It has been just over 2 years since my last post on this specific blog. It is unfortunate that this "South American Misadventures" Blog only covered the adventures of a couple weeks.  That adventure continued for just under three months and was one of the most amazing of my life.  There have been many twists and turns in my life since then (as is normal in my life, as that blog may have suggested).  Unsurprisingly, there is another adventure very close on the horizon.

Surprisingly, in the past year there have been over 300 views of this blog.  This is most surprising because I originally posted this story for friends and family....which is where the favor I'm asking now comes in.

Whether you are from the US, Argentina, South Africa, France, or Russia (which is where most of the readers came from), and if this fragment of a story inspired you to travel of the last year....if you would have liked to have heard the entire story....or if you would like to hear the stories of the adventure to come, email me (Charly) at adventurer.arfit@gmail.com.....

I look forward to hearing from you..........

- Charly

And the story goes on!!!!

I swear!  I've been completely intent on posting everyday, but Argentina SERIOUSLY does not like me documenting adventures, so every time I intend to post something, she's throws small obstacles in my way....like a new city, another random traveler with a very awesome bad idea, a free bottle of wine, a pack of Israelis, Swiss- Germans, hangovers, BBQ's, 22 hour bus rides, getting lost....often....you know, the normal traveler stuff.

Iguazu Falls….the most beautiful thing I’ve seen so far

Iguazu Falls definitely lived up to its reputation.  From my adventurer side, it was one of the most amazing outdoor adventure oriented things I have ever seen.  The size of the waterfalls alone is mind boggling.  The animals that you randomly see hanging out are just as impressive, and the fact that you can see the entire experience just a few feet from the edge of the waterfalls tops it off.  So here’s how it went.

From Buenos Aires, I took a 22 hour bus ride to get there, which was actually better than first class plane flights I’ve been on.  I never would have guessed.  FYI, traveling by bus in Argentina is extremely cheap and a reasonably comfortable way to travel.  $100 got me about 800 miles away, in a fully reclining seat (to the point that it became a bed), two full meals, and a free viewing of an Ozzy Osbourne concert from the 70’s.  I think the Ozzy Osbourne concert was the best part.  The dude is weird….end of story.  I’d go into it, but I don’t think there’s enough room for random tangent here.  But, 22 hours later…..Iguazu begins.

The city of Iguazu is pretty interesting.  A quaint little tourist town hidden in South American jungles.  It somewhat resembles a pre-economic boom ski resort town with a couple main streets and restaurants….except the money troubles are fairly evident.  None the less, the city had quite a bit of character but I’ll stick to Big Bear.

The Iguazu Falls were purely amazing.  I’ll divide this part up into my outdoor side and my more logical city boy side.

Experiencing Iguazu Falls

The Iguazu Falls were probably the single most amazing thing in nature I’ve seen in my life.  The size and design of these falls make them just marvelous.  I really can’t put it into words, so I’ve attached a few pictures.  For me, the day started with a 20 minute ride on the public bus which just so happened to stop at the falls.  From here, I followed the herd of tourists into the park (which at first resembled the San Diego Wild Animal Park), at which point I proceeded to fork over pretty much all the money in my pockets to get into the park.  There’s a common habit of viewing tourists in this country as walking ATM’s, so if you’re not South American, just hand them your wallet and hope they at least leave the pictures in it. 

Within the park they had a couple interesting little tours.  Against my better judgment, I opted for both.  The first involved hopping into a cargo truck for a mini safari through the South American jungles to get to the best vantage point for the waterfalls on the river.  The second, involved getting on a boat to cruise up the river and view the waterfalls from “a different angle”.  I probably should have asked more about this part before I bought my ticket.  The jungle safari was fairly uneventful, except for the huge spiders hanging from the trees.  It ended at a long path that led to the river’s edge….and the boat for the next part of our journey.

So, as I started coming closer to this boat, I have about 50 different alarms going off in my head.  The most important of which is that I do not like water.  I can swim pretty well, but I’m not a fan of swimming in water I can’t see through, and therefore can’t see whatever creature is thinking about making me it’s chocolate Lunchable.  This river pretty much looks like the Amazon.  Muddy and murky where we’re at.  God knows what’s in the water….but, back to the boat.  As I hop on, the driver hands us all these huge plastic bags to keep our valuables dry….and then strongly suggests we put as much as possible in there.  That’s warning number 2, at the least.  We all hop in, strap in, and the driver takes off.  As we cruise up the, we initially see the smaller falls, and in the distance, we see the larger ones.  Iguazu Falls has a total of over 100 separate falls.  It was beautiful!  The closest I can describe it is that it felt like the scene in Jurassic Park when you initially see the island.  We cruised up the river as the driver drove in circles giving us tourists the chance to take pictures of the first two of the three larger falls.  Initially, we got within 100 meters of the falls….it was an amazing sight.  Then, we cruised further up the river to view the largest and wildest of the three major falls….the Garganta Diablo.  It is named as such because you actually can’t see the bottom of the falls.  Because of the amount of water and how far it falls, the mist that comes up prevents you from seeing the bottom….making it look like a bottomless pit of water, and supposedly, a gateway to hell.  At this point, the driver spins around and the tour is over….or so I thought.

