Happy New Year

Hello everybody,

We want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. It happens 3 hrs (for east coasters) and 6 hrs (for west coasters) early for us and we'll be thinking about you all!

The last week and a half has been a wirl-wind and we'll have to catch you up on everything when we get back. We spent 4 days in Buenos Aires, then traveled to Iguazu falls at the intersection of Argetine, Brazilian and Paraguay borders, and then made our way to Rio. We also made a pit stop in Uruguay for 1 day.

We've enjoyed 2-1/2 beautiful days in Rio and the area arround it, but right now it is raining :-( in Rio. We, along with other 2 million people expected on our beach, hope it clears up for the hour-long fireworks show tonight.

We're all coming back (at different times) in the next week and we can't wait to see everyone again!

Feliz Ano Novo!!

We are cool

So now we´re finally going to be “popular” and cool.

This was on Yahoo homepage:

Top Cities for New Years Eve 2006 (International)
1. Cancun, Mexico

2. Paris, France

3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ( <==== )

5. London, United Kingdom

And now there were....two!!

Howdy all!!

I (Vadim) have joined Talia in Argentina!! The flight in was ok. I was seated to a heavy-set person on the long leg from DC to BA, so that was a little uncomfy, but I slept (thank you drugs) most of the way. Landing was very very turbulent as we were breaking through the clouds and the two kids in front of me decided to revisit their breakfast, consumed only 1hr prior. *visual*

The weather has been very warm. Humidity in BA is very high, close to 90. But we left yesterday and are right now we are in Mendoza, west of BA. We flew here last night and went wine tasting today. Tomorrow we´re taking a driving tour of the area and may do some hikes. very beautiful area of the country.

One big thing that i guess i have to get used to here -- e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is SUPER slow. everyone just takes their sweet time. ordering food, wine tasting, the taxi drivers. but i guess that´s just the pace of life.

we´ll be here in mendoza till wednesday when we go back to BA. there we will be for about 4,5 days. todd and stevie get in in a few days as well. after that we´ll go to Cordoba and Iguazu falls and then on to Rio.

I saw that Chargers won on Sunday, so all is well in the world =)

Buenos Dias!

And now there is one...

Hi all,

After Torres Del Paine we exchanged Mana (my roomate in Buenos Aires) for Marie (the French girl). Then, once we have reached Bariloche, Anjay, Marie and Fred have left. So now there is me... I leave Bariloche on Saturday to pick Vadim up on Sunday.

The cruise was good ... not great. We got poor weather so most of the scenery was hidden by clouds. The people were really nice and I´m now hanging around some Irish folks that we met on the boat. The biggest problem was that the boat was a freight boat as well and they were hauling cows. You can imagine the smell. The people on the bottom floor were woken up by moo-ing. On the whole it was beautiful and a very relaxing 3 days after loads of trekking.

Our stop on the bus was in Puerto Eden (see photo). It is the home of the last 8 indigenous people and it is an island with 'streets' of wooden platforms since it is always so wet, the ground is constantly swampy. It was nice to get off the boat and stretch our legs. The town was very .... quaint.

We instantly hopped on a bus for Bariloche and have been here for 2 days. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. It is the lake district of Argentina and everywhere is surrounded by brilliant blue lakes with snow capped mountains and load of wildflowers. No picture can do it justice.... but I did try.

I miss you all and I am looking forward to seeing my family here in South America!!

Puerto Eden








Bariloche




Bouldering in Torres Del Paine.

Some photos

Here are some new pictures. Sorry for the rather small size, but internet is really slow and I can't upload anything bigger.

1. Me and mana eating part of a glacier.



2. Mt. Fitz Roy with clouds



3. Talia with a guancho... from the llama family



4. Torrers del paine with clouds. Hard to tell the difference but fitz roy is just one peak ... Torres has 3.

Torres Del Paine

After El Chalten we headed over to Torres Del Paine in Chile. The border crossing was ridiculous and took forever... but I have another stamp in my passport. After we did a bus tour around the whole area and got a great feeling for the huge park.

Here also the water has so many different colors and there is a lookout point where you can see the towers with 2 different lakes, one that is blue and one that is green. After a long bus ride and still recovering from our 12 hour hike, we took it easy and stayed the night in the Refrugio.

