Its Time to Listen.

I think its important for all Americans to watch both the State of the Union and the Q&A President Obama did with some the House Republicans this week. With all the criticisms this country can come up with about Obama and his presidency so far, we must take the time to hear him out and listen to the facts. Of course it wouldn't be politics if the facts weren't a little skewed in some places (it is inevitable) but some of the facts are just that. Facts.

And as Obama so rightly says in both the State of the Union and the Q&A, its time for the perpetual campaigning to end. Its time for the politicians of our country to stop using their energy to slander the other side and start investing their energy into doing their job and getting things done. Of course we wont all agree, but didn't we elect these men and women to work together on our behalf?

Watch the speech and Q&A here:

State of the Union
Question & Answer Session with House Republicans

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An Intrusion.

Tonight we did dinner and drinks with two Swiss ladies we met whilst traveling. They are just finishing up a 4 month trip around Argentina and Chile. We had apps and Malbec at our place and then went out to a veggie spot in town. After dinner, they decided that they wanted to see what a traditional Argentine milonga (tango dance) was like, so we decided to go to Ville Malcolm, a super popular spot where they were guaranteed to see a high level of dance.

We walked a few blocks to a better spot to grab a cab, and as we passed a group of men sitting on stoops and sorting through trash on the street, they cat called us and one of them reached out and grabbed my ass and flicked up my skirt (I had leggings underneith but was not pleased at the extremely unwelcome and unacceptable intrusion). Naturally, I turned around and faced him, incredulous. But not knowing the language, all I could do was flip him off.

Please, tell me...what would make a man EVER think he has the right to touch me, or disrespect me like that on the street? In the L Word, Jenny (who is the most annoying and dramatic character on the show) makes one very good point (in her annoying and disturbingly dramatic way). She says that there probably isn't one woman who has not been imposed or intruded upon by a man. Hopefully the intrusion was relatively innocent, like the experience I had tonight, but we all know that isn't always the case. Think about it ladies, how many times have you been intruded upon? Is there one of us out there who can say we have never been objectified or exploited?

It makes me sad that equality is still so far from reality. If society cant even respect women, how can we ever hope that the GLBT community will get the respect and equal rights they deserve? Or hope that racial discrimination will one day end? Tonight, even tho I had a couple good dances at Villa Malcolm, I go to bed disheartened, and once again disappointed by the human race.

A couple more noteworthy items.

It is so hot here that the cold water from the tap runs hot. Even after 20+ minutes of washing sushi rice, the coolest I got was warm (not ideal for washing rice, I know). I think the pipes might need better insulation.

Oh, and on that same note, we completely lost water on Tuesday night for at least an hour (we noticed it when we got home from class, so it might have been much longer). We texted out landlord and he said "we hope it will come back soon." Luckily for all of us, it did.

A couple things worth mentioning:

Today Abby and I walked over 30 blocks in the scorching heat of the city to avoid the subwa­y at peak hour. The reason for this, is that at peak hours the commuters, and everyone else who decides it makes sense to ride the train at this time (wi­th all their children, of course), completely disregard any sort of capacity limitations in regards to the subway cars. Not only is it common to be elbowed or blatantly shoved as you enter or exit the car, but once the car can not fit one more person, you will find yourself intimately pressed extremely against those around you. As the tr­ain goes around corn­ers, those caught in the area around the door where there is no railings or bars to hold onto, will just lean or fall onto those around them, causing something like a human ping-pong game times 100 (sans fun). On top of this, the sweltering heat of the city causes much perspiration on the foreheads and bodies of the commuters and it is impossible to avoid contact. Therefore, a subte ride during peak hours not only guarantees smooshed toes and a few bruises, but the inevitable smear of sweat on any inch of skin you dare to leave bare.

The day before yesterday we accidentally misjudged time and found ourselves on the subte 20 minutes later than we usually are when we leave our Spanish class. The first part of our commute (D Linea) was extremely tight, but because there are no large corners on the route, we exited the train relatively unscathed. However, on two occasions during that 3 stop ride, fellow passengers were struck by the closing car doors. You see, there is no sensor on the subte doors here. If you're in their path as they close, they will close on you. And they close hard!