Having the living $%6t scared out of me by Iguazu Falls!

That crazy driver!  My next alarm should have been when he yelled to put away all of our cameras and puts on an entire water proof suit, googles, and pulls out a gigantic camera waterproofed and encased in a plastic shell.  He yells to sit back, tuck away any electronics and hang on, and then guns it!  This crazy f&*^er drives the boat right underneath the waterfall.  This is the same waterfall that dwarfs Niagara Falls, and is only rivaled by Victoria Falls.  I have to be honest, I have never gripped the railing of a boat so tight.  I was scared as hell….definitely scarier than being pursued by the transvestite at Club 69…kind of.  And this was just the first waterfall.  The driver then proceeds to spin the boat around doing 360’s just so in the slight break from having thousands of gallons of water dumped on us as the but spins in circles we can laugh at the people at the other end of the boat nearly being drowned right before we have the realization of “damn, here it comes again!”  Did I mention that I sat in front?  After a couple spins (and laughs from the guy in the waterproof suit) the driver backs off, backs away, and then points the boat at the second fall.  He then leaves time for a dramatic pause….and does it again on the second fall!  I watched several other boats do the same tour and none of them got as close.  I seriously think they had some kind of twisted social experiment going where when a black guy comes, they push the limit with the waterfall to see how much he’ll freak out.  Stereotype testing, maybe?  After having their fun on the second waterfall, they proceeded to the third, the Garganta Diablo.  Thankfully, they didn’t go nearly as close with this ride.  Because of how huge this fall was, it would be ridiculous to try the same feat.  It would have been fun to make CNN though.  After the ride, I’d felt calmer than I have in a long time…but I think it’s because I didn’t have any adrenaline left in my body.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Opossum Bandits and the Art of Begging

So, an interesting thing about Argentina is how everything is so relaxed that it makes coexisting a breeze.  Stray dogs lie about on the sidewalk and occasionally follow you for a few blocks better than any pup I’ve seen in the states.  Also, if it sees that you’re staring at it, it will usually come by and offer you the chance to pet it, wag its tail, and then walk off.  They don’t bark, and they don’t bite.  If you’re eating food, they don’t even beg or bother you.  It’s amazing, and I think it all has something to do with the Latin American sentiment of “screw it, what’s the worst that could happen…just leave it”.  This works very well with pups….but no one filled the opossums in on that story.

The second most entertaining part of Iguazu was easily the opossums.  Throughout the park, there is a huge population of opossums.  With very few predators there, they flourish….but they are the friendliest things ever…a little too friendly sometimes.  In the food court, there were at least 15 opossums hanging out and waiting for people to drop food…if no one dropped food, they’d come up and ask, and if no one shared, they’d actually create a setup…one would distract the picnickers and the other would run of with the goods….like Yogi and Boo Boo!  I swear I could hear them squealing “Run Paco run!  Amazing.  I wasn’t even mad, I was actually impressed.  I spent half of my lunch watching these little guys sit off to the side and wait until someone took an eye off of their food and then swipe their bag of chips.  These opossums would also walk up to you and put their hands on your leg and then look at your food, then look at you, then look at your food, then look at you as if to say “you gonna eat that?”  My favorite one hopped onto my table and sat right in front of my plate and looked at my nectarine, then looked at me, and then pointed at my nectarine with his nose, and then sat back and looked at me.  I was so impressed that I held it out to him and he took it from my hands, set it next to my plate and ate with me.  Damn, I hope I don’t catch anything.

The rest of the day at Iguazu was spent wandering and marveling at the waterfalls….and deep down, hoping to God that the bridges wouldn’t break on me. ( I swear I’ll stop partying if you let me make it through this intact….without dropping my iPhone into the river…..or something like that).

