Well, it's officially over...I am back in southern California, sitting on my king-sized bed, freshly showered (without wearing flip flops for the first time in 3 months!) and unpacking the contents from my overstuffed backpack into my old dresser. It feels a bit surreal yet comforting to be home.
The last week in Buenos Aires flew by. We decided to go out in style and dished out a few extra dollars each day on having our OWN room, complete with our private bathroom and....a TV! Having such amenities at our fingertips that we didn't have to share with others was definitely the right way to end our 3 month stint in Latin America. What I mean by that is we were comfortable... very, very comfortable. Our days were spent mostly at the shops in various BA neighborhoods and usually we'd waste away the afternoon in a cafe sucking down our respective caffeinated beverages to keep ourselves awake and warm.
We drank mate, very strong coffees and ate sweet delicious alfajores. We checked out the diverse and colorful suburbs of Buenos Aires that each offer a unique insight into the history of this very European South American city. Though I'd say the highlights of the week were the futbol game and tango show. Despite the cold we sat in the San Lorenzo stadium and cheered on River Plate against Velez. We won 3-2. Despite my general lack of enthusiasm for anything involving running on a field to kick a ball around I really enjoyed the game. However I was more enthralled with the constant cheering and rivalry amongst the fans than the teams themselves. The audience was far more interesting to watch as they made obscene gestures to the opposing team's fans and cheered like mad when either team scored a goal. I've never heard anything like the roaring chants of futbol fanatics before in my life. I hope to go again someday.
Our tango show came along with a free lesson and a fantastic three course dinner. For $60 Trishy and I attempted to learn the first few tango steps and dance with each other; learning both the male and female parts. This only made us even more confused trying to switch off but we managed to not bump into too many other beginners also trying to lead each other around the dance floor. It was a good laugh and showed us the difficulty (and seriousness) of the tango. After our lesson we gorged ourselves on the wine, pasta, fish and brownie dessert. Then the lights dimmed and we were thoroughly entertained for about 90 minutes of tango dancing and singing. Half way through the show one of the male dancers yanked me up to dance with him. All the dancers jumped off the stage to pull up an unsuspecting tourist for a few minutes. As we edged towards the stage I had a fleeting thought he was going to make me dance with him on a stage in front of the entire crowd. Luckily he didn't make me tango and we never stepped foot on the stage. The rest of the show only involved the professionals and I think it's fair to say the entire audience, including myself, was thoroughly entertained.
The flights home were long and tedious as one would expect from a 16 hour journey. But it didn't matter that I only had 30 minutes of sleep when I stepped out of the airport to feel the heat of Los Angeles and see my mom pull up to the curb. I breathed in the smog filled air and knew I could finally relax....I was home.
I do apologize for this tardy blog. I have been home for a few days but have been far too exhausted to finish the blog once and for all. But keep your eyes posted over the next few days as I plan to put quite a few photos up.
Although I'm sad that the trip has come to an end I'm happy to be back in California so I can catch up with most of you. Despite the negative experiences Trish and I had on the trip I definitely want to return on a follow-up trip. Perhaps in a year or so I'll return for 'Latin America Adventure-- Part II.' I will let you know when the planning begins so I can hopefully convince a few of you to join me.
Thank you for keeping my blog company with your comments and emails along the way. They have all been very much appreciated. I've missed you all and can't wait to catch up in person/over the phone (for those that are on the other side of the country).
Oh and one last thing-- I have a cell phone again (with the same 415 number!) so please re-program me back into your phones if you previously deleted me. =) I will be calling you very soon. But for now I think I'll just crawl under the sheets in this glorious king-sized bed for one final siesta....
