Back in BsAs... que triste!
Trip Start
Sep 10, 2008
1
20
38
Trip End
Apr 24, 2009
Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina
Monday, January 5, 2009
after a 24 hour bus ride from the beautiful, tranquil city of el bolson, i find myself (again) in the city that started it all for me. It is hot and dirty and there is still dog shit everywhere. I have no 'home' like i did the last time i was here, and my old 'job' is in such transition that i truly have no place to go and just chill like i used to. No, this arrival to BsAs, for me, is somewhat of a let-down, having spent 2+ months traveling the south of argentina, living in clean, quiet cities, far from the mayhem and psyche-killing destruction of BaAs. I told my dear friend Liza this morning that the differences between BsAs and Patagonia are hitting me in slow, large waves, and while it is nice to have the convenience of the 2nd largest city on the continent at my finger-tips, i have learned to love not living in a big city and having to work a bit harder to get to the store, find cheap beer (which, actually, isn't that much more difficult), and no public transportation. I have spent the past week camping with dear friends, most of which i have left behind and will probably not ever see again (although hope will always exist for Carlos, Fabio, Priscilla and Liza)... i spent new years on top of a mountain in el bolson, and witnessed stars like i have never seen before in my life. I have ushered in the new year by diving into clear, freezing, glaciar waters on the way down from a mountain with some new Brasilian friends of mine, and even managed to get in my first futból game with the same guys (we lost 3-2, and i admittedly showed poor form, although i did have an assist off a corner...) I have learned to love everything BsAs is NOT, and yet i find myself back here again, but this time with no intention to stay. I now move north to Iguazu Falls, then across to Salta and up into the south of Bolivia where Tupiza and the Uyuni salt flats await. Zac has taken off, and is currently in Iguazu, or just left. I am, therefore, traveling completely alone for the first time on this trip, and have a nice head of steam behind me, having conquored Fitz Roy, Perito Moreno, and 30+hour bus trips. My Spanish is certainly passable at this stage, yet i am even more frustrated than ever at my lack of being able to keep up with converstations more than 5 minutes... consequently, the upcoming solo-trip is providing me with a bit of anxiousness and excitement, especially since the end of my trip is now within sight and i feel i have so much to do, with only a few weeks (7-8) left to do it! I also have new perspectives, going forward, due to a few books i finished while on the patagonian side of the country... A Language Older than Words, which i have mentioned here before, Rant, and The Jungle (Sinclair)... the latter is probably one of the most moving, inspiration, depressing bit of literature i have ever read, and has certainly help to change some of the ways i approach this trip and my future in general. Everyone should read that book. but with the past two month behind me and unknown cities and (finally) countries to learn about and explore, i feel the true adventure part of my trip is beginning... from US-unfriendly Bolivia (which is the country i am most excited about) to Too Much to See and Do Peru, i have many options at how to spend my time (and shrinking money), and i am looking forward to the challenges ahead. Sure, my camera was lost (and was found, a mear few hours AFTER i left the city), by bags are too heavy (i plan on selling or donating a full 1/2 of the crap that i brought to BsAs in September), and Bolivia and Peru are in the middle of their rainy seasons... but i am prepared, mentally and physically, to undertake this part of my journey. Tonight i go to my last La Bomba de Tiempo (sadly, without Zac), and look to travel to Iguazu in the next few days. I have no idea what will happen to me after that (since my visa expires... oops, today!), but i am sure no one out there does, either, which is why you are reading this. I will try my best to keep up with my blogs in the near-future, but please forgive me in advance if it is more than a week between updates. If nothing else, i will update my location on the map so at least those of you that care (and you know who you are!) will have some idea of what is happening to me...
anyway, as always, thanks for your time. Go Obama and watch out for that terrible crisis in Gaza... man, the stories i still need to tell you about the crazy Israeli groups I encountered in Patagonia... soon enough, soon enough. Until then, read a good book, donate to help Darfur, root for my Lakers (yeah baby) and skip the Super Bowl (cuz, trust me, no one else but the US cares about that over-hyped production anyway... what a waste).
Nos vemos.
Amor con tábanos (angry, terrible, viscious blood sucking flies living in Patagonia that are impurvious to repellant and can bite through clothes)...
B-love
ps. sorry for any misspelled words. i am now in a rush and did not spell check.
