3/23
Okay. So I have absolutely fallen in love with Buenos Aires, and I usually have such a positive attitude about everything. But the television louder than my thoughts has inspired me to write this blogging rant about my homestay life. That and the fact that it came up in class today, and I spent like 10 minutes almost yelling about the drama in my homestay family.
Disclaimer: I am almost hesitant to write about this, because I realize they have deep-seated family drama/issues, and I don't want to glorify that or make a mockery of it. I wanted to document my entire experience here, however, and it's time I had a blog entry about my living situation.
For starters. The television is literally on TWENTY.FOUR.SEVEN. I don't know how my host mom does it. She rarely leaves the house, so basically spends 20 hours a day/7 days a week in her living room, with the television on. By twenty four seven I mean I literally fall asleep to the garbage equivalent to like Extra or some wannabe E! channel in Castellano and wake up to again some off-beat morning show in Spanish. How do people live like this? It's the definition of couch potato but even worse. Think watching Extra and infomercials and bikini contests on that awkward HD network that half plays movies half travel shows.
Other noises to add to my atmosphere are the nails-on-a-chalkboard voices of my house grandma and my house grandma's friend.. more on that later.
RECAP: I started my Argentina adventure with me, my housemate Jessica, my house brother Nacho, and my house mom Gabriela. Our apartment is spacious for four people, with a small kitchen, one and a half bathrooms, and three rooms- one for each of the kids and my house mom gets the living room to herself.
Two weeks into the program enter my house grandma, or abuela. Gabriela's sister had been taking care of her for months/upwards years, and she just couldn't manage having her mom and a newborn to take care of.
And then there were five.
Having abuela around wasn't so bad- she was a chef at one point in her life, so she cooked us really intricate meals (still somewhat unhealthy- think designer empanadas) and spends her down time cleaning around the house.
Having abuela around gets bad when her and Gabriela have arguments that end in screaming fights, which occurs about once a week. Often past midnight or right before dinner, when Jess and I have to come out and walk past their arguments.. Talk about awkward. Also it gets really bad when she fights with... the cousin?
Enter the cousin. The cousin is a boy Nacho's age- we still aren't sure if he's always over or there are two of them who look the same. He sometimes surprises us with a visit, often popping up in the worst of times (i.e. when I think everyone's a sleep at 4 in the morning after a night out and go to shower in just a towel) or when he brings his girlfriend over and it's just Jess, me, the cousin, and cousin's girlfriend in the house.... like what? Who are you again? Regardless abuela decided she didn't like the girlfriend, which emitted a screaming battle complete with doors slamming and everything... oh and this all happened on Valentine's Day. Cue entrance of abuela's friend.
A month ago, or a month and a half into the program, enter my house grandma's friend. On Nacho's birthday, the whole family and two of abuela's friends and one of Gabriela's friends were gathered in the living room to celebrate- Jess and I had just gotten back from Iguazu, so we retreated exhausted into our rooms, but at 130 we heard the most terrifying screaming and sobbing coming out of the living room.
Basically abuela's friend's daughter died in a car crash in Uruguay, and she got the call that night. Like I said before, this is all their private information, and I feel so terrible for everything that's happened, but I need to let this out and I can't even make this stuff up. For the next week, our house was the mecca for mourning, which made it really uncomfortable to ever come home. I was stuck in my room for a while, since it was a storm and I couldn't get out of the house, and Lord knows I didn't want to be around the living room/kitchen where everyone was crying or yelling, etc.
Now our comfortable 4 person apartment has gone from a cozy five person to a tight 6 person squeeze. Abuela and her friend can't seem to talk under a yelling decibel, and I always seem to be in their way. The worst is when the friend orders me around, or makes me leave a room so she can clean... I feel horrible for having such negative thoughts but all I want to yell is "SHE DOESN'T EVEN GO/live HERE" (cue mean girls quote).
Numerous times I've had to plug in my ear phones because either the TV is on full volume or the abuelas are yelling, and it's getting to a point where my house family has turned into a house nightmare.
I've already blogged about how bad the food is, and tonight I want nothing more to eat out, but unfortunately Jess is no where to be seen (pretty sure she's watching Hunger Games) and so I'll be stuck eating a platter of rice mixed with "cosas extraños" or stuff I don't even want to know what it is.
Again. I am having THE BEST time of my life right now, especially in this week/month/whatever it is, but I have to have one blog entry about my housing situation. It's gotten to a point where it's comical. Needless to say I am so excited to live with my parents in their hotel room for a week, eat out at solid restaurants, and escape the madness that has become of my apartment in Palermo.
PS: Our house abuela just tricked us into having a bite of cow intestine. She made us try it without telling us what it was. I almost threw up after taking a bite. Then she explained how it was cow intestines. Now I may just be ill for weeks. She said she'll make us hamburgers instead. I don't even want to think about meat or cows or food ever again. AAAAAAAHHHHHH.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Leones, Tigres, y Osos- Dios Mio!
3/22
So if you haven't seen my facebook album, basically I just spent an entire day with Lions, Tigers, Bears, Elephants, you name it. And unlike American zoos where you can take pictures and poke at a glass screen, in Argentina- anything goes.
Kerrie and I decided to take the school day off and go to Zoo Lujan- a two hour bus ride outside the city in order to encounter an off-the-beaten path zoo where you can actually go into the cages and play with the animals.
In Argentina, something is always bound to go wrong, and luckily for us it only happened on the bus ride. We were under the impression that our bus' last stop would be the zoo, but sure enough we saw the zoo... as we were driving past it towards an unknown destination. Keep in mind we're an hour and forty-five minutes out of the city at this point with nothing but informal housing in our view.. needless to say we had kind of a "....what do we do" moment.
We arrived at the town of Lujan, where a MASSIVE church was about the only thing it promised/we could see. We decided to hop in a cab for less than 10 bucks to take us back to the zoo, with possibly the intent of returning to visit the church (I'll google to find a pic to post.. it literally was a monstrosity).
Basically the background for the zoo is that it promises to foster "saving animals" and relationships between creatures and man. It's a load of BS since basically all they do is sedate them so heavily that people can enter cages 'safely.' In the 30 years or so that it's been opened, however, there hasn't been an attack, which made me comfortable to enter and pet the tigers and lions. Our favorite was how the trainers explained to us they were only sleeping/tired because they're nocturnal animals... and that what they feed them is "milk." Obviously I can't preach too heavily since I went and had an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience, but seeing the giant male lions so dead/asleep kind of put things in perspective.
