This weekend was a long one (the third I've had since I've been here, but no one really seems to know what the days off are for!) so I have today off school to catch up on recent activities. Holiday Mondays are pretty boring because most stores and restaurants are shut and museums are generally closed on Mondays already. I have been looking forward to getting out of the house to go to boot camp this evening, but it has just started pouring rain outside - hopefully just a short summer rain storm and it doesn't get cancelled.
This past week was back to school after three weeks off. I definitely felt the impact of the break - my brain wasn't operating as quickly as it used to! In addition there was an incredibly annoying student in our group of four who was really opinionated and dominated the class. I felt bad for the teacher who was always having to try to steer the discussion away from her. Since the classes are so small, one bad apple really does make a difference in how well class goes. Luckily she is gone next week and apparently it is just myself and one other American girl who is meant to be really nice (she has been at Vamos before).
On Saturday I went to the polo with my friends Karl & Guro. This is the annual Argentine Open and they play round robin games for four weekends in November, with the championship played in early December. The polo grounds are only about a 15 minute walk from my apartment, so it was a very easy day out. The polo was of course great people watching - I have never seen so many guys in white jeans before! - it's like how I imagine South Beach (someday I will go to Miami and confirm that suspicion). We had purchased the cheap seats and what makes them cheap is that you are more in the sun and it was H.O.T. We had to skip 3 of the 8 chukkas and sit in the shade and eat ice cream to recover (I am newly obsessed with Banana Split flavor). The nice thing is that they let you bring in water bottles so we did stay hydrated.
Of course none of us had bothered to Wikipedia the rules before we went, so there was a lot of confusion - especially before we discovered that the teams switch goal ends each time one of them scores. In addition, the field is gigantic - probably 3x a football field - so it can be hard to see what is going on. But when the action gets close it's amazing to see how fast the horses are going and how they really bang in to one another. The riders change horses really often - sometimes in the middle of the action one would ride over to the sideline and just slide onto a different horse. In addition, the crowd is very reserved - it's generally quiet except for when a goal is scored when everyone politely applauds. But all in all it was interesting to see a new sport and enjoy a nice afternoon out. And my Scandinavian friends took some great photos for their blog:
Guro & I enjoying the game- link
Players in action - link
The closest the horses got to us - link
On Sunday I went to a very fun concert with a girl named Kelly who is the receptionist at my Spanish school and one of her friends. Kelly is really cool - she is from Indy and went to Dayton (so of course she is cool...right Mom?). The concert was actually a mini-festival set up by the headlining band, Onda Vaga, and included a number of other bands that people in the group play in. So we saw four bands and it was a good mix - a bit of acoustic guitars, a bit of 80s synthesizers, some trumpet & trombone. And the best thing about concerts in Argentina is that being 5'8" I am taller than 99% of the girls and a good proportion of the guys, so there was no problem seeing the stage! We came out completely sweaty though - even after the sun went down it was still probably about 90 degrees - and went to have some diet cokes and empanadas to restore ourselves.
Here is a link, so you can be in-the-know if they make it in the US:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufS9fROh6Z4&feature=related
One thing we were reminded of at the concert is how there just aren't rules for a lot of things here - or rules that are enforced, which is probably more correct. It was nice to not be patted down and have our bags checked at the concert because they didn't care what you brought in. There was a sign saying they wouldn't serve alcohol to under-18s but no one seemed to check IDs ever (and there were definitely many under-18s there). And when we were waiting in line outside the venue for the box office to open, a guy was selling beers from a cooler and everyone was having a nice cold beer outside on the sidewalk, with no worries about open containers or anything like that. Argentina is also very liberal when it comes to pot - the only rule is against selling it - you can grown, possess and smoke it with no issues and many people do. On a normal day going about town it seems almost as common as normal cigarettes. Of course I do get annoyed when bus drivers ignore the rule about only opening the doors only when the bus has slowed below 10 kph - the exit door often fly open when they are going about 30 mph and you have to wait for the 2 seconds that they get somewhere near stopping to jump off - but in general I like it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Iguazu Falls
Not content with flying about 28 hours to and from London the week before, I decided to book a spur of the moment trip to Iguazu Falls this week. I had made the decision to return to school five days a week starting this coming Monday, so this week was the best time to do the trip before I left (and before it got TOO hot up in the north). I flew LAN, which I highly recommend for anyone travelling in South America, they have nice planes, delicious snack packs for free and you can earn AA miles.
