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La Boca and the final day... |
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Written by Keith Rhoades
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Friday, 26 November 2010 |
WEll, this is it...the final hours before I head back home. I am sad to leave and dreading the first week back. THe first week back is so hard emotionally and physically getting back into the regular groove, adjusting to the jet lag, and the emotional withdrawl that I go through...the only thing that helps is time and start planning or at least thinking of where to go next.
I called mom last night to wish her a happy thanksgiving....it was nice to talk to her and to know everything is alright back home. Last night I had some drama but it is all ok now. I woke up this morning and decided to walk to La Boca. Now I am not that educated on La Boca..but everyone says there is a river walk ¨"Caminita" that is really cool and touristy....yet the travel books I have said that La Boca is downright dangerous to walk through except for that little touristy area. Well, I walked there....and lets just say La Boca is the rough and tumble part of the city. It was like me walking down Hoover Street in Los Angeles. I was very nervous but alert. I finally reached the Caminita of La Boca which was the old port and where the italian immigrants settled....it is a colorful part of city with bright pains and houses thrown together with tin. The best way to describe it was Venice Beach California meets Venice Italy meets New Orleans French Quarter. Charming...bustling with tourists and shotzky gift shops. Outdoor cafes, street dancers and performers, tango shows and music flowing into the streets, reggae music and rastas, beer and pot. Everyone said "its too touristy"...but I am a tourist and I LOVED IT! It was everything Buenos Aires conjures up in the mind...romance, tango, music, hustle and bustle,
I roamed and shopped for hours captivated by its charm. It was an apropos ending to a whirwind trip. I had lunch at an outdoor cafe with a live tango show which was entralling...such a sultry and sexy dance, filled with intensity and passion.
As afternoon approached I figured I should head back. One of the shop keepers warned me that "the tourist area ends here and beyond this it is muy peligroso...very dangerous" But I walked past the La Boca soccer stadium surrounded by all its grime...street children, gangs, prostitutes, people sitting on the sidewalk loitering and drinking 40 oz beers....and I was being stared at the whole time. Unshaken...I just kept walking alert to what was going on...though I have to admit...I was glad when I got to the San Telmo Barrio border line...I felt safe again and could put my guard down. But I am glad to see that seedy and rougher side of life. It was about an hour walk there and an hour walk back.
Plus I lost control shopping for souvenirs..I vowed I wasnt going to buy much because it is always such a hassle to pack and get back. Oh well...so now I am just relaxing and will start to pack....get rid of some of my stuff that I have worn out and replace with the souvenirs, go to dinner, and then try to figure out if there is a departure tax. Its always a game leaving the country...trying to figure out if you have enough money to get out of the country but not too much so that you end up losing money on the exchange rate.
My flight tomorrow leaves Buenos Aires at 11;30 AM...and goes to Panama City..change planes and then on to LAX....17 hours of transit....please God dont let anything get cancelled or changed. The transit home is hard enough as it is without additional drama.
Well...I will let you all know when I make it home safe and sound and when I get all my photos posted on either facebook or my website. I really over did it this year..Usuallly I average about 500-600 photos...I have exceeded 1100 photos and that is because before I left I got a new 3GB memory card to replace my puny 128 mb card!!! So thank you for letting me take you along with me on this journey and for being a part of my life.....now I just need one of you to go with me next year...Egypt? India?? Baltic States??? Russia?? South Africa???
With much peace, love and gratitude...
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Thanksgiving from Buenos Aires |
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Written by Keith Rhoades
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Thursday, 25 November 2010 |
Well, after yesterdays ordeal...which I have to admit I think I handled it with a pretty good attitude though I was exhausted. I got to bed at 4 am...but was up at 8 am which I was glad...because I wanted to stick to my schedule and didnt want to lose too much time. I really didnt have anything planned last night anway...so nothing was really lost except some sleep. Plus I met some cool people and had a learning experience in aceepting life on lifes terms and being able to manage change and problems in a foreign country and language. I probably would not ahve been so calm if I was in LAX Airport! lol
It hardly seems like thanksgiving here...but I am thinking of all of you back home. Plus (now I can officially complain about the weather)...it´s hot and humid...ugghhh...I dont do this heat well. But I can at least wear shorts and t shirts again The other good things was at least I had been in Buenos Aires prior so I knew my way around and where stuff was and how to navigate. I walked up to the subway and took the subway up to Barrio Palermo which was really nice..upper middle class, zoo, botanical gardens and my destination...Museo de Eva Peron.
The museum was wonderful and contained her gowns, hats, shoes and other personal items plus all sorts of historical information. They also had old movie reels of her early movies and radio shows and of course her famous and passionate speeches as the First Lady. They also showed about her foundation which got the womens right to vote and social services for the young, elderly, etc. Though many disagree with her and her motives and politics...I am just fascinated with her life. They also had some of her childhood photos and family information.
