Japan, went, because direct Chinese trade with this country was banned. The Portuguese gradually expanded their holdings by signing lease agreements with neighboring Chinese territories, then gained the right of city self-government, and even built a fortress here to ward off the Dutch attacks.

Probably, such a trade friendship on rent could go on for a long time if Portugal had not suddenly declared Macau a free port by the middle of the 19th century. The colonial authorities stopped paying rent payments, closed the territory for Chinese officials, its soldiers and customs, effectively declaring independence. Throughout the 20th century, China in a soft and not at all soft form reminded Portugal of the right to own territory, and only in December 1999 Macau was transferred to the PRC.

What remains of Macau from Portugal?

In memory of the Portuguese influence on Chinese land in Macau, the Portuguese language remained, which, along with Chinese, is the state language, culinary traditions and, of course, architecture. Macau is often called the “Chinese Portugal”, because only here in the historical center are neighboring so unlike each other mansions in the Portuguese colonial style and modern skyscrapers, Catholic churches and Buddhist temples. The squares are paved with two-tone mosaics, which are so characteristic of the Portuguese Riviera, and the flavors of Chinese dishes hang on typical European narrow streets.

The Portuguese character in the external appearance of Macau is also manifested in the little things: the traditional white and blue azulejo tiles on the facades of houses, even the image of the scallop shell - a symbol of the pilgrimage Way of St. James - can be found on the streets of Macau. The street names here are also decorated in the azulejo style - on a white tile with a typical blue Portuguese ornament and duplicated in two languages, which only adds color and originality.

Is Macau China?

Macau is, of course, China. To be more precise, Macau, like Hong Kong, is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is separated from mainland China by its border, and is distinguished by its own legislation, economic and tax systems, a separate currency, even traffic rules. Beijing has been given control of foreign and defense policies. Macau does not have its own army, but there is a police force. The local security service monitors only the order in the city, but not at the federal level.

The neighborhood of two different systems - socialist and capitalist - within the same country was proposed by Deng Xiaoping in the early 1980s. Today this principle of “one country, two systems” is successfully applied not only in Macau, but also in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Therefore, Macau cannot be called a country or state - it is just a city, and by Chinese standards it is relatively small: the population is only about 650 thousand people.

Does Macau look like Hong Kong?

Despite the similarity of their situation with respect to China, these cities are completely different from each other. Hong Kong and Macau are two completely different stories. Hong Kong was formed as a result of the opium wars of the 19th century that the British Empire waged against China. Hong Kong was a purely conquered colony, which eventually became the largest financial center of Southeast Asia. Macau, however, throughout its "Portuguese history" was an exclusively trading colony, where merchants from different countries settled. In terms of its economic development, Macau lags far behind its neighbor in the colonial past.

So the only thing that Hong Kong and Macau are similar today is that both there and there, local people speak the Cantonese dialect of the Chinese language, both territories are returned under Chinese control as part of the course "one country, two systems."

What are the inhabitants of Macau called?

Of course, Macau residents do not consider themselves Portuguese at all in the territory of the former Portuguese colony. Most of the residents are of Chinese origin and are ethnic Han Chinese, who have roots from the neighboring province of Guangdong. But historically, another part of the locals has not only Chinese roots. In the Russian language there is no suitable word for their designation - Macaonians? makaytsy? - and in English they are called macanese people. This is the name of the East Asian ethnic group that arose in Macau in the 16th century and consisted of people from mixed marriages between Chinese and Portuguese, as well as Malays, Japanese, Sri Lankans and Indians. Many of them have Portuguese passports, but this does not mean that they feel like Portuguese.

In general, Macau speaks the same Cantonese Chinese as in the South China provinces, and the local Chinese are no different from the Chinese, for example, from Guangdong. But this unique mixture of two unlike each other cultures, which has been formed over several centuries, has left its mark on architecture, culture, and cuisine.

Does Macau have Chinese or Portuguese cuisine?

Local cuisine is represented by three distinctive and dissimilar directions. Firstly, it is South Chinese cuisine with all its specialties: dim sum, various duck and seafood recipes, as well as purely local troubles in the form of drunk shrimps, which are first dipped alive in Chinese vodka and then quickly fried on the grill. Secondly, it is a classic Portuguese cuisine, which is represented here by a huge number of Portuguese restaurants and Portuguese chefs. Thirdly, this is the so-called "Macanese" - an unusual mixture of Chinese and Portuguese gastronomic traditions with the clear influence of Indian and African colors. No wonder it is recognized as the world's first fusion cuisine - this is the name for a very successful combination of various culinary traditions. For example, they take bakalyau, but they do not prepare this dried salted cod in the same way as in Portugal, but with the addition of Indian curry or other spices from Mozambique, Angola, Yemen, Goa and other countries where the Portuguese once had their own colonies . A good example of this approach to cooking is the macanese african chicken recipe with Chinese spices, Indian coconut milk, peanuts and piri-piri sauce from hot African pepper, which the Portuguese brought to their Indian territories. Another local tahoe dish is a variation of the traditional Portuguese cozido stew, but with the addition of daikon and Chinese sausage, instead of chorizo.

This completely original cuisine is not represented anywhere else in the world. In 2017, Macau was even awarded a special order of UNESCO: it was awarded the status of “City of World Creativity” in the category “Gastronomy”. Macau was 25th on this prestigious list of cities in the world. Every year there is a gastronomic festival and many more culinary celebrations.

What do you need to see in Macau first?

