Well, I just had one of the most fun months of my life. January 1st I took a trip down to Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of my favorite destinations in the world. There I did a number of things. First, I stayed at the friendly Hostel Clan, a place I discovered last time with my dad and Klep. Later I went out to one of the finest "boliches"(clubs) that B.A. has to offer, Opera Bay. This is a place for the elite of the "porteños" (people from B.A.), a place modeled after the famous Opera house in Sidney, Australia, and a place where things don't end till well after the break of dawn. My friend Socrates invited me there, and that was really great because I had not seen him for years. The next night I went to a milonga, one of the finest things you can do while in the birthplace of the tango. A milonga is where people gather to dance tango. This was an exceptional event, as a live, ten piece band came on played late into the night.
A couple of days later I headed over to Villa Mercedes to see the Lopez family. It was every intention I had to only stay one day and then meet up with a friend in Bariloche, but they were so warm and friendly that I couldn't bear the thought of leaving so soon. I ended up staying for almost a week! We played soccer, went to Nico's country house, "la quinta", to hit the pool, and drank a lot of beer and Fernet!
A couple of days later I headed over to Villa Mercedes to see the Lopez family. It was every intention I had to only stay one day and then meet up with a friend in Bariloche, but they were so warm and friendly that I couldn't bear the thought of leaving so soon. I ended up staying for almost a week! We played soccer, went to Nico's country house, "la quinta", to hit the pool, and drank a lot of beer and Fernet!
Abuelo Lopez
Marcos y Miriam
Marcos, Vero, Y Nico
Afterwards, it was up to Córdoba, my absolute favorite place in the world. Córdoba is exciting because it has a small sity feel but is big (2 million people or so), it is full of young people (college town), and is close by to the mountains, so one can escape to the tranquil country side farely easily. I also have many friends there, and we kept busy, partying till the sun came up almost every day. I also got to see LF Salsa play, which is the reason why I learned how to dance salsa in the first place. Not to mention the ladies...
Fabio and Me
I popped over to Mendoza for a few days after that to meet with Ramiro, an old friend from Córdoba who had been traveling throughout Argentina and Chile. There we walked around the city, went to a couple of wine bodegas, and toured an olive oil factory.
It was back to Córdoba for just a couple of more days after that. There, more parties and dining out with friends. I had an unfortunate escapade there this time, though. While returning home one Sunday morning at about 8, a guy attacked me in the street. He had a little baton and popped me in the face, causing me to fall over and have a very swollen, black eye. He then proceeded to strike me several more times while I tried to guard my face and regain my balance. Just when I had gotten my senses back and was about to strike back he ran quickly down the street. A cop had come to my defense, but only asked if I was ok before walking off. He didn't even attempt to give chase or anything! That's Argentina for ya!
Afterwards, it was off to Cali, Colombia to visit a friend. I was a little disappointed here, though. I had really high expectations of Colombia at this point. All I had heard was how beautiful the women were and how great the salsa music was. Well, the women that are hot, are smoking hot, but the ratio is not as high as I thought. Argentina really can spoil you! Then, 90% of the good looking women are 90% fake. By that I mean plastic surgery! While it can be nice to look at, I prefer my women real.
Also, my host here was not that great. Her idea of showing me the city was going to a mall for about 6 hours one day. And she did not take me to dance salsa once, instead her and her friends were fixed on this one bar, that was not even that great in my opinion. I did have one spectacular experience there, though. I jumped off a cliff! Well, I did have a guy with a parachute attached to me. Para-gliding, what a rush! It was amazing, soaring high above the mountains in Colombia, see all the country side has to offer from a bird's eye view. I would strongly recommend this to anyone that likes adrenaline! That day I also visited the very historic Hacienda Paraiso. It was beautifully landscaped. I counted up to ten different varieties of roses in one garden, not to mention other types of exotic flowers that are only grown in Colombia.
It was back to Córdoba for just a couple of more days after that. There, more parties and dining out with friends. I had an unfortunate escapade there this time, though. While returning home one Sunday morning at about 8, a guy attacked me in the street. He had a little baton and popped me in the face, causing me to fall over and have a very swollen, black eye. He then proceeded to strike me several more times while I tried to guard my face and regain my balance. Just when I had gotten my senses back and was about to strike back he ran quickly down the street. A cop had come to my defense, but only asked if I was ok before walking off. He didn't even attempt to give chase or anything! That's Argentina for ya!
Afterwards, it was off to Cali, Colombia to visit a friend. I was a little disappointed here, though. I had really high expectations of Colombia at this point. All I had heard was how beautiful the women were and how great the salsa music was. Well, the women that are hot, are smoking hot, but the ratio is not as high as I thought. Argentina really can spoil you! Then, 90% of the good looking women are 90% fake. By that I mean plastic surgery! While it can be nice to look at, I prefer my women real.
Also, my host here was not that great. Her idea of showing me the city was going to a mall for about 6 hours one day. And she did not take me to dance salsa once, instead her and her friends were fixed on this one bar, that was not even that great in my opinion. I did have one spectacular experience there, though. I jumped off a cliff! Well, I did have a guy with a parachute attached to me. Para-gliding, what a rush! It was amazing, soaring high above the mountains in Colombia, see all the country side has to offer from a bird's eye view. I would strongly recommend this to anyone that likes adrenaline! That day I also visited the very historic Hacienda Paraiso. It was beautifully landscaped. I counted up to ten different varieties of roses in one garden, not to mention other types of exotic flowers that are only grown in Colombia.
Beatriz and Me
Cali
Cali's Theater
El Gato
Eating Lunch With The Ladies
A couple of days ago I flew from Cali to Miami, from where I was to embark on the second leg of my journey, Thailand. While I was in MIA I went to the Dolphin Mall and grabbed some extra supplies and saw a movie, The Night at the Museum. It was a pretty good way to spend the afternoon. Oh yea, I also had some good old American style pizza. While pizza is good in Argentina, it is not like the 'za we have back home, and I was strongly craving it.
On Tuesday I left for Thailand. I arrived here today, finally, after more than 40 hours of traveling, with layovers in Dallas, Tokyo, and Bangkok. Unfortunately, when I got to Bangkok, I learned they had lost my luggage. I am still waiting for it here in Chiang Mae.
Chiang Mae is a great little city here in Northern Thailand. I arrived yesterday and Klepper met me at the airport. We took a tuk tuk in, which is Thailand's form of a taxi. They are pretty cool, little three person, open air motorized vehicles, kind of like a golf cart. Dustin, another one of my friends from high school, also lives here. In a couple of days we are going over to their house in a different province close by.On Tuesday I left for Thailand. I arrived here today, finally, after more than 40 hours of traveling, with layovers in Dallas, Tokyo, and Bangkok. Unfortunately, when I got to Bangkok, I learned they had lost my luggage. I am still waiting for it here in Chiang Mae.
