Oh. My. Blog.

RECOLETA
Visited the cemetary where Eva Peron and lots of other important dead people lie. The city sits only slightly above sea level, so entire cemetary a collection of mausoleums. Apparently it's a big deal to be buried here and it's expensive, too. The going rate for space is $10,000 per square meter-- that's why presidents, famous writers and generally rich people are boxed here.

Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Pilar
It's on the north side of the Recoleta cemetary and is the second oldest church in Buenos Aires (1732). There is nothing terribly special about it. Well, perhaps there is, but it's just that I've seen so many damn churches over the past two months that I cannot tell the difference anymore.
Can I getta AMEN?!

PALERMO VIEJO
Shopping is the best here. Except nothing is open on Sunday and Saturday they open when they want. All the cool kids shop and eat and hang out here. I'm *almost* cool. That's why we're staying like 8 blocks away. :) Fun fact: Jorge Luis Borges and Che Guevara once lived in this area.

PALERMO SOHO
We are staying in this disarmingly comfortable neighborhood at a little family hotel called San Jorge (Charcas at Uriarte). It is clean, in an excellent location and like $16/night. Score! Ok, so it doesn't have air-conditioning and the shower is like freeform in the bathroom, but it has a bidet. Fancy! The hood definitely has a hipster-bohemian feel. I want to by an apartment here.

PLAZA DE MAYO
Plaza de Mayo is a powerful square. Currently, much of the Rosada Building (where the government operates) is covered in scaffolding, but it was easy to imagine Evita addressing the masses from its majestic balcony. It was equally as easy to imagine seas of people occupying the massive square in the middle of the city for a protest. Plaza de Mayo is like the mood ring of Buenos Aires. There you, can connect to how the city and its people feel.

LA BOCA
Settled by Italians from Genoa, this town was once the main port for BsAs. It's not anymore. Now, it's tourist central. You couldn't avoid tango souvenirs even if you tried. The building are painted with loud colors. The only thing that's louder is the tango music blasting at every corner. Ok, so I admit: I didn't jive with La Boca. Fun fact: This is where the massive Boca Juniors soccer stadium is. Its capacity is 57,000.

CONSTITUCION
The only piece of pertinant information I can offer is that this is where a bus and train station is. Instead, I'll offer you the food breakdown from the past couple of weeks:

Sushi - disappointing
Pizza - disappointing
Mexican - disappointing
Thai - none to be found
Steak - outrageous; same costs as pizza




TIGRE*
*This isn't actually a barrio of BsAs. It's another municipality of the Buenos Aires Province. It sits on the Paraná Delta so we took a cruise through the many canals. It was fine. The entire city is touristy and a bit generic, BUT you could find some really good shopping deals.

I have been here for only a week... and I am in love.

She is beautiful and strong and passionate,
She charms with mystery and seduction,
She moves in a way that consumes me.

I am smitten by Buenos Aires.

This city has a daily pace of Paris, a nightly energy of New York. It lacks the intimidation of Milan, but still has attitude. And though it doesn't have the zip or smarts of London, there is a consistent rhythm that is steady and rapid, but not overwhelmingly fast. The city moves effortlessly at the perfect pace.

Not unlike New York, BsAs is a walker's city. I set out in the morning with intention, but end up going with the flow and accidentally happen upon different neighborhoods and people and trains. It has a warm and fluid way of pulling you through its streets-- the way a stream pulls lost debris on course.

I enjoy the capital and absorbing its surroundings. Experiencing, wandering and having it teach me. Unlike previous places, I've always been geared towards tackling the town-- conquering it. Paris is the only other city I've let loosely control me, sway me. It inspires and leads me to an endless experience of... existing rather than doing:

To guiltlessly enjoy a cafe con leche in the middle of the day,
To watch people people-watch at the park,
To spend hours at dinner and eat great food,
To wander, to wonder.

All so simple and ordinary, yet easy to unconsciously and accidentally eliminate from every day.


This city is wise and seasoned and emanates experience. It possesses this undercurrent of passion that pulses through every sector of life.