We started out with little youngsters (I think like 8 months) and moved on to babies, then grown adults- pictures of course to come. Then took a quick camel ride, fed elephants, and had bears eat right out of our hands. It was literally out of some bizarro world; all we had to do was approach a cage of grown tigers/lions/you name it, ask "podemos entrar?" and we were set with a bottle of milk and the freedom to do everything but take the animals home with us. I love this country sometimes.
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Also just nonsense bloggy stuff-
Yesterday we saw Margin Call in a theater in Belgrano, which was kind of cool to see with subtitles and realize I both understood the English movie and the Castellano words at the bottom of the screen.
I also kind of have been realizing a total attitude shift from my weekend in Iguazu and the week after in Patagonia. All my anxieties from the first month seem to have disappeared, and upon coming back from the mountains I was filled with an odd comfort in the busy city streets and skyscrapers versus the impending doom I felt when we came back from Tigre in January.
While I miss so many things about the states, even beyond just friends and family, I've come to appreciate so much about living down here with such an adventuresome lifestyle. While I miss having my own space (the four person-turned six person apartment is really weighing heavily on me.. especially since the plus two are both women over the age of seventy), clean floors in my house, good laundry, efficiency most of the time, being able to smile and speak to strangers without worried about getting robbed, and other white girl problems, there are so many things about Buenos Aires that I will never be able to experience again.
For example, when else will my nights start after midnight and continue on until sunrise? When can I just sit at a cafe/restaurant/bar for hours without worrying about where I need to be/what I need to do or holding anyone up? I'll miss the friendship that comes out of the relationship with my choripan man or the heladeria boys. It's a weird sort of missing of the city- I don't think I could ever live here, and I can't wait to get home, but I really have fallen in love with Buenos Aires and what it has to offer. I'll even miss hearing Spanish/Castellano in the periphery of my day to day activities.
I can't wait to show my parents my city- they get here in a week and a half!!!!!!!!! and it will be cool to see for myself how i've gone from freaking out from culture shock to touring around my family all the spots I know and love.
Chau for now- will update after the weekend!
me and a baby puppy and BABY TIGER- they claim the puppies are there to teach them how to act like domestic animals and to allow them to learn to coexist.... hmmm.
Chau :)
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Rosario.. not so much a waste of time
3/20
So this past weekend, ISA had an excursion of all of their Spring programs to Rosario. Picture 150+ students piled into 3 charter buses headed to a city a four hour bus ride away for St. Patrick's Day weekend. Needless to say, I had even debated just staying in the city, especially after my house mom advised me not to go.
Well, I am happy to say that I am very pleased I went- not only was it really cool to see a completely different city to Buenos Aires, but it was almost like ISA paid for my very own vacation. We didn't really have an itinerary, so for the most part all ISA did was provide transportation and the hotel.
I roomed with Kerrie, whom I spent the entire weekend with.
SATURDAY
After getting on the bus at 730 in the morning, I slept most of the bus ride to the city. I say most because a movie started playing at full volume on the bus, which even my headphones couldn't fully tune out. I do have to say though, it was cool watching an Argentine movie and seeing glimpses of the 15 (the bus I take to school every day) and neighborhoods (like Palermo) that I recognized.
We checked into the hotel, where it took Kerrie and I way too long to figure out how to get the lights on (how were we supposed to know that you needed to stick your card in a little slot by the door to work the electricity??) and headed back to the bus to take us to the Che monument.
Rosario in itself is a much more family-friendly city, it seemed. You could actually see horizon, and the city was situated right next to the river, full with people in the many parks. Apparently usually ISA goes to Rosario for its museums, but of course they were on strike the weekend we went so we had nothing to do but "free time in the city".
We were taken to an all-you-can-eat buffet, which as it sounds was at first the greatest thing ever, but then quickly turned into stomach aches and icky feelings. Maybe that's why my stomach's hurt this week.... Anyways. Two hours at this buffet was more than enough for me to vow never to eat food from a place like that again.
We then went to the Flag Monument, which is apparently the only in the country, and it was HUGE. The monument reminded me somewhat of the monuments in Washington DC, which gave me some sort of satisfaction that there was some merit to this excursion. <- I don't mean to sound so negative about it, because I had a wonderful weekend, but it was just amusing to have a weekend excursion where everything but 2-3 hours of the day was "free time."
After, we had lo-and-behold free time, where Kerrie and I wandered the markets by the river. I bought a ring for around 5 dollars and she bought a few souvenirs for boyfriend and sister. Because it was St. Patrick's we bought some beer to take back to the hotel for a night of celebration.
The entirety of ISA had been talking about going to a certain Irish pub, and because Kerrie and I didn't want to go where a hundred (literally) American students were, we researched and found a brewery a few blocks from the hotel. Before the brewery we stopped to get mint ice cream (in theme of the day) where the server flirted shamelessly with Kerrie and even gave her his number on a napkin... And this was after we explained we were leaving the next day and were not going out past dinner that night.
We went for a late dinner/beer, which ended up being green!!!!!! in celebration for the holiday. It was a great atmosphere- everyone knew each other, so inevitably we were approached several times asked where we were from, because we were the only people who didn't seem to have 10s of friends in the bar. A traveling group of costume-clad Irish-jig players/dancers came through the bar, and they played Irish music but with a Latin drum rhythm, which was amazing.
We ended up speaking to one of the performers for a while about studies, Buenos Aires, more than not just Kerrie and I practicing Spanish, and ended up getting free green beers because of it- woohoo!! and also a recommendation for something off the menu from the waitress that ended up being this lamb? stew in a bread bowl that was specially prepared for el Día del San Patricio. Soon enough it was 1am and we decided to call it a night (Abuela came back).
SUNDAY
Sunday morning we were woken up at 9 for breakfast and check out with the program, and ISA bussed us to a beach by the river. For two hours we laid out in the sun, where I read aloud to Kerrie since both of us weren't really feeling the brown river that day. After we took the optional bus back to the city (we had the option to stay for 2 more hours, but I was already feeling fried and wanted to see more of the markets) and browsed through antiques and almost got sold a puppy by a man on a bench... When in Argentina...
