The Art and Flair of Buenos Aires

As we entered the final chapter of our trip, Mark and I reflected on how nature-focused our itinerary had been.  From the northern deserts and valleys to the southern mountains and glaciers and up to the jungle to see Iguazu Falls, we'd experienced so much of the Argentine great outdoors but taken in so little urban culture.  So we reserved a full week for Buenos Aires, a city we'd passed through three times already but had no chance to explore. 

The striking Puente de la Mujer (Woman's Bridge)

We hopped on a graffiti tour.  I love tours. 

My favorite work of street art.  This is a political commentary on the landlord of this house who closed it up with cinder blocks and is sitting on the property in hopes of appreciation. 

Radioactive poodles and ice cream...

How often do you see these two guys hanging out?

We stayed in an apartment owned by family friends who treated us with prodigious hospitality

The painted homes of La Boca

One of the most striking and thought-provoking sites we found was concealed under an overpass of a busy highway.  There an archeological dig in the side of a hill serves as a searing reminder of the atrocities committed under Argentina's military dictatorship during the 1970s and 80s.  Before the highway was built, a Federal Police building occupied this space, in the basement of which hundreds of political prisoners were detained and tortured.  Most were never seen again, entering the ranks of the over 20,000 Argentines who disappeared during this darkest chapter of their country's history.  Archeologists have found chunks of wall with scrawled messages written by prisoners and artifacts from the center.

The text reads: Memory Recovery Project of the Clandestine Center of Detention and Torture "Club Atlético"

The famous Floralis Genérica.  The petals originally opened each morning and closed each evening, but it has been broken for years...way to go Buenos Aires. 

The hallowed hallways of the Recoleta Cemetery. 

We took in some nightlife for good measure.  The clubs don't begin to fill up until 3am...

We were so fortunate to be welcomed like family by our connections in Buenos Aires.  This city has a beating heart and a vivacious spirit that profoundly impacts even the most casual visitor. 

En fin, it's been a phenomenal six weeks, full of introspection, conversation and laughs.  Traveling with Mark was a true honor--I could have asked for no better companion.  Hasta la vista, Argentina.  Where we going next, Mark?!

Appropriately ending our trip as it began, with an excellent mate session.  Such reception...thank you Beverly and Victor!

Hola from Argentina!

Hey Everybody!

The name is Mark. I've been tasked with making the initial blogpost of the trip. Ray wants me to introduce myself to all of his loyal blog followers who don't know me. So I'll start with that.

I hail from Oak Park, IL and am a marketer and fundraiser at a small YMCA Camp in Montague, MI, where I live now. I love my job and am so lucky to have this opportunity to take a 6 week leave of absence and still return to a great gig after this adventure. It took a lot of effort (planning, working ahead, negotiating, etc) to get to this point and I am so excited it is finally all happening.

I met Ray my freshman year at Carleton College on my 2nd full day in Minnesota.  I had signed up for a backpacking pre-frosh trip and was excited to get to know some people in a great outdoor environment before starting our New Student Orientation Week. The first full day of the pre-frosh trip was meeting your group and getting all your supplies ready. The 2nd day, all the different backpacking groups got on buses and headed to the trail head. Each backpacking group had two non-freshman student leaders and about 6 to 8 freshman.

The plan was for all the groups to spend the night at the trail head and then go our separate ways in the morning. After setting up camp, we had some time before getting dinner ready. Many of us made the short walk to Lake Superior and sat on the rocks and waded ankle deep in the water. There were a group of us talking and someone suggested going taking the plunge and running into the water and getting our whole body wet. If you don't know, Lake Superior is VERY COLD, even at the end of August. Ray and I were the only ones who went in to the astonishment and cheers of our future classmates.

That would have been a good enough friendship origin story, but it doesn't end there. After our little daring Third Coast dip, we went back to camp and got dinner ready with our respective groups. That´s when I noticed something was amiss. As I went to change out of my soaking wet clothes, I realized I had no replacement underwear. I had gone into Lake Superior in my only pair of boxers. This did not bode well for the three days ahead.

I shared this information with my new friend Ray and he graciously offered me a pair of his boxers. We've been buds ever since!

Fun Fact: Ray and I co-hosted a radio show all four years of college!

Halloween 2008: A boy in a onesie won't let go of Fred from the Scooby-Doo Mystery Gang.

From humble Lake Superior beginnings to respectable college graduates! (June 2011)

Fast-forward six and a half years and here we are in Argentina! The flight wasn't all that bad, although neither of us got decent sleep. When going through customs in Buenos Aires, we befriended Mekkin, a Canadian traveler who goes to Carleton University (a cosmic coincidence). She's moving to Buenos Aires for a the next year to study and she offered to let take advantage of her hostel services and to hang out with her until we left for our flight later that evening to Tucuman.

Mekkin and me in Plaza Congreso

We spent the day exploring the area around her hostel and the Congreso neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It was HOT, but nice to get at least an initial idea of the city! Ray and I then parted ways to catch our flight to Tucuman, where we rendezvoused with Carlos, his Spanish teacher from high school. Carlos picked us up from their airport and we went out to a wonderful steak dinner.

Argentinian Wine, Steaks and Conversation!

After a good night's sleep, we're ready to embark on our tour of the northern provinces. We are so lucky to have Carlos as a guide, he's already shared so much local knowledge and provided a unique perspective to us.

Hasta luego!