The walk from the D Linea to the C Linea was very congested, but this is normal. There is a bottleneck at one of the passages that causes a backup. However, once we made our way to the C Linea platform we could tell we would be in for a tight ride. Two backpackers (the woman had on the largest backpacking backpack I have ever seen...it was astounding!) and their 3 children stood nearby, along with an unusually large number of unattended screaming children. As the car pulled in, 2 young boys, pushed through the crowd to get on, hooting and hollering at the tops of their lungs. Not a good sign (parents no where to be found). The shoves we received as we entered the car was much worse than usual, causing us to all but fall on those in front of us.

As we settled into our 1 in. by 1 in. spots, we surveyed our surroundings. Immediately, I was all too aware of the tall woman who was standing next to me, as her sweaty armpit seemed to fall right on my shoulder. I tried to get away, but was literally pinned against “it.” Resigned, I moved on. On the other side was 3 giggling women, surrounded by what must have been 10-15 dirty, fussing children. We clutched our purses to our chests even tighter. Sadly, the subte is a haven for pickpockets and some of the city's worst thieves are the children.

As the train pulled away, we lurched into each other and as we came upon the first corner, I gave Ab a smile and just went with it. There is nothing else you can do. Ping! Pong! Sqoosh! And as usual, the people sitting, scared to wait until the train stops to get up, pushed their way through the mess, causing more mayhem and commotion in an already hysterical scene, as they fall into those already standing. I found myself deeper into sweaty-girls nasty pit. Yum.

When we finally reached Independencia, our stop, we mooshed and pushed our way out of the car, took stock, confirmed we still had all 10 toes and headed out into the sunshine. We vowed that we would do everything possible to avoid another subte ride at this hour.

* * *

Also worth mentioning is that we bought a blender to make smoothies. Not a big fancy blender, because we cant spend that kind of money, but a wimpy little hand held stand up blender that does just fine whipping up some frozen veggies if you mix it with enough juice. Aside from a couple special smoothie spots, all you can get here is what they call “liquados.” In other words, it is one type of fruit blended with water and ice. As you probably can guess, within 2 minutes the fruit (which wasn't frozen to begin with, so it really isn't cold) has separated from the water and is floating idly at the top of your glass. So, needless to say, we have been dying to buy up some of the yummy cheap fruit here for homemade smoothies done right!

The other night we got our hands on some really fantastic strawberries (frutilla), but since then, there has been a frutilla drought in town. We checked all the local spots in vain and have been rationing our measly supply of strawberries. We finished the last of them this morning. So on our 30+ block walk today we kept our eye out for frutilla. Isn't it funny how the things you don't need are everywhere until you actually need them?! By the time we hit our block, we were feeling really defeated, but still holding onto hope that our local fruit & veggie spot would be “holding” and sure enough, they had a big basket of pretty decent frutilla! We bought a whole kilo for $10 Ar pesos (approx. $2.50 US). We are psyched for our breakfast smoothie tomorrow.

* * *

What else? Oh! We went to Chinatown last weekend. Oh yes, it was 2 itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie blocks of heaven! Every single thing you might want, including all the spices and flavors that Argentinians never use. You could literally buy a 6 liter jug of soy sauce! Finally, we bought homemade soy milk (we have SCOURED this city for 2 months for this!), tofu in all shapes and sizes, and all the fixings for some home made vegetarian sushi rolls. It was amazing!

* * *

Sadly, it is almost 4:00 AM and I must sleep. Over and out.

Meg, this toast goes out to you!

This champagne toast-filled photo shoot goes out to my girl Meg! To an eternity of matrimonial happiness! XOXO

The Dirty Dozen: Is it worth it to buy organic?

Everyone knows that buying organic food is better for you, but also that it is hard on the bank account. Abby found a fantastic article that breaks down what is important to buy organic and what isn't. This way you can put your hard earned $$ where it needs to be, and still focus on maximizing your health without compromising your finances.

Check it out: The Dirty Dozen

It's Meg's Big Day - 10,000 Miles Away

Today is both a really sad and really happy day for me. Being in Argentina is wonderful and I am so grateful for this opportunity, but today I feel really far away. You see, Meg, my college roommate and dear friend, is getting married. She is one of the first of my close friends to get married and I can not be there, both to witness her happiness, and to offer my support. So I am sad because I can not be there, but I am also so happy for her.