Afterwards we met in the park with other ISA-ers and clambered onto the bus back to Bs As. After a slight malfunction of busting a tire, we were finally home in the city. It felt like it was Kerrie's and my personal vacation from the city/school provided by ISA, so overall a great experience.
Thursday we're going to try and go to a zoo where you can apparently hold and play with lions/tigers/bears(oh my)/pumas/etc. so more on that to come!!
Besos :D
the monument- which i actually think is the only one in the world...
kerrie and i in the monument
us and the performers- don't worry it's my first beer. the mouth open is just for excitement purposes.
So this past weekend, ISA had an excursion of all of their Spring programs to Rosario. Picture 150+ students piled into 3 charter buses headed to a city a four hour bus ride away for St. Patrick's Day weekend. Needless to say, I had even debated just staying in the city, especially after my house mom advised me not to go.
Well, I am happy to say that I am very pleased I went- not only was it really cool to see a completely different city to Buenos Aires, but it was almost like ISA paid for my very own vacation. We didn't really have an itinerary, so for the most part all ISA did was provide transportation and the hotel.
I roomed with Kerrie, whom I spent the entire weekend with.
SATURDAY
After getting on the bus at 730 in the morning, I slept most of the bus ride to the city. I say most because a movie started playing at full volume on the bus, which even my headphones couldn't fully tune out. I do have to say though, it was cool watching an Argentine movie and seeing glimpses of the 15 (the bus I take to school every day) and neighborhoods (like Palermo) that I recognized.
We checked into the hotel, where it took Kerrie and I way too long to figure out how to get the lights on (how were we supposed to know that you needed to stick your card in a little slot by the door to work the electricity??) and headed back to the bus to take us to the Che monument.
Rosario in itself is a much more family-friendly city, it seemed. You could actually see horizon, and the city was situated right next to the river, full with people in the many parks. Apparently usually ISA goes to Rosario for its museums, but of course they were on strike the weekend we went so we had nothing to do but "free time in the city".
We were taken to an all-you-can-eat buffet, which as it sounds was at first the greatest thing ever, but then quickly turned into stomach aches and icky feelings. Maybe that's why my stomach's hurt this week.... Anyways. Two hours at this buffet was more than enough for me to vow never to eat food from a place like that again.
We then went to the Flag Monument, which is apparently the only in the country, and it was HUGE. The monument reminded me somewhat of the monuments in Washington DC, which gave me some sort of satisfaction that there was some merit to this excursion. <- I don't mean to sound so negative about it, because I had a wonderful weekend, but it was just amusing to have a weekend excursion where everything but 2-3 hours of the day was "free time."
After, we had lo-and-behold free time, where Kerrie and I wandered the markets by the river. I bought a ring for around 5 dollars and she bought a few souvenirs for boyfriend and sister. Because it was St. Patrick's we bought some beer to take back to the hotel for a night of celebration.
The entirety of ISA had been talking about going to a certain Irish pub, and because Kerrie and I didn't want to go where a hundred (literally) American students were, we researched and found a brewery a few blocks from the hotel. Before the brewery we stopped to get mint ice cream (in theme of the day) where the server flirted shamelessly with Kerrie and even gave her his number on a napkin... And this was after we explained we were leaving the next day and were not going out past dinner that night.
We went for a late dinner/beer, which ended up being green!!!!!! in celebration for the holiday. It was a great atmosphere- everyone knew each other, so inevitably we were approached several times asked where we were from, because we were the only people who didn't seem to have 10s of friends in the bar. A traveling group of costume-clad Irish-jig players/dancers came through the bar, and they played Irish music but with a Latin drum rhythm, which was amazing.
We ended up speaking to one of the performers for a while about studies, Buenos Aires, more than not just Kerrie and I practicing Spanish, and ended up getting free green beers because of it- woohoo!! and also a recommendation for something off the menu from the waitress that ended up being this lamb? stew in a bread bowl that was specially prepared for el Día del San Patricio. Soon enough it was 1am and we decided to call it a night (Abuela came back).
SUNDAY
Sunday morning we were woken up at 9 for breakfast and check out with the program, and ISA bussed us to a beach by the river. For two hours we laid out in the sun, where I read aloud to Kerrie since both of us weren't really feeling the brown river that day. After we took the optional bus back to the city (we had the option to stay for 2 more hours, but I was already feeling fried and wanted to see more of the markets) and browsed through antiques and almost got sold a puppy by a man on a bench... When in Argentina...
Afterwards we met in the park with other ISA-ers and clambered onto the bus back to Bs As. After a slight malfunction of busting a tire, we were finally home in the city. It felt like it was Kerrie's and my personal vacation from the city/school provided by ISA, so overall a great experience.
Thursday we're going to try and go to a zoo where you can apparently hold and play with lions/tigers/bears(oh my)/pumas/etc. so more on that to come!!
Besos :D
Viejos Amigos, Nuevos Amigos
3/20
FRIDAY 3/9
Two weeks ago, the Friday I arrived back in the city from El Calafate, I had made plans to meet up with Billy and Haynes- two old Poly friends. Between a little bit of miscommunication, however, I was left waiting for no one at an intersection near my house and decided to give Henry's Argentine friend Marcos a call.
Marcos studied for a gap year at Poly last year, lives in Santa Fe (a city 6.5 hours outside of Buenos Aires) and was luckily in BA for the weekend visiting his cousin. A quick cab ride later (waiting twenty minutes for the colectivo 15 in between and it never showing) I was at his cousin's apartment, which was conveniently located a block from Univ. Belgrano.
We headed out to Crobar, a boliche in Palermo, which I thought would be the same experience as last time- a typical nightclub in the city. We ended up going through a different entrance, however, and I was greeted with a completely different ambiance. An outdoor bar was filled with really edgy looking people -quote from Marcos: "All the girls look like Amy Winehouse here"- and an indoor stage area for what I guess was a live band.
After a couple hours of what I can only describe as an electro punk Spanglish band I decided to call it a night, surprised that I had lasted til 430am after the Patagonia adventure.
SATURDAY 3/10
After better communication, I finally met up with Haynes and Billy, who met me directly outside my apartment in Palermo. Deciding to share a taxi for convenience, a quick 2 dollar ride later we were outside CBC, or California Burrito Company. I don't remember if I blogged about this, but basically it's Argentina's version of Chipotle.
