Last weekend, I went to visit Nicaragua with some friends.  We went to this country with two pieces of advice from a professor:  Don’t drink the water and don’t eat the cheese.  Only one piece of this advice was actually heeded, as seen in this photo of dinner:

The bus ride to Nicaragua was a lot shorter than the one to Panama.  After six hours we stepped out of the bus and into a dense crowd of enthusiastic and very persistent men waving wads of money in our faces while telling us that we neede to exchange our money with them.  (Note: never give into them…I know another student that lost $80 this way).

Now Nicaragua is the poorest country in the Americas, second only to Haiti.  Throughout the history of Nicaragua, the United States has missed no opportunity to F%#$ it up.  In the 1800s, William Walker, a crazy American pirate made himself president of Nicaragua.  With plans build a canal across Nicaragua, the U.S. backed dictators that executed thousands of people.  The Somozas, a U.S. backed “dynasty” committed atrocious human rights violations that included using international relief money after a devastating earthquake to build mansions.  And then of course there was Ronald Reagan’s “Contra” movement, which was just…AH!  I don’t even have words.  So anyway, we’ve done our part to affect the social and political environments there.  Quite frankly, I didn’t want to admit my nationality while I was there –  partly because I was afraid and partly because I was ashamed.  But I never came across any problems.

We spent Thursday night in Masaya.  Every Thursday, this town has a giant market and a festival at night with traditional dances and music.

In Nicaragua, all of their “bus stops” are in the middle of their markets.  Not tourist markets — real, dirty, wonderful markets that reek of slabs of meat in butcher stands, dead fish, and vegetables that sit in the wet, Nicaraguan heat.  When we made it through the maze of everything from baked goods to fruits to fabrics to cheaply made socks and underwear, we got onto a “chicken bus.”  Once again, it was an old American school bus decked out with a new paint job, some Latino interior design touches, and music — always music.

The chicken bus took us to Granada, a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture.  Granada sits under the shadow of the Mombacho Volcano, and on Lake Nicaragua, the only freshwater lake in the world that has sharks.

The lake and the volcano behind some clouds.  We saw no sharks : (

Our first day there, we “happened” to stumble upon a very lovely place that offered an hour long massage and lunch for $23.  Clearly it was a must.  Things are quite inexpensive in Nicaragua.  The massage place was very nice and luxurious and the lunch was delicious.  The next day we took a tour of the city that was pulled by probably very malnourished horses.  We also climbed to the top of a bell tower that gave us an incredible view of the Granada.

The style of houses in Nicaragua is so unique.  Every house in the city has a large courtyard in it’s center, complete with stunning gardens of flowers and tropical trees.  The houses were not enclosed at all, and it seemed a bit awkward at first to walk by people’s homes and be able to see them in their bedrooms or watching television.  Their front doors are decoratively designed gates and you can look right through into their hammock-filled courtyards.

Here you can see trees poking up out of houses:

Before I get carried away with my massage and the beautiful homes of the small population of wealthy people there, I should talk about the extreme poverty that exists in Nicaragua.  There is so much of it, and it is most difficult to see the children who live in poverty there.  At a young age, little boys and girls are sent to beg on the streets.  Ten-year-olds with dead, empty eyes sit on corners with their noses in baby jars full of rubber cement.  Maybe it is to relieve themselves from the pain of hunger or of their poverty, but whatever is, no hope can be seen there.  I don’t even know how such a cycle of such an intense form of poverty could begin to be broken.  According to a Huffington Post article, 6.7% of the world has a college education.  I am not only in that 6.7% but I also have been given the opportunity to study in different countries and travel and learn so much.  I guess what I am trying to say is, I just feel so lucky and so thankful to have been born with the opportunities I have.  Because wretchedly high numbers of people will never have them.

