Cataratas del Iguazú

Pretty amazing no matter which way you look at it, the falls are a must see down in South America. We spent a day wondering around the Argentine side, but didn´t feel like paying for a visa to get the Brazilian view. The 36 hour bus ride was well worth it, as we not only witnessed the raw power of the Falls from dry land but got to ride through some of the falling water and even got a Samba show in the night before!

Monday, Monday, Monday Part 3

Benbulben

Its a grand ole site from sea level, the views from atop are suppose to be savage, and my body was craving any sort of physical activity I could feed it - so I figured a little stroll up Mnt. Benbulben would make for pleasant evening. Finding the starting point was a little tricky as what should have took 10 minutes took me about an hour and a half in the sporty Toyota Yaris, but the sun was shining and getting lost in the foothills of the West Irish coast isn´t a bad gig in itself. Regret began sinking in a bit right at the start of the climb, as the sun lost its luster under the cover of some fairly nasty clouds. The optimist in me said that they were no big deal, so I trotted onward grabbing glances here and there back at the coast which unfolded behind me. The first rain-hale-snow mix came in quick and caught me a bit off guard, but only lasted 2-3 minutes. You´d think the next 5-6 wintery downfalls that followed it would be enough call it a day, but it was actually pretty cool trudging on through them. I was getting the total package as first the wind would pick up and those treacherous dark clouds would rush to the piste of Benbulben, the hale was usually next, followed by a nice snowy-rain conglomeration lasting no more than 5 minutes at a time, after which that blazing Irish sunset would force its way back to view. The full range of weather conditions repeated over and over again was such a strange phenomenon to me that I couldn´t help but to soak it all up - both literally and figuratively. From the top you could easily spot the menacing cloud clusters flying in off the Atlantic and continue on past with no sign of slowing down; while in the distance the sun nonchalantly painted an awe-inspiring sunset as it thrusted brilliant rays through the oncoming clouds in varying directions. Its too bad because it doesn´t seem to happen too often these days, but as I stood there quietly - all by my lonesome for the first time since leaving home - all my worries seemed to fade away. All those feelings of anxiety, stress, nervousness, regret, obligation, and fear that have the tendency to lurk on the edge of conscienceness and weigh down our daily lives completely fell off the top of that peak. It had been a one hellova great Monday, and right there, in that moment, I felt completely content with my time and place in the world.

"I climbed up a tree that night
I sat up in the branches and I felt like a bird
It was the best feeling in the world"
-Keller Williams

The Age Old Art of PDA

Mmmm...doesn´t it make ya feel good to see people that can express themselves so freely and openly in the public corridor. I know in the States making out in public has some negative connotations attached to it and is usually considered to be in poor taste. I mean you get the odd drunk couple making out at the bar, but that's usually blamed on everybody´s favorite friend the booze - sweet, delicious, wonderfully appetizing boooze. Anyway, not the story in Buenos Aires. Porteños(B.A. residents) have no problem whatsoever throwing down everything and straight up getting after it wherever they may be. In the park, on the street, at the club, on the grass, against a building, on a blanket, with the dog watching, in the morning, after work, during lunch, during work, at class, waiting in line, at the grocery store, eating breakfast, pretty much everywhere - its a wide spread and highly celebrated phenomenon. Passion in its most primal state - well almost most primal state. Free, unadulterated, public displays of affection...gotta love it!

Not sure yet if this is a Latino trend or specific to Buenos Aires, but heading to Uruguay this weekend for the chance to compare/contrast.

Big City Life

Ah, the big city. The sites, the people, the pace, the life. Its all so different and foreign (in more ways than one) than what I´m used to. I was strolling down the street yesterday jammin out to Jamiroquai, fumbling around in the recesses of my mind, contemplating the lack of peanut butter down here and the effects it has on the people's protein intake or something along those lines, when I ran square into an open car door parked on the side of the street. The whole scene was reminiscent of my college days when I was stumbling down College street en route to Boar Head, chatting with some randoms when I unsuspectingly ran chest first into a parking meter - those obvious, stationary kind - rendering me utterly incapacitated. The car door was a bit different, as I wasn´t drunk, pulled a quick spin-move and semi-smoothly walked on. But I never saw it coming as there is so much in-your-face action down here. People everywhere, buses and taxies flying all over the place, birds shitting on you, stay in the club til the sun comes up high energy action baby! It is a bit overwhelming at first, but I´ve slowly adapted and I think I could definitely rock out the Big City Life. That being said, I plan on heading for higher ground at the end of the month to see what the South American ski season is all about, but I guess what I´m trying to say is that this place is pretty damn crazy.

Monday, Monday, Monday Part 2

Small, Small World

It was mid afternoon and Fernando and I were just chillin at Colin´s place bullshitting about Argentina. Fernando, a native of Buenos Aires, was an obvious mountain of information for me as I would be moving to the `Paris of South America´ in less than a week. My new Argentine friend was staying with Colin for a couple of nights before he moved into his new place. So for the moment, we were both playing the role of vagrants to perfection.

Fernando was interested as to where I´d be living in the city, so I looked up my address, started to sound it out, then folded and just showed it to him. His response was one of delighted surprise as he pulled out his Argentine ID and showed me the address. He had grown up about 10 blocks from where I would be living and proceeded to fill me in on some of the subtleties of the neighborhood.

It was a few minutes later when it dawned on both of us that this was a pretty strange coincidence we were involved in. The little cottage we were at is located about 15 minutes outside the small Irish city of Sligo. Its about a km from the ocean on a sleepy, little unmarked road with some chickens and ducks roaming around - basically in the middle of absolutely no where - real close to East Bumble if you´re familiar. I´m visiting an Irish buddy I met 2 years previously in New Zealand before I make my way down to Argentina; and I just happen to be staying with him at the same time an Argentine dude is between houses and needed a place to crash for a couple nights. Of course he grew up right down the street from where I´d be staying in Buenos Aires, a city with a population of 13+ million I might add.

We reveled in the randomness of our connection for a bit, both rather pleased with the instant commonalities we had discovered. Our meeting may have been a freak coincidence, but it seemed strangely appropriate at the same time. I left a few minutes later feeling fully refreshed and in awe of how the world tends to work. Its a great sensation you know, that feeling in your gut when you know its all going to work out...