After a nice burrito and subpar chips, we headed upstairs to The Roof, an new outdoor bar with great drink prices (the same place I went to for Carnaval weekend). It was great catching up with the two of them, who are studying abroad in Chile, and nice to have familiar faces in such a different city.
I took them around Palermo, stopping at the graffiti post bar and the much-dreaded by those who live in the city Plaza Serrano (because of all the tourists and monotony of bars), and found myself again up until just before sunrise. Abuela not so much that weekend.
WEEK OF 3/12
The next week I started new classes, and I really like my professor and class. She's entertaining and engaging, and the "Perfeccionamente" class we're in is more about fluidity and vocabulary than hammering grammar down our throats which is a nice change.
To put things in perspective, other than the 6 of us who started the program together in January of intensive language at Intermedio 2, all but one of the other students have been raised speaking Spanish in their homes- whether it be parents from Mexico, Columbia, or Nicaragua. Obviously I'm at the bottom of the totem-pole of proficiency in my class.
Thursday, Jess and I decided to check out a hip-hop club that everyone I talked to from previous years and semesters abroad recommended. Upon further investigation, we realized it was 3 blocks away from our apartment, so we just hung out talking and listening to music (okay maybe sipping a little) until around 130am. Crazy how Buenos Aires is literally the city that never sleeps.
We breezed through the entrance through the club (luckily got waived through showing passports and I researched the free entrance 'password' beforehand) and saw what was a mix of Stomp the Yard and You Got Served. Basically a breakdance battle was going on in the club area, so Jess and I went upstairs for a better look. The dancers were actually really good, and the entire atmosphere was full of energy and entertainment. After about an hour, the battles/final ended, and the club opened up, playing about every favorite song from 2003-2008 era. I ran into a few Berkeley EAP (another program) friends, which was a nice surprise in the club mixed of American students and porteños alike. Jess and I agreed to stay no later than 4 just because we had school the next day, but it was impossible to find a bad song to leave on, so finally dragging ourselves out did we vow to return every Thursday night here on out.
It's scary to think I only have 7 weeks left here when I just feel myself getting used to the city. My Spanish comes and goes, but I have found friends in the Choripan man nextdoor and the Heladeria across the street (dunno if I should be proud or ashamed that every time I go in for ice cream everyone waves and greets me because we all know each other so well by now).
I'm splitting up my next post because Rosario was a completely different trip in its own, but besos as always :)
marcos' cousin, me, and marcos
more post bar art- actually love this place
me haynes and billy :):):)
FRIDAY 3/9
Two weeks ago, the Friday I arrived back in the city from El Calafate, I had made plans to meet up with Billy and Haynes- two old Poly friends. Between a little bit of miscommunication, however, I was left waiting for no one at an intersection near my house and decided to give Henry's Argentine friend Marcos a call.
Marcos studied for a gap year at Poly last year, lives in Santa Fe (a city 6.5 hours outside of Buenos Aires) and was luckily in BA for the weekend visiting his cousin. A quick cab ride later (waiting twenty minutes for the colectivo 15 in between and it never showing) I was at his cousin's apartment, which was conveniently located a block from Univ. Belgrano.
We headed out to Crobar, a boliche in Palermo, which I thought would be the same experience as last time- a typical nightclub in the city. We ended up going through a different entrance, however, and I was greeted with a completely different ambiance. An outdoor bar was filled with really edgy looking people -quote from Marcos: "All the girls look like Amy Winehouse here"- and an indoor stage area for what I guess was a live band.
After a couple hours of what I can only describe as an electro punk Spanglish band I decided to call it a night, surprised that I had lasted til 430am after the Patagonia adventure.
SATURDAY 3/10
After better communication, I finally met up with Haynes and Billy, who met me directly outside my apartment in Palermo. Deciding to share a taxi for convenience, a quick 2 dollar ride later we were outside CBC, or California Burrito Company. I don't remember if I blogged about this, but basically it's Argentina's version of Chipotle.
After a nice burrito and subpar chips, we headed upstairs to The Roof, an new outdoor bar with great drink prices (the same place I went to for Carnaval weekend). It was great catching up with the two of them, who are studying abroad in Chile, and nice to have familiar faces in such a different city.
I took them around Palermo, stopping at the graffiti post bar and the much-dreaded by those who live in the city Plaza Serrano (because of all the tourists and monotony of bars), and found myself again up until just before sunrise. Abuela not so much that weekend.
WEEK OF 3/12
The next week I started new classes, and I really like my professor and class. She's entertaining and engaging, and the "Perfeccionamente" class we're in is more about fluidity and vocabulary than hammering grammar down our throats which is a nice change.
To put things in perspective, other than the 6 of us who started the program together in January of intensive language at Intermedio 2, all but one of the other students have been raised speaking Spanish in their homes- whether it be parents from Mexico, Columbia, or Nicaragua. Obviously I'm at the bottom of the totem-pole of proficiency in my class.
Thursday, Jess and I decided to check out a hip-hop club that everyone I talked to from previous years and semesters abroad recommended. Upon further investigation, we realized it was 3 blocks away from our apartment, so we just hung out talking and listening to music (okay maybe sipping a little) until around 130am. Crazy how Buenos Aires is literally the city that never sleeps.
We breezed through the entrance through the club (luckily got waived through showing passports and I researched the free entrance 'password' beforehand) and saw what was a mix of Stomp the Yard and You Got Served. Basically a breakdance battle was going on in the club area, so Jess and I went upstairs for a better look. The dancers were actually really good, and the entire atmosphere was full of energy and entertainment. After about an hour, the battles/final ended, and the club opened up, playing about every favorite song from 2003-2008 era. I ran into a few Berkeley EAP (another program) friends, which was a nice surprise in the club mixed of American students and porteños alike. Jess and I agreed to stay no later than 4 just because we had school the next day, but it was impossible to find a bad song to leave on, so finally dragging ourselves out did we vow to return every Thursday night here on out.
It's scary to think I only have 7 weeks left here when I just feel myself getting used to the city. My Spanish comes and goes, but I have found friends in the Choripan man nextdoor and the Heladeria across the street (dunno if I should be proud or ashamed that every time I go in for ice cream everyone waves and greets me because we all know each other so well by now).