So we finished up our weekend in San Juan del Sur…a pretty town on the Pacific Ocean, and we relaxed on the beach jumped in the waves as the sun set.  A very nice weekend : )

From Panama City we took a bus north to Boquete, a small town up in the mountains.  When you go to Boquete, you don’t even feel like you are in Central America at all.  A nickname for this area is the “Place of the Eternal Spring.”  The climate is cool, much cooler than the rest of the country.  All year round it is like springtime.  It was actually a really nice respite from the tropical heat that we had experienced in the capital.  The green pastures on the mountains and the town itself made it look more like a European village than a tropical country.

While there, we hiked up in the mountains in search of the “elusive” quetzal.  The quetzal is a very rare bird that lives in different areas of Central America and there happened to be a population in Boquete.

Someone told us that to the people who live there, it is kind of like a phoenix or something.  There are some beliefs that its feathers have special powers.  All of the local tour guides use fun adjectives to describe the bird.  It is never just the quetzal.  It is always the “elusive”, “resplendent”, “magnificent”, or “impressive.”  Although we were not lucky enough to see the glorious quetzal, we did enjoy breathing in the fresh mountain air and wealsohadourfirstexperiencehitchhiking.  But I won’t go into that : ).

The next day we took a horseback ride up in the mountains.  There is a spot there where both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be seen, which I think is just amazing.  Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy, so we could just make out only the Pacific.  We also swam in some hot springs that sat near the base of a dormant volcano.

Someone’s pet monkey near the hot springs:

After Boquete, we made our last stop to Bocas del Toro.  Bocas is a group of islands on the Caribbean coast of Panama.  It looks like paradise and has places like this:

Unfortunately we didn’t stay in that hotel, but it was super beautiful anyway.  We stayed in a nice place built on stilts where we could peek through the floorboards and see the ocean.  There were also hammocks that I am in love with hung on that back deck where we could lounge around.  It was absolutely perfect.

The first night, we stayed on Isla Bastimentos, a small, less touristy island.  The town consists of one road that is actually just a sidewalk.  The population of the island is mostly African-American, descended from African slaves during the colonization or also from African laborers who came to work on the railroad or canal.  We realized after a couple of hours there that the people preferred to speak English rather than Spanish.  They know English but learn Spanish in school.  Their first language that the speak in the house though, is “Guari-Guari,” a dialect of English that throws some Spanish in there too.  It was mesmerizing listening to this language, which is a lot like Creole.  Although it technically is a dialect of English, it doesn’t sound at all like anything I’ve ever heard.

A lot of the children liked to come ask us for pictures so that they could look at themselves on the digital camera after.

Cutest kids ever:

We saw dolphins while there and did some amazing snorkeling.  One of our snorkeling adventures was at Hospital Point, an island where a hospital for the United Fruit Company used to be.  We visited a beautiful island, Isla Zapatilla, that was a national park filled with white sand, green palm trees, and blue, blue water.

We mostly spent our time in Bocas relaxing and exploring the islands.  Because, I mean, look at the place.  I think it must have been created for relaxation and enjoyment.

Nicaragua trip next weekend, which should be SO cool!

Because we had a break from school, a friend and I decided to travel south to Panama for the week.  We embarked first on a 22 hour bus ride to Panama City.  Panama City is one of the most important cities in Central America and lies on the Pacific Ocean.

Due to certain physical features, Panama has obviously been an important place for the United States to “take advantage of.”  There are a lot of American influences in this country — for example, the U.S. dollar has been adopted as its currency.  Other American influences include old school buses used as city public buses.  They take these buses and paint random murals all over them.  Also, the interiors are laced with feathers, felt covered steering wheels and dice hanging from the rear view mirror.  Latina music is blasted during the ride.  I would like to think that if school buses looked like this before they got to Panama, children might be a little more excited to go to school.

Pimp my ride: School Bus edition:

Like all cities, Panama has tall, grand skyscrapers that stand near the Pacific.  Although these buildings are quite lovely, only a few blocks away are government-owned buildings where people can live for free without water or electricity.  These loom gloomily over garbage filled streets, on account of there being no sanitation service.  In the city, we stayed in a neighborhood called Casco Viejo.  It consisted of pretty cobblestone streets and ancient but beautiful buildings.  It was very nice, but also a tad worrisome when some taxi drivers refused to drive us back to our hotel at night because it was “too dangerous.”