Absolutely beautiful.
Wonderfully addictive.
Undeniably an affair.

Just please don't tell New York.

Swim Suit Shopping
I accidently left a couple of things behind in the truck when we were dropped off at the border after the Uyuni expedition. One of those things was my bathing suit. Not a big deal. I can always buy a new one, right?

Shopping in Argentina for a bathing suit goes a little something like this:

"That's cute, that one is kinda ugly. Oh, there's one I like! Where is my size..."
[flipping through the rack] "Size one. Ha, that's funny. Ok, size two and... oh there's a three. Size ZERO? What the...? Ok, maybe they're all out of sizes 5-10."
[enter store number 2]
"Black. Ok, that is perfect. A simple black bikini. Exactly what I'm looking for. Size... three. Size zero. Oh, come on! Am I in the children's section or something?"
[enter store numuber 3]
"There's a nice blue one. I like the stripes. [deep breath; looking with hopeful eyes at the tag] Great. They have it in size zero. That's just f*cking fantastic."
[enter store number 4]
"Wait... what is the point?" [exit store; go get ice cream]

Needless to say, I have yet to purchase a bathing suit.

Una Pedicuria, Por Favor?
After nearly two months of trekking around, my feet needed some love. So, I thought it wise to make an appointment for a pedicure in the morning. What better a way to kick things off in Buenos Aires?

I was hoping it would be up to par with my favorite spot in the East Village-- full with the whirlpooly foot bath, lots of colors to choose from and friendly service. Ok, first off, chica gives me attitude for making an appointment at 10am. Like, it was MY fault that was her shift. Then, she takes me upstairs to this dark and scary mezzanine area where I immediately spot a couple of roaches scattering.

WTF.

I suck it up, tell myself this is an "experience" and continue on. After I plop my feet into a bowl of hot water, Sassy McBitchface proceeded to put on rubber gloves and a surgical mask... and take out a scalpel and powertools. I kid you not.

Before I go any further, let me say this: my feet are NOT gnarly. Actually, I've been told by more than one pedicurist that they are "very nice." Sure, they were a bit dry and rough, but they were funk-free and decently pre-pedicured.

Girlfriend starts with the scalpel, which didn't alarm me. My fear was more in anticipation of her use of the exceedingly powerful-looking drill. She scraped, scrubbed, and clipped and then said something in Spanish to which I replied, "No, gracias." (Later, I come to realize she asked me if I wanted color.) Then, she started in with the drill.

I admit, watching her with the surgical mask and gloves and powerdrill working on my feet made me want to laugh. She really should've been performing surgery or welding something. Anyway, I stifled the urge to bust out in uncontrollable giggles for a solid five minutes. Luckily, the urge subsided and about 10 minutes later, the sanding and buffing was complete. My feet were like two sticks of buttah-- softer than my face, really.

It was the scariest, yet the most effective pedicure I've ever received. Unbelievable.

To recover from the traumatic pedicure experience, I made an appointment at Aqua Vita Medical Spa. Opted for the "anti-stress" day package. By the end of the four hours for pampering, I couldn't remember why my feet were so soft. Absolutely. Divine.

We arrived in Mendoza from Santiago (12 hours via bus) on Wednesday. No, Monday? Honestly, I don't even know anymore. I think it was Tuesday.

It's official: I am finally tired.

Tired of planning, tired of chasing buses, tired of lugging my bags everywhere. I am a bit burnt out. However, I am not tired, of drinking the wine here in Mendoza, Argentina.

So far, I've seen a total of four wineries (La Rural, Cavas de Don Arturo, La Azul, O.Fournier). The first two are hardly worthy of mention. The latter two... where do I start?
O.Fournier. This complex looked like a spaceship had landed in the middle of the some vineyards. This winery has the latest and most advanced technology in all of the valley, and probably all of Argentina. There were four other people on the tour, all of whom had visited plenty of wineries throughout the entire world, but everyone agreed: never had we seen anything like this before.