Even though staying at a hostel was a bit of a bust in Salta, I decided to try it again this time and really embrace hostel living by staying in a ten person dorm. I picked the most highly rated one off Hostelworld.com, which was called Hostel Bambu Mini. When I was packing I had to remind myself about all the elements of hostel living that I hadn't dealt with since studying abroad - ear plugs, flip flops for the shower, bring-your-own-towel, etc. And in the end it worked out great, although 2 nights in a row is probably my capacity now (so don't worry...I am not going to depart for a six-month backpacking adventure anytime soon).
There are two sides to Iguazu - Argentina & Brazil - since the river forms the international border. Since I don't have a Brazilian visa I could only do the Argentinian side. The nice thing is that the town in Argentina (Puerto Iguazu) is much nicer than Brazil's (Foz do Iguacu). Puerto Iguazu is pretty tiny, but relaxed and very safe feeling. Also, the airport only has two gates so it made for a very easy arrival and departure! My hostel was right in the center of the town which meant that we could easily walk to restaurants or the station to catch the bus to the falls.
There were about 12-15 people staying in the hostel and as soon as I arrived I met an Aussie guy and a Canadian guy who I ended up going to the national park with the next day. The nice thing about Iguazu is that everyone is basically there for one reason...to see the falls. So everyday at that hostel you can probably find a few people to go to the park with. The hostel also has a little bar area outside where everyone sat around and had snacks and a cold beer (the temps were mid 90s) before dinner, which was nice and social. On Thursday night the three of us and two Canadian girls went out to dinner in town for a "wok" (what they call stir-fry here). The girls had been to the falls that day so were able to give us lots of tips which was really helpful. After dinner I was afraid of insomnia and having a terrible night lying awake in a room full of strangers, but a benadryl (which I really did need for my allergies) did the trick.
On Friday we woke up pretty early, ate breakfast (the usual medialunas, like every breakfast in Argentina, but with an added bonus of ham & cheese to make a toastie and actually get some protein). There is a bus that goes right from the center of town to the national park, which takes about 25 minutes. We got to the park at about 9am and decided to first do a jungle walking trail that not many people do, and let the crowds dissipate a bit. On this trail there were amazing butterflies everywhere, but they are near impossible to photograph - especially when your camera is actually a T-mobile phone! We also saw a crazy furry caterpillar (credit to other walkers who actually spotted it) and monkeys!! The monkeys were also camera shy up in the trees, but it was cool to see them in a non-zoo setting.
After the trail we were starving so had a quick lunch. The national park is really well organized with little restaurant stands dotted around. We all had salami & cheese sandwiches, which makes a break from the monotony of plain ham & cheese. :) Unfortunately we were very popular with the coatis, which are little animals similar to racoons who love to hang about the picnic tables waiting for scraps.
Finally it was off to the falls! The park has three main trails which are all metal walkways that extend over the river. The upper trail takes you to the edge of the falls at the top and the lower trail extends over the water at the bottom of the falls, so you can get a sense of the power of the water, while getting absolutely soaked at the same time! I believe the falls are about 8 stories high and there is so much water and mist that you can't even come close to seeing the bottom. Then there is a trail to the biggest fall, called Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). At that waterfall the rainbows were amazing, with double rainbows at times. Watching the water was almost hypnotizing - there is so much and it is never ending. I now need to rewatch The Mission, which we watched at some point at Ignatius, as it was filmed all around the falls.
Lastly we did a power boat ride into the falls. The main tip from the Canadian girls was to bring a pair of flip-flops for this part and I am so glad we did. The crew give you waterproof bags to put your stuff in, so we just stuck our socks and gym shoes in there and wore flip flops for the boat ride. Some people stripped down to swim suits, which is probably the way to go! The ride is a little scary because if you go overboard the water would probably just overwhelm you, but they do at least give you life jackets. The boat goes into two different falls and it's like being in the most powerful shower you have ever been in. I had to keep my sunglasses on, otherwise I think my contacts would have been washed right out. We came out completely drenched, but at least had nice warm and dry socks and shoes to put on. And luckily with the heat we got relatively dry pretty quickly.
After eight hours at the park it was time to head back to the hostel and relax a bit. We picked up another hostel mate, who was from Switzerland, and went to a food market in the town. It was actually quite a neat little place. There were about 15 stands with picnic tables, so you could buy food and wine from the stands and just eat right in the market. However, being Argentina, the stands were basically all the same - Ham/Salami, Cheese and Empanadas. We picked one of the stands and got a huge antipasti plate of ham/cheese/olives and some delicious chicken empanadas (if you are keeping track, this is the third meal in one day that involves a variation on ham & cheese...it's a good thing I don't keep kosher!). The Swiss guy works in a wine shop back home and he picked out the nicest bottle of malbec that I've had while in Argentina. We were slightly tempted by a bar near the market, but in the end just too tired from the day to go out any further so had a relatively early night.
