Ciao Argentina!

Don´t cry for me....Anyway, well my flight was delayed six hours so I went back up to my sun deck and got even more sun that I had. This has been the best experience of my life and again sums up that I can live anywhere more or less. I finally have declared that my Spanish is pretty kick ass. I would come back here in a heart beat and not even have to think about given the chance. Whoever is reading this thing means that you really cared to see what I have been up to the past two months and appreciate it. So now you bastards better start calling me and emailing me back. Hopefully I will get a bunch of pictures downloaded. CIAO QUERIDA ARGENTINA!!!

Back In BA, 3 More Days...

Well I got back in Buenos Aires from Punta del Este on Sunday a little burnt to the crisp, but it has definitely turned into a nice looking tan so I cannot complain. Christel and I ordered some much needed room service and Paolo came over with some fun stuff to chill with until 4am. I saw Christel off in the morning wishing I was going with her to see a few places in the country that I did not get a chance to. Anyway, I hooked up with some of my old roommates and chilled around the city. Monday night we went to a great Vietnamese restaurant again in Palmero (one of my favorite neighborhoods thus far). Tuesday entailed more running around to shop for gifts and stuff for myself. We started at Olsen for lunch with a few drinks and Abbey and I kept going until 9pm and topped it off with a bottle of champagne. They came over for more drinks and Paolo again came over to chill before we went to a late dinner. Our hunger of course was bigger than our stomachs and at some point Kristian took Abbey home as she was passing out at the table. Yesterday was full of more shopping with Abbey and Kristian and I am so screwed that I literally need another suitcase to fit my smaller one in and all the shit I have bought for myself and others!!! I do not even want to see what my credit card bills are looking like right now. I finally was convinced to buy some black pants to make it over to the chic Opera Bay that has its´infamous Wednesday happy hours which means suited Argentine men and women trying to get it on. Watching the mating rituals down here is such a sport. The club is huge and as you guessed by the name a mini-replica of the Sydney Opera House over looking the river here in Puerto Madero (probably the most expensive real estate in BA) with rooms, bars, decks, and even a infinity pool inside. Today I had to get up and just lulled around since I passed out about 5am. I did again more damage and am just at the cusp of getting all this shopping done so I can finally lay out at my pool (need to check it out ASAP) and just again chill and take this all in as much as possible.

This has been an amazing experience and I feel I get the country obviously so much more than when I arrived. Yes, I have the luxury of being able to afford everything I want when I want it, so it would be different living here, but know I could do it. It is funny (or at least I feel it is) when people say I speak so well, but again I need to keep learning and staying on top of vocabulary even after I leave here. I need some drinks in me and have to make plans since these last few days are going to be fueled by good food, cigarettes and BOOZE!!!!

Punta Continued...

Well these past few days have been filled with erratic weather, but nonetheless I have gotten some great sun. Laura came on Wednesday afternoon which had the best weather so far--a cool breeze with sun and absolutely no clouds in the sky. The hotel has a beach area with beds, sun chairs and the like and it was good to hang out and do nothing while listening to chill music and the sounds of the waves crashing ashore. That nigth we made it out to this great sushi restaurant and just kept it low key since the sun seems to take all the energy out of you. Thursday the weather was blah so we basically all just chilled, slept in, read and then made it out to town to explore some more. We had a chill dinner at this great place in Barra that was a fusion Morroccan restaurant. Yesterday was another warm and breezy day so the beach was perfect. We took Laura to see the other parts of Punta we had explored earlier in the week more specifically the Jose Ignacio area that has amazing homes and is another mini-peninsula like Punta. On the way back we stopped for some snacks and a bottle of wine (I cannot even count how many bottles--mostly red, that I have drank in these past two months.) Well on a whim I asked Christel to teach me how to drive stick since she has been doing most of the driving. I remember dad trying to teach me back in high school, but to no avail. It was not bad and pretty easy, so it went out a few times, but considering where I was driving I did not do that bad. It felt good and again the transmission did not blow out! We ate dinner in port and went over to a bar and then the casino to play a bunch of slots. We got in around 2am to hang out...Today was Laura´s last day and again a cold breeze was all around with the sun out. People were braving the cold as was Laura trying to get that last bit of sun in. We again wandered around La Barra to see some of the shops, had some lunch and dropped Laura off. Well the clouds were gone, the breeze still at full force, but the sun out. So we made it out to the pool to take it all in. Drinking some wine and smoking a million and one cigarettes before we go out tonight. Tomorrow we do not leave until late, so hopefully some more beach time, etc. Back in BA tomorrow night for my last week. I have to admit I have been tempted to stay another 2 weeks to do some more traveling with Christel to some of the places I did not get to with Jim. Who knows????

Punta Del Este, Uruguay!