By the end of the day, I had walked for about 8 hours looking at these waterfalls.  Just to give you an idea of how amazing it was, this little adventure changed my entire trip here in South America.  It made me realize how much of my trip has been speant partying and then racing to get home (or to the nearest McDonalds) before the sun comes up.  Originally, I had planned on ending this adventure in Brazil, celebrating Carnaval in Rio and Salvador, the two biggest Carnaval spots in the world, and then proceeding to Florinopolis, which notoriously has the best beach parties in the world.  Instead, I’ll be heading down to Patagonia to trek and camp through the party days.  The views are supposedly amazing, and just as epic as Iguazu Falls….except there are a ton more of them.  Many people have gone into Patagonia, fallen in love with the mountains, and disappeared, so I’m going to make sure I give the continent its due justice and do some wildnerness trekking.  So, for the record, Iguazu Falls is so amazing, that it made Carlos choose camping over partying.  Just epic.

**Update** I think I might have been convinced to head to Colombia for part of Carnaval.  Somebody started googling pictures of Medellin and the “scenery”, and I have to say…the outdoors are beautiful, but Colombia is putting out some amazing….um…entertainment potential?  I might have to renegotiate this Patagonia thing.  Definitely going to mountain man for a well…but Patagonia can’t be selfish!

For now, its 4AM again and I have to call it quits, but since the Iguazu adventure, I’ve bounced forward two more cities on my adventure, and wandered to the border of Pargauay, Brazil, and Uraguay one night at 4AM after hitting a local bar….but those stories will have to wait until later.  Until then…you guys really need to start planning your trip to South America.  Take care!

The Hangover! Buenos Aires Edition

Let's Play Catchup

Wow!  It has been almost two weeks since my last post.  It has been nearly  3 weeks since I arrived in South America….time is flying!  So, I owe you all an apology!  I had originally planned on posting everyday to share my stories….but you ain't getting' Sh$T!  Haha, ok, I mean that semi jokingly.  This adventure has been amazing, and in the wake of the chaos, I've been struggling to keep up with the adventures and keep my body from falling apart, but it has all been in search of the "greater adventure."  Also, the Latin American machismo of "if you don't like it you can kiss my highly cultured and purely bred assets" may be getting to me. Or is that just the Buenos Aires' dubbed Portenos?  Maybe….but I can dig it!  So, here goes….

The last time I wrote, I left off at the Transvestite Club adventure.  I'll be completely honest, I don't remember a whole lot from the last two weeks!  The pace of Buenos Aires' party scene, combined with the energy of having over 100 adventure obsessed backpackers in one hostel (the Millhouse) creates a perfect storm that could leave worse aftermath than Katrina.  In the past two weeks, I've nearly been mugged twice (both ended up well…great adventures in their own), haven't gone to bed before 3 AM once, went to bed before 7 AM twice, and actually had a cabbie who was driving me home at 4 AM ask "Amigo, why are you going home so early?"   I've met one person of nearly every Latin and European nationality who had something ridiculously sly to say about Yanks…..but somehow knew the words to all of the American hits in the club….even though I didn't even know the song.  What the hell?  But, every single one of them have been amazing, and great personalities.  I've begun Spanish lessons, an adventure to learn how to Samba and sneak into Brazil for Carnival, and began my trek towards Patagonia, the most awesome mountain range in South America.  I've met a handful of expatriates who've done what I've done and taken it a step further….sold their entire lives and made Argentina their new home.  I've learned quite a few useful lessons about "amor" from South America too…..but those are my stories.  If you want those, it'll cost you a bottle of wine and a reciprocal story, so those aren't going public.  I've escaped Buenos Aires twice (that's how amazing that place is…it took two attempts to get away).  About a week ago, I hopped a ferry (the boat kind…not leftovers from Club 69) over to Montevideo in Uruguay which ended up being an oddly practical lesson on outlook, but ultimately I wouldn't recommend it as a vacation destination.  I will most likely drop through the better portions on the way to Carnival.  I returned to Buenos Aires and started private Spanish lessons, salsa lessons, and informal samba lessons in an attempt to take some of the better parts of Latin America Culture home with me….to counterbalance the ability to party until the sun comes up and then walk to McDonalds and get a cheeseburger.  I found the best steak joint on the planet, and I'm not telling where its at!  Picture a filet mignon, cooked perfectly….for less than $6.  That's Buenos Aires!  And for $10, a little more than half a bottle of wine, a filet, side dishes, and half a side of ribs…..plus tip.  I love Buenos Aires. And no I won't tell you where the restaurant is….unless you decide to come with me.  So, in addition to all this over the last week, I've managed to actually do quite a few touristy things, which were well worth the time.  I've checked out several palaces in the Palermo and Recoleta districts, which I'd highly recommend, took a walk through President "Christina's" House  (the Casa Rosada), and wandered aimlessly around town looking at monuments while running the history of them and who their dedicated to through Wikipedia.  The most fun part of Buenos Aires is how it bleeds culture everywhere.  The tagging and graffiti is everywhere, and remarkably rebellious yet artistic.  The street tango dancers are amazing.  The areas of Recoletta and parts of Palermo are something on par with Paris.  Pure beauty and class, and in a league of their own.  To sit and have coffee in one of these areas is amazing.  Just people watching, or enjoying the atmosphere.  The food this place puts out is pretty much beef, beef, beef, wine, and beef.  I love it all.  Did I mention I've started looking into buying a condo here?