I'm splitting up my next post because Rosario was a completely different trip in its own, but besos as always :)
Patagonia.
3/20
Took place 3/3-3/9
I know this is WAY long overdue, but I have just been so busy back and forth from seeing old friends, trips, and enjoying my last half of Buenos Aires.
SATURDAY - Buenos Aires to El Calafate
Dark and early at around 530 am a taxi with Elisa and (ISA) Bryan picked me up outside my apartment heading to the EZE international airport. What we thought would be an hour long drive ended up only taking 20 minutes because the lack of cars in the streets.
After landing in El Calafate, We took a taxi to our hostel- I Keu Ken Hostel, which was just out of a storybook tale. Brightly colored, quaint, and filled with random traveling memorabilia, we quickly looked past the fact that it was way up on a steep hill on top of town and marveled at the views the huge windows provided. After walking around town and purchasing my Hielo y Aventura tour for the next day, I decided to buy a gourmet sandwich at a cafe and eat at the hostel, passing up on meeting the people in our program we knew for cooking at their hostel. I met guys from Australia and London, and a New Yorker who all seemed eager to show me pictures of the glacier and talk out their experience in El Chalten, Elisa's and my next destination. I went to bed eager for my ice trek the next morning.
SUNDAY - El Calafate, Perito Moreno Glacier
At 8 in the morning, the Hielo y Aventura tour bus picked me up outside the hostel and drove a group of excited trekkers to the balconies of the glacier. I met a girl from Switzerland, and since both of us were doing the trip solo we decided to become quasi-travel buddies. Elisa and the other people from my program didn't want to pay the hefty $150 price tag, but I figured, when am I ever going to be able to crampon across a glacier again?? Plus I wasn't about to go all the way down to Patagonia and not step foot on a glacier.
I was greeted with a great omen for the day in that with my student visa, the normal 100 peso charge to enter the national park was reduced to merely 15. Woohoo! We walked around the balconies snapping pictures of the monstrosity that is the glacier, following our guide until we reached our bus at a different location.
The bus then took us around the glacier to a private bay, where we boarded a boat that would speed us along to the Hielo y Aventura base camp next to the glacier. After snacking on a quick lunch, we strapped on the crampons and before I knew it I was trekking in ice. We took about 20 minutes for an instructional test-drive, for the guides to make sure we were all physically capable to climb uphill and ease downhill in the ice; only one person was asked to turn around.
After we trekked up and down little ice mountains, and I saw things like little ice lagoons and a waterfall INSIDE of the glacier. After the 2 hours out on the ice, the tour came with a complementary glass (yes I say glass not shot) of whiskey and an alfajore. Since I had been practicing my Spanish with one of the guides the entire trip, he snuck Alex (my Swiss friend) and I a few extra alfajores for the road. :)
Side Note: I am so thankful for being able to experience such a trip, because it truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... so thanks mom and dad!!
I fell asleep instantly on the bus ride back without even realizing how much the trek wore me out. I was reunited with Elisa, and the two of us met up with our group for dinner at a restaurant called Pura Vida. Everything was Patagonia-grown and bred, and it may have been my best meal here. I split two plates with Albert, and we shared the lamb stew and gnocchi, both so rich and fulfilling and delicious and everything you want a home-cooked meal to be.
MONDAY - El Calafate to El Chalten
Monday we boarded a bus in the early afternoon to head to El Chalten, our real trekking destination. We found our hostel (Condor's Backpacking Hostel) which already was a bit of a letdown compared to I Keu Ken. No breakfast served, and cozyyyy (euphemism) rooms, the atmosphere was a bit less of a home and more of a hostel (go figure). We cooked pasta bought at the supermarket in El Calafate (El Chalten was so small it barely had one). The New Yorker, upon recognizing Elisa and I brought over a bottle of wine and shared it with us, describing his frightful backpacking night without a sleeping bag in the howling winds of Laguna de los Tres. It was his first time camping. I think he was so relieved to have made it out alive that he had no qualms about sharing his wine, and later paying for our dessert at the Serveceria.
After, we went for a beer at a Serveceria (I'm totally butchering the spelling), where there were only two options, both brewed in the bar. It was different than any beer I have had, sort of sweet but delicious. Overall a nice travel day between trekking and the hiking that would come next.
TUESDAY - El Chalten, hike to Laguna Torre (10 mi)
Greeted with the strongest winds of my life, Elisa and I made the 10 mile round trip trek to Laguna Torre and back along with two girls from the program, Becca and Laura. When we got to the lake, the wind was so strong that I could put my whole body weight into the wind and still be standing up. It was a fun day, and not as difficult as I thought it would be.
Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with a delicious quinoa dinner- the first time I had ever eaten or cooked it, and post-dinner a trip to the chocolateria with two Swiss guys that were sharing a room with Becca and Laura in the hostel. Probably the best tasting chocolate I have had in my life. I would've brought some back for you dad, but I definitely would've already eaten it by now.
WEDNESDAY - El Chalten, hike to Laguna de Los Tres (15 mi)
What a day. Elisa and I headed out at 8am as to not have to worry about scheduling ourselves for sunset, and immediately were a tad bit sore from the previous day. The hike was breathtaking, with clear skies and almost immediate views of Mt. Fitz Roy greeting us at every turn. We paused at Camp Poincenot to gather our bearings before the last hour straight uphill (I kid you not, literally scaling rocks as stairs to make it up a mountain to see the lake), and pushed for the final trek around noon.
And what a lake- the view completely obliterated any pain I had felt from pushing up those stairs, and it was the perfect spot to enjoy our peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwiches for lunch. The water was probably the tastiest I had ever had (even beating Tahoe water!) and Elisa and I both were on cloud 9 with accomplishment and marvel at the view.
We stopped again at the camp upon greeting friends from the program- and hung out for a couple hours since we were in no rush to return back. We headed back down a slightly different route to get a glimpse of another lake, Lake Capri, and ended up reaching the hostel at around 6pm. Definitely a full and fulfilling day.
We meant to go to the chocolateria again to reward ourselves with chocolate and wine, but both of us were so worn out from the trip that after making pasta and veggies we could barely even make it up and down the stairs of our hostel.
