Undiscovered New York: Take the 7 train to Latin America

by Jeremy Kressmann on

A traveler could spend years exploring the vast region of the globe known as “Latin America.” From the picturesque colonial villages and indigenous cultures of Mexico, to the caipirinhas and Amazon rainforest in Brazil, to gauchos and cosmopolitan Buenos Aires in Argentina, Latin America is a region that defies easy categorization. But what if I told you that with a 30 minute subway ride from Midtown Manhattan, you could visit all of Latin America in a single afternoon?

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating (slightly). But the fact of the matter is that immigration from Latin America to the Big Apple is thriving, and visitors can reap the benefits by taking a mini-tour of Latin America in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. In just two hours along a strip of Roosevelt Avenue, one of the borough’s main thoroughfares, I had the chance to sample delicious Mexican street tacos, visit the shop of an indigenous Amazonian fortune teller and gorge myself on some Argentine sweets at a local bakery.

Tired of New York City pizza? Looking to get some Latin flavor during your trip and save you that flight down to Bogota? Join Undiscovered New York as we tour Roosevelt Avenue, New York’s “mini Latin America.”
What’s to Eat?
Perhaps the biggest attraction along Roosevelt Avenue is the authentic food. What all can you eat? There’s no simple way to answer this question – the amount of food and the countries it comes from is simply mind-boggling. Within a single block you are confronted with street trucks selling Ecuadorian specialties, Cuban lunch counters, cheesy arepas, and Mexican pastries among others. Particularly well-represented are the cuisines of Ecuador and Colombia, with numerous spots selling favorites like seafood stews with hominy, encebollado and fried plantains.

I quickly located a nearby taco stand and ordered myself a soft tortilla stuffed with spicy chorizo. After topping it with some lime and chili sauce I was enjoying some south-of-the-border snacking bliss. But no meal is complete without dessert, right? I stopped in B’Aires, an Argentine-style bakery, where I picked up some pastries stuffed with dulce de leche. Next I visited Vallecito Bakery, a Mexican pastry shop where I sipped on a bottle of lime Jarritos. I’m going to have to go back some other time for the Peruvian ceviche and Uruguayan morcilla. I was too stuffed!

What Else is There to Do?
After you’ve finished polishing off a few authentic tacos or that cup of seafood stew, you’ll probably be looking for something to do. What I found most interesting about this stretch of Roosevelt Avenue was browsing the various shops offering regional crafts and services. Day of the Dead is nearly upon us, and many of the Mexican vendors were selling brightly colored candy skulls, decorations and Pan de Muerto, the holiday’s special bread. I also discovered several shops advertising “Amazonian shaman” fortune tellers. The stores are filled with ritual indigenous trinkets and totems as well as “authentic” Amazon shamans who can tell your future. If shopping or fortune telliing isn’t really your thing, there’s plenty of bars along the strip offering nightly live music from their country of origin.

How to Get There
Though it may seem far away, making your way to Jackson Heights is not as hard as it may seem. Visitors near Times Square or Grand Central Terminal are only a short train ride away. Just grab a purple 7 train heading towards Flushing Main Street in Queens. You’ll be getting off at the 82 St – Jackson Heights. The strip of Roosevelt that runs from 80th to 90th streets is pretty much ground zero, with great restaurants, shops and bars branching off in all directions from the main drag.

Are you ready for some authentic Latin American culture? Vamos!

Dengue Fever on the Rise in Mexico

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The other night we were sitting with a friend enjoying a few Pacificos when he asked if he could turn the fan on to keep the mosquitoes away. As one who always get bitten by these bloodsucking irritants, I was more than happy for the fan to keep me bite-free. As he clicked the fan on, our friend casually mentioned that with the rainy season comes dengue fever, which is not too dangerous,”unless you get Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF)…”

Excuse me? The what?

Before we left on this trip we went to the travel clinic to get the necessary shots as well as the medications we might need. As we will be traveling through high-risk malaria areas we stocked up on anti-malarials and brought along a good supply of bug spray. I figured malaria, not dengue fever, would be our biggest health risk. Truth be told, I have never been too concerned with dengue. I know that it can make you quite ill, I know there are no drugs to treat it but what I didn’t realize was that you can potentially die from it.

Dengue fever is transmitted through female Aedes mosquitoes. They feed on an infected person and then, after an 8 to 10 day incubation period, they are able to pass on this illness for the rest of their lives. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a much more serious version of dengue. It occurs as a result of complications and, with liver enlargement, circulatory failure and convulsions as part of its repertoire, it is potentially fatal.

Scary…right?

Dengue fever is on the rise in Mexico, Central America and South America according to the World Health Organisation. Since we are planning to spend a significant amount of time in Latin America I did some research and found out that in Mexico alone dengue hemorrhagic fever accounts for one out of every four cases of dengue fever compared to seven years ago when it was one of out fifty. This indicates that DHF is rapidly becoming a serious travel health issue. As if travelers don’t have enough to worry about with malaria and other infectious diseases, here is one that you just have to suffer through if you are unlucky enough to become infected.

So what do you have to look forward to if you contract this mosquito-borne illness?

