San Telmo Market & The Loco Fans...

The morning after our big night out, I couldn't believe we slept until 11 a.m.!  I guess all the go, go, go, finally caught up with us, we needed sleep.  

Michaela, Patty and I headed out walking for San Telmo.  Lewis decided not to join us.  I don't believe he was felling so well after the night before...yup, we've all been there!  On Sundays, Defensa avenue becomes a large market.  The street is closed off and vendors set up shop.  You can find everything from leather goods, paintings, clothes, hats and scarfs to antiques and food.  There's also plenty of entertainment - tango dancers, musicians, bands, street performers and random acts as well, like the guy that just stands there and looks like he is walking in a wind tunnel...random.  We had a couple of hours to walk around the market.  I spotted some items that I planned to buy, but wanted to wait till I was on my way home.  I didn't want to carry extra stuff with me until it was absolutely necessary.  Around 3 we headed back to the hostel to rouse Lewis and Eduardo, another friend we met who was going to the big futbol game with us.

The 5 of us, headed for the bus stop and hopped on the good ole 130 bus toward the River Plate Stadium.  Now, I had issue with the name "River Plate" - what does it mean?  The only answer I could get was Plate = Plata = Money/Gold/Silver.  OK but River is an English word.  I am still not following.  Gotta luv the internet.  River Plate is the English name for Rio de la Plata, the river that Buenos Aires sits.  It is believed that back in the club's early days, one of the founders observed sailors playing impromptu futbol games in the port of Buenos Aires next to crates marked "The River Plate", hence the club name.  Ah...I feel better, knowledge, although random, is power.

We arrived at the stadium and were at the wrong gate.  We had to take a long walk around the neighborhood to get to the correct entrance.  Talk about high security...whoa!  There were policemen/women everywhere.  On the way to the correct entrance, we saw a police escorted caravan driving to the stadium.  I didn't realize it at the time, but that caravan was comprised of the visiting team's, Argentino Juniors, fans.  Yeah, it says something about the level of "fan intensity" if the visiting team fans have to be escorted by police into and out of the stadium.  

The game was fun to watch.  We were seated at mid-field, front row in the non-hooligan section which allowed us really good views of the fast and fancy footwork of the professionals!  But, the hooligan section looked fun too, minus the mosh pit.  The fans did not sit down the entire game.  Drums were beating, River Plate songs were sung, flags were waved and fans jumped and bounced around the entire game, even after River Plate lost, 2-1!  

Considering they were outnumbered, the visiting team crowd was pretty loud too.  They were pent up in a section that was behind barb wire with a police officer at the end of every row!  

After the game, we were not allowed to leave the stadium until all the visiting fans were gone.  Crazy, we were locked in!  Now, you know, at one point, things must have really gotten out of hand for there to be this kind of security.  We had a great time, quite an experience!     

Addiction 1st - Then...Where They Rest in Peace...

On Saturday, Patty and I were off to visit the Recoleta cemetery and were quickly sidetracked with a pressing need.  Up until this point, I had been able to fight off my addiction with great fortitude.  I had time to adjust having been in South America for over a month.  I was doing great until Patty came.  She had recently left the land of "Starbucks on Every Corner" and her fight against the demon that is Starbucks just started.  Well, on this day, the demon kicked our booties.  Once she started talking about it, I couldn't fight it off.  I was jonesin' for a Grande/NF/NoWip Mocha.  Lewis mentioned that he had seen a Starbucks on Santa Fe Ave. which was a street on the way to the cemetery.  However, after much asking and internet surfing, the Starbucks was pretty far down at the other end of Santa Fe.  Well, ya know what, when you get 2 Patricias together and they want something, they damn well get it!  We rode the subway to get there - now that's what I'm talking about!  My eyes rolled back in my head as I savored my drink.  (A little scary but sooooo worth the journey!)

NOW, we can continue our site seeing adventure.  We walked from the glorious Starbucks location to the cemetery.  The cemetery was the first public cemetery of the city of Buenos Aires and was opened in 1822.  The site is 54,800 sq. meters and houses 4,800 vaults, it's huge.  Over time, it has become a major site of funeral architecture worldwide.  Argentine politicians, military men, statesmen, priests, poets, leaders and many others of prominence have been laid to rest here at the Recoleta cemetery.  One of the most visited vaults is that of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron or Evita, the wife of former President Juan Peron.  Something I found rather interesting is that many of the vaults were bigger than some folk's houses.  I guess, when you have mucho dinero you can spend it even after you have passed on.  The day we visited the cemetery, it was so hot outside.  I found myself seeking out the shade of each vault, tree and building I could find.    