Panama City skyline:

Casco Viejo:

But no matter…we survived, and whatever danger there might have been for us was made up for by the extreme kindness and caring natures of the Panamanian people.  They were always full of helpful warnings and advice.  They took care of us like we were their own children or family.  For example, on our second afternoon in the city, we explored Panama Viejo, or, Old Panama.  Here stands a crumbling stone church and the ruins of the city that dates back almost 500 years.  While there, we started talking to three young Panamanians who were studying to be tour guides.  The twin girls and the boyfriend of one of the girls talked with us as if we had been friends for years.  They invited us to explore an ecological fair with them.  At the fair, there were stands set up selling Eco-friendly products and crafts.  Ariel, the boyfriend, being a very nice gentleman, bought us all a pair of earrings made out of recycled plastic.  If this sounds like something strange considering we had only met these people a couple of hours before, it wasn’t at all!  This is just how these people are.  They are very nice and generous and friendly.  Later on we went to eat dinner.  They told us what to order so that we could have a taste of all of the good, typical Panamanian food.  In the evening we went out dancing with them and some of their other friends.

New amigos and us at the Eco-fair:

The first full day that we were in Panama City, we spent the morning at the Miraflores Locks, one of the three that exist along the canal.  There is a reason that the canal is one of the seven man-made wonders of the world.  (At least I think it is — if it’s not, it should be).  It is absolutely mind-blowing to look at the huge canal that cuts across a nation to to think about what can be done with money and power (speak softly and carry a big stick).  Workers came from all around the world and died in the thousands of disease and other calamities.  They certainly did make something quite wondrous to behold.  To watch the locks lower and raise giant ships was mesmerizing.

While at the Miraflores visitor center and museum, we read a little something about the Embera tribe.  They are a people that are indigenous to the Darien province — a wild, undeveloped area of southernm Panama near the Colombian border.  Some of the Embera peoples have migrated to areas nearer to Panama City.  We asked a guide at the museum if he knew of a way that we could visit these tribes.  Being the helpful Panamanian that he is, the guide made some phone calls to a few friends and we were set to go the next day.

Early the next morning, a taxi driver took us out of the city and into the rolling green hills and farms of the Panamanian countryside.  We reached a wide river and were met by two indigenous men in a canoe.  They wore metal decorative clasps on their wrists and colorful loin cloths around their midsection.  They took us in their canoe through winding rivers bordered by dense rain forest.  The water was like glass and trees arched aver the river wither their vines cascading down into the perfect water.  They took us to a waterfall, where we swam in the cleanest water imaginable and we climbed up.

Baaaaaasically, this was us.

Megan and me on top of the waterfall with our indigenous guide:

Their village consisted of open wooden houses set next to the river.  Children ran around in the mud and woman were weaving and cooking.  They spoke to us about their way of life and cooked us fish and patacones (delicious fried plantains).  I actually don’t like fish much at all, but when an indigenous person catches a fish in the river and cooks it for you, you will eat it and enjoy it.  I certainly did.  They also showed us traditional dances and danced with us.

Again, pretty much my life.  No exaggeration AT ALL.

Lunchtime:

Dancing

Time for a game.  Who can spot me dancing in this crowd of indigenous people?  Because I don’t stand out AT ALL.

More about my trip and pictures (because I finally got a camera!) to come!

So on the list of things that could potentially kill me in Costa Rica, I probably should be most worried about the driving abilities of Costa Ricans.  Venomous snake bites and malaria have got nothing on these crazy drivers.  There is a rule here, and it is that pedestrians, NEVER, in any situation, EVER have the right of way.  So I walk around this city feeling a little bit like George Costanza playing “Frogger”.

