Me encanto los viejos.

All is well in the world.

Well, not entirely. Many issues we should all devote some of our love, time, energy and resources towards. Especially some positive thoughts for the 12 Education Abroad Students that they are trying to evacuate from Egypt right now.

What I mean to say is thank you. I feel so incredible blessed to be here, able to do what I am doing. So grateful to say all is well in my world.

Major transition point right now: free as I can be backpacker, leading wherever my heart desires to ...............ORIENTATION! Hello 75+ american-english speaking-fresh to argentina people. Bienvenidos.

but before we get there allow me to recap the closing days of "Ki. The Backpacker."



xoxo
ps: finally some real life pictures of my real life. check out previous posts to see more.

.........

Jan 29th

Last day in Calafate.

After waking we explored a nearby lake that was filled with glorious, bright pink, backward bending knees, flying (who knew they could fly?) FLAMINGOS! The national park was closed- we were an hour early- so... we hopped the fence! Fun to be a little illegal in a foreign country.

Huge fields decorated in wild daisies and horses, with a well rested sun rising over the horizon.

Nice start to the day. More energy than a cup of instant coffee could have offered :)

Laguna Niñez Natural Reserve

Then off to catch up on journaling in a nearby coffee shop.

The walls had no wallpaper: just pastries. Bottom to top, side-to-side, homemade, egg-white-washed, delicious jewels waiting to be savored. Mmm....

We then taxied to the airport and somehow ended up in FIRST CLASS! First time for me and I am sure it was one of those classic moves on behalf of the universe. Just reminding me to expect the unexpected.

We arrived in Ushuaia and stayed at the "Cruz del Sur" hostel. This Saturday became my Sunday and was devoted to rest and rejuvenation. Katie and I explored the city individually for the first time and it was great. I began to remember how important alone time is. In any relationship I think it is healthy, natural and necessary to nurture your individual life. Spend some time with yourself, doing what you personally love. It is usually best for all parties involved and gives you a chance to miss the other too.

We walked by a restaurant called Darwin’s and then a little old man popped out and lured us in with his bearded smile and dusty suave moves. We enjoyed a warm meal and the live music by the Fabio of Argentina. After dinner the sweet (would be creepy if he was 40 years younger, but his new age comes with new benefits...) old man pulled us in close and took a picture. Then he placed a big smooch on my cheek and Katie got one on the lips! La cena estaba muy rico...

Mr. Smooth

Jan 30th

Today we took a boat tour out to see penguins, seals, a lighthouse and an island where we got to go exploring for a short while. The tour was great, but really it was the people that made it so enjoyable.

A man walked on and he looked like my dad! A bit larger and more argentine looking than papa pete, but needless to say, I took a liking to him. He had a kind wife, a daughter who was my age and a 9-year-old son. A family vacationing from Buenos Aires to the end of the world just for fun. I practiced my Spanish with him as he practiced his English with me. 

My Favorite Argentine Family

I was so tempted to ask if they would be my host family, he even took a picture of me with his children! He gave me their home phone number and invited to join them for dinner once I get settled into my place. "La comida con mucho cariño." Sounds perfect to me.

The tour ended with a shot of coffee liquor (looks like a common trend down here) and a raffle for an Argentine flag. A couple from Spain won.

Later that night Katie and I ventured to an ice cream shop. I asked to try the best flavor and the man recommended Sambayon. "What is this?" I asked the man behind the counter. "Juevos y vino" He replied. No joke. It tasted EXACTLY like eggs and wine. I went for the chocolate and cafe instead. Who knows, maybe the Sambayon con almendras would have been better...

Me...Katie...

As we were enjoying our not so exotic ice cream, the Spanish couple came into the shop! We sat and talked with them for a good 20 minutes- almost all in Spanish! They were so kind and welcoming, inviting us to call them up if we are ever in Madrid. Mateo and Ricardo travel the world every year, always picking a new destination to explore. They will be heading off to Antarctica in just a few days. Sounds like a good life to me.

Jan 31st

Our last day on this the most rewarding days.

Off to a healthy start by sleeping in (so good for the soul!) and enjoying a breakfast of Coconut and Dulce de Leche cake. Then we embarked on a hike a fellow hostel mate recommended. A 10 minute taxi out of town and a whole ‘nother world away.

Crossing the gate that said "zona privada" we ventured into what felt like unchartered territory. No beaten path or marked trails, allowing us to follow where our next step took us.  Rivers, wild flowers, roaming horses, mountains, glaciers, crazy moon like moss that pulls you deep into the earth plus an incredible blue sky dotted with the occasional cloud.  Walking, traversing handmade bridges, using old dead trees to cross over to an island and puddle stomping in the melted snow. The inner child glowed as the explorer within radiated at the mass of land and wonder that laid before me. Not one other person in sight. If it weren’t for the few pieces of trash I picked up along the way, I would have never known if another lucky foot entered this valley.

Handmade Bridge

After a few hours we were ready to return to civilization. One thing though. No taxis come to this part of town. We had no choice but to walk along the dirt road, headed downhill somewhere meeting up with the center of town. I didn't realize so much on the short cab ride up, but we were in a poor part of town. A very poor part. 

There was a thick dirt road with lots of trash and an endless supply of unloved dogs. Fortunately, most were behind fences (not too promising that they could protect us from the barking though) and the others we out in the road. I love dogs. But wild dogs frighten me. At one point a healthy sized black one began to follow us and the barks sent tension up and down my spine and everywhere in between. They did not want us there and I didn't want to be there either. 