After the cemetery visit, we walked to the National Library and saw the monument dedicated to Evita.  There were supposedly some symbols that stood for one thing or another, but I didn't catch the meaning.  I think the heat was getting to me.  

That night, it was time for some tango...well, music anyway.  Patty and I had made reservations to see a show at a tango venue.  When we arrived, we were seated toward the back and Patty posed the question..."where is the stage for the dancers?".  Good question.  It turned out that the show that night was solely tango music.  The artist was Ruben Juarez, a very popular tango singer, composer, bandoneon (looks like a box accordion - typically used in tango music) musician and author.  His records have gone gold and platinum in Latina America.  The concert was excellent and there were mostly locals in the audience.  They love him.  After the concert, we made an attempt to go out dancing, but were informed that 1:30 a.m. was too early for dancing, the dancing didn't start until 3 a.m.  Whoa Nelly!  The two Patricia's had a long day - dancing just wasn't going to happen.  We headed back to the hostel where Lewis proceeded to give us our own private tango show - hilarious - the boy's got moves!    

The Creme de la Creme of South America - Buenos Aires!

Our long bus ride had us arriving back in Buenos Aires at midday.  We made our way to the hostel where Michaela and Lewis were staying, El Firulete located in the Micro center of the city.  When we arrived, Michaela and Lewis were waiting for us in the lobby.  We dropped off our bags and headed out.  We were off to buy our tickets to the River Plate futbol match happening on Sunday.  Now, here's the thing, everyone that you talk to about going to a futbol match talks about how the games can be dangerous and you need to be careful, etc. etc.  We decided not to go with a tour group and "chance it" on our own.  We started walking toward the general vicinity of the River Plate stadium.  It was a pretty far walk and I think it would have been doable, but it was really hot out.  We ended up taking a cab the rest of the way.  We purchased 4 tickets in the "non hooligan" section of the stadium.  Yay - our plans were secure for the game on Sunday.  We started walking back and again, it was too far so we took the bus back toward the center of Buenos Aires.  That night, was my first steak dinner in Argentina!  Yum!  Steak and red wine...ahhh!!!   

The next day, the 4 of us decided to walk to the famous La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires.  The neighborhood is called La Boca (the mouth) because it is at the mouth of the Riochuelo river and is where many immigrants, mostly from Italy, settled in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  La Boca is home of the famous Boca Juniors futbol club.  On our way there, we walked passed the stadium.  There are some incredibly dedicated fans here!  La Boca is also famous for Caminito street, which literally translated means little walkway or little road or maybe little pathway.  And yes, it is little, but has big character!  Caminito was recreated by a famous Argentine painter, Benito Quinquela Martin.  He and his artist friends recreated the street to reflect the way the barrio as it was, an immigrant port neighborhood with Italian influence - colorful and built out of scrap metal. 

We arrived at Caminito, found a restaurant with outdoor seating and we watched some tango dancing and other traditional dancers.  Now, at this point, I am feeling rather relieved after a small incident that happened on the way to La Boca.  Actually, I think we were already in La Boca when Lewis found a hair cut place and decided to get a haircut.  He asked Patty and I to translate how he wanted his hair cut.  Patty took it upon herself to translate (I was A-OK with that...whew!).  As it turns out, there were a few "issues" with the haircut.  The tension in that little hair salon was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.  Long story short, Lewis was not at all happy with what this guy did to his hair and the guy was getting irritated too.  I decided to wait outside before the big finale.  I do have to say that I wish I had more gumption like Lewis.  He wasn't happy and had no qualms about letting this guy know and the guy knew for sure he was not happy even though they didn't speak the same language!  Ahh...can we all get a round of drinks now?

We left La Boca and headed to the San Telmo neighborhood, the oldest barrio of Buenos Aires.  San Telmo is loaded with colonial buildings, cafes, tango parlors and antique shops.  We did a little window shopping and stopped at a cafe for my favorite , a banana licuado.  I was looking forward to coming back to San Telmo on Sunday for the big market.  

That night, at the hostel, Patty borrowed my scissors and did some haircut damage control for Lewis.  It all ended up ok!            

Puerto Iguazu y ¿Las Cataratas?...

Upon arriving in the town of Puerto Iguazu, we found a "hotel" that wasn't as nice as some of the hostels I have patronized. As I have traveled around, it is very interesting to note the difference in accommodations and the price - they can be quite disparate.