That's It....I Give Up!

Well, as all things must come to an end before your liver gives out or the underworld catches up to you….I have put a temporary hiatus on my relationship with Buenos Aires.  We're not quite breaking up…just taking a break so I can see other places with a little more meaning…just to test my options.  I still love her!  I'm just not IN love with her anymore.  Probably because I'm so dehydrated and losing brain cells by the day.  With that, I'm now in the next phase of my adventure.

Plagiarizing Plans

From all of the other travelers I chatted with during my stay in Buenos Aires, I created a semblance of a plan for how I will proceed in my South American conquest.  As sarcastic as that sounded, I am attempting to put a little more meaning into the next few portions of my journey.  I'm culminating with Carnival in Brazil, so I'll have no chance of hiding from debauchery there….regardless of how I try, so I need to do the meaningful stuff now.

Escape to Iguazu

At present, I am in a little place called Puerto Iguazu….attempting to work off my party hangover.  Iguazu is most notably associated with the Iguazu river and the Iguazu falls.  The Iguazu river is the little rio that forms the border between Brazil and Argentina and culminates in the spectacular formation known as the Iguazu falls which are said only to be rivaled by the Victoria Falls in Africa.  This place (Puerto Iguazu) is quite interesting and charming.  It has the quaint attitude of a Colorado ski town, but surrounded by a sub tropical rainforest.  Apparently, in the little canals that line the sides of the roads, eels and (every so often) electric eels hang out.  One more reason to fear the water was just what I needed.  The most amazing part about Iguazu Falls is that at some point along the way in which, based on where you are standing, water is falling all around you.  There is also a point known as the Devil's Mouth where the water falls, but you can't see the bottom.  Its said to be the gateway to hell, hence the name.  I joked about where I was going to end up after Buenos Aires…but damn, I didn't think it'd be this quick!  There are large rodents running around the falls…that are actually quite friendly but may have rabies supposedly.  There will  be Capuchin monkeys in the trees hanging around and tons of birds that would be great candidates for "Fruit Loops"  cereal box covers.  The plan is to wake up early (for the first time since I've reached this continent), reach the falls and wander, sign up for a tour to hop in a tiny rubber boat and float around on this massive river leading to these massive falls.  Now, this is a point where some part of me is saying that floating around on a tiny rubber boat next to the biggest waterfalls anyone knows of doesn't make very good sense….luckily, this wouldn't be my first bad decision in the last two weeks, so I've got momentum….I can roll with it.  If time permits, I'll ditch the boat and hop on a different trek to wander on a tour through a real sub-tropic jungle….and hope I don't end as a special feature on a "what not to do" safety video.  If all goes well, I'll have a few pretty pictures to share within the next couple of days.  All of this will be more than enough to work off my hangover.

The (slightly idiotic) Morals to the Story

So, impromptu lessons from South America so far….

1. Hamburgers in South America are ridiculous.  Picture a regular Hamburger…now stack the entire deli section on top of it….I mean ham, a few slices of cheese, some bacon, and an egg.  Its frickin delicious! I would have taken a picture of it, but I wanted to eat before the stray dog stole it from me. He was eye'in  my goodies so I had to hurry.
2. Hamburgers bought in dirty South American roach coaches from the shady side of are the most ridiculously delicious things ever!
3. When you end up getting your stomach destroyed for eating that burger which doubles as a bacteria culture, reach for Coca Cola….I'm serious!  It works!  3 hours after downing that sugar bomb I was fine.   Although, after drinking an entire 2 liter bottle of Coca Cola I was as wired as a crackhead for about 30 minutes.  And local kids seemed to be laughing a my facial expressions which probably showed how uncomfortable I was.  Damn roach coach….I hate you….but I can't shake you.  I'll be back.
4. Whenever you meet someone from another country have some canned material ready to crack on their nationality a bit….because once they find out you're American, you've got a huge red bulls eye on your forehead.  If you can hang with the crossfire though, its good fun…
5. Taxi drivers are the shadiest people ever in South America!  I love 'em! …..end of story.
6. Pretending you're gay in the club definitely attracts women…although….if  you pretend too hard, it creates problems of its own.  I did not learn this lesson personally….just for the record…. 
7. Women will still pursue you….even if they think you're gay.  Very funny story on its own.
8. Brazilian girls are the most awesomely passionate yet street smart things on the planet! 
9. Irish girls are highly entertaining.  I swear I could sit there and listen to them jibber jabber for hours….I think I did.  I still don't know if they were making up words on the spot, or if they were actually using real English.
    