Now I'm back in thunderstormy BA. Four more weeks to go here! I restart school tomorrow which I am really excited about. And on Tuesday I am going with my Scandinavian friends to a cool art exhibit in the Puerto Madero neighborhood which I am really looking forward to.
Even though staying at a hostel was a bit of a bust in Salta, I decided to try it again this time and really embrace hostel living by staying in a ten person dorm. I picked the most highly rated one off Hostelworld.com, which was called Hostel Bambu Mini. When I was packing I had to remind myself about all the elements of hostel living that I hadn't dealt with since studying abroad - ear plugs, flip flops for the shower, bring-your-own-towel, etc. And in the end it worked out great, although 2 nights in a row is probably my capacity now (so don't worry...I am not going to depart for a six-month backpacking adventure anytime soon).
There are two sides to Iguazu - Argentina & Brazil - since the river forms the international border. Since I don't have a Brazilian visa I could only do the Argentinian side. The nice thing is that the town in Argentina (Puerto Iguazu) is much nicer than Brazil's (Foz do Iguacu). Puerto Iguazu is pretty tiny, but relaxed and very safe feeling. Also, the airport only has two gates so it made for a very easy arrival and departure! My hostel was right in the center of the town which meant that we could easily walk to restaurants or the station to catch the bus to the falls.
There were about 12-15 people staying in the hostel and as soon as I arrived I met an Aussie guy and a Canadian guy who I ended up going to the national park with the next day. The nice thing about Iguazu is that everyone is basically there for one reason...to see the falls. So everyday at that hostel you can probably find a few people to go to the park with. The hostel also has a little bar area outside where everyone sat around and had snacks and a cold beer (the temps were mid 90s) before dinner, which was nice and social. On Thursday night the three of us and two Canadian girls went out to dinner in town for a "wok" (what they call stir-fry here). The girls had been to the falls that day so were able to give us lots of tips which was really helpful. After dinner I was afraid of insomnia and having a terrible night lying awake in a room full of strangers, but a benadryl (which I really did need for my allergies) did the trick.
On Friday we woke up pretty early, ate breakfast (the usual medialunas, like every breakfast in Argentina, but with an added bonus of ham & cheese to make a toastie and actually get some protein). There is a bus that goes right from the center of town to the national park, which takes about 25 minutes. We got to the park at about 9am and decided to first do a jungle walking trail that not many people do, and let the crowds dissipate a bit. On this trail there were amazing butterflies everywhere, but they are near impossible to photograph - especially when your camera is actually a T-mobile phone! We also saw a crazy furry caterpillar (credit to other walkers who actually spotted it) and monkeys!! The monkeys were also camera shy up in the trees, but it was cool to see them in a non-zoo setting.
After the trail we were starving so had a quick lunch. The national park is really well organized with little restaurant stands dotted around. We all had salami & cheese sandwiches, which makes a break from the monotony of plain ham & cheese. :) Unfortunately we were very popular with the coatis, which are little animals similar to racoons who love to hang about the picnic tables waiting for scraps.
Finally it was off to the falls! The park has three main trails which are all metal walkways that extend over the river. The upper trail takes you to the edge of the falls at the top and the lower trail extends over the water at the bottom of the falls, so you can get a sense of the power of the water, while getting absolutely soaked at the same time! I believe the falls are about 8 stories high and there is so much water and mist that you can't even come close to seeing the bottom. Then there is a trail to the biggest fall, called Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). At that waterfall the rainbows were amazing, with double rainbows at times. Watching the water was almost hypnotizing - there is so much and it is never ending. I now need to rewatch The Mission, which we watched at some point at Ignatius, as it was filmed all around the falls.
Lastly we did a power boat ride into the falls. The main tip from the Canadian girls was to bring a pair of flip-flops for this part and I am so glad we did. The crew give you waterproof bags to put your stuff in, so we just stuck our socks and gym shoes in there and wore flip flops for the boat ride. Some people stripped down to swim suits, which is probably the way to go! The ride is a little scary because if you go overboard the water would probably just overwhelm you, but they do at least give you life jackets. The boat goes into two different falls and it's like being in the most powerful shower you have ever been in. I had to keep my sunglasses on, otherwise I think my contacts would have been washed right out. We came out completely drenched, but at least had nice warm and dry socks and shoes to put on. And luckily with the heat we got relatively dry pretty quickly.