I'm sad because I will not be able to see the bead-work on her dress, or the way she decided to do her hair. Pictures never capture the details well enough, and those are the things that really mean something. The private conversations or smiles shared between the newlyweds, if the father of the bride's hands shake when he hands her over at the alter, the way it feels to witness the ceremony. Will Cara finally cry from happiness? Will Katie nail her scripture reading? (Of course she will!) Who will get too drunk and fall over on the dance floor? What will Erin say in her speech? These are just some of the important details I will miss today.

And I'm so happy for Meg. Happy that she found love that has inspired her to invest her future in it. I've seen how the things that she pined for in her past relationships are the things she will always have in this one. I see how they compliment each other when they are together.

I really hope that today is what she has always dreamed of. I know her family and friends will do an amazing job making it beautiful and she will be surrounded by so many people that love her. And I hope she knows how I feel.

Tonight, Ab and I will have our own little BsAs toast: "To Meg and Chris, may your love, trust, friendship and happiness last until the end."

The Rules of Mate.

Mate is a tradition here. Almost everyone drinks it, all day. Even when it is 100 degrees outside, they drink it. They say it helps give them energy in the heat. Often, when you are traveling or in public places, you will see many people with thermoses of water. Basically mate is like tea, with a strong aroma (some say it smells terrible) and bitter taste. The herb is spooned into a special cup and water is poured over it. The herbs can be used for many mates by just adding more water. One drinks mate through a special straw that allows the liquid to be sucked up but does not allow the herbs through.

As mate is a cultural experience, and Argentines take their culture very seriously, there are naturally [unspoken] rules that come along with the mate tradition. Below are some of the rules we have learned along the way, but just like with culture in general, it takes a long time to fully understand.

Rules*:
The person making the mate, and their skill of pouring it, mixing it and placement of the straw, determines how good the mate will be (in addition to the quality of the herb and the temperature of the water).
The water used for mate should be at 75 degrees Celsius.
The person making the mate always drinks the first cup.
Never move the straw (only the preparer can move it).
You always have at least 2 mates (it is rude not to) - there is not a lot of liquid in the cup, so 2 mates is not actually that much.
Do not say "gracias" or thank you until you are done and ready to pass the cup.

Pronunciation: mah-tay

*This information was passed onto us by our bus driver in Puerto Madryn (Hugo). He claims he isn't the best mate preparer of all time, but that he ranks at about 9.95 out of 10.

A terrible feeling...

I can't shake this feeling of betrayal. Every time I think about it, I feel like I got stabbed in the back by my neighbor or cheated by a friend. It hurts. And the worst part is how big of a step back we took.

I'm so sick of the American public being paralyzed in fear. How easily can you be brainwashed into going against your very convictions?

Massachusetts is the state where you get to be yourself, where you are accepted for who you are. It is where progressive thinkers live and where equality is a real possibility. It is not a place where you have to fear for your right to love the person you love, or where your skin tone has to dictate your social potential. What happened to us? How can the whole world think we made a great choice with Obama and a terrible choice with Brown? Is the whole world wrong? Be real! Progressive countries like Holland, where equality and freedom are real, actually started to believe in us again. And now we have just shown ourselves as swayable in our convictions, regressive in our thinking, and unable to see advertising and media bullshit for what it really is! Look what happened last time we let this happen...George W. Bush took away our right to privacy (and we didn't even make a peep in protest).

Listen, I know change is scary! I know! But when a system is broken (like the US healthcare system) and so dysfunctional that it is bankrupting the people it is supposed to be helping (again, like our healthcare system), you have gotta take the plunge and make the change. Every great healthcare system in the world is socialized and universal. We can not even compete. So what are we holding onto? The right to pay $1000 a month for a healthcare plan that makes you fork over co-pays, doesn't cover emergency ambulance rides or medication that doesn't offer a generic option and either doubles in price or drops you completely the second you get sick? Or is it the system that costs so much that many low income families can not even dream of getting care? Wow, both of those options really sound like something worth fighting for! Really? I just don't understand it. In fact, its mind blowing, never mind embarrassing.

I'm scared for the fate of our country. If Massachusetts can fall this far off the wagon, I'm scared to see what the rest of the country is capable of. Please, please, please, give us our progressive state back (either that or I am moving to Canada)!

Congratulatory Speech:

Congratulations citizens of Massachusetts, you have trodden and trashed the founding values of our state. We have set back our nation, which is already sinking, at a time when we could have been the strength that allowed us to swim. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to happen.

A Scary Day in MA.