So I was up at 6am after a night of Moroccan food and drinks at Gerber in Palermo Viejo. I picked up Christel and we went to the Buquebus station for our 8am ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay. Three hours later we docked and were on a 2-hour bus to Punta Del Este, Uruguay. This is a seaside resort that Argentines flock to after Christmas until the end of February for the summer here. The beaches are golden and stretch as far as you can see. We were just waking up when we were pulling into town to see high rise after high rise. On the way past Punta we reached La Barra which is bohemianesque with swimsuits shops, small beach bars, cottages and quaint hotels overlooking the coast and the wavy ocean (surfers are here and everywhere catching the next wave). Christel had found this resort that I ironically had researched a couple months back:Las Olas Suites Resort (www.lasolasresort.com.uy) extremely affordable for a week stay in a 1-bedroom apartment with a great sun deck. The sun was still blaring and we laid by the pool in complete hunger. The reception desk cooked up some ham and cheese toasts with bottle of red wine and we were quit happy. We laid out at another pool and ended up falling asleep for about 2 hours with me sticking to the deck chair cushion--not fun! We chilled out in the room and got ready to meet Daniele (an Italian lawyer from Milan who was in our school). He picked us up with the woman he is traveling with, Benedicta, a civil servant in transportation in Switzerland and we went into Punta Del Este proper for a late dinner. Finally a chance to get some good fish instead of meat after the 17-day Fatkins Fest during Jim´s visit. Daniele is a really intelligent guy and we discuss American politics (I think they love the American being so anti-American) for about 2 hours. It was the first time in a long time I had this conversation, but also having to present my side while disecting Republican thought. It was refreshing to have a good healthy talk and see what others´views are especially since they do not live in the middle of it like my commrades! :) Christel and I were exhausted and we stopped along the way (with Daniele almost killing us with his driving--JIM YOU WOULD GIVE HIM THE TITLE OF BAD DRIVER OVER ME ANYDAY...) to pick up wine, crackers, cigarettes, water, etc...We smoked a fatty and just chilled out in front of the tv--something I have rarely done since I arrived in South America. I also finally did a face regiment that I had not done in ages...Scrubbed down with Bioelements (thanks NICOLE), did a toner and then for the first time in my life MOISTURIZED my whole head. I am loving this cleaner shaven look, I will probably shave it down again a couple of times before I arrive back home.

Today I was wide awake at 1030am so I called to have breakfast in our room since the sun deck we have was getting this amazing sun and we all know I needs me tanning time! There were clouds here and there, but the best part is that there was no humidity, so the warm of the sun was hot, but with a great cool breeze--I think the FIRST time I did not sweat in the sun! We got organized and we decided to rent a car to have to run around with and visit the surrounding beach towns. The winds were creating these great waves, we had music going and of course an endless supply of cigarettes...All the houses have as many windows as possible to have a view of the water. There is something to be said about an ocean view and the effect it has on oneself. We weaved in and out of the roads leading down to the coast until we came to this all glass restaurant for lunch overlooking Montoya Beach with Barra in sight. Christel said while we were chatting away to just look out outside and just enjoy the view and moment. I have to say that half of my lunch was spent downing this amazingly light fussilli, with a glass of wine looking out that window. We decided to just keep exploring and made it over to Jose Ignacio beach which like Punta Del Este proper is a peninsula. Hills everywhere again with more cottages and modern houses dotting the coast line. We pick up some more provisions (wine, olives, cigarettes, chesse) you know the essentials and came back to chill. We are meeting Daniele again for dinner in Punta and for some drinks. Tomorrow our goal is more tanning--on the deck and the beach area the hotel has set up down the road. Laura another girl from our school is coming to crash with us. It is a national Argentine holiday on Thursday so people are probably going to land here for the long weekend. Hopefully more parties to come after this cerebral chilling....

Ending of An Era...

Well I got up after 5 hours of sleep because I think Paul Van Dyk was still stiring in my head. I have to rewind to a few things on the way back from Iguazu we were stopped by the military 3 times (Jim they were looking for you!). First, to look at passports for some reason, another with a dog sniffing around, and the third another get on, look at you, and go. Beginning taxi fares have gone up 38 centavos, so the starting fare is nw $1.98 (ooh, still all of 65 cents). So I thought I would try to keep this one a secret, but I SMMFH!!! Now if you want to know what this mean, I SHAVE MY Mother FÍNG HEAD (of course blogger would censor me). So yes, finaly at 28 I have embraced that going bald can be done gracefully. People were like what a great change, you look younger, etc. Beside I am leaving for Punta Del Este tomorrow morning so it will tan over and I will shave it again before I leave. Jim and Christel sat there while he started with a 2 guard, and I wanted shorter. After a full on trim with the one guard I looked at Jim and just went completely to the skin more or less. I will try to possibly post a picture here, but maybe I will make you all wait to see me in all this glory. Thankfully I have a round head and not an odd shaped one as Gladys (our housemom) told me. With that note, I need to make my way to the laundermat to pick up all my clothes and then pack and clean up my room. Jordi an old roommate who was in Cordoba for a bit just got back today as he is off to Brazil on Tuesday so I told him to crash in my room since I will be at the beach for a week. So off to run these errands, again I leave two weeks from today :(((

Jim Left, Paul Van Dyk...