After eight hours at the park it was time to head back to the hostel and relax a bit. We picked up another hostel mate, who was from Switzerland, and went to a food market in the town. It was actually quite a neat little place. There were about 15 stands with picnic tables, so you could buy food and wine from the stands and just eat right in the market. However, being Argentina, the stands were basically all the same - Ham/Salami, Cheese and Empanadas. We picked one of the stands and got a huge antipasti plate of ham/cheese/olives and some delicious chicken empanadas (if you are keeping track, this is the third meal in one day that involves a variation on ham & cheese...it's a good thing I don't keep kosher!). The Swiss guy works in a wine shop back home and he picked out the nicest bottle of malbec that I've had while in Argentina. We were slightly tempted by a bar near the market, but in the end just too tired from the day to go out any further so had a relatively early night.
Now I'm back in thunderstormy BA. Four more weeks to go here! I restart school tomorrow which I am really excited about. And on Tuesday I am going with my Scandinavian friends to a cool art exhibit in the Puerto Madero neighborhood which I am really looking forward to.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
MDinLDN
The last two weeks have flown by and I can't believe there are only five weeks before I go back to Chicago. I am making a list today of all the things I need to do before I return and I think I am going to make this week "Tourist Week" and try to see any of the big sites I have missed. I may do a quick trip up to Iguazu Falls next weekend before it gets too hot up in the north. I am also considering returning to do a few more weeks of classes, since I already feel at loose ends without something to do every day.
Most of the last two weeks have been taken up by London and getting to and from London, but before I left on my trip I did another bike tour with my Scandinavian friends Guro & Karl and Guro's cousin Jenny who is here visiting. This was a special tour focusing on graffiti / street art - I'm not sure of the exact legalities, but it's definitely not as forbidden here as it is in the states and is often financially supported by the political parties, since much of it is politics related. And because the artists don't get in trouble they have more time to create cool works rather than just tagging. Here is a cool photo that Guro took and posted on their blog.
And then it was off to London!
I was very lucky to have a direct flight there on British Airways, which was excellent. It was totally empty, so I had three seats to myself. Unfortunately, since the flight left at 2.30pm, I couldn't make myself sleep much, even after taking a Tylenol PM. So I entertained myself watching Bridesmaids, 30 Rock and reading the entirety of Mindy Kaling's new book which I highly recommend for an easy airplane read.
When I got to Hannah's, Katie had dropped off a few long dresses that she had for me to try on and one of them fit perfectly and I ended up wearing it for the wedding. The dress was actually Katie's mom's dress from 1987 - black velvet Laura Ashley - the first time I've worn Laura Ashley since 8th grade! We decided to call it "vintage".
The wedding was really lovely, even though I was extremely nervous during my reading and felt like I couldn't catch my breath (not one of my best performances!). The church is very historical and located right in the center of the city, which was very cool (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Bride's_Church). They also had the church choir performing at the wedding, so the music was amazing. Unfortunately we left the wedding and walked right into a march for Occupy London (only a few blocks away at St Paul's), with everyone in black tie and long dresses the protesters all started shouting "You're the 1 %!! You're the 1%!!". We just scurried onto the buses to the reception because there probably were people there who are in the 1% and it was best not to argue! The reception was at a club in Mayfair - excellent food and great speeches (speeches are a big deal in the UK and much longer than we are used to in the US, so you hope for good ones!).
The rest of the time in London was really relaxing, although very grey (the sun only came out for about two hours on my last day, but I guess that's to be expected in November!). Hannah and I went to the British Museum and checked out the mummies, and I went to the Museum of London on my own. I window shopped on Oxford Street and thought longingly about the future when I will have a paycheck again. I had a coffee with my old PwC friend Susan and a glass of wine with one of my UBS co-workers so she could give me the scoop in case I want to go back (not sure!). We went to see The Help and afterwards to a BBQ place for pulled pork sandwiches and baked beans to continue the southern theme. I was in heaven with all the food choices - Chipotle, conveyor belt sushi, Pret, even Old El Paso taco mix! Also, it was great to be back in Fall, with the leaves all changing color, and to see all the Christmas decorations that are already up.
At the end of the trip I really didn't want to come back to BA (although now that I am here, the blue skies and 75 degree weather are alleviating the pain a bit!). I'd been going back and forth on whether I want to come back here after Christmas, but this trip made me realize that I am ready to leave. Of course I have no idea what I want to do when I return. Suggestions are welcome! (Hannah - ever the HR professional - has suggested that I need to write a Life Charter. Maybe something to do this week!)
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