Abby is in the corner, in her usual computer seat, glued to the screen. This election has us both freaked out. Is Massachusetts not one of the most liberal states in the country? Is it really possible for the state of Massachusetts to vote in a republican candidate, at such a crucial time?

Poor Ted Kennedy must be rolling over in his grave, from shame and embarrassment at what has happened to our beloved, progressive state. Our fellow MA citizens are ready to throw women's rights, equality, compassion and the fundamental rights our ancestors have fought for since the beginning, out the window in favor of gluttony, selfishness and guns! Weehoo! It makes me want to cry – or puke.

Did you know?
- That Scott Brown signed a bill stating that rape victims can be denied emergency contraceptives if it goes against the religious beliefs of the person on duty. (Honestly? Now religion dictates the emergency room?!)
- That Scott Brown co-sponsored (!!!) the “Women's Right to Know Act,” a bill that would force rape victims to view an ultrasound of the fetus, and wait 24 hours before they can receive an abortion. (Women's right to know? How insulting and presumptuous. Thank goodness this bill didn't pass – although they do have laws of this nature in other states.)
- That Scott Brown publicly stated that he did not think a lesbian couple should be able to adopt a child. His exact words: “That's just not normal.”

Is Massachusetts just anti-Obama right now? Is the healthcare bill the only thing that matters when there are so many other monumental issues at stake? So, why waste your vote on some anti-woman, anti-equality, pro-Wall Street gas-guzzling pick-up truck driver? If you want to be a Republican, please, move to New Hampshire.

#1 MOM

I have the best mom of all time.

She has been there for me through thick and thin, and has supported me when I couldn't even muster up the strength to back myself up. She has been my rock and my light during my darkest hour, and has given up so many luxuries for herself so that I could have more. She is incredibly compassionate and loyal, and is loved by so many people.

So today, I would like to take a moment to wish her a happy birthday. I can't be there to tell her in person, but I want her to know how amazing I think she is, and how thankful I am to have her as my mother, and my friend. If you see her today, please give her a big hug for me (and give my gram a big hug too, for having her!).

Mama-Pie, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I love you!!

Shout out to my girl.

An all time favorite...

Getting a package in BA.

Before coming to BA, were read that the mail system here was a little screwy. We heard that it could take hours to pick up a package...well, the rumors are true.

We received a note in our landlord's mailbox 2 days before leaving for our trip south, stating that we received a package and that we could go claim it. Of course it was all in Spanish, so we were not really sure where we had to go, but in the past our landlord mentioned that we would have to go to Retiro to pick it up (apparently, all the mail in the city goes through there), and that we should book off about 3 hours to get it. So we headed down there to grab the package.

Upon arrival, we found out that to pick up the package, we had to go somewhere in San Telmo, near our house. We looked up the location and got back on the subte (subway) to find the Correo Office (post office) in San Telmo. Upon arrival to the Correo, I had to take a number from a machine (like we used to do at the deli in Stop & Shop) and take a seat. After about 40 minutes, my number was called and I went up to the window with my notification card and my passport. I had to fill out some paperwork, and after trying to communicate with the teller in vain (he spoke no English and my Spanish is terrible, as we know), he stamped my notification card, stuck a sticker to it, and sent me on my way, without the package!!

After scrutinizing the card with Abby, we determined that we now had to go to Retiro to actually claim the package. Since it was now late afternoon and the offices at Retiro close at 5 PM, and we still had to pack and prepare for our trip, we determined sadly that we could not get the package until we got back (the paperwork said that we had one month to pick it up). :(

This past Tuesday, now that we are back and managed to get up early enough, we headed out to Retiro to claim our package! Retiro is a pretty interesting place. It is a neighborhood of BsAs and a subway stop. The area has the bus station, a few train stations and the ferry station. There are open air markets, street vendors and a super high number of pick pockets. There is a park there but it is filthy and there is no question that it is at least 10 degrees hotter there than the rest of the city. All in all, it is not a pleasant place to be and we want to spend as little time there as possible! So, we hopped on the train to Retiro with our purses clutched to our chests like scared animals, and bee-lined it to the Correo Office, a large, ugly building across from the bus station. We elbowed our way through the milling crowd and grabbed our number from the machine (again, like S&S). C06. Interesting, because the number on the board (electronic, thank goodness!!) was 38...