We all got a great night sleep and woke up early to do the Torres hike. It was amazing!!!!!!!!! I was talking with Marie, the french girl from BA that has joined us for the trip, she speaks 3 different languages and she was saying she doesn´t know the words to describe the Torres. I said if she didn´t have the words in any of those languages, then I definitely don´t have it in English.

The greatest part of the trail was the change to landscapes. It went from an uphill dirt road to flaky rocks to a jungle to a rock scramble. Finally it makes the 4 hour hike worthwhile since you get a fantastic view of the amazing 3 towers that the park is named after.

Now we are in Pt. Natales a little port city waiting to board the Navimag. Will be on Navimag for 4 days then head over to Bariloche.

Miss you all.

The blues

It has been a very fast 2 weeks and I haven´t had access to internet being down here in Patagonia. It feels like I have been in a bubble since I haven´t had access to internet and in most places there isn´t even electricity. The most incredible thing that i have noticed is how many colors of blue there are in water. We have seen the blue sea in Ushuaia that is more like a silver cloudy blue and then the blue in El Calafate that is a turquise cloudy blue. Other parts of El Chalten have a cobalt blue from the melted glaciers to the emerald blue and greens in Torres del Paine. Each lake and stream has its own color blue or green and often one body of water will have different colors that are very distinct. The horrible part is that photos never capture that incredible richness of color and so it will have to stay as a memory.


We started out in Ushuaia... the end of the world. This is partically false advertisement since the actual end of the world or southern most tip is a little place called Port Williams but Ushuaia is very very far south. We walked along the coast and saw the most beatiful combination of snow capped mountains and sea. The next day we took a boat to walk around the many islands and see the famed lighthouse at the end of the earth. Ushuaia started as a prison city (like Australia) and so all of the infrastructure was built by convicts.


After waiting 6 hours in the airport for a delayed flight, we finally made it to El Calafate and after a lazy day of sorting stuff out and riding bikes we had an awsome meal of Patagonian lamb prepared 3 different ways. The next day we woke up early and bundeled up for our ride to see Perito Moreno, the most photographed glacier in the world. It is one of the only glaciers that is still expanding by 2 meters per day although of course it is also shrinking by 2 meters due to melting. While we were there we saw huge hunks of ice fall from the glacier. They cause a small tidal wave when they fall ... it is incredible to watch. The glacier has 3 different levels to it and each is a different color which causes the water to have different colors. The base is a deep blue due to how compressed the ice is. These glaciers are all from the original Patagonian ice fields (so really really old). Then the next layer is like a light blue. Then the top layer is white but when it melts it creates a green milky color that is increbile. The next day we went and saw 3 more glaciers on a boat.


Instead of going a typical bus tour, we all rented a car and drove to El Chalten, the home of trekking and Mt. Fitz Roy. Silly us thought that there would be a gas station in between El Chalten and El Calafate and so we started off our trip with half a tank of gas. 70 KM into this dirt road (and seeing nothing) we started getting nervous so we had to turn around since there were NO gas stations and we would have surely run out of gas. But all is well when you have gas so we continued on our journey and arrived safe an sound in El Chalten. That afternoon we went on a short hike to see Mt. Fitz Roy. The mountains are so differnt here.. They are jagged and just come up from the ground. The next day we went ice trekking. It was a total of 12 hours of pure hiking. I have no clue how much ground we covered but it was insane. Due to my uncontrolable fear of falling off cliffs and places like that... I actually didn´t go onto the glacier to do the walking. The tour company totally ignored us, the weather was horrible and there was NO system of getting help if someone got hurt. So ... I did the 12 hours of hiking but didn´t get to walk across the glacier using crampons. I didn´t feel comfortable so i didn´t go. The hike was guiling and on the way back the guides just left us.. it took us another 2 hours to get back to the hostel. We were exhausted and sore but it was beautiful.

On the road again

Everything is well and I am now in Torres del Paine, Chile. We left on a bus yesterday morning from El Calafate and will be in Torres until Thursday and then we go on the cruise until the following Monday. There is a very good chance that we will not have access to email till then.

We had a great time in Patagonia and I will give you all the details later.

At the end of the world

Internet is very hard to come by and very slow when i do have it... so updates will be far and few until about Dec 11.

So Far:

Ushuaia - Amazing. We went to Tierra Del Fuego and went to the End of the World or the most southern part. The snow capped mountains are amazing. We also went to the light house at the southern most tip of the world.

