a note on procrastination

[note: okay, so i started typing up my missing blog entries about a month after i got back. and by started, i mean i wrote literally two sentences, one of which i later deleted. about two months later, i wrote a paragraph. now it’s more than a year later, but i am finally getting around to putting up those final posts. i guess one clear advantage to this obvious display of laziness is that i no longer have to recall all those pesky lil details. so if anyone ends up reading my posts from december 2005, they were really written anytime between january 2006 and march 2007. sorry about the blatantly mis-dated posts, but i was trying to maintain some sort of chronological order. okay, let’s give it a whirl…]

Where we went

Mas Puppies

I did it my way (mas o meno)

Well. I’m home. (for now). It’s kind of strange not being somewhere else in the world but not too bad.

I got on a long distance bus this weekend and could only think about how much better the buses are in South America. The big double-decker ones with leg-rests. “semi-cama” (shout out to Tur-bus)

Walking through new york, I was reminded of how diverse it is. Certainly compared with japan. asian, hispanic, european etc, etc… and what really feels the most strange, is that they all speak English.

Went into a liquor store in jersey and managed to find bottles from vineyards and valleys we visited in chile and argentina. kinda did an “I was there!”

Fairly proud that I/we were able to carry a wine glass for 2 months in newspaper/ blanket/ pack/ flour-sack for two months and have it now as a memento. (Would be prouder if the other one survived)

Lots of other musings running through my head. But really, I think we were very lucky. we got in and out of cancun before it was destroyed by a hurricane. In and out of Guatemala and saw sights that are now and probably forever buried in mud. Rallied our nerves and our guard after an unsuccessful bag slashing and pick-pocketing attempts. I believe our only theft issues the whole trip. Got a bit of a nervous laugh out of strong but far off earthquake that only succeeded in giving us the jitters. Lots of bus confusion but never the wrong bus, never a major break down, always eventually arriving. Aside from food poisoning and a concussion with various other rounds of stomach aches and minor hangovers, we leave as healthy as we arrived. Only 1 week sort-of ruined by rain out of several months. Lots of sun and some incredible days outdoors. I think we all stretched ourselves past our comfort zone a bit and perhaps are better off for it. (Y ahora, yo entiendo ethpanol!)

An incredible trip. I think I will realize how incredible it was, only after a few months of wishing I was still there. The memories, pictures, and inspiration will last a lifetime.

Until next time.

ari

Homeward Bound

And so the end has come. Thanks to those of you who have patiently trawled through our musings til now and also to Sar and Jen for their incredibly helpful supplements to our (at times) somewhat unreliable guide books. And of course to Erica and Ari for putting up with me and my mess :) Last words, a little resume of the 4 1/2 months.

best hotel: La Cupula, Bolivia

worst hotel: town where the Quilatoa loop starts (or was that a construction site??)

Food to eat: empanadas, dulce de leche, golpe bars, Guatemalan/Belizian breakfasts,
Argentinean steaks, afternoon tea at Llao Llao

Food to avoid: Ecuadorian/Peruvian cheese, Columbian Chicken , anything with feet in,

Drinks: Don Miguel Wine, Quilmes beer (Arg), Pisco Sours, Machu Picchus,

Highlights: Caye Caulker (Bel), Lakes (Guat), Quilatoa Loop (Ec), Pampas (Bol),Torres del Paine
(Ch), Bariloche (Arg),

Lowlights: Long buses, Peruvian roads, dropping camera in a river, having bag slashed in Quito, having to return Owen(the puppy) to his owner

Map of Argentina

I wanna be, I wanna be....(in Buenos Aires)

Bailamoth?

I had to post this picture, (Gaddy this one's for you). Not content with learning (allbeit South American :p) Spanish in 4 months, Ari stunned us all with his talent on the dance floor.... Arentina. Tango. It has to be done.

The End of the Road

We decided to end our trip (or at least the bus part of it) in style so we got first class tickets for the final 18 hours to Buenos Aires. Full beds, champagne before the meal, wine with the meal and whiskey after the meal. And they even showed some half decent films (although nothing has quite touched the unreachable standards set by Frankenfish in those early days). On arrival in Buenos Aires I realised that I only had a very vague idea of the location of the apartment where my family was staying. A few emails, phone calls and poor Ari waiting on a doorstep for a bit later we tracked them down.