As you can tell, I am writing this so, yes. I made it out alive. Such a growing experience. I thought of it in relation to life in the grand scale. Sometimes we have no choice but to continue headstrong on the path we have chosen for ourselves. Challenges arise (i.e. crazy, gnarly, vicious, foaming-at-the-mouth, red-eyed, huge beasts---not that extreme but could have been for the way I reacted...) but I must try my best to stay calm, cool and collected. 

Sweet pup in downtown Ushuaia (not to be confused with the others in the hillside)

Panicking never helps. Plus a little love and faith that all will work out usually gets me through. We walked on and a kind woman ensured us that a bus would be coming shortly. We waited with her and then hopped into a big white van. Yes sounds sketchy but intuition approved and it was some sort of government issued vehicle to pick up residents that lived outside of the city limits. 

Up to this point today was one of my all time favorites for the peace and serenity the hills offered. Then I experienced one of the scariest moments in my life and now I was about to have a new reality check.

The bus drove up through the hills, stopping to pick up those who stood in the dirt waiting. For lack of a better term, it looked and felt like a shantytown. This was something they left out on "The City Tour of Ushuaia." Humbled I sat and I began to feel so silly for my fear of walking down the road. Just as I began to sense some pity arising from within (which is never the right answer, but seems to be a natural response at times like these) a mother and her two children joined us. The son about 4 sat beside his mom in the front row and the beautiful little girl, no more than a year and a half bounced up and down on her mama's knee. She giggled and giggled and then turned to look at me. Every part of her baby plump face formed to smile at me. Her eyes and her grin gave me the joy that I needed, and more so it reminded me of what we all need in life. Love. 

Regardless of what the building looked like that she slept in at night, she had a mother that loved her truly and in return she has the love to give to the world. I just got a piece of it that day. 

The bus dropped us off at the city bus stop and for the first time I took this form of public transportation. While I am far from it at this point, I felt more like local than I have at any point in this trip. More than 50 people who pain a little over 2 pesos crammed into that bus. I stood and held on tight as the driver maneuvered through the streets- all while counting the bills and change he had just collected. We jumped off and then checked out of the hostel (for the last time) to hop onto our flight to Buenos Aires. Back "home."

I have been thinking a lot about that day and it was so powerful: full of a variety of beauty, challenges and lessons. 

I have also decided that the best way to know a country is not to take the "adventure tours" but to LIVE the adventure. One with the country. Adapt to the life. Better yet, ADOPT the life. 

Graffiti art in Puerto Madryn

Feb 1

Buenos Aires. Orientation begins today. 

I found a nearby locutorio and made my first phone calls out of the country. So refreshing to hear familiar voices again. 

Then Hello to California again! Exciting to meet new people, but a part of me is still traveling Patagonia… She should arrive soon. 

Feb 2

I woke up early to buy some fruit at a local stand just down the street and thought "Hey I'll just wander around the block. Take a right for a few blocks and a left for a few more blocks then another left and another left and I should be right back where I started." Right? Wrong. I am not in Avalon anymore.

After walking "around the block" for over a half an hour (it was about 8:45am and the group was departing at 9am) I figured it was time to call for backup. So I turned to those I can trust most.

Old men. 

I walked into a corner cafe and asked a few whom were scattered across the restaurant if they knew where "Suipacha" street was (all in Spanish of course) and they replied all at the same time, in rapid mumbling Spanish of course. I said gracias and ciao and wandered off, just as lost as I was before but with a new smile on my face.

I wandered down to a main avenue and asked another "viejo" of course (they are sweet, wise, unintimidating, kind, probably not going to steal my purse and run away, and most of all; knowledgeable.) His name was Angel and indeed, he was my angel of the day. He walked me almost to the door of the hotel with four minutes left to spare and asked to take me out for a drink. He said, "Yes. Si. Yes. Si." and I said "Problamente." He settled for that and left me with his telephone number. Both work and cell phone number actually...

Orientation was bright and early and all day long. Overload of information from 9am-11pm with a small break at lunch and in the afternoon. I have been planning for this day to come for some time now, and here it is. Papers, packets, students, plans, schedules... the whole shabang. All the students are kind and adjusting to life in BA, away from the comforts of home and familiarity. Por ejemplo, I have never in my life heard so much commotion over the item:

Peanut Butter. Take something away and everyone wants it back :)

Watching the others makes me all the more grateful I traveled through Patagonia before hand. Not only was it gorgeous, it allowed me the opportunity to get homesick (and recover), practice my Spanish extensively, and become aware of some of the argentine customs and ways of life- ahead of time.

Feb 3

Big tour of BA today. Air-conditioned bus and a guide in English took us to many highlights the city has to offer: and all under 3 hours. Great to cross some of the items off the "Must See in Buenos Aires" list, but I have a feeling there is a lot more to discover.

Then laundry, nap, and a lovely dinner with the newest sweetheart I have met. She is a Music and Peace and Conflict Studies double major from Cal. Sounds cool already doesn't she? We shared bread, wine, pasta, stories, ideas and chocolate.

A night well spent.

Tomorrow I meet my family. Estoy emocionado!

 I may have a single mom, a dad & a mom, parents with children younger than me, parents with children older than me (it is custom for children to live with parents until they marry. Hello 27 year old sister/brother...) or possibly a single old woman. I would love to have siblings, but I'm sure I'll end up in the home that is perfect for me.

A whole new type of adventure is about to begin in 8 hours...