El Calafate - Today we saw our first glacier... Perrito Moreno (named after the man who found it). It is incredible we watched huge chuncks of ice fall from the glacier. it is one of the few only glaciers that is expanding as well as contracting so it is equal. All others are getting smaller and smaller. Tomorrow we see the Upsala glacier. Then rent a car and drive to the trekking capital of Aregntina... El Chalten. There we will do hiking.

Then in the morning (6:30) we leave for Torres Del Paine. These are all very remote areas and have no internet so don't get nervious if you do not hear from me.

Oh Baby... Shakira Shakira

Wow! What an incredible concert. This concert would never happen in the US. It was held in a futbol statium and we arrived a little late due to the traffic. Were were waiting in line when she
as about to start. The personnel at the statuim started screaming at us to run. It became a mass frenzy with people trying to make it on time. Mana and I just were laughing the whole time.

Shakira is an amazing performer. She can sing and boy can she dance. Incredible!

See the pictures... it is great.

School is out for winter

School just ended on Wednesday and I feel very guilty about getting credit for my studies. I only had classes for 6 weeks, 2 days a week and now I have to write a few final papers. I figure that is a fair exchange for a whole quarter of credit at Anderson.

The last 2 weekends I have been travelling and doing school in between. One weekend to Rosario and Cordoba and this past weekend to Peninsula Valdes. The most amusing part of both of these trips is that I visited a Swiss town in Cordoba and took high tea in a Welsh town near Peninsula Valdes.



Who knew that you could come to Argentina and experience so many cultures?!? I don't even have to go to Europe anymore. They even have an American "town" right here in Buenos Aires. It is called "Kansas" and it is a restuarant (but big enough to be a city) and it is owned by Huston's Restaurant. Every Sunday the other Americans go there to get their fix if American style baby-back ribs and mashed potatoes. It is like a home away from home (but the waiters still speak Spanish).

This week I was on a quest for a turkey in honor of Thanksgiving. That proved to be a fruitless search. Argentinians, according to everyone including the poor meat guy I accosted, do not eat turkey except on Christmas. It is forbidden all other times. So on Dec 15 the stores start stocking turkeys and then the day after Christmas all of the turkeys are promptly removed. So in honor of Thanksgiving, I did something as American as I could think of .... I ate at McDonalds. But it wasn't the same. The McDonalds was clean. The hamburger was made from meat and my sundae had Dulce de Leche on it. Sigh. I'm just going to have to settle for a big fat piece of beef and say my "thanks".

I'm going to the Shakira ("Shakira Shakira") concert on Sat night and then I'm off on my amazing race through Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.

Hope all is well and Happy Thanksgiving!

Land of animals and delays

Yesterday was almost as great as the first day. With 3 other British people I rented a car and went to see the penguins, dolphins and had tea at a welsh town. Normally those 3 trips would cost a total of 400 pesos or 130 dollars but with the car rental it was closer to 150 pesos and I had a great time.

The penguin colony was beyond anything I would have ever expected. Over 1 million penguins walking around and we got to walk in their territory without many fences. They didn't seem to be bothered by us being there though.

For the dolphins we were really lucky to see them. Also we were the only 3 people on the boat. It was incredible. For all of these animals I got video also so I cannot wait to show you.

My flight back to Buenos Aires was cancelled. It is amazing. It was just a fluke that I called to confirm my flight and they said .. Oh that was completely cancelled, you are now put on at 10 o' clock flight (instead of 7:45) and by the way your credit card didn't work either. So I have to pay when I get to the airport. That is Argentina for you.

Whale watching

So no killer whales but we saw southern right whales and it was INCREDIBLE!!!

They came so close to the boat that they bumped us a little. It was amazing. I also have about 1 million pictures of it raising it´s tail and waving to us. It was like the whales were putting on a show.

I have meet 2 really nice Londoners and we are renting a car tomorrow and seeing the penguins. Everything is just gravy after seeing the whales.

I meet the only 2 non-price sensitive ppl in the hostel I think. One is a consultant and the other an investment banker. One has their MBA and the other is applying next year.

Supposedly we were really lucky since other boats did not see the tail raise out of the water in proper whale fashion.

I am so glad I came and I have a bunch of pictures to prove it. I had a whale of a good time today!

