"Santiago, Santiago, my heart will always be with you"

It has been one crazy week. I had so many changes in my plans its been hard to remember what exactly is going on in my life. But I do know that I am off to Santiago, Chile tomorrow afternoon. I'll be taking a bus from BA to Mendoza. Then I'll change buses and go straight to Santiago. I leave Thursday at 6pm and get in around 5:30pm on Friday. I plan on exploring the city on Saturday, heading to the beach on Sunday, then back to the city on Monday to make sure I didn't miss anything. I fly back Monday night and get in to BA around 11pm. Should be amazing. Many long posts to be written when I return. Wish me luck! :D

How crazy is this 1 US dollar = 575 Chilean Pesos, jaja I'll finally be a millionaire... in pesos.

Dem girls got pipes

So for Saturdays dinner we ate at the hotel. The hotel had an amazing buffet of food for us to choose from. It was splendid. I noticed tonight's dinner had two kinds of soups. The one soup had the word Garbanzo in its title so assumed it was a bean soup. I was going to try some but then i looked at it and it reminded me of the soup my roommate told me NOT to eat. She told me this story about how she ordered this soup to go and started eating it and realized it did not taste like it normally did. She showed it to Coque and Coque was like that's not ______ its mondongo soup. I'm tempted to make you look it up and not tell you what it is......oh fine I'll tell you: mondongo is pig intestines, aka tripe :) So Elizabeth by accident had tripe soup. She was NOT a fan. 

Yeah so this Garbanzo soup looked an awful lot like the mondongo soup Elizabeth described to me so I decided not to get any. I'm all for trying new things but slimy, rubbery looking pasta did not look appetizing to me, sorry. Anywho, so a few boys next to me got the soup and one of them started eating it while the others sniffed it and sipped a little of it. They asked each other if they knew what was in it and nobody had a clue. I was like, "I'm not 100% sure but it looks a lot like this soup my roommate told me about so it might be pig intestines." They all laughed at me and were like, no way! Well, the waiter came by and one of the guys asked him what it was, and what did he say, yeah that's right, it was mondongo soup. Thank you very much. I just smirked and was like, don't EVER doubt me! jaja no but really i was like, "told you so :D". All three boys stopped eating the soup. The rest of the dinner we watched as others in our group tried the soup and we played dumb when they asked if we knew what the soup was. It was priceless watching people's facial expressions as they ate the soup and THEN found out what it was. jajajaja it made dinner ten times more interesting. The best was this girl Morgan, she was like "did you guys try the pasta soup? Its not bad, but it has this funny after taste." jajaja We all busted out laughing.

So the next morning (Sunday) we got to sleep in a little and have a late breakfast. At breakfast everyone was making sandwiches with the bread and lunch meats to save as a snack for later. Funny, I wonder were they got that idea? Yeah, that would be from me. I'm a seasoned traveler and I've learned a few tricks to save some money along the way (kp knows what I'm talking about!). You can just call me Miss Trendsetter for now on :P

After breakfast we boarded this truck/cattle car and headed to the Aldea Guarani M'Borore. This is the reservation that the indigenous people of Argentina, the Guarani, have to live on. It is not a very large piece of land but they never got a say in the matter. I don't mean to sound offensive, but we looked like we were immigrants being transported across the border in this truck thing. It looked pretty funny. (picture 1) We were driving on this bumpy, holey road and about half way through the trip the seat I was sharing with my friend Justine split down the middle the long way so we were balancing ourselves by holding onto the poles on the side of the truck. It was pretty funny. I had a feeling that i was eating a lot this trip, but that was a pretty clear wake up call that I need to start running again on a regular basis. 

So yeah we finally got to the reservation (in one piece thankfully). We had a Guarani guide and our Igauzu Falls guide Margarita was the translator. He was very nice and taught us a lot about their village. He showed us three or four different traps to capture animals. He set them up and showed demonstrated them for us. You look at the traps and its mind blowing how simple they really are. They are made out of sticks and roots only. The traps are very basic, but extremely efficient. It just baffled me how simple the setup of each trap was. Who needs guns and technology when a basic stick trap works just as well. I don't know why but it just really got to me how plain these people live and yet they are so happy and content with their life. I'm envious. Next the guide showed us where they wash their clothes, where they sleep, and lastly the futbol field. jaja Sign me up. The kids were adorable. This one boy strutted over to our group, struck some model poses, collected our money, then pranced back to his house. (picture 2) Lastly, the children of the village sang for us. I don't know why, but I just got caught up in the moment and I my eyes started to water. Whenever I see kids less fortunate then I, it strikes a cord in me and makes me cry. The oldest boy played the guitar and lead the singing while the older girls lead the rest of the children with the chorus. The girls had some pipes for their voices were loud and beautiful. It was a touching moment. After they preformed for us, we got to take pictures with them. (picture 3) After picture time we were escorted to their craft area so that we could purchase some handmade jewelry, crafts, and weapons. Yes, I would say the ticket item of the day was the homemade dart gun jaja along with spears and bow and arrow sets. Unfortunately dart guns are not on the list of suitable items to check in your bag at the airport (wonder why?? Jungle to Jungle reference anyone??!?!), so everyone had to take a gamble and check them at the airport. It wouldn't have been a big problem, but ISA told us before we left that we should pack light and not check bags at the airport because people slash bags open or just plain take them. I didn't purchase any weapons so I wasn't concerned. 