Symptoms
Dengue fever is characterized by:

  • a flu-like feeling
  • fever
  • headache
  • joint ache
  • nausea / vomiting
  • swollen lymph nodes
  • decreased appetite

Dengue hemorrhagic fever include the above symptoms as well as:

  • a sudden rise in temperature
  • irritability
  • restlessness
  • extreme sweating
  • a shock-like state
  • bleeding may start to occur under the skin or in little pinpricks
  • rash

Treatment
As I mentioned there is no treatment for either dengue fever or the more severe DHF. Dengue fever should subside after the fever breaks. Tylenol as well as lots of liquids (to prevent dehydration) are recommended to ease discomfort. Should symptoms worsen, the patient needs to receive medical attention immediately as this illness can be fatal. DHF is best treated by medical professionals who have experience with this condition if possible.

Prevention
Prevention really is the key . If the mosquitoes don’t bite you, you will remain dengue-free!

  • Wear light-colored clothing to cover up bare skin especially at dawn and dusk when the “skeeters” are more likely to be out looking for a meal
  • Use repellent with 10% to 30% DEET (some people say this is worse for you…I say pick your poison. I’d rather take my chances with DEET than end up with a potentially life-threatening sickness)
  • Pay attention to the climate as rainy season is mosquito breeding season
  • Bring a mosquito net to protect yourself when sleeping
  • Mosquito coils! These are the best if you find yourself in a room infested with mosquitoes. (There are health reports claiming these coils are dangerous to your health so protect yourself by ensuring good ventilation when you use them.)
  • Some say taking Vitamin B will make you less attractive to these bloodsuckers but there is no scientific proof to back this up

Immunizations
Currently, the WHO is working towards finding a vaccine but at the present time none are available though it seems two potential vaccines have progressed to a stage where they may soon be tested.

The moral of this story is that dengue fever is on the rise in Mexico and in the rest of Latin America. It does pose a serious risk for travelers and, though, many health organizations are working towards solving the problem, it would be a wise idea to pack the bug-repellent (kid’s repellents tend be less harsh) and a good quality mosquito net before you set off on a Latin American adventure.

“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

UPDATE: Reader Mollyn suggests that Tylenol may not be as safe as simple Ibuprofen. Please check with your doctor before self-medicating, especially if you think you have Dengue Fever!

Ciudad del Este – South America’s black market hotspot

by Jeremy Kressmann on

The tiny country of Paraguay doesn’t often pop up on the “must-see” list for those traveling to South America. Sitting landlocked between Argentina to the south, Bolivia to the west and Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay has been described as “the forgotten country of Latin America.” But Paraguay has nevertheless attracted quite a bit of attention lately, less for tourism than because it is an important hub in the global smuggling trade.

A vast bazaar of illegal weapons, counterfeit goods and illicit substances is spread out for sale in the markets of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay’s smuggling capital. The city is conveniently located at the convergence of the borders of three countries (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay), making it the ideal transit point for tax free and often illegal goods headed to all points beyond. GOOD magazine has an interesting profile on Ciudad del Este in its most recent issue. Author Sacha Feinman dives into the city’s back alleys and sidestreets, where he discovers everything from AK-47’s to Montblanc pens to bricks of marijuana can be easily obtained for purchase. Feinman also befriends some of Ciudad del Este’s many porters-for-hire, who package illicit goods and carry them over the city’s 1,600-foot “Friendship Bridge” to neighboring Brazil. Instead of crossing through customs, the men drop their packages off the side to the riverbank below, where waiting teenagers sort through the packages for distribution. So much for filling out that customs form…

As long as the Paraguayan and Brazilian authorities continue to turn a blind eye to the thriving smuggling practice, Paraguay’s black markets will continue to thrive. For a country that doesn’t see much tourism (or other industry for that matter) it seems to be as much an economic necessity as it is a fact of life. Do exercise caution if you’re even considering a visit. Aside from all the petty lawlessness, Wikitravel warns that Paraguay is currently experiencing its worst outbreak of Yellow Fever in over 60 years. Yikes.

Word for the Travel Wise (10/14/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Even though it was only this past February I spent three weeks in the Caribbean and a year since I was in Costa Rica, thoughts of traveling somewhere in Latin America or the Carib has been swimming heavily around in my head. The question now is where to go or travel to first? I have a few ideas, but I’m certainly open to others. For instance I know very little about Panama with the exception of the famous Panama Canal. What’s up with the beaches? Worth checking out? Anyone out there been over to Isla Grande? After reading this tiny blurb from Lonely Planet it has certainly placed Panama on my list, but any additional feedback for anybody would be great!

Today’s word is a Spanish word from Panama:

isla – island

Amerispan, Cactus Language and IMAC are all good starting points to learning abroad. A free membership at Spanish Unlimited gives you the opportunity to learn a new word everyday by email, gain pen pals and hear audio of the words. Their website is actually a good resource tool for many different Spanish related topics. I won’t even begin to list some of the texts out there that could further your studies because there are entirely too many. If you know of some language books that would be useful please feel free to list them.

Past Spanish words: escalar, cercano, realidad, enfermo, jalar