So to add to the lack of directions, the Costa Ricans drive like locos, and I honestly don’t know how anyone gets where they are going.

In Chile, pedestrians always had the right of way, which was nice, but there are definitely things about here that I prefer.  For example, I am amazed at the Spanish here!  After months of listening to Chileans rattling off Spanish faster than a speeding bullet all while cutting off the ends of their words and throwing in special words that they make up, I cannot believe how clearly the Costa Ricans speak.    They are so much easier to understand and communicate with–it’s been really great to practice.

But I love Costa Ricans just as much as I loved Chileans…just beware of the driving : )

This past weekend, I visited with nine other students, the Caribbean beach town of Cahuita, a sleepy, laid back place where interestingly many German immigrants have chosen to settle.  We stayed in a cabin on the beach and slept in beds underneath the billowy gauze of mosquito nets which appeared to double as bat nets.  At night, we were lulled to sleep not only by the rolling waves crashing onto the beach, but also by the flapping of bats’ wings in the rafters.  Unlike in Heredia, which sits in the mountains, the eastern coastal cities do not experience much rain.  The sun beats down on the beach, and there is a heat that I think I can only bear for just a few days at a time.

On Saturday, a few of us decided to go snorkeling.   There is a coral reef off the coast of the Cahuita National Park that holds many plant and marine species.  I had never been snorkeling before and it was such an awesome experience.  To think that seventy percent of our Earth is oceans, and then to see the kind of life that exists in one little speck of it, is incredible.  I cannot imagine the abundance of life and ecosystems that exists in places that we never, ever see.  There is an entire world within our world!  I explored the reef and marveled at the colors and at the life.  There were bright fish of vibrant yellows and blues.  There were striped fish and fish with spots that glowed.  I saw a small shark that fed on the bottom of the sea floor and a fish with hundreds of little spikes that, according to our guide, could kill us with a single touch.  I held a starfish and felt its tentacles crawl across my palms. 

The water of the Caribbean was warm, warmer than any body of water I have ever felt.  After 2 hours in the salty water, our guides dropped us off in the National park, and cut up som fresh pineapple for us to snack on.  (By the way, in case anyone was wondering, I am of course by this time badly sunburned on my back — but it was worth it.)  Afterward, we walked through the park where I finally saw monkeys!  And lots of them.  They jumped from tree to tree, playing and snacking on berries.  They were mesmerizing and so fun to watch.

At night, we went to our bach to look at the stars.  They were breathtakingly spectacular.  The whole world was dark and the waves fell upon the beach and thousands of stars shone bright in the sky.  Now hopefully this isn’t too much information, but of course if you find yourself in a beautiful tropical country under a perfect sky with a warm sea in your backyard you are of course going to ditch whatever you are wearing and jump in.  Now THAT was one of the most supernatural and amazing experiences of my life.  In the ocean at night, to our surprise, whenever you move in the water, hundreds of little lights shimmer in the ocean around you.  This phenomenon is very hard to describe, but I guess that the plankton glows when our bodies move.  Except they did not look like plankton…they looked like a thousand fallen stars that danced around our bodies as we moved about the water.  Mesmerized, we moved our hands through the water, creating stars in the sea.  And in that moment I felt so other-worldly and supernatural.  It was like an energy surrounded us — we were not just humans, but we were these beings in an incredible place where the sea looked like the sky and the sky the sea.  “Are we in heaven?”, we only half joked.  But seriously, in my imagination I can see that moment as the type of place where perhaps we all existed before we were born.  Maybe our souls danced there, basking in the beauty and energy while waiting to be brought into this crazy, spectacular world.  I know, deep, right?  : )  But that is the only way that I can describe the experience.  But, then, as if to remind us of our humanity and of reality, slimy water bugs began to latch onto us with their tiny teeth, and before long, we leapt from the water shrieking. 

On a boat going out to snorkel!