I then hopped back on the subway and headed to he center of town where I stopped and had lunch at an outdoor cafe.....I just love Buenos Aires...I think it ranks in my top favorite cities Ive been to Rome..Istanbul and Buenos Aires. I then headed up to the Congresso area. The congress building is desinged after ours in Washington DC. There were some demonstrations going on which is always exciting.
I then headed back to San Telmo and La Boca Barrios...La Boca can be dangerous so I didnt venture to far in...maybe tomorrow. But I did go he museum of ARgentine History which was interesting though it was completely in spanish...so I was glad I can read spanish pretty well to understand what the stuff was saying. I then walked around Barrio San Telmo for a while and then went back to the hostel and took a nap. I have not done much night life this entire trip...and have bee saving it for the end....so these are my last two nights and I am determined to get the nightlife in now!
Tomorrow is my last full day and I am not sure what I will do....El Tigre? La B0ca? or just go shopping. Usually by this point of the trip I am ready to come home....but for some reason no this time. I feel like I could keep going another few weeks before I evenually got home sick or just plain tired of being on the road.
Well...Happy Thanksgiving ...sending love home. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 26 November 2010 )
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Written by Keith Rhoades
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Wednesday, 24 November 2010 |
Well....I knew this trip was going to smoothly and there always has to be one hellish day on each trip...today was that trip. Though I managed to get through with humor and met some new friends.
I was all packed and took the shuttle to the airport...when I arrived at the aiport it was sheer hell....massive hoard of people. My airline LAN went on strike today....and everyone told me to take LAN instead of Aerolineas Argentina because they were the ones that cancelled flights. I wait in a long line...only to be told...they didnt know when I was going to leave. For four hours I waited..finally they called me at 430. My flight was at 1 pm. They told me I could get on an Aerolineas Argentina Flight at 1040 arriving in Buenos Aires at 2 am. I took it...
I had to wait 6 more hours...in total I was at the El Calafate airport for 12 hours...and there is nothing there. ONe little store and a cafe. LAN gave me a free lunch which got me more upset because it was 2 empanadas. That was it. I handled it very well thought and stayed positive....but there was a lot of tempers flaring especially these three Brazillian women I met. I met a few people who were bumped onto my flight as well...we hung out which helped. Two from Paris and guy from Guanajuato Mexico. Finally at 10 pm we got on our flight...and then just before take off someone got sick...the paramedics had to come on the tarmack and take the person off on a guerny.
We finally arrived in Buenos Aires at 2 am....and the four people I met we split a taxi and got downtown..and got to my hostel. I called them from the airport to let them know I was going to be a late which was a challenge trying to use a pay phone. At any rate, it is 330 AM and i am going to bed....and sleep...more tomorrow..
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Written by Keith Rhoades
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Tuesday, 23 November 2010 |
Today was my built in "chill" day....I slept a little later and took my time getting ready this morning. I hiked up a mountain outside of town to get a view of the lake and the mountains. the weather was sunny and cold and really windy. If it wasn't for the wind it wouldn't have been too bad. I then walked downhill toward the lake and stumbled accross a little museum which actually was very interesting. It was a small but well put together museum about evolution and the native people of Patagonia, the creation of the various continents, and the migratory paths of early homo sapiens. It was really facsinating. I spent nearly an hour there. they also had a lot about Darwins expedition to this area and Magellan who coined the term Patagonia which meant land of barbarians because he felt the natives of this area were barbarians.
It was almost difficult for me to comprehend the historical time line of the earth...the millions of years for continents to slip and slide, periods of warming and glacial covering, the tens of thousands of years of dinosaurs and their extinction, and the migratory paths of humans from africa north to europe and trhough asia and over the bearing strait. It makes everything seem insignificant and at the same time significant. How all of that past history and mating lead us to be here and to be who we are...chance or divine pupose?
they also had an exhibit on evolution and what allowed mamals and particularly humans to evolve and survive. I then headed down to Laguna Ninez a preservation land by the lake with wetlands and went on a 3 mile hike. I would have enjoyed it more if there was less wind...but I saw so many birds...even flamingos! A bunch of different hawks, condors, comorans, and other native birds. It is spring so they are nesting. there were wild dogs chasing the birds and ruining their nests. The birds were getting pissed hovering above but there was nothing they could do. It was sort of sad to watch...but a reminder of the harshness of the wild and surival of the fitest.
I then headed into the small town of El Calafate which is only about 10 blocks long. I went window shopping and to the municipal museum which had a display of early pioneers to the region...mainly for sheep hearding and wool industry. I ate my packed lunch in the park, wandered around town and headed back to my room where I took a nap...nearly 1 1-2 hour nap...which is unheard of for me.