THURSDAY - El Chalten to El Calafate
A great lazy morning of sleeping in, reading (the books I zoomed through this week were the Hunger Games for quick re-read before the movie, the Alchemist, and Brave New World, another quick re-read), and a last visit to the chocolateria. We had wanted to day hike to a viewing point, but I got a blister that looked almost infected and I didn't want to push it.
We took the bus to El Calafate, where we had a true Argentine dinner. By true Argentine dinner I mean we sat for literally 3 hours pouring over a beer, burger, and fries. Great success. We played cards back in our hostel, read, and slept- on mountain time I could never get enough sleep.
FRIDAY- El Calafate back to Buenos Aires
We woke up late for breakfast provided by I Keu Ken, and lazed around reading overlooking the magnificent lake view. I'm continuing to read through HP in Spanish, and surprise myself how it gets easier almost every time I open it.
It was hard to say goodbye to such a beautiful place, but with Elisa's family coming in and Haynes and Billy visiting, we had stuff to look forward to for the weekend. Will post on the weekend/past week when I get back from classes this afternoon!
Besos!!!
standing with my crampons on the glacier
overlooking the balconies of the glacier
trekking up the glacier following our guide
winds at laguna de torre pushing me over
our view the entire laguna de los tres hike
elisa and i at laguna de los tres!!
saying goodbye to el chalten
Took place 3/3-3/9
I know this is WAY long overdue, but I have just been so busy back and forth from seeing old friends, trips, and enjoying my last half of Buenos Aires.
SATURDAY - Buenos Aires to El Calafate
Dark and early at around 530 am a taxi with Elisa and (ISA) Bryan picked me up outside my apartment heading to the EZE international airport. What we thought would be an hour long drive ended up only taking 20 minutes because the lack of cars in the streets.
After landing in El Calafate, We took a taxi to our hostel- I Keu Ken Hostel, which was just out of a storybook tale. Brightly colored, quaint, and filled with random traveling memorabilia, we quickly looked past the fact that it was way up on a steep hill on top of town and marveled at the views the huge windows provided. After walking around town and purchasing my Hielo y Aventura tour for the next day, I decided to buy a gourmet sandwich at a cafe and eat at the hostel, passing up on meeting the people in our program we knew for cooking at their hostel. I met guys from Australia and London, and a New Yorker who all seemed eager to show me pictures of the glacier and talk out their experience in El Chalten, Elisa's and my next destination. I went to bed eager for my ice trek the next morning.
SUNDAY - El Calafate, Perito Moreno Glacier
At 8 in the morning, the Hielo y Aventura tour bus picked me up outside the hostel and drove a group of excited trekkers to the balconies of the glacier. I met a girl from Switzerland, and since both of us were doing the trip solo we decided to become quasi-travel buddies. Elisa and the other people from my program didn't want to pay the hefty $150 price tag, but I figured, when am I ever going to be able to crampon across a glacier again?? Plus I wasn't about to go all the way down to Patagonia and not step foot on a glacier.
I was greeted with a great omen for the day in that with my student visa, the normal 100 peso charge to enter the national park was reduced to merely 15. Woohoo! We walked around the balconies snapping pictures of the monstrosity that is the glacier, following our guide until we reached our bus at a different location.
The bus then took us around the glacier to a private bay, where we boarded a boat that would speed us along to the Hielo y Aventura base camp next to the glacier. After snacking on a quick lunch, we strapped on the crampons and before I knew it I was trekking in ice. We took about 20 minutes for an instructional test-drive, for the guides to make sure we were all physically capable to climb uphill and ease downhill in the ice; only one person was asked to turn around.
After we trekked up and down little ice mountains, and I saw things like little ice lagoons and a waterfall INSIDE of the glacier. After the 2 hours out on the ice, the tour came with a complementary glass (yes I say glass not shot) of whiskey and an alfajore. Since I had been practicing my Spanish with one of the guides the entire trip, he snuck Alex (my Swiss friend) and I a few extra alfajores for the road. :)
Side Note: I am so thankful for being able to experience such a trip, because it truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... so thanks mom and dad!!
I fell asleep instantly on the bus ride back without even realizing how much the trek wore me out. I was reunited with Elisa, and the two of us met up with our group for dinner at a restaurant called Pura Vida. Everything was Patagonia-grown and bred, and it may have been my best meal here. I split two plates with Albert, and we shared the lamb stew and gnocchi, both so rich and fulfilling and delicious and everything you want a home-cooked meal to be.
MONDAY - El Calafate to El Chalten
Monday we boarded a bus in the early afternoon to head to El Chalten, our real trekking destination. We found our hostel (Condor's Backpacking Hostel) which already was a bit of a letdown compared to I Keu Ken. No breakfast served, and cozyyyy (euphemism) rooms, the atmosphere was a bit less of a home and more of a hostel (go figure). We cooked pasta bought at the supermarket in El Calafate (El Chalten was so small it barely had one). The New Yorker, upon recognizing Elisa and I brought over a bottle of wine and shared it with us, describing his frightful backpacking night without a sleeping bag in the howling winds of Laguna de los Tres. It was his first time camping. I think he was so relieved to have made it out alive that he had no qualms about sharing his wine, and later paying for our dessert at the Serveceria.
After, we went for a beer at a Serveceria (I'm totally butchering the spelling), where there were only two options, both brewed in the bar. It was different than any beer I have had, sort of sweet but delicious. Overall a nice travel day between trekking and the hiking that would come next.
TUESDAY - El Chalten, hike to Laguna Torre (10 mi)
Greeted with the strongest winds of my life, Elisa and I made the 10 mile round trip trek to Laguna Torre and back along with two girls from the program, Becca and Laura. When we got to the lake, the wind was so strong that I could put my whole body weight into the wind and still be standing up. It was a fun day, and not as difficult as I thought it would be.
Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with a delicious quinoa dinner- the first time I had ever eaten or cooked it, and post-dinner a trip to the chocolateria with two Swiss guys that were sharing a room with Becca and Laura in the hostel. Probably the best tasting chocolate I have had in my life. I would've brought some back for you dad, but I definitely would've already eaten it by now.
