el calafate: glaciers & spandex.

Just returned to a heating up Buenos Aires after a few weeks of trotting this grand country of surreal landscape. Patagonia did me well. Hard to describe the essence of that territory below...so overwhelmingly peaceful, and rugged, and spacious. "Magical" was a term thrown around quite liberally, both in my journal as in conversation with those I met on the road. Allow me to do my best in sharing with you all some of that magia encountered...

First stop was El Calafate, a touristy pueblito of chocolate shops, gift stores, and outdoor adventure companies- it's primary existence based on its close proximity to the Perito Moreno Glacier, a stepping stone to this Argentine "must see". I was warmly welcomed into Matias' house (from couchsurfing) upon my delayed arrival, given a key and his bedroom- he insisted and took the mattress on the kitchen/living room floor. Due to the wee size of Calafate, there are only a few couchsurfers and therefore the hospitable as ever Matias has hosted a whopping 150 plus couchsurfers from around the globe...interesting that he himself has never left Argentina. When he does cross the frontera, to wherever in the world he may go, no doubt he'll be taken care of. (He also told me that quite a few have actually lived with him, as in they came to Calafate and never left...one of his fondest couchsurfing memories is of the three Aussies who stayed for 6 months...!?!) I spent a few fabulously mellow nights hanging out with Matias and his roommate (also Matias) and their compadres. We talked California, reggae music, and family. I switched up their dinner diet for a night and prepared a dish of roasted veggies and lentils. And in that there warmed up casita of Matias, the mate flowed among us, as did the laughter. Cheers to Matias 1, 2, and crew.

Glaciertime. I was incredibly hesitant about dropping so much plata for the "minitrekking" on the glacier, but after speaking to a few locals, my hesitancy was swayed and I buckled. It turned out to be well worth it, not only allowing for a visible experience but a tangible one as well. Also met quite the cast of characters while out there on that massive hunk of ice in my spandex, including the comical Rita ("Rits" as I called her) from Florida who belted out key phrases like "holy frijoly", Tracey from Malaysia, a soft-spoken beauty...oh and let us not forget about Maureen from Florida (no connection to Rits), Janice #2 I tell you!!! The voice (to the T), the ceaseless questions, slightly off kilter socially...and oh that kooky spirit! I was in heaven, couldn't stop following her around. Most of you aren't familiar with this Janice lady I speak of, but for those of you who are, enjoy the photo below and just imagine what bf's they would make...

Lago Argentino

cosas d la calle: baires.

la feria de los mataderos

Located in the southwest barrio of Mataderos, this Argentine fair is held every Sunday where local and foreign alike gather to celebrate all things Argentina. I've hit this feria up twice now, and each time has proven to be a sensory "wow". This past Sunday on the 50 minute bus ride over, I asked my neighbor if she knew how close we were...she wasn't sure, but 2 minutes later, she sniffed the air and said, "Ah, we shouldn't be too far off. You smell that?" I wasn't quite sure what she meant, and she went on to explain how the air in the area of Mataderos carries a unique scent, "It smells of dead animals- from all of the livestock killing that goes on in these parts...." Although I was unable to smell the bloodshed (thankfully,) my senses were on overload as I reentered that bustling market...I saw a colorfully clad llama, came real close to devouring a salchicha sandwich (total regret,) did about ten rounds of dulce de leche testers, and purchased three wooden spoons, a dream catcher and some mate. A divine day it was.

un shoutout pa mi sposita.

Interesting how many "homes" one can acquire over time...and bundled up with each of these experiences of home are those smells, tastes, and feelings that can only and will ever only be associated with that one unique place, and in many cases, in that one unique time in your life-- something you can never quite translate to someone who wasn't living it right then and there. Having Colleen on my side these past 9 months was the greatest blessing...from the hard knocked days in the favela to the swanky nights out in Buenos Aires...we've lived a few South American realities and I'm gonna have to say, "We done good." Last Wednesday my "sposa" (short for esposa meaning "wife" in Spanish) bussed it across the Andes to Valparaiso, Chile, where she is now living with those inspiring godparents of hers, Rob and Jude, for a few months while working at their restaurant. As for mua, I've got one week left here in Buenos Aires, and then I am off to Patagonia for a few weeks, to breathe a fresher air and cleanse 6 months of city from my system :) And then? Well, it seems that I will be back in Brazil sooner than I had planned...her coastline is calling me. But more on that later...

Me & my sposita.