Montevideo and Buenos Aires

So it has been a while since my last post but I will try to sum up the past few days of travel and adventure. Doing a blog is a bit difficult because, although it is a great source of public reflection, it is difficult to manage. I have had many experiences that have stimulated thought, from the favelas in Brazil to the people of Uruguay to the massiveness of Buenos Aires, but it is hard to express everything in a blog when all that has only taken place within a short period of time.

Despite this...

After arriving in Montevideo, Uruguay we traveled into La Ciudad Vieja and grabbed four spots in a great hostel. Hostel life has been really fun and the first night the hostel had an asado, a large BBQ. There was a patio on the roof of the hostel, overlooking the busy city streets where many travelers in the hostel gathered for some serious steak and wine. The company at the table was so diverse. Sitting around me were Argentines, Norwegians, Swedes, Spaniards, Irish,
Brazilians, and probably more. Everyone was speaking in different languages, some sentences composed of multiple tongues, dialects, and hand gestures. Eric and I ended up staying up there until three talking politics, customs, anything and everthing with a Norwegian girl and an Irish guy. Everyone here has been asking us about the election in the United States and our opinions on the matter. I have been surprised by the amount of interest but I have really relished the opportunity to give someone a view of America that they might not have had otherwise.

Montevideo is a very relaxed and often overlooked city. The pace of life is slow and the weather iss warm and beautiful. We dropped off Eric´s bags at his host family´s house and sat with them, talking about our travels and school life. It was great to meet Eric´s family and really made me excited to meet mine in a few weeks.

We met a Norwegian named Tom our second day and found an incredible indoor market. There were about twenty different restaurants within the building all with giant exposed grills. The cuts of meat were so tempting and the smells so scintilating that we sat down immediately and ordered a huge portion of meat, vegetables, wine, and beer. We ate to our hearts clogged and the Chimichurri sauce ran empty.

We crossed the Rio de la Plata to Buenos Aires where we have been the past few days. We met up with our friend, Jeremy Martin, at a hostel in the Recoleta neighborhood. This city is huge and reminds me a bit of New York. One thing that we have noticed is the amount of beautiful women here. I have never seen such a gathering of talent in one space. The women of Brazil were stunning, of course, but the Argentines are more my speed. We went out to dinner with some friends of Jeremy´s that he met at the hostel. Jorge and Andres were from Brasilia and we all enjoyed another cheap dinner with great wine and meat. That night we went to Maya´s georgeous apartment in Recoleta for a party before going to a bar in Palermo. Lizz and Eric met Maya and Lucy, two Porteñas, while traveling in the northeast of Brazil in January. They were great hosts in the city and very generous, as all of our acquaintances have been.

The next day we were kicked out of our hostel, rudely woken up at ten (after we went to bed at five) and were told that our bed´s were filled, but not by us. If you are in Buenos Aires I do not recommend the Hostel Recoleta because, although it is a beautiful, converted mansion, the staff is horrendous. A blessing in disguise, we packed up our things and made about twenty phone calls to different hostels around the city with no luck. Eventually I called the Hotel España and we managed to get two beautiful private rooms for about fifteen U.S. dollars a night per person; not bad at all. We spend the day walking through the city. While we were walking through Puerto Madero we saw a Hooters and we couldn´t resist. We laughed and took pictures with the Hooter´s girls and drank Mohitos and beer with our less-than-great wings. That night we went out to Lucy´s house for dinner where we hung out and practiced our Spanish, learning a bit about the politics and people of Argentina.

Today we walked around the city a bit more and found a great outdoor market in San Telmo. Tonight Jeremy and I will get on an overnight bus for Mendoza. I have been in the city for my entire time down here and I decided that I wanted to take it slower for a few days. Mendoza is a beautiful region full of mountains and vineyards in the western part of the country; everyone who I have spoken to about it says it is amazing and I am very excited to get there. Lizz, Sage, and Eric will come Tuesday night and arrive Wednesday morning, giving Jeremy and I some time to chill out and maybe even go backpacking. Our plans are very loose but I am not worried, I am sure we will keep ourselves occupied.