WEDNESDAY - El Chalten, hike to Laguna de Los Tres (15 mi)
What a day. Elisa and I headed out at 8am as to not have to worry about scheduling ourselves for sunset, and immediately were a tad bit sore from the previous day. The hike was breathtaking, with clear skies and almost immediate views of Mt. Fitz Roy greeting us at every turn. We paused at Camp Poincenot to gather our bearings before the last hour straight uphill (I kid you not, literally scaling rocks as stairs to make it up a mountain to see the lake), and pushed for the final trek around noon.
And what a lake- the view completely obliterated any pain I had felt from pushing up those stairs, and it was the perfect spot to enjoy our peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwiches for lunch. The water was probably the tastiest I had ever had (even beating Tahoe water!) and Elisa and I both were on cloud 9 with accomplishment and marvel at the view.
We stopped again at the camp upon greeting friends from the program- and hung out for a couple hours since we were in no rush to return back. We headed back down a slightly different route to get a glimpse of another lake, Lake Capri, and ended up reaching the hostel at around 6pm. Definitely a full and fulfilling day.
We meant to go to the chocolateria again to reward ourselves with chocolate and wine, but both of us were so worn out from the trip that after making pasta and veggies we could barely even make it up and down the stairs of our hostel.
THURSDAY - El Chalten to El Calafate
A great lazy morning of sleeping in, reading (the books I zoomed through this week were the Hunger Games for quick re-read before the movie, the Alchemist, and Brave New World, another quick re-read), and a last visit to the chocolateria. We had wanted to day hike to a viewing point, but I got a blister that looked almost infected and I didn't want to push it.
We took the bus to El Calafate, where we had a true Argentine dinner. By true Argentine dinner I mean we sat for literally 3 hours pouring over a beer, burger, and fries. Great success. We played cards back in our hostel, read, and slept- on mountain time I could never get enough sleep.
FRIDAY- El Calafate back to Buenos Aires
We woke up late for breakfast provided by I Keu Ken, and lazed around reading overlooking the magnificent lake view. I'm continuing to read through HP in Spanish, and surprise myself how it gets easier almost every time I open it.
It was hard to say goodbye to such a beautiful place, but with Elisa's family coming in and Haynes and Billy visiting, we had stuff to look forward to for the weekend. Will post on the weekend/past week when I get back from classes this afternoon!
Besos!!!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Indescribable Experience at the Falls
3/2
Disclaimer: It's difficult to describe this experience without sounding like a total tree-hugger/nature fiend. So dad, bear with me.
Saturday
Saturday morning the sweet sound of my alarm at 330am did wonders for my mental state of being. I had gone to bed at 9 the night before, so luckily I got a decent amount of sleep, but was still put off by the fact that Jess and I were sharing a bus towards the ISA office with late-night partiers on their way home.
After loading into the coach bus that would take us to the international EZE airport, a girl in my program had an unzipped backpack she tried putting in the overhead compartment above me, which resulted in an aluminum filled bottle to the face at 430 in the morning. Obviously I was thrilled. My lip is still a little swollen, and this story is more to complain to my mom than actual plot addition to my trip...
The morning continued to run smoothly (note sarcasm), after we arrived at the airport we encountered an enormous line at the check in. Turns out the only international airport in the country's check-in system broke down. Typical Argentina. I was surprised with how not bothered by the whole process I was. I just plopped down on the floor with my backpack and tried to rest since it was still 5 or 6 in the morning.
After five hours of waiting, we were finally able to check in and board our 4-hour delayed flight. I think karma came back around from my first plane ride in (see first post in the blog) because the couple that sat next to me let me have the window seat even though I was assigned the aisle. The view as we approached the waterfalls was incredible- I've never seen something from nature on such a large scale before.
Arriving at the airport, it was pouring, so our weekend itinerary changed a bit. We were supposed to head straight to the falls that day, but because of the delay, we headed to the hotel and decided to do Sunday's itinerary instead. Our hostel was luxurious, with a pool and spa, and I shared a room with two other girls in my program, Hilary and Laura. We walked as a group to Las Tres Fronteras, which is a meeting point of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina at a river. After taking some touristy photos and absorbing the beauty of the jungle, we headed back to the hotel where a few girls and I enjoyed the pool in the rainy weather.
For dinner, it was a guy in my program's birthday, so we ate out at this amazing Chinese restaurant where the walls were covered in chalk from past travelers. I called it an early night and got some ice cream, where Kerrie and I ended up talking to this old Australian couple for half an hour about the drug wars in Mexico (so random but typical of my experience down here).
Sunday
The falls. Before I share this, between the balcony that looked over the falls and the train that took us to Devil's Throat, we took a boat that actually went under part of the waterfalls which was beyond amazing. It took us right under the water of Iguazu park and drenched and happy, there was no place in the world I would have rather been. I literally can't even put into words how wonderful this whole experience was, so I'm just going to copy the poem that's highlighted in the park about the falls.
Maravilla Natural- Garganta del diablo de Alfonso Ricciutto
Permite que tu alma sea saciada
con la belleza impar de este paisaje
que aunque el mundo recorras en tus viajes
nunca podrás hallar como esto, nada.
El bien y el mal dinámico y cambiante
encontrarás aquí, desde su nombre
lleva en tu humilde corazón de hombre
un mensaje verídico y constante.
Medita y siente la emoción profunda
frente al antiguo y vibrante paroxismo
que de brumas eternas se circunda
Y no intentes describirlo con tu voz
Solo inclina la frente ante este abismo
Que es el espejo de la palabra Dios.
Natural Wonder- Devil's throat by Alfonso Ricciutto
Let your soul be satisfied
with the odd beauty of this landscape
that although the world walk in truth
you'll never find, like this, nothing.
Good and bad dynamic and changing
find here, from ist name,
keep in your heart of man humble
a true and consistent message.
Meditate and feel the deep emotion
contemplating the vibrant climax
eternal mist that is circled.
And do not try to describe it in your voice
only he leans his forehead against the abyss
is the mirror of the word God.
Okay so super spiritual/out of body experience description, but that's literally how it felt being there. I can't even say anymore about it without sounding like a fool.
After the falls, we took a four hour bus ride, which after sleeping for a bit I got to chat with Elisa for a good portion, watching one of the most beautiful sunsets to date on our way to the hotel. At the hotel, we were served a sit down meal, which was actually so refreshing after such a long day with walking.