We found a seat, ready for a long wait. Some of the time they just changed the number on the board, sometimes they called it out loud, but after a few minutes, we guessed that they were currently going through B01-B99, and that once those were exhausted, they would start over at C01. It was obvious that no one had any idea what was going on. From what we gathered, this was the international package pick up office, but things were only written in Spanish (yes, I know we are in Argentina, but sometimes it shocks me that they don't even try to assist foreigners). Some people were filling out their forms, others were leaving them blank and then getting yelled at that they weren't complete. I asked a few people, but no one really knew what to do. I filled mine out with what I thought it needed to say, and left it at that. Meanwhile, people were milling around anxiously, crowding in when they started calling out numbers. The tellers would call the number, wait less than one second and then call the next, so that you had to be right there to claim your spot or else they would pass right over you.

After a shockingly short 40 minute wait, they passed 99 and started at 01 again, thank goodness! I bolted form my chair to make sure they didn't pass me over. At the window, the teller spoke a tiny bit of English (just enough to point out what I forgot to fill out on the form). He scrutinized my form and my passport, he brought it to the computer (one in the back of the room for all 3 tellers) and scrutinized it some more and then stamped it and barked out “vente pesos.” I think I must have started at him in shock for 5 full seconds before regaining my composure. $20 pesos! For picking up my package that someone already paid to mail to me?! Um...ok.

Naturally this guy didn't accept the money, so I had to go to another window with my little form and wait while he finished up with another person, before I could pay my $20 pesos (still in shock). He then rips a small piece off the form and gives it to me, pointing to a 6 digit number in small print on the bottom, and sends me into another large waiting room. We sit, listening intently, because in this room, they read these 6 digit numbers off by microphone.

Listening with every ounce of our being, this is what we hear: doce-ocho-crackle crackle-crackle-che-ventidos-cuarenta y CCCCHHHHHHnta-seis-uno-cerro-cerro-CHHHHHHHHHH crackle-crackle-CHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

I'm pretty good with 0-9, and I might even be able to pick up on some of the multiples of 10 if you speak slowly, but via this terrible microphone, and with some people reading 123456 like this: one, two, three, four, five, six and others reading like twelve, three, forty five, six...there is just no way! Impossible, even with both of us listening. After a while, we think we hear the number (secretly, we are both highly doubting this) so we go through the metal subway turnstile thingie, through one scary dirty door and then through another dirty scary door, until we get to a counter with piles of packages and about 5 workers in weird white lab coats just sitting around. Sometimes they grab a package and read off a number, and sometimes they just idly chat amongst themselves (about weekend plans I think).

After a minute or two, one of the lab coat men checked my card and determined that we had in fact, not heard our number and that we should wait. We took up camp in that room because we knew we would never get the package if we went back out to listen for the number again. About 10 minutes later, he found the package (a padded envelope) and handed it to me. We passed yet another line of people (cursed with larger packages), who heard their number, saw the lab coat guy and then had to wait again for a conveyor belt to bring their package to them, and booths that look like prison communication boxes (where I think they question people and tear up your package if its is suspicious) and then finally rounded the final bend where we signed a piece of paper saying we actually received our package, and headed back out into the sunshine!

So lets recap:
Get a notice in your mailbox that you received a package and can go get it.
Go to one office, wait for an hour, get a stamp.
Go to another office, pick a number, wait for an hour, get a stamp.
Wait in line to pay (seriously, to receive a package?)
Wait and listen to shitty microphone, in vain.
2 creepy doors
Scary lab coat guy.
Another line if large package and scary booths for interrogation and package searching.
Line for signature of receipt.

A couple important discussion points:
In a city of 13 million, all the mail comes through one post office!? Really?! Or is it just all international mail? Either way...
I had to pay $20 pesos to pick up a package that weighed less than a pound and had a declared value of $4 Euros? How much would it cost to receive a large package? Or do they determine the cost based on their mood?
In the US, if you're not home for some reason or don't have time and need something, you just buy it online and get it shipped to you. What does a mail system like this do to the online buying industry?
Where do people find the time?

...hmmmm.

Bejeweled Bliss meets Classroom!

Today, at our second Spanish class, we had a new teacher (she speaks AR Spanish and the other teaches Spain Spanish...so I guess they are trying to give us a rounded education??). She was very interesting.