Well after another 17-hour bus ride from Iguazu we arrived in Buenos Aires this morning at 8am. Enough time to be able to drop all my laundry off from the past couple of weeks and have Jim pick up some last few bottles of wine, etc. Christel met up with us to get a late lunch and we went to Cabaña Las Lilas that is one of the premier steakhouses in this city. We sat outside and the look on Jim´s face when they literally brought him a foot long bone wiht a piece of meat on it. The wine was flowing (shocking, right?) and of course we were just cracking each other up on the difference between a fish knife and a butter knife (you had to be there). At this point it began to pour rain and of course trying to get a taxi in Buenos Aires in the rain is just as bad as in London. We made it over to Palermo Alto shopping center so Christel and I could by some tickets to the Paul Van Dyk show. We got back here and smoked our last few cigarettes with Jim, put him in a cab and said our "see you soons". I hate goodbyes, because I would rather think that I will see everyone again and soon. Obviously since i will probably fleeing my parents house for Jim´s place in the coming months when I move home, it is safe to say this. This also just reminded me that I have two more weeks left. Eight weeks does not sound like anything, but it has gone by both fast and slow. Monday morning I leave for Punta Del Este with Christel to chill on the beach in Uruguay before spending another week hanging out in BA before I return to the snow and cold of Chicago...

So the Paul Van Dyk show was amazing and another student from school joined us--Paolo, 19, from Brazil who has a never ending smile and supply of mary jane! We like idiots arrived around 10pm and realize he is not going on until 2am! It is all good since the venue was huge and there was never a line for a cold drink unlike at Creamfields a few weeks before. Smoke was in the air and we were partaking as much as possible before he came on. Needless to say at 2am when he started his set the place erupted! We danced for hours on end until about 4:30 when we were all STARVED. Now I said I would not have McDonalds in the two months that I am here, but Christel read my mind when she said-"we need Mickey D´s" Thankfully (and not knowing for the past few weeks) there is a 24-hour McDonalds a couple blocks away from my apartment. Can we say heaven!!! I did not sleep until 7am, but what else is new in BA on the weekend.

Puerto Iguazu...

Well, since this whole debacle with the airline strike deflating us, I decided to maneuver around it and get a "super cama" bus (which means a bed seat) to the north. Now mind you this trip was going to take 17 hours on a bus which was partially through the night. The travel agents again who came to our rescue with a bus, 5-star hotel for 2 days, a tour of the rainforest and waterfalls, with a boat tour under the falls for under $300. Again not the Sheraton that we had planned on which was in the actual national park where the waterfalls are located. As you can imagine after 17 hours on a bus, the pool was our new best friend with Quilmes constantly in our right hands. I even took in the saunas to relax a little more before we went to a late dinner. It was amazing to see how we were so far south we had been just a few days before in dry, cool weather watching a glacier break apart and grow (it grows by 3ft a day), to now seeing the steamy, wet and fertile north on the border of Brazil.

Our hotel (http://www.hotelcataratas.com/) works just fine like I said above...Great service, and a pool...Nice change from the smog or BA and the bus facials that I get everyday. Today our tour was of the national park and everyone had told me that these were a sight to see. Our tour guide was great since there were only four of us and he took pictures of us, gave us the whole history on the park (part of it was an airport until 1971), there is over 671 acres, 78% of the waterfalls are located on the Argentine side, and unfortunately poachers are always trying to get a tucan, butterflies and any other indigenous animal that they can sell on the black market. When we finally reached one of the viewing points on the balconies you can just hear the sheer force of the water coming down. Waterfall after waterfall after waterfall all lined up. The mist surrounding the whole area in the landscape of the rainforest/jungle was just breathtaking. I probably have snapped enough pictures for actual postcards. We also had decided that we were going to do a boat tour that takes us to the cusp of the waterfalls below into the river valley. At first we were like, okay some mist, then they literally take us under one of the falls and Jim is taking pics with his waterproof camera and everyone is screaming, we want more, more more!! Remember, hot and humid as hell! The last portion takes us down the river another 8km with the boat going with and against the waves--I have been an adrenaline junkie lately, so I saw faster! We then get on a modified HUMMER that takes through the forest where we see a bald eagle, a racoon looking animal (ironically one had come into the rest area where people were eating and I was taking a cigarette break--yes I know, smoking in the rainforest), some great fuana and then finally where we started. Our guide told us how much he loves doing this and that the busy season will be going through March. He said the perfect time is April when you have the place to yourself and it is cooler. Again I have to comment on how proud Argentines are of their country and they have every reason to be. We talked about our cancelled parts of the trip that both led us to say, well, there is definitely next time. Sadly Jim is leaving Saturday night when we get back to BA the same morning. I wish he was coming over to Punta Del Este to chill at the beach with Christel and I for a week, but reality is reality. Hope whoever is reading this finds you well. Anytime you want to jaunt on down here, you have a willing and able partner bar none!. This time has truly been a priviledge and a gift. Okay, I need some sleep to rest up for more poolside drinking tomorrow morning!