And that wraps up my horribly sparse summary of the last week and some change in South America.  I will be back!  And I am still looking for adventure recommendations.  Ciao!

Crazy Taxis and Transvestite Clubs?

So, its Friday morning...January 21st (I think).  Last night was a looooong night and today started way too early, but I had to say goodbye to some friends that are leaving and plan my trip considering I'm supposed to leave tomorrow.  In all honesty, I'm barely adapting this whole thing.  Its an insane combination of cultural and sensory overload, but in an awesome way.  Somehow, every morning everyone here wakes up and engages in some cultural exposure oriented activity....slightly hung over.  They're usually in groups of three that have the same dynamic.

The Explanation of Backpacker Group Dynamics

One person in the group wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed after a good night's sleep...about 3 hours, and then makes a racket and forces the other two to wake up.  They usher the others through the bathroom as the "initiator" begins making plans of the morning activities.  For the next 5 hours, the other 2 grumble, take pictures, and beg the initiator for aspirin and water hoping to abate their ever present hangovers.  At some random point, person number 2 (the "middleman") get's their magical craving satisfied (usually something chocolate or wine related for the girls, and beer for the guys) and takes over keeping the energy level up for the group.  This person continues to be driven by food.  At about 8 or 9 at night, person 3 ("calamity") finally wakes up and starts making plans for the night.  Plans that seem remarkably similar to whatever made them useless the entire preceding day.  But they're amazing plans!  So everyone goes along!  "Calamity" finds alcohol for the group the way the middleman provided food.....tricks them into doing something "just to check it out", and before you know it, 6 AM rolls around and they're all stumbling back to the hostel carrying the initiator who almost passed out on the table and one of them is claiming that a magical Leprechaun ushered them home (true story....I love the Dutch).  And the next day they do it again.  It is amazing....flawless....and a series of bad ideas intended to make life interesting.

A More Superficial Topic.....REALLY RANDOM PARTIES, Crazy Taxis, and Transvestite Clubs

The most interesting thing about yesterday was that even though I'm a solo traveler, I ended up the fourth addition to the 3 backpacker dynamic listed above.  And the calamity rolled through pretty easily.  I think from now on I won't be able to post nearly as much as I'd like to...one because I can't remember it all.....and two because this record stays.  But just a synopsis, at about 4 AM this morning I was in the VIP section of a notorious transvestite themed club (don't worry, cup checking was in order....no incidents), with tons of characters decked out like Matrix influenced anime and a 4 hour long professional break dancing competition going on the entire time on the main stage, a group of about 100 backpackers from my hostel rolled en mass which made it that much better.  It was such a trap though!  The conversation lead up goes like this...

girl -"Have you bought your ticket to the club yet"

Carlos - "Not yet.  Does it look like it'll be any good?"

girl - "Yeah everyone's going, you should go.  We should all share a taxi...."

Carlos - " Got it."  Carlos proceeds to buy his ticket.

Other girl - "So are you going to that transvestite bar thing?"

Carlos - "Wait...WHAT?!"

Other girl - "Yeah, the club supposedly is transvestite themed and has them all over the place.  Check out the poster"  

Sure enough....the poster looks twisted as all hell with scantily clad girls and he shes.  I can't tell which ones are actually girls.  Its too late to refund the ticket.  Trapped again.  lucky for me, the only transvestites are the crazily dressed ones that were employed by the club....I think.  I hope.  I'm just going to tell myself that.  On the insane bright side, the show was awesome, I'd recommend it to anyone, and there was no walk of shame afterwards.  If you're going to Buenos Aires, take a group of friends and hit "Club 69".  Remember to cup check. 

On the way to the club, which was about a 20 minute ride, there was a herd of taxi cabs filled with backpackers from my hostel that looked like a stampede of little black and yellow Chevy Aveo's that were actually racing and zig zagging lanes, driving in opposite bound lanes at some point.  I'm not sure if the taxi drivers were trying to entertain us or themselves.  And just one more thing to prepare yourself for in Argentina.  It seems like after every taxi journey, the ride will leave you thinking "for real?  Did that just happen?  Is that allowed to happen?  Screw it....I hope we get that guy again."  And odds are, you will get that guy again....so remember his name...it'll make the interaction that much better next time.