As I recall, the first day we went to La Recoleta where Eva Peron (and a few thousand other people) is buried. We also got our first sightings of the ubiquitous "Dog Walkers" for which BA is famous-people who are paid to take care of sometimes up to 8 pooches by their doting owners. Not a a bad job though really, lounging around in a park drinking mate (the national drink!)while the dogs entertain themselves!

One night we had a great meal out with my sister's host family at a Chinese-Argentinean buffet-the food selection was immense, as was the grill where meat and pancakes were cooked to order. On Christmas Eve we had rather disastrous meal out involving some unsightly lumps of uncooked and reheated 3 times meat)which ended in a row with the management and an offer of a free bottle of champagne which for some reason we turned down. Perfecto!

But anyway, after surviving the journey home while little kids threw random fire crackers at us (apparently an Argentinean custom) we had our own champagne and Jen and Ari put on quite a spectacular Harry Potteresque fireworks display for us in the park below the flat. Oh and we tried to light a fire- lantern which should in theory float away from the heat but ours ended its short life as a charred mess in the flower pot!

Hmm what else? Lots of good meals out, a nice picnic in the park on Christmas day, a visit to La Boca (lots of colourful houses and tango shows), wandering in La Plaza de Mayo and a random Milonga (informal tango event in the square) where my sister tried out her new skills with some old guy. In short, a great city although don't forget your mate cup!

a bit of espionage... (oooooooh)

so, after 9/11, apparently the US got really strict about immigration and tourism, instituting lots of new rules for incoming aliens such as finger printing, photos, strip searches, visa reqs, etc.. (not so bad). this pissed off a few countries who didn’t like to see their citizens get hassled. the 2 that affected us were chile which now has a $100 tax on yanks who fly in or out of the country, and brazil which requires US citizens to have a visa, passport photos and pay $100. the story is this.

iguacu falls straddles the border between Argentina and brazil. most of the cool stuff, the up close and wet stuff, is Argentinean. but, if you want a long view of the falls, you go to brazil. which is no problem for most, but difficult for Americans. who wants to wait for a visa and pay $100 just to spend a few hours looking at waterfalls? we knew this would be a problem in advance, so when we arrived in puerto iguacu, at the bus station, we asked about it. is it possible for me to go into brazil without paying and without problems for few hours? a guy at the bus station: “no problem! just get on a public bus. say you’re just going for 1 day. ok!" well, fantastic! we ask at a travel agency. "dear god, NO!" he tells us. "americans can't go. no travel agency will take you. it’s too big of a risk" ok. we ask at tourist information. "No. a bus absolutely will NOT take you. impossible. the only was is a private taxi so that the Brazilian immigration officers can be assured that you will not stay on in brazil. if you get caught in brazil with no visa you will be jailed and fined $1000US." man on the street: "Americans are beaten with whiffleball bats and forced to count coconuts in Brazilian torture centers" you get the picture. so, in the spirit of adventure, with only the slightest hope i could get a "persona non grata" stamp from brazil in my passport, i decided to throw all caution to the wind, and amy and i got on a public bus.



the bus drove to Argentina immigration. got an exit stamp. and onward toward brazil we go! up to immigrations aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... zoom...right by immigration into brazil. what a rush! a rebel. an insurgent. an illegal alien. i was living on the edge. the CIA needs more operatives like me. i'm tellin ya'. they never knew if i was coming or goin! (thank god).
so what happened? we entered brazil. changed buses, went to the falls, saw the same thing we saw in Argentina but from farther off, got back on the bus, and then waited for the bus back to Argentina. the other bus dropped us off in the wrong spot, so after 2 buses passed us, we walked 10min to the next bus stop, got on the bus, and prayed for no stopping at Brazilian immigration. my heart was beating like an african drum circle as we approached, my breathing slowed to the pace of a 85 year old sunday driver as we slowed down and pulled up to the immigration center, my palms sweat like, well, like iguacu falls as the uncertainty roiled deep within. and then the driver waived to his friend and took off back into Argentina. a quick stamp in and i was back in the clear!
why all the melodrama? you try being an international man of mystery. it’s not as easy as i make it look!