I felt sort of edgy and anxious all day...and most if it because I know I am in the tail end of the trip..the fantasy is almost over and I am "bracing for impact" of returning home. It is this sort of thinking about the future that robs me of the present and being totally present in the moment. Tomorrow I return to Buenos Aires for the last leg of this journey...and Saturday an all day journey back home to Torrance..to return to regular life...but what is that life.
Of course having more free time I have become more introspective today and really contemplating things about my life and goals I would like to attain. I think the two things in my life that I would like to see improved is social and career work. I feel the need to expand my social horizons and get out more perhaps even date if nothing else...create a more close tight nit group of friends as sometimes the loneliness I feel is overwhelming. and I realize that often the loneliness is self induced because I choose not to accept certain social invitation or put myself out there...and I really need to change that. I find that I often put wall around myself or keep myself guarded to keep from getting hurt but this is robbing me of close intimate friendships. this however is something I am looking forward to changing.
the other area of my life that is a disaster is work. It is not just my current job but the whole field of social services...Ive worked in it so long and am so burned out for a variety of reasons. Yet I stay in this field and my current job because it is secure and I am familiar with it. But I am not growing or thriving and I have no passion for it at all. I think about what I like what are my passions...travel, exercise-fitness, history, education and trying to figure out how I can make money or a career out of those things. At some level I realize there are so many career opportunity and options out there but I get so caught up in fear and not wanting to change or take risks...and thus I end up in a stagnant state. Ive started taking steps in getting certified in fitness. but in the back of my mind I still have these fears am I too old to change? what will happen? will I be any good? could I really do travel writing? what about insurance and benefits? what about steady income? These questions reace through my mind....and I get scared...but I realize that things cannot stay the same...
I have always believe that people do not make change in their life until the fear of change is less than the misery of the current situation. And I think in the last year the misery of my current situation outweight the fear of change and I am getting ready to make the steps necessary for change. I just dont know where any of this will lead.
When your young it seems like everything is set out for you and clear and you have time on your side. as you get older things get less certain and you begin to realize that the sands in the hour glass are beginning to get less.
Well, I digressed probably far more than I should have or you may have wanted to read....but I find this type of writing very therapeutic for me...it helps clear my mind, give me direction, and I usually learn that someone on the receiving end of this email wrestles with the same issues which helps me to know I am not alone.
It is my last night in El Calafate. Tomorrow is pretty much shot with transit...I have a flight back to Ushuaia, transfer to Buenos Aires, and return to my hostel. I have all day Thursday and friday and hope to see the Eva Peron Museum, walk around La Boca, and I would like to get up to El Tigre Delta. So much to see and do...so little time.
Well, until tomorrow night from Buenos Aires...
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Written by Keith Rhoades
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Monday, 22 November 2010 |
Hello...it is hard to believe that next Monday I will be back at work....but until then the adventure continues.
Last night I actually ended up having pizza which was nice for a change. I had to set my alarm to get up early. i scarfed my breakfast and the shuttle came and picked me up. There were two other people going from Minneapolis...so we talked about the old stomping grounds. This couple lived in the uptown area of Minneapolis. We drove up north to Puerta Bandera...it was cold and rainy and we got on a boat. Thankfully I remembered to take a dramamine.
We had to sit in groups of four so three Argentine women sat with me. They were from Santa Fe Argentina but had never been to Patagonia. Everyone here drinks mate out of a gourd. They didnt speak any english...so I really had a chance to practice my spanish. They shared their mate with me and we talked and laughed the entire time. It reminded me of the days sharing a Hookah in Amman Jordan. The water on the lake was really rough from the wind and people were getting sick. Even with my dramamine I felt pretty queezy and thought how am I going to take 8 hours of this.Eventually the waters calmed.
It was incredible...we sailed into an ice field with ice bergs all around. We even bumped into one small one! We visited several glaciers. It was another incredible experience. But what made it so much fun were Erica, Irma, and Estella...the three Argentine women. We divided our lunches and shared with each other. Irma was a social worker here in Argetina. We cruised Patagonian Ice Field for nearly 8 hours...the entire time it rained, sleeted, snowed, and was windy...but it was great...it WAS patagonia! It just added to the extreme wildness of this region.
We returned to port and I said my goodbyes to Irma, Erica, and Estella and exchanged facebook info. It was a reminder of the bittwersweetness of travel and of life for that matter...you share a time with someone...laugh, talk...and then goodbye. Change...everything is temporary and I can not cling to stuff forever but simply enjoy the moment as it happens.
The shuttle took us back to town and Papa Eduardo made me a hot cup of coffee when I got back to their home.I still havent been able to warm up.
Believe it or not...tomorrow I have a free day!! Nothing planned, no transit! I can actually sleep a little later and rest and regroup before I return to Buenos Aires!
Well, it is time to find something to eat plus I still feel a little dizzy like I am still moving on the boat. It is a weird feeling! I hope all is well with you...until tomorrow..
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 November 2010 )
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