A Senior...no wait...."Sober Moment"???

I had another story I wanted to share that had an insane amount of meaning behind it....but in all honesty, there isn't enough fluid in my brain for everything to work correctly.  

Discovering La Boca and Buenos Aires' Port

So, anyways, the less degenerate portion of yesterday was amazing.  I was abducted once again by fellow backpackers who showed me an amazing time and kept me laughing with the interactions.  The entire experience surrounded La Boca, which as touristy as it feels bleeds Argentine and South American/Latin American culture.  It is a small district on the brim of Buenos Aires on the edge of Port Merdero.  The streets are riddled with shops, street performers and Tango dancers, tons of restaurants filled with Argentines as well as backpacking expats who are making a buck to finance their next travel, and have pretty amazing stories to share.  The streets are mostly cobblestone and the buildings are gritty and painted in a variety of flamboyant colors.  Graffiti is all over the place, and bleeds character.  The district in general has a very Latin American feel, but still brings to mind my idea of the Caribbean.  I love how everywhere I go here still feels gritty.  Its like the Argentines love this place so much that they refuse to change it, and they love it because of the balance they keep.  The passion that everywhere here bleeds would, to most Americans, be categorized as fairly feminine.  The Tango dancers, the kisses on the cheek that everyone gives you (even if you've just met), the way they love their food.  But I have to respect it when I look around because its easy to tell that a lot of these neighborhoods aren't the best, so whatever you are is probably earned and defended.  There are remnants of revolutions and struggles everywhere here.  From the statues commemorating victors and victories, to the rebellious graffiti reminiscent of the early stages of original hip hop and expresses recent discontent...but you can tell that the feelings and reasoning behind their graffiti are rooted much deeper in their blood here.  A passionate people, that earn the right to be so.  Their arrogance about is so masculine that it balances it out.  On top of that, this guy doing the Tango seems to be wearing women's boots and clothing, but has this hot little dancer running around him.  Almost like he's bossing her around on the dance floor and she's loving it.  So, a recommendation if you are ever here.  A huge steak lunch at a street side cafe with live Tango and Flamenco dancers and live singers performing right in front of you.  I definitely recommend it.

So, What's Next?

In all honesty, I haven't done nearly as much exploring as I should have since I've been here.  I'm enjoying the idea of making this a lazy "holiday" (even though partying here almost seems like work), but the most amazing part of this trip so far has been the people I've met.  The "backpacker" and long term traveler types are really interesting....yet quirky, but still fun people.  So, I'm thinking of asking for a job at one of these hostels and just hanging out and working for a few weeks as a way to meet people.  Who knows....it sounds like an interesting idea.  If not that, then 48 hours from now, I will likely be in a different country.  I've no idea what is in store today or tonight...I'm anticipating mellow though.  Lucky for me, the Argentines actually do mellow pretty well.  Time to catch up on my wine education.  I love this place.

Some Stories Just Aren't Meant to Be Told

So last night was interesting....extremely interesting.  And considering that the internet is a living record that will outlive most of us, the events of last night will not be posted on my blog.  They will be saved for a story to be told to a select few in situations that can't be recorded.  In short....Buenos Aires, and South America, are insane.  I love this place.

- Carlitos

So, a Black Guy, a Jew, a French Chick, and a New Yorker walk into a bar......

Its almost the start of a joke, but not quite....just the beginning of another mis-adventure in Argentina.  Except replace "into a bar" with "aimlessly wandering and lost around the graffiti riddled streets of Buenos Aires at 2:00 in the morning".  Starting from yesterday, here's how it went....

D's Theory of "Self Selecting"  in Adventures

Stealing the words of my fellow adventurer "D", the most awesome character trait about mis adventures (whether they're camping trips, backpacking trips, or hostels) is the "self selecting factor" that keeps them interesting.  By this, I mean most situations in life appeal to a certain type of personality.  The more off the beaten path you get, the more eccentric the personality usually has to be to take part in the madness.  This becomes awesome when you enter a fairly eccentric situation because it tends to bring in the same type of people creating an insane dynamic.  It happens all the time...on sports teams (jocks) in science classes (nerds) in San Diego (hippies) and in Venice Beach (crackheads.....just playin).  Eventually, if you're doing something you're truly drawn to, you'll end up surrounded with people that have more in common with you than not.  For my situation here in Buenos Aires its no exception...here's why...