Picture it: Wooden, bejeweled 3 and 1/2 inch platforms with her brightly painted toes hanging at least an inch off the front. Jean mini-skirt and black boob top that reads "Cute Girl #2" across the front. Big hair, half bleach blond, half frizzy brunet, with one red streak in the front, thick bangs. One side is pulled up into a little pony tail holder on the top, while the other remains down. Red thin headband over the top of it all. Makeup, lots of makeup. And the kicker...she is definitely at least 50 (cincuenta anos BTW). Gotta love the free spirit of the Argentines. I have never seen so many mullets in my life.

Soy viajera.

We started our Spanish lessons today and it was much better than the last go. Our teacher actually spoke some English, so we could ask questions and get answers (a shocking idea, isn't it?!).

Some useful things I learned:
Nouns ending in "sion" or "cion" (both pronounced "see-own") are always feminine. For example: la television (television) or la profesion (profession). La denotes feminine and el is used for masculine nouns.
In addition, nouns ending in "eria" are always feminine. For example: la libreria (book store) or la panaderia (bakery).
The end of a describing word (adjective) is usually changed to reflect whether the subject is male or female but professions that end with "te" remain the same and can be used for a male or female subject. For example: el/la estudiante (student) or el/la cantante (singer)
@ = aroba

Exciting, huh? Off to do my homework!

Today.

Diet day 2 - and my idea of dieting is eating healthy and in moderation. Shrinking your stomach so that you never crave seconds. This way you can stay thin and still eat the things you love.
Breakfast: Plain corn flakes with low fat milk and banana slices.
Lunch: Veggie sandwich on wheat bread with side of white beans and a couple potato chips.
Dinner: Home fries and lentil burger patty (no bread).
Snacks: Lots of water. And possibly popcorn with a little bit of salt and honey (TBD).

Also, signed up for a 40 hour, 4 week Spanish course. We start tomorrow. Wish me luck...

Back in action.

We are back in BsAs. Yesterday was marked with sweat and sleep, lots of both until we finally caved and put on the AC for a couple minutes to cut the humidity. It was 90 degrees and after coming from 3 weeks of winter coats and hats, its hard to adjust! But we are back in the saddle, filling up on veggies of every kind, and looking forward to getting back to normal life. We have a bunch of stuff on the agenda for our last 2 months here (tear*) but the first thing we have to do is unpack and clean the house. Dinner tonight with some travelers we met on the bus to Ushuaia. Can't wait to Skype with friends and family and get back in touch. What's going on out there?!?

On the January agenda:
Diet! Gotta lose at least 10 lbs immediately.
Be a tourist! Check out a bunch of city spots that we haven't seen yet.
Learn Spanish! We are going to enroll in a legit school and really focus.
Tango! Learn to lead [well].

Back to BA

We are stuck in Rio Gallegos AGAIN, passing time until our flight at 2:55 AM that will hopefully deliver us safely to Buenos Aires by 5:50 AM. Man, its shocking how exciting the prospect of snuggling up in your own bed can be! It has been an AMAZING journey...unmatchable, unbelievable, majestic, breathtaking...but clean clothes? A bedroom without at least 2 other random people sleeping in it? A shower we can use without flip-flops? A kitchen stocked with vegetables?! Yeah, that sounds damn good right now! Damn good indeed.

You know you´re in a 3rd world country when...