Last weekend, with some other students, I went to Jaco, a beach town on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.  Now, while the town was much more touristy and not as relaxed as Cahuita (Jaco’s inhabitants included lots of Americans, prostitutes, drug dealers, and creepy old men), the ocean was spectacular.  The waves were bigger than any I had ever seen — it is one of the best spots for surfing in the country.   The giant waves rumbled toward the land and collapsed onto the shore with a mighty force that makes you think of how small and weak you are in the world.  And I really cannot get enough of the ocean.  I love it, I just love it.  I love that you can taste it and smell it and feel it and see it and hear it all at once and that no single one of these senses trumps the other.  It is a wonderful thing.

Some of us decided to go horseback riding.  This is what I love about Latin America.  A few of my friends had never been on a horse before, but no matter, our guides just threw us on horses without instruction.  In the United States, activities like this seem to be a big to-do, and paperwork needs to be signed and directions have to be given.  Not here.  Here, we had to find our own way to deal with the horses, and we were allowed to trot and do whatever really.  (This also happened this weekend with snorkeling.  We were pretty much just thrown into the water).  We rode through the rainforest up a mountain and saw giant spiders in their impressive webs and colorful frogs and salamanders crawling around.  When we got to the top of the hill there was an incredible view of the ocean and of green valleys and forest.

Us gringas/o taking a break from our horses:

A pretty unattractive and blurry picture of me on a horse:

So I am having a marvelous time here, as I do in all of my travels : )  Once again, photos courtesy from my friends, since I still do not have a camera!

I have come to a tropical country during the rainy season.  Which is, well, certainly an adventure.  It rains every day.  Every single day.  And I can predict now when it will rain.  The mornings are always nice and sunny, and then at around 2:00 in the afternoon, it begins to shower.  Some days it rains more, some less.  Sometimes there are great booming thunderclaps that echo off the mountains.  My host family keeps insisting to me that this isn’t a normal amount of rain, and that usually it rains less.  I will believe it when I see it though. 

I have gotten quite used to the rain, and it actually doesn’t bother me that much (except I do think that this change in climate is making me develop a cold ).  Nobody goes anywhere here without his or her umbrella.  In the afternoon, the first few drops start to fall, and everyone in the street pushes up their umbrellas in unison.  I really don’t mind the rain also, because in reality I’m more worried about other things here, like the giant cockroach that I saw scurry across my room last night.  I don’t even want to know how many of him and his friends are running around my room while I am sleeping.

But anyway, hopefully the cucarachas won’t kill me. 

It rained a lot yesterday, when our program took us on a trip to the Poas Volcano.  Since I currently do not have a functioning camera : (  I must take pictures from Google.

 

This volcano is a crater volcano, so it wasn’t like the kind that I climbed in Chile.  I didn’t even have to do any work to get to this one!  I just had to walk down a little path from a bus, so I guess you could say it wasn’t as epic as the one I scaled in Pucon.  But it was still very cool, and I loved getting out of the city and seeing the Costa Rican countryside.  It was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, and I am so excited to see more of it.

Hola!  I am here in Heredia, Costa Rica, a small city outside of the capital, San Jose.  I haven’t done very much so far — I arrived Friday night and had an all-day orientation at the university yesterday.  We are in a valley and instead of the towering snow-capped Andes that surrounded me in Chile, there are lush, green mountains, always covered slightly with shifting rain clouds. 

The schedule here is totally, completely the opposite of the daily schedule in Chile.  Here, all year round, the sun sets around 5:30 in the afternoon.  Which actually seems quite sad to me, but oh well.  So the people here adjust by waking up early — 5 or 6 in the morning, and by going to bed early, at 8 or 10 at night.  I actually find myself quite liking the routine.  I went to sleep at 9:00 last night.  It is simply amazing though to compare it to a country where the days could sometimes end when the days of the Ticos (Costa Ricans) begin.