And I accidentally picked one of the top 10 worst places in the world to try and be sober....

I'm staying at the Millhouse Hostel.  In my frantic last minute planning, I actually did something right (completely by accident, mind you).  If you google "Millhouse Hostel Buenos Aires" you'll find that it is listed as one of the top 10 party hostels in the world.  I definitely didn't realize this planning.  Now that doesn't mean everyone staying here is a party junkie (only about 96%), it does mean they're adventurous.  The Aussie fella next to me just finished talking about how he had food poisoning twice in one week, but he thinks its because they went a bit off trail in the Amazon.  That was in addition to alcohol poisoning, but he'll still be at the Tango lesson tonight.  Pretty much every personality here is like that.  The conditions here aren't the best, but the bar is fully stocked, the Spanish music is playing 24/7, and the board of non-degenerate activities is constantly being updated.  Most of the people here are studying Spanish and Portuguese in their few free minutes, and everyone was out and about by 12 today even though most didn't stumble in until 7 AM this morning.  There are a ton of solo travelers who decided to quit their jobs back home and made this trip some kind of phoenix re-birth.  The hostel itself is interesting on its own....the city of Buenos Aires is a whole different beast that I'm just scratching the surface on.  It feels like a cross between the raw, gritty nature of Eastern Europe combined with the passion, culture, and style of the Spanish and Italians.  The food is amazing.  The women are beautiful.  The ambiance is great.  You NEED to do this.  But for now, back to the story.

And MY story continues

It all started yesterday with the idea to take a nap so I wouldn't be outdone by the rhythm gifted Brazilian chicas that litter this place.  As I walked up stairs I could hear the music, the crowd getting louder, and realized that NO ONE was in their rooms.  As one of two Americans here....I couldn't be "that guy"....and I'm not about to be outdone by any Brits.  I showered up and headed down to the in hostel bar/lounge area to rejoin the other American fella hear and a cute French girl who'd joined the group.  While we're swapping stories another girl from Brooklyn who'd just flown in sits down with the group, as did a model-esque looking German girl.  All of which happened with in minutes....self selection in action.  The chatter went on until we realized it was time to leave now and eat before the wine started flowing at the hostel (every night at around 8:30, the first floor of the hostel turns into a club, unless some other event is planned), or just go with the flow.  The final verdict is have our first experience at an Argentinean Steak House and then come back and join the party.  This little trek started at around 8:00.

The other American guy is a zealous one.  Talkative, very energetic, and has a slight case of ADD.  By slight, I mean a s#*tload.  He swears up and down that he knows exactly where this place is....I smell the calamity cooking, as do the girls, so we let it ride.  Now, one side note.  I read in the guidebooks that one should avoiding walking around Buenos Aires after dark, avoid dimly lit ares (common sense), places that locals avoid at night and various barrios.  Fast forward to 15 minutes later.  So, the 4 of us are walking down a long stretch road.....which for about 3 blocks has all the streetlights out.  I make a comment to the people walking with me that I've got a general rule of not being the only one walking on a dimly lit street riddled with graffiti in a foreign country when I don't have anything to protect myself with.  (Which was exactly what the situation was).

The Jewish girl pipes back that "if anything happens, we're running".
I give a surprised look and say "haha, so you think you can outrun a bullet or something?"
Her response, "No, WE're running....you have to stay back and fight of the guys.  You're a Marine right?"
"I said I WAS a Marine once upon a time.  I'm just a backpacker, plus I didn't drag us into this shady neighborhood...and what about him?"
"Look at him....do you really think we can expect him to help?  We'll just make him an honorary girl....you're stuck."

This conversation was stopped when our French girl randomly walks up to two guys hanging on the side of the dimly lit street to ask directions.  At this point I remember how interesting it is to be that one unpredictable one in the group....but when the entire group is unpredictable, this is really new territory.  And this was supposed to be a slow night.  After a couple minutes of waiting by just in case things got sour too quick, the French girl comes back explaining that one of them was actually a cop and that she layered on the accent, cranked up the flirtatiousness, and gave the "pour little French girl" routine to get them to write out our directions home.  Apparently she uses that tool a lot, and it worked pretty damn well....looked like something from a movie.  I'm not even mad....I'm kind of impressed.  So, that good idea changed the entire direction our night was taking us in (which come to find out was actually opposite of where we needed to go and towards those barrios that the guidebook warned about).