Monday
After a good night's sleep, bright and early again we left the hotel and started our next adventure at the ruins of San Ignacio. It was originally a mission where white settlers tried to convert the natives of the land, which obviously ended up failing. I don't know much of the history, so wikipedia it if interested. (There's also a movie with Robert DeNiro which I plan on watching eventually)
After the ruins, we spent 5 hours at a mate farm, where I lazed in a hammock and enjoyed an asada lunch. It was literally like wine country but mate country. It was a great way to finish a wonderful weekend. When we got to the airport, of course the flight was delayed due to the storm, so I read The Five People You Meet in Heaven while we waited, which I HIGHLY recommend. Great easy read.
We arrived in the city airport (not EZE) greeted with rain, so four of us split a cab home to drop us off on our front doorstep. I'll try and add more later to this post, I just wanted to get a good solid blog in before I leave for Patagonia... which is TOMORROW.
Besos everyone!! And check my Carnaval post- I updated the pictures!
Aerial view of the falls
Three points- Paraguay to the left, Brazil on the right, and standing in Argentina :)
Dinner- notice the chalk!
At the park- tons of these walkway balconies led us even up close and personal to the falls
Literally felt like I was in a mix between Jurassic Park and Avatar
Devil's Throat- most massive natural wonder that I've ever seen
San Ignacio ruins
The mate farm
Disclaimer: It's difficult to describe this experience without sounding like a total tree-hugger/nature fiend. So dad, bear with me.
Saturday
Saturday morning the sweet sound of my alarm at 330am did wonders for my mental state of being. I had gone to bed at 9 the night before, so luckily I got a decent amount of sleep, but was still put off by the fact that Jess and I were sharing a bus towards the ISA office with late-night partiers on their way home.
After loading into the coach bus that would take us to the international EZE airport, a girl in my program had an unzipped backpack she tried putting in the overhead compartment above me, which resulted in an aluminum filled bottle to the face at 430 in the morning. Obviously I was thrilled. My lip is still a little swollen, and this story is more to complain to my mom than actual plot addition to my trip...
The morning continued to run smoothly (note sarcasm), after we arrived at the airport we encountered an enormous line at the check in. Turns out the only international airport in the country's check-in system broke down. Typical Argentina. I was surprised with how not bothered by the whole process I was. I just plopped down on the floor with my backpack and tried to rest since it was still 5 or 6 in the morning.
After five hours of waiting, we were finally able to check in and board our 4-hour delayed flight. I think karma came back around from my first plane ride in (see first post in the blog) because the couple that sat next to me let me have the window seat even though I was assigned the aisle. The view as we approached the waterfalls was incredible- I've never seen something from nature on such a large scale before.
Arriving at the airport, it was pouring, so our weekend itinerary changed a bit. We were supposed to head straight to the falls that day, but because of the delay, we headed to the hotel and decided to do Sunday's itinerary instead. Our hostel was luxurious, with a pool and spa, and I shared a room with two other girls in my program, Hilary and Laura. We walked as a group to Las Tres Fronteras, which is a meeting point of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina at a river. After taking some touristy photos and absorbing the beauty of the jungle, we headed back to the hotel where a few girls and I enjoyed the pool in the rainy weather.
For dinner, it was a guy in my program's birthday, so we ate out at this amazing Chinese restaurant where the walls were covered in chalk from past travelers. I called it an early night and got some ice cream, where Kerrie and I ended up talking to this old Australian couple for half an hour about the drug wars in Mexico (so random but typical of my experience down here).
Sunday
The falls. Before I share this, between the balcony that looked over the falls and the train that took us to Devil's Throat, we took a boat that actually went under part of the waterfalls which was beyond amazing. It took us right under the water of Iguazu park and drenched and happy, there was no place in the world I would have rather been. I literally can't even put into words how wonderful this whole experience was, so I'm just going to copy the poem that's highlighted in the park about the falls.
Maravilla Natural- Garganta del diablo de Alfonso Ricciutto
Permite que tu alma sea saciada
con la belleza impar de este paisaje
que aunque el mundo recorras en tus viajes
nunca podrás hallar como esto, nada.
El bien y el mal dinámico y cambiante
encontrarás aquí, desde su nombre
lleva en tu humilde corazón de hombre
un mensaje verídico y constante.
Medita y siente la emoción profunda
frente al antiguo y vibrante paroxismo
que de brumas eternas se circunda
Y no intentes describirlo con tu voz
Solo inclina la frente ante este abismo
Que es el espejo de la palabra Dios.
Natural Wonder- Devil's throat by Alfonso Ricciutto
Let your soul be satisfied
with the odd beauty of this landscape
that although the world walk in truth
you'll never find, like this, nothing.
Good and bad dynamic and changing
find here, from ist name,
keep in your heart of man humble
a true and consistent message.
Meditate and feel the deep emotion
contemplating the vibrant climax
eternal mist that is circled.
And do not try to describe it in your voice
only he leans his forehead against the abyss
is the mirror of the word God.
Okay so super spiritual/out of body experience description, but that's literally how it felt being there. I can't even say anymore about it without sounding like a fool.
After the falls, we took a four hour bus ride, which after sleeping for a bit I got to chat with Elisa for a good portion, watching one of the most beautiful sunsets to date on our way to the hotel. At the hotel, we were served a sit down meal, which was actually so refreshing after such a long day with walking.
Monday
After a good night's sleep, bright and early again we left the hotel and started our next adventure at the ruins of San Ignacio. It was originally a mission where white settlers tried to convert the natives of the land, which obviously ended up failing. I don't know much of the history, so wikipedia it if interested. (There's also a movie with Robert DeNiro which I plan on watching eventually)
After the ruins, we spent 5 hours at a mate farm, where I lazed in a hammock and enjoyed an asada lunch. It was literally like wine country but mate country. It was a great way to finish a wonderful weekend. When we got to the airport, of course the flight was delayed due to the storm, so I read The Five People You Meet in Heaven while we waited, which I HIGHLY recommend. Great easy read.
We arrived in the city airport (not EZE) greeted with rain, so four of us split a cab home to drop us off on our front doorstep. I'll try and add more later to this post, I just wanted to get a good solid blog in before I leave for Patagonia... which is TOMORROW.
Besos everyone!! And check my Carnaval post- I updated the pictures!
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