I last left you anxious readers wondering, waiting and eager to hear about my NYE and trip to Uruguay (I know this isn’t really true, but it makes writing this more fun, so let’s just pretend! Haha!). This will be my last blog post written in Buenos Aires, and likely, the last post I write within the country of Argentina. Wow, how time flies!
New Year’s Eve in Argentina is a family celebration. Families bring in the New Year together, with family and friends at their houses. Due to the fact that clubs, bars and other nightlife don’t begin until two or three in the morning, our house did the same! There were about eight of us who hung out, drank and celebrated together. I made sure to do TWO shots at midnight, one for my friends in Argentina, and one for my friends and family back home in the States! The entire city was lit up with fireworks for about twenty minutes, including the park around the corner from our house. We all sat outside, enjoying our beverages and watching the shenanigans around us, while bringing in what hopes to be another wonderful year!
The following day, I spent the entire day, along with a few of my other roomies, seated on the coach for the greater majority of the day; only getting up to buy an entire pizza for myself to consume throughout the day. Grease + water = best cure to a hangover!
Though I came to Argentina to work, I didn’t tell that to the customs officials, who stamped my passport with a 90 day tourist visa. Well I had nearly overstayed my welcome by the beginning of the year and had to leave the country before January 8th! I had booked a ferry ticket for the 3rd of January to travel to Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay. Colonia is a very quaint city with a calming view of the ocean/river and beautiful sunsets. After the worst three hour ferry ride of my life; during which nearly half the passengers had to ask for barf bags, close to a quarter actually did the deed, and the girls sitting both next to me and in front of me each made multiple trips to the toilet; we arrived in Uruguay. What a relief. The hostel I was staying at for one night had advertised they were within walking distance AND had posted signs from the port leading to it; to my pleasant surprise, they had! The hostel was nice enough, comfortable bed, a few available hammocks to lounge on and a good sized kitchen, but since I only had night in Colonia, I wasted no time! The hostel also offered bikes to rent for the whole day ($2.50) which I immediately took advantage of. I had done a little research before arriving and read about the best beach In Colonia, Playa Ferranda. It was a bit outside the main drag of the city, but I was determined to spend a day on the beach, basking in the sun.
After an easy 25 minute ride, I arrived at my destination. Empty. There was not a sole on the beach which stretched for probably about half a mile. I repeat, not a sole. I wasn’t going to be bothered by this and pulled my bike onto the beach, which is when I realized (1) I had forgotten a towel and (2) the wind was whipping around quite violently (hence the lack of inhabitants). Undeterred, I removed my shirt, laid it out and rested my head on my flip flops while listening to some Rolling Stones. After about 10 minutes I saw a few other natives braving the winds, though I quickly realized, only to eat at the local Beach House. After about 20 minutes, I went for a stroll down the beach, snapped some photos and went to try the local grub. The menu was nothing special and I got the “Beach House” sandwich. The sandwich would have been tasty, if while I sat, taking in the view, the wind wasn’t whipping sand onto my plate (and my sandwich) which added an undesirable crunch to my meal. The owner, a man who claimed to be from Miami, and insisted on speaking horrible English to me, recommended I check out a private, man-made lake around the corner. After finishing up my meal, I made my way to the lake, which was actually quite nice, and then headed back to town.
I took a quick nap before heading to the grocery store with my roommates and making a late lunch at the hostel. Since I only had one day in Colonia, I wanted to get out and check out the historical part of town before the sun went down. It was a very unique area, which you could only enter by draw bridge (no longer functioning) and was surrounded by massive walls. I expect it was some sort of military base in the past and was clearly a popular spot for light houses. I walked around, checked out the ruins and both the old and new boat docks where I realized (in my opinion) the best part of this town, the sunsets. Though the sun was not setting yet, I could tell there were a couple of beautiful spots in this historical town to take it in. I spent the next 45 minutes (I had seen the whole town) deciding where best to take in the view. I settled on a spot and relaxed there until the gorgeous “puesta del sol” came and went.
Since the moment I had arrived in Colonia, I was dreading one thing: the ferry ride back. My ride was at 11:30 the next day and I wanted to stay up and drink the night away so I would simply pass out on the ride back. No such luck. Not much to do in Colonia on a Monday and I ended up wandering around the “city” a bit before heading back to the hostel. It must have been my lucky day, ‘cause the ferry ride back was smooth sailing the whole way, and took only two hours! I had successfully renewed my tourist visa in Argentina for 90 more days!
After getting back from Uruguay, I still had a few things on my list to do here in Buenos Aires, first one being to visit the town of Tigre; actually a small island about 45 minutes to the North of the main city. It’s considered an island because it is surrounded on all sides by rivers, though it is not actually in the middle of an ocean…quite interesting! I had planned to go alone, but knew that some of my roommates probably wanted to check it out as well, as it is a well known spot for visitors of Buenos Aires. I got two takers! We planned to leave early Sunday morning, which for me meant a wonderfully laid back night of watching the NFL playoffs on Saturday night. ***Side note for the playoffs – how in the WORLD did the Saints lose to the Seahawks. I watched the whole game and still have no idea how they blew that. They were undeniably the better team, yet managed to lose the game. Congrats Pete Carroll*** Ended up only being two of us who made the trip, one individual couldn’t make the early 9am departure time. After a crowded 45 minute train ride, we checked out the Puerto de Fruta, which had everything BUT fruit (ok two stands had fruit out of close to 100) and I bought myself a new Mate’ gourde. Up to this point, I hadn’t eaten anything but a couple of pastries all day, so we searched for food. We found a waffle spot, that served waffles with just about anything you could want. Quite an interesting concept, I got one waffle sandwich with bacon and cheese and another waffle stick (check the picture) of jam and cheese with a four cheese sauce. They were delicious, and I was stuffed! We continued on. After having read multiple reviews suggesting NOT doing the boat tour…wait for it…we did the boat tour. It was an hour long ride that went through five of the seven rivers around Tigre. Got some good shots, but, like the reviews said, it wasn’t anything too special. It was a scorching hot day, so after the boat ride, we walked around the city briefly and made our way to the train back to BA. To my surprise (and delight) we made it back in time to watch the second half of the Eagles vs. Packers game! (I must admit, though I love watching Vick play and lived in Philly for four years, I was happy the Eagles lost. A part of me just needs Vick to at least be out of jail for TWO full years before he can win a super bowl…which, by the way, is my prediction next year. )
I experienced my final asado in Buenos Aires last night. While it was sad to say goodbye to everyone, I was overjoyed to have met so many wonderful people during my time here. Per usual, as the crowds left, I stayed up with some of the house-mates chatting the night away (and paid for it this morning). Though I am sad to leave Buenos Aires and all the wonderful people and places I have enjoyed; I am overjoyed for the next journey, the next discovery, and the next adventure that awaits me.
I want to add…I am overwhelmed by the number of people who read this blog. It is such a pleasure to write and I hope you all enjoy reading. I’ll do my best to keep it interesting when I get to Lima! I know I’ll have plenty to discuss from my journey across this continent so stay tuned!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
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