In order to be more gentle on the grapes and the juice, the designers did not want to use pumps to move the wine, thus they built a winery that utilizes gravity flow (with different levels) to move wine from tanks to barrels and such. There are four different floors-- top level is where the grapes arrive and are hand-selected; bottom level is the magnificant cellar. In between are the tanks. Some of the tanks are four floors high, themselves. It was all so scientific-- from the modern architecture to the linear design to the chemistry lab to the labcoat-wearing grape sorters-- it was otherworldy.
We had a five-course lunch in their dining room where sampled four different types of their selections. I gotta say, I was more impressed with set up of the entire place than with the wines. It was excellent, don't get me wrong, but you could almost taste the clinical precision with which it was made. Maybe it was just me. Regardless, I wanna taste the love and passion of the people who made it! This brings me to...

Bodega La Azul. This lil' gem of a winery has a capacity for about 56,000 liters (O.Fournier has the potential for 1.2 million, though they currently produce less than half of that). Azul is family-owned, has a couple of wine makers, tiny tanks and simple, yet tight traditional setup. It was quaint and charming... and their wine was qual-a-tee. It is amazing how alert your tastebuds are at 10:30am. I was so excited, I bought three bottles. It wasn't until later that I realized my backpack wasn't really made for accomodating wine.

This photo has nothing to do with anything regarding this post. It is an image of the church bell in San Pedro, Chile. This is in the town where Mark walked into the street sign in the middle of the sidewalk. I laughed. A lot.

Heading to the tasting room for a flight or two (fancy!), then jumping on an overnight bus to Buenos Aires (12-15 hrs) this evening for the final leg of the trip.

Where has the time gone?

Have you seen this gnome?

Date Missing: Feb. 9, 2007
Name: Gnomar
Height: 3.5 inches
Weight: 1.3 grams
Eyes: Blue
Race: Gnome
Sex: Male
D.O.B.: October, 2004

Last scene: On the bus crossing the Bolivia-Chile border (from the Uyuni desert to San Pedro de Atacama). He was wearing his favorite green jacket with his passport in the front pocket, blue pants, red hat and carrying two gray suitcases. This photo was taken the day before with his new friend Trey from Canada. If you see or locate him, please contact/email immediately!

Ok, I am just going to come right out and say it: I am a little drunk whilst uploading these photographs. Mark and I just went to a completely amazing dinner at some wicked seafood place in Santiago and it ruled. Especially the savignon blanc. It was called Azul... something. The restaurant, not the wine.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
It is 4,085 square miles, making it the largest salt lake in the world. Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin which was a big prehistoric lake. Ok, enough with the "smart" stuff I ripped straight from Wikipedia. Here is the scoop: It effin' rocked. I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. I was so big and white and went on forever.

Isla de los Pescados
Also known as Isla Incawasi, this is a little island is in the middle of the salar. See that cactus? It is over 1000 years old, yo. Mark coined the term "pre-old" on this trip* and I think it is appropriate for describing the cacti and coral rocks found here. It's a pretty wild sight because looking out, all you see is white ground and mountains in the distance.

*The Origin of "Pre-Old"
[setting: Museo Arqueológico R. P. Gustavo Le Paige, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile; shortly after breakfast]

Mark: "Hey, did you see those caveman tools over there?"
Me: "Yeah, I can't believe they used rocks and stuff. That shit is from, like 10,000 years ago or something."
Mark: "I know, right? It's really old-- like, PRE-old."

It was really funny when he said it, mainly because I don't think he realized what he said. Anyway, to the right is a photo of one of the many Dali-esque desert rocks.

Gratuitous Sunset Photo
This was taken on the trainride from Oruro to Uyuni. I had a window seat! Delighted with the charm of the entire train experience, I kept my window open. Why wouldn't I? It was lovely outside and the scenery, breathtaking. Three hours later: I am covered in dust and then notice everyone has their windows shut. Hmmm... why is it that I consistently miss loud clues?

Always Funny
What is it about the word "poop" that makes me laugh... every time? You could imagine the scramble to get the camera when the train was passing this by. Ok, so it is a stupid sign, but I felt obligated for the 11-year old boy in me to take and post this photo.