Anyhoo, we firmed up our plans for the next day. We planned to visit the falls AND to take the night bus back to Buenos Aires after visiting the falls. Yes, yes...a super quick (and long) trip to Puerto Iguazu and back, but the only major interest point here is the falls and I think both Patty and I were anxious to get back to Buenos Aires and really check out the city.

The next morning, we caught the bus to the Parque National de Puerto Iguazu where we arrived with many other tourists. When we were talking to the tourist information dude, he kept saying "visita a las cataratas". I thought waterfall = cascada en español. When I was in Baños, the waterfalls were cascadas. Later, I looked up both words in my handy dandy dictionario and found that they both mean waterfall! Our first hike was the route superior. Where we saw the beginnings of the waterfalls. They were pretty amazing and loud. After we hiked to the "Garganta del diablo" or translated the Devil's Throat. Ay yi yi! Amazing, powerful and beyond explaination - the waterfall here is mesmerizing. Pictures just can't do the sheer power and magnitude justice. The falls are on the boarder of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay - tres fronteras. When you looked across the falls, there you see Brazil! After the visit to the Garganta, we hiked the route inferior - not so inferior...pretty darn cool within itself. We spent about 6 hot hours at the falls. I loved it. I can definitely see why people come from afar to visit. I have never been to Niagara Falls, so I don't have anything to compare these falls to, but I was definitely impressed.

We made our way back to town and got ready for another 17 hour bus ride back to Buenos Aires. An amazing day at the cataratas!

Side note: I have become a big fan of licuados de banana. A licuado is basically a fruit shake or smoothy and it can be made with milk or water. I like mine with water, it seems less heavy to me. I can drink these things all day long! I am going to bust out the blender when I get home!

Arriving in Buenos Aires, Argentina...

I was proud of myself in regards to my trip to the Chilean airport. I left the hostel, with my packed bag, and headed for the subway. I took the subway to the bus station where I boarded the local bus for the airport. It was so much cheaper to take the bus than to take a taxi and my resource now is time so, it was worth it.

I arrived in Buenos Aires around 6 p.m. and boarded a bus to the center and, from there, they took me to the hotel in the Recoleta neighborhood where my great friend Patty was resting! Yay! Finally, a familiar face. Patty met me in Buenos Aires for her yearly vacation from her busy work schedule back in the Bay! Yay again...double yay! I felt like I was livin large in this hotel. Ahhh...to shower without flip flops, what a luxury! We went out to dinner and then it was nighty nite after a full day of traveling.

The next morning, we were on a mission to secure our travel plans to Puerto Iguazu for our big visit to the famous falls. We thought we might take a flight so we decided to walk to the airline office. On the way there, all of a sudden on a crazy busy street, I heard someone call my name and say..."hey, are you looking for...". It was Lewis and Michaela from my Machu Picchu trek! Wow, crazy small world! We chatted for a while and firmed up our plans to reunite when Patty and I returned to Buenos Aires from Iguazu. Come to find out, the trip to Iguazu was going to be way more economical to take the bus - it was actually ridiculously expensive to fly. We decided to go via bus and bought our tickets and were off later that night. Poor Patty...I had her jumping into the travel thing head first with a long, long bus ride. Our overnight bus ride was the longest I had taken so far - 17 hours! Holy Moly! The main plus was the cute bus attendant that I quickly developed a crush on- hello!!!

Mas Walking (and Eating) in Santiago...

All this walking - I am eating so much. Ever since the Machu Picchu trek, I find myself hungry all the time - it's like I have a bottomless pit. I never really ate breakfast as part of my normal routine at home (the most important meal...ah well...) and now, I wake up, my eyes are open for 5 minutes and I want to eat. It must be all the walking (or at least I hope it is)...so here I go again. Walking and walking on my last day in Santiago. I didn't do much other than show off my cafe dwelling expertise and walk to different parts of the city. I love it here. It's definitely more modern than the rest of the places I have seen in South America - although the mullet and the banana clip are alive and well here in Chile.

I called it an early night and packed my bags for my flight to Argentina the next day. There were so many places I didn't get to see in Chile. It is a wonderous country with such diverse land. I could have easily spent my 2 months in South America only in Chile. Two weeks wasn't enough time. Adios Chile, nos vemos pronto...

Back to Santiago...