After the Guarani tour we returned to the hotel, got some lunch, then headed to the airport. It was a jam-packed weekend but I was really grateful that ISA set up an excursion like this. None of the other programs set up excursions to the falls, so we really lucked out. I would say my favorite part of the trip was La Chacra ranch, but it was all wonderful. 

Third forgotten natural world wonder

IGAUZU FALLS!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah my camera batteries died before I could take a single FRICKIN picture. So ladies and gentlemen, that is all I got for you.

Nahhh I will tell you that the falls are breath taking. We spent the entire day there at the falls and walked three different trails to see three different views of the falls. The first trail lead us to the largest waterfall called the Devil's Throat (picture 1). For good reason too, its massive and due to the sediments the water that pours down looks red. The picture here doesn't capture it but others due. Creeeeeepy. jaja After that we saw the trail of Rainbows, at least that was the name I gave it since every view had a rainbow in it (picture 2). Actually the trail was named after Adam and Eve (here we go with the religious symbology again....). The last trail we took was the most impressive because we saw everything. (picture 3) A lot of people took some awesome Panoramic pictures of the falls. I was jealous, but at the same time it was a different experience seeing something incredible through my own eyes rather than a lens. I think I appreciated the falls better because of it. Alas, I couldn't leave you hanging without some pictures, so here are some of the best pictures I could snag from my friend Nicole's album. She goes to an Art school and masters in photography in case you couldn't tell. Enjoy!

I've been to paradise, and it has soccer

After seeing THE burning bush, we arrived at La Chacra. It was this beautiful mate farm. They grow there own verduras, frutas, mate, y carne. The farm had a pool, tennis court, volleyball court, massage table, open space to play soccer, hammocks, suntanning chairs, the works. As one guy said, "this is what I imagined heaven would be like". He wasn't kidding, the place was incredible. Right off the bus I changed into shorts and joined a few people in a juggling (soccer) circle for a good hour. Now i really was in heaven. I love juggling with guys and girls that don't play soccer that much but like to try because they just look so goofy with their motions and the way they hit the ball. Its very cute. I got a few good shots of my friends doing some "tricks". After juggling we had our first round of food: Empanadas and freshly squeezed lemonade. People always ask me what's the best thing you've ever eaten and most of time I can't think of anything, but I now have an answer. The empanada they made in there open fire stove was the most AMAZING thing I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked, gooey on the inside, lightly crispy on the outside, moist and juicy when you bit into it, but not greasy. Perfection. Not to mention the lemonade was so refreshing. I had to contain myself from eating too many because I knew that that was only the first course. Later, the chef's brought out choripan. This is chorizo sausage sandwiched by a roll, aka a hot dog, but so much better. They even had there own oil and vinegar seasoning to add on top of the sausage. It was a little messy, but as expected, delightful. After that I explored the farm some more. I got some hammock time then it was back to juggling.

Finally, the two chef's called us over for the main course. We had an actual salad with lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and cheese. I haven't had a salad like that since the states. They had their own homemade oil and vinegar to accompany the delicious salad. Fresh, home grown food just has this amazing taste to it. Indescribable. Similar to Brazilian BBQ restaurants, the servers came around with slices of meat and Yucca to serve us personally. My plate was never empty, for they were always right behind me with a another piece of meat when I was on my last bite. I guess I'll say it one more time: This was the best food I have ever had. Plain and simple. (See picture 1). Italy had great food, but I think this farm was better. I was thoroughly stuffed, as was everyone else, so we all claimed a sun chair or hammock and took an afternoon siesta. My one friend was like, "umm i'd be perfectly okay with dying right now if that was my last supper." That's a bold statement, but I kind of agreed with him.

After the siesta the owners offered us some fresh fruit for dessert: apples and tangerines. Again, amazing. Then we went on a tour of the mate factory. Mate is the tea that is famous all over Argentina. People here drink mate like we in America drink coffee. Our one ISA director Coque (Ko-kee) is a mate addict. She is always drinking it and can't go too long without it. She told us she typically goes through nine large thermoses of mate a day. That's insane. I would think that she would have to pee a lot. (See picture 2). When we got to the warehouse full of mate she literally was in heaven. Sorry for a lot of religious references this post.... It was pretty cool to see how they make mate. We were in the warehouse full of bags of mate and I noticed Coque trying to steal a bag but it was too heavy jajaja. The air inside the warehouse smelled like grass. It was a little intoxicating and made some people feel light headed. This lead some people to the conclusion that mate wasn't the only "herb" in the bags if you get my drift.....After the tour they treated us to a mate infusion drink and what looks like mini funnel cakes without sugar but tastes like a combo of a funnel cake and a french fry. You guessed it, AMAZING. the mate infusion tasted like really hot ice tea. It was very good and i highly recommend it. Finally after all that incredible food it was time to go to our hotel. I was hard saying goodbye to paradise. If this was only day one of my weekend, I can't image what the rest of the weekend would be like.