So far, one of the most interesting (and it will probably be one of the most frustrating) things here is direction.  There are no addresses, no street names, numbers, etc.  There is absolutely NOTHING telling you where you are going.  Here is an example of someone giving you directions here:

“You know where the McDonald’s is?  Go south 1500 meters (5 blocks, apparently) past the McDonald’s then turn left at the post office.  Walk 500 meters and turn right.  You’ll see an ice cream store with a green door.  The house is 50 meters down and across the street.  There’s a mango tree in front.”

Not. a. joke.  This is real life here!  How they function or get anything done is a mystery to me,  I guess I will just have wait and find out.

Until next time, chao!

The first blog post I wrote in Chile was titled “Hace Calor” (It’s hot).  Because it WAS so so so hot when I came down here in January.  It seems only fitting then for my last blog post in Chile to be titled “Hace Frio” (It’s cold).  Because, guess what?  It is really REALLY cold here now.  Actually, the winters are rather mild here, it never gets below freezing.  The problem is that no buildings have heat here.  It’s expensive.  So when it’s cold outside it’s cold inside — you can’t escape it.  I can see my breath in my bedroom right now. 

The seasons have changed here in Chile since I have been here; along with Chile as a nation, and myself as well.  I really have been down here during an eventful time.  There were presidential elections, a GIANT earthquake of course, the World Cup.  And as for me, I was able to travel to places of amazing beauty, meet awesome people, and learn a lot about myself and the world.

There is an activity that I remember teachers having us do in grade school.  We would have to draw giant hearts on a blank piece of paper that represented our own hearts. Then we would divide that heart into what was important to us.  It really actually was always quite a stressful craft for children.  There would be the inner-battle of whether or not to give a bigger section of the heart to one’s pets or one’s siblings.  Should your favorite food have a bigger section of your heart than your favorite sport?  Then there was always the jerk who would divide half of his heart into video games and the other half into ice cream. 

But anyway, I digress.   What I mean to say is, if I drew my heart out now, I know that a section of it would be saved especially for Chile, because my experience here has meant so much to me. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity to come to South America, I have loved every minute of all of the adventures that I have had. 

I came to this country, knowing nothing about it, and really hardly knowing anything about Latin American culture as well.  In the United States, we tend to forget about the places that don’t serve our interests.  We are the most powerful nation in the world…all business, economics, pop culture, politics…it all seems to revolve around us.  But there is life here.  I mean, God, is there life here.  In all of these corners of the world, in places that never make our headlines, in small towns and in big cities that we never pay attention to, there is life.  At the ends of the world there is life and culture and passion and beauty and wonder and business and schools and politics and music and families and children and doctors and teachers and politicians and war and peace and hate and love and just LIFE.  And I am just so happy to have been able to catch a glimpse of it here. 

But…..this has only been half of my year.  I have made the crazy decision to go to Costa Rica in the fall for another semester.  I know that it will continue to help my Spanish tremendously, and I am so excited to get to know Central America.  I am very grateful to have such amazing parents who support me in all of my decisions.  : )  Also, I will definitely keep this same blog for all of my adventures in Costa Rica!

I leave for home this Friday.  I have had a great time here, but I cannot wait to see all of my family and friends, I have really missed everyone. 

So chao, Chile.  You have been a lovely experience for me and I have learned so much from you.  I will love you and remember you for always.  Gracias por todo.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Until very recently, I knew nothing really about the World Cup.  But, after spending time in 2 Latin American nations during this tradition, I now have a slightly better understanding of it.

There are three games being played every day, and you cannot go anywhere without seeing or hearing it.  In every restaurant, cafe, bar, store, etc; it’s being watched.  Students during my classes listen to the games on the radio.  When we were in Argentina during their game, all of the cars on the road would honk their horns when their team scored a gooooooal.  All advertisements are about the games and promote national and team spirit.  I actually have a class canceled next week because Chile happens to be playing at that time.

And it’s easy to see why everyone is so excited!  It is a giant, passionate, celebration every 4 years for the world.  These people and cultures love their soccer.  Like, they REALLY love their football.  And this is the big tournament…..a chance for their team to show the world what they’ve got.  It is a dramatic obsession that practically everyone shares, and it is a wildly exciting time. 