Of course, the main attraction of Macau is the facade of the famous St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral was built in 1602, and two centuries later it was destroyed by a terrible fire along with the adjoining building of the College, the first European-level educational institution in Asia. One can judge the past beauty of the cathedral by its preserved facade - unique architecture with figures of Christian apostles dressed in Chinese bathrobes and with Chinese tassels. So the Jesuits emphasized that Christianity came here in peace, you don’t need to be afraid of missionaries and you can safely switch to a new faith. Directly adjacent to the western facade of the cathedral is the famous (albeit very small in size.

From St. Paul’s Cathedral you need to climb a high hill, where the Macau Fortress and fragments of the preserved city wall, built in 1569, are located. For many centuries, the fortress remained the main fortification and kept Macau behind the Portuguese even after a three-year siege of the city by the Dutch at the beginning of the XVII century. On another high hill, overlooking from the fortress, is the famous Portuguese lighthouse Gia and the castle of the same name - this is the first European navigation lighthouse in Asia. You can climb here through the park or by funicular. An interesting chapel has been preserved on the territory of the fortress, inside which, during the last restoration, unique murals of the 16th-17th centuries were discovered under several layers of plaster.

Macau Walk

The first Lilau square in Macau was built by the Portuguese to live. There are still preserved houses in which the descendants of those who sailed here in the 16th-17th centuries live. the Portuguese. Even the very well with which the well-known Portuguese phrase is associated: “Who drank water from the Lilau well will never forget Macau,” still stands in the center of the square, but we certainly do not recommend drinking from it.

The temple of the goddess A-Ma, which according to legend gave the name to the entire peninsula, is also preserved. Named after the goddess of the sea and fishing, this temple has existed for at least seven hundred years. It consists of a series of pagodas, temples and buildings that stretch up the hill. It is called the temple of the "two religions", or rather the two areas of Buddhism - Confucianism and Taoism.

The Church of St. Lawrence was built by the Jesuits in the middle of the XVI century. Families of the Portuguese gathered here to pray for a safe return to their homeland. Therefore, among the Chinese, it is known as Feng Shun Tang, which literally can be translated as "Hall of Fair Wind".


St. Augustine Square is also a must-see, next to which are several historic buildings: the King Don Pedro V Theater, the St. Joseph Seminary, the library of the Chinese enlightener of the first half of the 20th century, Sir Roberto Ho Tong, and the church of St. Augustine, built by Spanish monks in the 16th century. In those centuries, during the rain, priests covered the roof with palm leaves, which from afar resemble a dragon's mustache, so the local Chinese and for this church had their own name - Lun Sung Mu - literally translated as “Dragon Temple with a Long Mustache”.

The colonial administration was once located on Senadu Square, and today it is the main square of the city. Here is the former Leal Senadu building - The Faithful Senate. The word "faithful" symbolizes the title that the Portuguese king Juan IV gave to Macau in 1654: "Macau is the city of our Lord, incomparable with fidelity to anyone." The ceremonial hall on the ground floor replicates the style of the famous Mafra Palace in Portugal. Also near Senad Square are the House of Mercy, the Church of St. Dominic and the Chinese temple Sam Kai Wui Kun, which was built specifically for Chinese citizens who worked in the Portuguese administration or sat in the Senate.

Main reason to visit Macau

Plunge into the atmosphere of mixing cultures, times, eras. It turns out to be in a very small, but very dynamic city, where so many continents, countries, times are concentrated on a small piece of land.

A trip to Guatemala and Honduras is perhaps the most vivid adventure that has happened to me in recent years. This is a guaranteed demolition of the roof: you have not seen anything more exotic and surprising. When the Mayan cities collapsed, this people went into the mountains, where it was impossible to plant reeds and there was no gold - the Spaniards did not follow them, and the once great civilization was preserved there.


Guatemala is cute. This word first comes to mind when you try to sort through the impressions of the first day. In any case, such is the toy town of Antigua, the capital of colonial times. He probably would have remained the main city of this country, if not for the terrible earthquakes that wiped out the majestic local cathedrals and magnificent monasteries. Despite this: perhaps, nowhere else in the New World have I met such an abundance of well-preserved buildings of the era of the conquistadors. We lived in one of them. Now here is the Porta Antigua hotel: a patio overgrown with flowers, a pool reflecting the sky and a volcano, four-meter high ceilings, fireplaces, antique-styled furniture and at the same time all the comfort of the modern world.

Guatemala is vibrant. Here is just an explosion of all colors! I don’t even know which other country can be compared with it in terms of brightness of colors. Is that India? By the way: here, as in India, the majority walks only in national clothes. And men - they have cotton shorts embroidered with touching parrots. And, of course, women: according to the patterns on their homespun skirts and scarves, the connoisseur easily guesses where the charming woman comes from, in which of the Mayan languages​​she speaks words of love to her betrothed ...


Women weave all this beauty not just by hand - they don’t even have looms. The guiding threads of the future canvas are attached to the hook on the wall, and the other end to the leather belt, which the girls receive as a gift when they turn ten. Their whole life is a shuttle and cotton threads, they are old-fashioned painted with a decoction of flowers, seeds and leaves of tropical plants, and then fixed with a brew from the trunk of a banana palm.

Our trip to Guatemala and Honduras was just magical. We poked our noses where we didn’t get to, got acquainted with local people, tried everything (especially for “independent” people: we stopped when we got tired, ate where we wanted, etc., but fell into places where you could break yourself, you will not get).

Have you ever seen a pagan temple in the center of a Christian temple? And what about a headdress made of 10-meter tape? And the shaman who takes in the church in the room next to the altar? Drop everything and go there. Thank you, I promise!