At 6 PM, we boarded a bus in El Chalten to take us back to El Calafate, where we would catch our bus to Rio Gallegos, where we could finally board our bus to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, and the last stop on our 18 day Patagonian adventure. Aside from the 30 minute delay in departure (due to a family of 5 that showed up so late that we actually had to turn the bus around to pick them up), we made it to El Calafate with no issue (around 9:30 PM). Since our bus from Calafate to Rio G didn´t leave until 3 AM, we met up with a couple Australian girls we ran into a few times along the way and finally sat down to a meal to get acquainted. We went to a nice spot a little outside town that boasted veggie and organic options. The meal was pretty good, and brought us all the way to 1 AM, at which time we gave hugs, exchanged emails and headed back to the bus station.
At 3 AM, we got our bus (comfy Cama seats thank goodness) to Rio G. Around 7 AM we arrived at Rio G, grabbed a seat, waited in line for the bathroom and then boarded our Semi-Cama (not comfy!) bus to Rio G. Less than 2 hours in, we made our first stop at Migrations/Customs at the Argentinean/Chilean border. Without more than a Espanol grunt in explanation, we filed into the Argentine departures office, where we waited in line for about 40 minutes to get our passports stamped by 3 chit-chatting women behind the window. We were instructed to get back on the bus. About 20 minutes later, we were told to get back off the bus, get our bags out of the undercarriage and go back into the border-control office. We watched, as they plugged the baggage scanner device into the wall (haha, really?) and then waited in line again as they checked off our names on a printed out sheet of paper and put our bags through the ominous device. Again, back on the bus. Another 20 minutes pass and with another Spanish grunt we are told to get off the bus AGAIN and re-enter the building on the Chilean side to get stamped into the country. All in all, 2 hours and 45 minutes later we finally got back on the bus and drove into Chile.
We got a little bit of sleep before we were woken up again to find that the bus was being driven onto a big ferry (the bus - and every other vehicle on the ferry was left running for the whole journey - along with fuel trucks stamped "flammable") and we were off on a rocky journey across some channel, somewhere. I thought I saw dolphins in the water, but the boat was rocking so hard when we got off the bus to investigate, that we had to get back on almost immediately and sit down (I was told later that there were lots of dolphins!). We hit land again and got another couple minutes of sleep. A little while later, we pulled into the Chilean departures border control office, went in, got a stamp and then back on the bus. We felt lucky to get away with just waiting in one line, but then we started to get nervous because we didn´t have a stamp for the return into Argentina, and there was no other office in sight. After about 25 minutes of driving marked with blasting our horn at the sheep who were in the road (but not slowing down at all, mind you), we pulled into the Tierra del Fuego Argentinian boarder control office, got our final stamp for the journey and were back on our way.
We made a couple more stops along the way, in Rio Grande, some yummy bakery and again so that the bus driver could add windshield washer fluid (about 5 minutes after we left the bakery...hmm). At 10:30 PM we finally rolled into Ushuaia (an hour and 1/2 late), which was freeeeezing (well, nothing like MA, but cold for us!), and made our way to the hostel. That was when we ran into our friends (as mentioned in the below post). All in all, it was a long ass day. And the fun part, is that we get to do it all again tomorrow...
:)

Its a small world after all...

This big world is really a very small world. On an unexpected delay in an undesirable city, a few of us backpackers decided to make the best out of it, and spent the day together eating and playing pool. We all ended up in El Calafate together for New Years, so we decided to celebrate together. After that, we exchanged FB info and went our separate ways, with well wishes for a great journey on all sides. Yesterday, when we checked into our hostel in Ushuaia at 11 PM after almost 24 hours on a bus, we were shown into our room and who do we find there but two of the other backpackers we spent our stranded day and New Years Eve with! How exciting it was to see each other again! It just goes to show how small this big big world we live in really is.

Observations.

There are always a few things you do not think of before you travel. Things that shock you. There are two things that immediately come to mind, that shocked me about travelling down here.
1. The sun does not go down until at least 11 PM, maybe later. We were shocked when we were on a bus from Rio Gallegos to El Calafate that left at 8:40 PM. We were in the front seat of the bus, so we had a good view of the road and the countryside and a while into the trip, with the sun shining in on us, we checked the clock and found it was after 10 PM.
2. Its flat! When I think of Argentina, I think of the Andes, an amazingly large and treacherous mountain range. And yes, we are in the heart of that now, but on our way down south, and on our trips across the continent from Bariloche to Puerto Madryn and from Puerto Madryn down to Rio Gallegos and over to Calafate, it is nothing but flat land and shrubs.

2010!

Hola! Feliz Años!
Spirits are up and things are wonderful. Its almost 1 AM, so there isn´t much time to write but I wanted to give a quick update. We are currently in El Calafate, the home of Perito Moreno glacier, a 120 sq kilometer glacier (roughly the size of the city of BsAs). It is one of the only "stable" glaciers in the world, meaning it loses and gains mass at an equal rate. It has remained the same size for 8 years. To ring the new year in right (and because visiting this glacier has been a dream of Abby´s since she was a kid reading her National Geographics), we did a mini ice trek today on the glacier. It was so incredible and so humbling. Even though it was pouring rain and we were soaked through and through, we loved every minute of it. In fact, I am not sure I have ever seen Abby smile so much. What a treat! I can not wait to share pictures with you all.
Tomorrow we pack up and head to El Chalten, another small town about 3 hours north, where we will check out the amazing Fitz Roy range and do some hiking/trekking around the area.
Hugs!