Oh the Wheels on the bus

What a long and exhausting weekend. This past weekend I went with my program to the Iguazu Falls. It is located in the northern part of Argentina and shares the attraction with Brazil, just like Niagra Falls. While we were not allowed to go to the Brazilian side, we got to see it as well as Paraguay. Just in case you don't know, Igauzu Falls is considered one of the Seven Forgotten Natural Wonders of the World. Yeah, its a big deal. It is also were the famous movie The Mission was filmed. I haven't seen it but I plan on seeing it soon and I recommend you do the same. 

We met our Via Bariloche (bus, see Picture 1) at the university on Thursday afternoon. The bus was nothing like I expected, but that's because I had no idea what to expect. We traveled in a double decker, sleep away..... 

PAUSE: Ahhhhhh I just spent a good 15 minutes spraying my entire room (in Belgrano) with Ant-Killer because I found a trail of them all around my bed. GROSSSSSSSSSSSSS. No wonder I've been feeling itchy since I've been here. Those damn ants are prob biting me at night. YUck.

....bus. Every "chair" leans back into an almost horizontal position. Each chair also comes with a foot placement thing so you can put your feet up, a blanket, and a pillow. Obviously the bus comes equipped with tv's and cup holders. We were served two meals and had a "bus attendant". haha Well a good 2 minutes into the trip, I knew we were in for an exciting adventure for the bus got stuck at the end of our street. It was a spectacle but after 10 minutes we were finally on our way... or so we thought. About 15 minutes later we were still in the city driving and since the bus was a giant we started hitting street lamps. lol Every 5 seconds we heard a "thump"....."thump"....."thump" It was great. Alas, we were finally on the road.

We started our trip with the movie Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler. It was a cute movie and got everyone in the mood for bed even though we hadn't received dinner yet. The movie finished around 7:45pm. We were all cozy in our chairs, slowly drifting off to sleep when at 8:15pm all of a sudden this Techno Dance music video starts playing on the tv's. lol Everyone was sooo confused and disoriented. On airplanes they subtly turn on the cold air to wake people up, on a bus they blast techno. The bus attendant came around and handed everyone a tray with food. The food did not look good at all. On my plate was a pile of sliced carrots, odd looking ham, strips of rubbery cheese, a roll (the only thing i ate), and this nasty looking apricot looking dessert. Some dinner. Little did I know that that was not all we were served. The attendant came back around and handed us a warm tin of pork and rice. That was more like it. After dinner the kids in the front of the bus started screaming. We all looked up to find a truck with a chicken coop less than an inch from our bus. I tell you, the driving here is outrageous. For the next 15 minutes we were convinced that the bus was going to hit the coop so we were all on the edge of our seats... I'm glad to report that no accident occurred while on the bus. phewww

It was finally bed time so people starting dozing off. I came to realize that my reclining seat did not like to stay reclined. It slowly popped back up to the starting position. Great. Well, I was determined to get some sleep anyways. I think I ended up re-reclining my "bed" a good four times throughout my "sleep". It could have been worse. Again, in order to wake everyone up for breakfast, they played a rock music concert video instead. It was a better than the techno, but still just as startling. People who refused to wake up were shaken vigorously by the bus attendant until they grouchily obliged. I decided to take this period of wakening to snap a picture. (See Picture #1 :) So much love in the air.

We finally arrived at the Mision Jesuitico or the Ruinas de San Ignacio. (Picture 4) This place was pretty awesome. It was full of ruins and cool trees. It was hard to focus on the tour of the place because this car was circling the entrance building blasting techno music. Again, what is with the techno here? Here we are at these ancient ruins learning about history to a steady techno beat. I also found it hard to concentrate on the tour because my friend Stephen was giving me HIS version of the history of the Mission. haha He's a history major with a concentration on South American history so half of what he was telling me was true, I just couldn't tell you what. (Picture 3 is from the Jesuit Mission). My last distraction was this adorable dog. It was the cutest thing and followed us throughout the tour. He posed for pictures, waited for us at sites, and lead the way through the cemetery. SOooo cute. (Picture 3) The only bad part of the ruins was the fact that some of them had scaffolding on them so it wasn't that aesthetically pleasing. The Tour Guide said they are constructing on top of the ruins because they are falling apart. This kid in my group was like, "Isn't that kinda the idea of a ruin?" He had a point jajaja.

After the Mission stop we were on our way to La Chacra---a farm. My friend Stephen was like: "great, were a random group of people, on a bus, eating bad food, on our way to a farm...yeah, we're in a cult."---- whatever you do don't drink the Kool-Aid lol! This is random, but on the way to the farm I swear I saw the same burning bush that Moses saw. I'm about 98% sure it was God. :)