Unexpected Visitors...

I went to church this morning and to my surprise ran into my old roommate from college, John Jacobs. I had no idea he was coming to Argentina. He had heard through the grapevine that I was there, but it was definitely a surprise for the both of us. It had probably been 2 years or more since the last time we had seen each other. It really is a small world, as they say....

It was good to catch up and talk about the glory days. We ended up going to a Boca Juniors (the most popular team in Argentina) soccer game that night. It was fun, but I think I liked the River plate game I went to in March.

He and his wife were staying at the Four Seasons Hotel (Apparently post college years have been kinder to him than me) so I took full advantages. I hung out at the four seasons pool for 3 days straight... so I guess I wasn't sweating it.


Here are some pics.....

First Week in Buenos Aires...

I recently realized that I had been in Argentina for over 6 weeks and I had only taken 3 pictures and, of course, made no journal entries. I figured starting a blog might give me the desire to start keeping better track of my experiences here in Argentina. So here we go as if I had just arrived.

I arrived on a rainy Saturday, October 14th, 2006 to Buenos Aires. Previous to arriving I met a girl named Juli on the internet who offered a bed to me in her apartment until I established myself. All she wanted in return was some pancake syrup and batter. By the end of my stay it was apparent she wanted something else... and I am not talking about breakfast food. Let's get back to that in a second.

She was out of town when I arrived so she left her keys with a friend who then gave them to me. Without ever meeting me she let me stay in her apartment for a couple of days until she arrived. It is amazing how trusting and nice and/or crazy some people are. I can't imagine ever doing the same for someone I had never met or knew so little about. Granted the place was so broke down. Probably the biggest dive I have ever stayed in. Apart from her bed cover that looked like see had skinned Cookie Monster and put it on her bed, there wasn't much I could have stolen. I lasted a week there, somehow, someway. On the last day of my stay I got an email from my dad saying that he had a bad feeling about me staying there and that I needed to find a hotel asap (his treat). Normally, I feel my parents worry to much, but this was music to my ears. I left that day and found a studio apartment to rent out right next to the Plaza San Martin. Although a small raping ($600 a month), it was a nice place and centrally located. I stayed there until the 1st of December.

Some Pics of my Apartment

Inside Studio














View From Balcony

Adam and Chelsie Arrive

Adam and Chelsie arrived a week into my trip and I was happy to have them. You always meet plenty of people traveling, but it is hard to find good friends with whom you are completely comfortable, like I am with Adam & Chelsie.

We had some good times together. We frequented the the movie theaters Monday through Wednesday when movies were a mere 9 pesos ($3). Most of the movies are in English with Spanish subtitles. We told ourselves it was studying because we would read the subtitles while watching the movies, but looking back I am not sure it helps that much. A weekly, if not bi-weekly trip to Grants (Argentinas answer to the Rio Buffet in Vegas) was a tradition. The cost of Lunch was 5 dollars and dinner 7. It really is the as good, if not better, than any Vegas buffet and it is so cheap. Their dessert spread might possibly the best assortment of sweats ever assembled.

We tried a couple of Spanish schools out and couldn't find one that suited us so we ended finding a private tutor on Craigs List. Her name was Andrea. She traveled an hour each way to teach us in Adam & Chelsie's apartment. We paid her $6 dollars an hour between the three of us. That sounds pretty cheap, but she wasn't the best teacher in the world. She is one of those people that thinks that medication is bad and that all things can be cured naturally. Apparently she had something against wearing bras and shaving her pits too. She was really nice, but we only lasted 2 weeks.

Adam and Chelsie left for Bariloche around the 25th of November. They have since moved back to Houston. I was planning on spending Christmas with them so it was sad to see them go.

PICS

In the Train on the way to el Tigre.
After a night in San telmo with Julietta

New York with Ray

Had to go to New York for work and Ray came along. I've been there three times now so I am more or less a local.....

Highlights included:

-The David Lettermen show. We got the best seats in the house after following Tirza's advice to be overly enthusiastic while waiting in line. The guests were horrible (Mad TV john madden, X to Z - exhibit and some beat chick), but it was still a lot of fun. We made the big screen twice for a couple of seconds so we are more or less celebrities now.

- Ray going out by himself and singing karaoke. Who does that?

Havasupai

Met up with Cub and Amanda in Vegas and then took of Havasupai, Arizona. I had been wanting to go for years and it did not disappoint. If you have never been there, it is somewhere south of the Grand Canyon. You hike in for ten miles and then once you get to Havasupai you start to see this unnaturally blue water. Apparently it comes from lime deposits or I might have just made that up. But it is really sweet. There are tons of waterfalls, pools to swim in, drunk In-gins, and stray mutts to toss over the waterfalls...

By the end of the trip we were pretty beat with blisters, hernias etc, so we ended up just taking a helicopter out for $80 bucks each. It was pretty cool to see the canyon.

Here is the short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tASw-0qNaJk

The pictures don't do it justice, but you will get the idea....

Cubby and I looking hella gay... but did we have tan lines??? no; so I guess were not sweating it...

Iguazu Falls

Here are some pics of my trip to Iguazu Falls in Febuary of 2006:

See Video: Iguazu Falls

Upper Falls

























































Lower Falls