The walk home was fun.  A few exchange of thoughts and stories.  Apparently, these kind of adventures are common for most of this group...and the rest of the hostel.  I think I have new recommendations for the "Scumbag Council" upon return.  Sometime in this whole adventure, we made it to a restaurant and had fairly decent yet cheap Argentine steak served by an extremely animated waiter that reminded me of actors from the "novela" soap operas on telemundo.  The American couple that sat next to us told about how they were pick-pocketed today by two motorcycle riders working together who nearly ran over the wife, then helped her up and simultaneously pick pocketed here.  We added a bottle of wine to our meal for good measure.  Remember how we left at 8PM?  By the time we got back, it was going on 3AM and the remnants of the hostel party were all of the place.  Straws and alcoholic mud and glasses all over the floor.  I think a pair of shorts too...I can't remember.  The left over Brazilians were singing national songs at the top of their lungs.  Most of the hostel was standing in front of the hostel (in the middle of the street)  hailing taxes to head as a group to the club.  The odd part.....this was a Monday.  Monday is the slowest night of the week for these people.  Apparently Tuesday is the wild...and dangerous day.  Today is Tuesday.  I think things might get interesting...again.  And I planned for this to be a mild night, so at least I got that.  As for the night, I was wiped, so was the rest of my hodge podge group....so we swapped email addresses and all called it a night.  Most of us hadn't slept except for a few hours on a flight the night before....and the French girl was supposed to fly out at 5 AM, so she was just trying to stay awake.  And that was my first day in Buenos Aires.  Tonight....free Tango lessons at the hostel at 8:30, then most of the hostel is migrating across town to the sister hostel for a pre-party....and at 2:30, the night begins....again.  I think I'm really starting to like this city.

Once Upon a Time.......

How this story began.....

Once upon a time (a week and a half ago) in a land far away (San Diego) there was a boy named Carlos. On one particular night at about 2AM after finishing a bottle of wine Carlos had the great idea of flying to the far away land of Argentina where the rivers flowed with wine and were lined with beautiful Argentinean women, ....and becoming "Carlitos".....he could pretend he was Domincan, right? The next morning, Carlos woke with a ticket to Buenos Aires, a wine hangover, and a week and half to plan out a two month long backpack trip through South America. And that's how all of the bad decisions began....

...sooo, how did the journey actually start?

There are a couple of things I value in life. Good people, good food, good booze (wine), and experiences. Through our experiences we discover ourselves and the world around us. What we like and what we hate. Who we are and who we're not. Through everything we touch in the world, we learn how to feel what we touch in a different way...so, through experience, you become more "you". So what happens when you've gained hold of your identity and realize who you are? What good is experience then? Well, my view is that it does the same thing, but better. Experience brings us back to life...revives us and reminds us why we wake up in the morning. Whether its for your kid, your job, your beer, or your dance, each refreshing experience reminds you what makes your life worth living. That is exactly what this trip is. Aside from the less honorable stories I'll pick up during this trip, its just me taking the opportunity to feel alive, discover more "me", and get in touch with the "me" that may have been suppressed in my more recent pursuits. This trip is the pursuit of balance and filling an open mind. There's a lot more to this trip and surrounding this trip than superficial needs and superficial pleasures....but for now, that'll do. If you hang in, you get the story.

Why the hell would I write this?

With a millions of whiny emo's blogging their every thought and emotion that would better be left unsaid, and millions of backpackers using the web to record their "epic journey" that seems like a carbon copy of the next guys, why would I bother blogging mine? 2 reasons

- 1-
To share this little adventure with the friends and family that I haven't taken an epic journey yet, but plan to in the future. Mostly, I'm hoping to trigger one of them to make a life improving yet erratic and potentially bad decision.

-2-
TO ASK FOR HELP!!! This is where things get interesting. I am honestly the least creative person I know...but I am very good at enacting plans...and I have a ton of friends that are way more creative than I am...so here goes. With the exception of Venezuela and Columbia and still having to be financially feasible, if anyone finds some crazy thing to do on this continent and posts it on my page, I WILL DO IT. If I don't...I dunno....I'll fly to your city and dinner and drinks for the night are on me....but that's the gyst of it.

Back to the Journey

Now with that said, even though I've got a week and a half of "journey" to catchup posting on, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, its 7 PM and I'm dead tired because I didn't sleep last night, but the crew here at the hostel is pre-gaming to get ready to go to the clubs when they open....at 2:30 AM, and then ride out through the night from there. I'm one of two Yank's here so I will not be outdone! But I can't hang with these Brazilian chicks on the dance floor in this condition, so I'm calling it quits to take a nap for a couple hours before we ride out. This is going to be a long couple months!

Tonights Mission: Survive