The land of steak

We are in the land of steak, leather and tango and loving it. We fill our days with shopping, tango shows, dancing, exploring the city and surrounding areas, eating and .... classes (of course). The 3 peso to 1 dollar exchange rate is great for us. We eat dinner at the coolest, best, hippest places with great wine and dessert for about $10 USD. Leather goods are abundant, great quality and reasonable. And the portenos (people from Buenos Aires) are so friendly and helpful.

Top 10 things that we have discovered while here in BA:
1. Everyone drinks Mate, a very strong tea thing. They carry around their thermoses full of hot water and their yerba (herb for mate).
2. When you park on the street you have to pay a guy to watch your car so nothing "bad" happens to it and that still isn't a guarantee.
3. You always have to look down when you walk. You never know what you will step in.
4. A ring on your finger doesn't matter to the guys and for guys, if you are not making out by the end of the night, you must be gay.
5. Time doesn't mean a thing. Dinner at 9:30 means dinner at 11:00 and don't even think about showing up at a club before 2:00 am.
6. The buses are unmarked and you have to have a special 6th "bus sense" to know where they stop and pick up.
7. You always have to check your bills since fake money is EVERYWHERE!
8. Panchos are not something you wear they are something you eat. (Hot dogs)
9. Dulche de Leche has taken over all the desserts.
10. The most common phrase is "super" combined with a Spanish word. Example "super despacio" = really slow. "Muy cool" is the second most common phrase.

ok ... just one more (it was hard to limit the list)
11. If you look at a guy in a club, that means you want to take him home.

Attached is a picture from a dinner at an Anderson Alums house just outside BA and Mana and I hosted a Halloween party to show the Argentineans how to party.

In the meantime, we will look where we walk, eat panchos and dulche de leche, dance the night away, avoid looking at guys and... of course, study.

3 weeks in Argentina

I should be ashamed of myself. I have been in Argentina for almost 3 weeks and I haven't send any updates. But in my defense, time just flies by. I cannot believe I have been gone for so long!!!

The truth is that life is pretty much the same here as it is back home (except life is in Spanish here). Buenos Aires is very cool and very European. It is always amazing to be walking down a street and see old beautiful buildings mixed in with new high rises. We did a tour of the Teatro Colon and it is truly incredible. The theatre was built in the nineteenth century and has hosted many operas and ballets. They have a huge in house costume, shoe, wig, mask and set design studios. It is incredible!

We also went to a polo match. The people here are quick to tell you that polo is not "popular", it is "elite". Apparently, since it cost so much to maintain the horses and purchase the horses only the very wealthy play polo and consequently mainly the wealthy watch the sport. I thought it was great. I got to watch a men riding horses carrying sticks trying to hit a little tiny white ball in between 2 poles. What is more fascinating than that?!?!?!! I attached a photo of my roommate and me at the polo game. Yes... we are at a polo game, not advertising the beer.

Other than that I have basically been wondering around Buenos Aires looking at the sites. I saw the Casa Rosada, where the president used to live. I think if I were president I would find it emasculating to live in a pink house, but, hey, that is me. And the Plaza de Mayo where they still hold protests about the thousands of people that disappeared during the Dirty War. And all of the other plazas and parks.

I still haven't seen an official tango show but they really do tango on the streets. It would be like on 3rd Street people busting out with tango shows. They are very beautiful to watch but you just feel like the people dancing are having an awful time since they never smile.

Also Argentinians have a very strange custom of drinking this stuff called mate. It is tea, but instead of filtering out the taste of tea through a tea bag, you fill up the cup with tea herbs and then filter the hot water out through a special straw. It is very strong and bitter but EVERYONE drinks it. I was invited to a friends house and she busted out this mate cup and everyone shares. I think it is a bit unsanitary (everyone drinks from the same straw) but it is also very communal and hospitable. (She also had awesome ice-cream so I wasn't going to complain.) Which leads me to tell you about the food. Oh my Gosh!! The food is incredible and so cheap! I had an incredible steak and chicken meal with wine and appetizer and dessert for .... U$D 10. It doesn't pay to eat at home here. Of course my waistline is demonstrating that I feel that way, but there is always 4 months before the wedding to lose it. (Famous last words). We usually go to a different restaurant each night.

I have plans to start traveling around the country so I should have some more stories when I go.