It was back to Santiago for me. I took the noon bus and made my way back to Hostel Forestal. It was then that I realized, there is less anxiety (although slight to begin with) when you are making your way back through a familiar place. It makes complete sense, but I guess I wasn't conscience of it until now. I already knew how to ride the subway and what stop to get off...piece of cake. It can be exhausting being alone and constantly having to be aware - looking at the map, where am I?, where do I need to go?, how much is it?, is it a safe area? what time?, etc., etc. It was nice to come back to familiar territory, territory that I like! I had called the hostel to make reservations for my last few nights in Santiago and they said "no problem, we have plenty of room". Well, turns out they didn't. I gave Miguel a hard time because he remembered talking to me and was saying "I am sorrrry, so sorrrry" (with that rolled "r" accent) - I gave him the evil eye. They worked out setting up a bed for me in a huge room that was being renovated. It was great because I had all this space to myself and I got a major discount!

During the day, I did my normal walk and walk and walk routine and have become quite an authority on cafe dwelling. It's an art, perfected with time. You must pick out a cafe with real expresso, order a cappuccino, find a seat with good people viewing angles, sit and enjoy. It's a tough job, but I have definitely been up for the challenge.

That night, I was in the salsa mood. I was given the name of two places in the ever popular bohemian chic (although sometimes they forget the chic and it's down right hippie) Bella Vista neighborhood. I walked to one place and a guy that worked there was coming out of the club. I asked him about salsa lessons and he said yes, yes - come in. Ah ok, but where are all the people? Oh, we have official lessons on Thursdays so I can give you private lessons - here let me show you. The next thing I knew, I was dancing this really close kinda salsa and he is not a teacher, he is the bartender. Ahem...don't think so, gotta go! I found the other place and they really were having lessons. I jumped into the group and danced for about an hour. They were teaching (at least, I think it was...) the "on 2" version of salsa. It's a bit different. So I am learning, there are many salsa styles...Cuban, Puerto Rican, Columbian, etc. I think in the U.S. we dance Puerto Rican, but I am not sure because you always here west coast style vs east coast style. Anyway, I didn't really think the teacher was all that great. He was more about showing off and demonstrating the steps so fast that everyone was in awe, but nobody learned anything. I enjoyed moving around and the music, as always. After the lesson, I headed back to my spacious room. It hasn't been often on this trip that I've been able to spread out have my own space. Me likey!

Day Tripper Parte Numero Dos...

My next day trip from from Valparaíso was to Isla Negra to visit the house of Pablo Neruda. Neruda is the famous Chilean poet, diplomat and political figure that won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. The award was a bit controversial because of his activism in the communist party. The only knowledge I had about Pablo was in regards to his stay,in 1952, in Capri, Italy. The foreign film Il Postino is about his stay in Italy while he was in excile and although the film is fictional, it has the facts right about his poetry and his activism. I had seen Il Postino when I went through a foreign film netflix phase so, I wasn't completely ignorant as to his life's journey.

I took a 2 hour bus ride to his house on the sea where it has been turned into a museum. He was a collector of all sorts of things from all over the world. He had collections of different globes, bottles, masks, model ships and so much more. The house is still furnished much like it was when he lived there. He loved the ocean and had the house built to model a ship. He and his wife Matilde are burried on the property. He died in 1973 at age 69. Again, it was an overcast day with a lack of sun, but the property was beautiful and the house was very unique. I chilled out for a while by the ocean...can't beat that! One thing though, why is it called Isla Negra when it's not an island...don't know...hmmm...

I hopped on the bus back to Valpo and organized myself for my trip back to Santiago the next day. Valpo - cool city!

We Interrupt the Regularly Scheduled Program...

Ahhh....where has the time gone? Oh yeah, I've done about a million things over the last few months, claro!!!

I am a few weeks behind on the documentation of "The Amazing Adventures of Patricia" (amazing that I am here anyway...)! I want to get it down right and not rush so, I am sure that I will have to finish up after I get home. I am currently making my way back to Buenos Aires where I will be catching my flight home. I arrive in the beautiful San Francisco Bay on Thursday, December 11th. I will be home for about a month before I hit the road again. I miss everyone and I am looking forward to spending Christmas at home. It doesn't feel like the holidays to me at all - well, other than the occasional Christmas tree sighting which reminds me what time of year it is!

I am looking foward to seeing you, hoping that you are enjoying the holidays! Sushi, holiday eggnog, movies, excercise (I am in desperate need of regular excercise - I have indulged way too much in Argentina), Christmas caroling (ah yeah, no), etc. let's do it...I want to see you!

Felice Navidad!
Abrazos y Besos a todos!

ps - many have asked about my legs (that sounds really odd...)...anyway, they are better! Thank you for asking. After over a month, I still go through some major itch attacks where I feel like I could scratch my skin off (I know, I know...but it's really hard not to scratch). I am hoping not to have permanent scars. My ankles have become like balloons - with the night buses and the heat, they expand and contract regularly, but no more infection! Yahoo!