Laguna Verde
Found at the base of Licancabur volcano, Laugna Verde is... well, it looks fake, doesn't it? This was the last stop we made before heading to the the Bolivia-Chile border. The contrast of colors is remarkable and the vista is surreal.

Group Photo!
Three Canadians, two Scots, two American and a gnome get into a Jeep... Heheh. Here is Gnomar and the entire tour group. We had a fantastic lot of folks and quite a bonding experience through the Salar de Uyuni. Further details cannot be discussed at this time. I'm gonna leave it at "good times".

Many places come with many faces. Here are some glamour shots of yours truely acting a fool in the field...

Ruins Pose
Mark snapped this shot on the ruins in Ollantaytambo, Peru. It would´ve been awesome, except I, apparently, am falling asleep.
Salty Dawg
We had spend the majority of the day cruising around the massive Salar de Uyuni -- the largest salt lake on the planet. It ruled. This was me overwhelmed with excitment (and salt) toward the end of the day.
So... Damn... Dry
This is somewhere in between Uyuni, Bolivia and San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. It was the third day in the desert and I felt like a raisin. One word: moisturizer.
Seriously. Enough Mountains, Already.
We had been driving in rough terrain all day looking at desert and sandy mountains. I'm not trying to be unappreciative, I'm just saying... where is the shower with hot water?Me: Acting Like an Idiot in Aguas Caliente, Peru.
Poor guy was out cold. Mark and I totally took advantage.

So, we made it through Salar de Uyuni and safely across the border to Chile. This afternoon we are getting on a bus (22 hours) from San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago. Provided we survive, Mendoza, Argentina, will be the next stop (Uyuni photos soon).

Important Purchase, #1
Math is hard, especially long division. So, I spent a whopping $1.60 in Oruro, Bolivia, and bought this beauty... and it works! It does all sorts of neat things like add and subtract and blink for no reason. I am *slightly* embarrassed to admit how often I use it, but I will say this much: it is a brilliant conversation piece. Go ahead, be jealous.

Important Purchase, #2
I was in need of some reading material for the trip (since I seem to have memorized the Frommers book already). In Cusco, we happened into a terrible bookstore and I found two terrible books to read. However, one of these books isn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. It is insightful, articulate and fascinating. I am not going to tell you which one it is.

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

Flag Raising Ceremony


Murillo Plaza


San Francisco Church


Horn Section


When Bands Collide


Military March


MACHU PICCHU, PERU

View on the Train Back to Cusco


Me and the M-P

The Black Market
I don't have photos of this for obvious reasons, although I did attempt to take a couple of shots. However, I was quickly yelled at and sort of chased down the hill. I'll just leave it at that.

Unfortunately, there were not any great deals at the Black Market in La Paz. I mean, I want a new 80GB iPod for like 100 bucks, but no such luck. Prices were maybe 10% less that what you'd pay in The States, plus, you have no idea where this stuff came from (well, that's not entirely true: everyone knows all the merchandise is smuggled in from Brasil and Chile).

Love a Brass Band... or Two
Despite the disappointment, while wandering around the area, I ran into a killer parade with not one, but TWO more marching bands! Turns out it was a huge festival and parade for the dancers and bands who are warming up for the massive Carnival celebration in Oruro, Bolivia, this coming weekend. This brings me to our current location...

Oh... Oh... Oruro
We hopped a bus yesterday afternoon from La Paz to Oruro (a measly 4 hours) and spent the night here. Today, we are hopping on a train to Uyuni at 3:30pm en route to the salt flats.

Too Many Words, Want More Pictures
Yeah, sorry about that. Connections ain't quite zippy and there hasn't been much time between trains, buses and llama rides. They're coming, though. In the meantime, here is a... uhh... map.

It rules. I love it. Getting there, however...

We arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, on Friday (2/2) afternoon on an overnight bus from Cusco. During the boarding process, we notice that people were carrying blankets and wearing pants, sweaters and jackets. I was in jeans in a long-sleeve shirt; Mark was in light khakis and a teeshirt. Hmmm... context clues about the journey to come? Naaah.

I can honestly say I have never been closer to freezing to death in my entire life. For about eight hours I was surprised everytime I felt my heart beat. When the sun came up, I awoke, in amazement, not in the afterlife. We made it. Alive. And I am buying a blanket immediately.

We walked over the Peru-Bolivia border with no problems (though the scene was absolutely chaotic) and were dropped at the bus terminal in La Paz. Grumpy, hungry and thawed, we made it to the Prado -- the heart of La Paz. Our celebratory meal was at none other than Burger King. Score.

Minivan Madness
La Paz is noisy and disorderly and crazy. I completely loved it.

There are hundreds (well, a lot) of these insane minivans that are worthy of mention because they are converted into mini-buses that wildly drive around scooping people up. Whoever is at the sliding door yells the destinations as if they were possessed. Utterly bizarre.

Walkin' After Midnight
Just kidding, Mom-- I didn't walk around (much) after midnight. I did, however, discover that when walking around La Paz, crazy things happen.

On Sunday, I took a walk to Plaza Murillo, the historical square in the country's capital. I was filming the ongoings and appreciating the national landmarks when, out of nowhere, a huge brass marching banding comes tearing down the street. They are dressed in fantastic red military uniforms and playing with such gusto. It was an awesome site.

After an hour of pomp and circumstance, I come to find out that every Sunday morning they do a traditional flag-raising ceremony. It was quite a spectacle. Will post photos for this soon. Speaking of... the photos that you see now are:

- First one on the right is the eternal the street market in La Paz. You will find everything from fake Puma sneaks, to alpaca blankets to UNC Tarheel hats to designer dress shoes. It's like Chinatown, except 100 times bigger. No exaggeration.

- Second one to the left is a photo of San Francisco Square on the Santa Cruz street. Apparently, this street is a dividing line for the city: above Santa Cruz is where the Spanish influence and development begins; below is where the indigenous folks of Bolivia remain. We kept it real and stayed below Santa Cruz. You know, it's like 14th Street. :)

Early Start
Tuesday, January 30
4:40am - Wake up.
5:10am - Eat breakfast.
5:21am - Race to bus station.
5:30am - Get on bus.
6:00am - Arrive at Machu Picchu.
6:30am - Go on guided tour of ruins.
7:00am - Clouds roll in; rain starts.
9:30am - Tour ends; eat breakfast (again).

Picture Perfect
Fun Facts About the Ruins
- Machu Picchu was erected and abandoned all within the same century.
- It took 40 years and 15,000 workers to build.
- About 700 people lived there.
- It was built with tax payers' money.
- Only the king had a toilet with running water.
- It was never found by the Spanish.

Wait For It...
The rain and clouds started at 7am, but that didn't deter us from climbing Wayan Picchu, the huge-ass mountain you always see in the background of Machu Picchu photos. It took about one hour to ascend and when I got to the top everything was covered in clouds. You couldn't see a thing. Cut to two hours later and... voila! The ruins appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Gnomar and the Incas
He just can't resist a photo opp. And the poor little guy had to wait all day for the sun to come out and pose for this shot (It's ok, though. He was playing with the token llamas in the meantime). He can now add Machu Picchu to his already impressive list of world travels. Immediately after this photo, he went to party with Shannen Doherty.

Player Pose
This is Mark and my "Playah Pose" after climbing and descending Wayan Picchu (it's the one behind us). Go ahead -- say it. Bad. Ass. I was inspired and threw up some Incan gang signs.

In all honesty, it is hard to find words to describe the site. It's massive and exqusite and perfectly engineered. It is one of those things that you cannot absorb when you are actually looking at it because it is so impacting. It is simply hard to wrap your head around. Perhaps it will make more sense in a week.

Next stop on the tour is La Paz, Bolivia. Getting on a bus (14 hours) tonight and arriving there in the morning. Well, that is the plan, anyway...