Now that I have watched a couple of games, and now that I am spending time with a culture that lives and breathes the sport, I will express my disappointment in the lack of enthusiasm in the states for this fine tradition.  Now I know that there are soccer fans and followers in the United States, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not like here.  Obviously I don’t follow soccer either, but how can it be that so much of the world follows the game religiously, but Americans couldn’t care less?  Come on, people!  Soccer isn’t the metric system, it’s not scary!  It is a fun and entertaining sport.  I am going to have to go with majority rules on this one…if most other countries find it exciting, it is exciting!  I certainly enjoy it much more than American football (gasp! sorry!).  

But, alas, for some reason, not even David Beckham’s superstar status or rockin’ hot bod or enormous calf muscles can kick soccer into the forefront of the American mind.  Ah, well. 

Here is a wonderful song/video that you will have to watch millions of times and have stuck in your head for forever.  Try not getting excited about the World Cup after this:

Soooooo fun!

For the past 6 days, Anne and I were in Buenos Aires.  It was an absolutely awesome time in a really great city. 

Buenos Aires is considered the “Paris” of South America.  In reality, the people there may actually believe that they are European.  With around 13 million people in the city, it is one of the most populated cities in the world.  Fun fact — It holds the 3rd largest Jewish population (after Israel and New York). 

But, to get to this wonderful city, us Americans have to pay 131 USD to fly into the airport.  So, we flew first into Montevideo, Uruguay, and then took a ferry over to Buenos Aires.  Now I don’t know what you know about Uruguay,(because let’s be honest, I know nothing, I still have to wikipedia it), but I have a sidenote for the ladies.  We spent probably a grand total of six hours in the country and walked around Montevideo.  I have never, ever, seen so many good-looking men in my life.  There is something in the water or gene pool over there, and whatever it is, it works.  I mean, we saw a McDonald’s fry cook that could have been a super model.  And, I am sorry Chile, and you know I mean this in the best possible way, but the lack of mullets was a really nice  change.

On to Buenos Aires; a crazy, passionate, lively city that truly never sleeps.  Every single day of the week, whether it is Friday or Tuesday night, there are alive and crowded clubs and bars that sometimes do not close until 8 in the morning!

The first day were there, we wandered around the city.  The neighborhood we stayed in was the tango barrio, San Telmo.  It was filled with cobblestone streets and old architecture.  Everyone in the city was getting ready for the first Argentina game in this World Cup that was the next day, on Saturday.  Vendors lined the streets selling shirts, flags, pins, hats, and everything you can imagine in the Argentinian baby blue and white colors.  World Cup time on this continent (and or all other places in the world except the United States for that matter), is an incredibly exciting time.  But I will write more about futbol in my next blog entry

Anyway, in Buenos Aires, there are tons of bookstores.  I really am not sure why, but they are famous for them.  We visited a bookstore that was once a theatre.  It was beautiful…there was a high painted ceiling and four floors of books.  The curtains were drawn and there is a cozy cafe where the stage once was.  It was all quite lovely.  As we were wandering around looking at all of the sights later that evening; we stumbled upon a theatre playing Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast in Spanish.  We got tickets for under 20 USD and had good seats and a really fun time!

Over the next few days, we went to the art museum, visited the cathedral, saw the Casa Rosada, or pink house, and the balcony where Eva “Evita” Peron gave her famous speeches.  We visited, too, the famous cemetary there, where Evita is buried.  Extravagant mausoleums for hundreds and hundreds of rich, important Argentines are lined up in a maze in this fascinating cemetary.

The same day we visited the cemetary, we also borrowed bikes from our hostel and literally rode all around the city.  It was my first time  ”city bike-riding”, and it was one of the most thrilling and terrifying experiences ever.  I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I was alive at the end of the day.

So it was a great trip.  And I will leave you all with Madonna : )