One Month Left

Today is May 24th, which means I have exactly one month left in Argentina. Where have the past three months gone? Now I really feel the pressure to do everything in the city. It is easy to forget you are still partially a tourist when you are living here for such a long time.

My flight is July 3rd...I will be home just in time for July 4th. I plan on taking one last trip at the end of the program. I am either going to Salta or Chile. Everyday I change my mind. I really wish I could go to both, but they are a 20 hour bus ride from each other. I also would love to go to Bariloche, but there is just not enough time. I will definitely have to return to Patagonia one day. Its funny... a year ago, I thought Patagonia was just a brand like North Face.

Last weekend I stayed in Buenos Aires. I really like the weekends I stay in the city because there is so much to do. We finally went to this new club called Bahrein. There were two floors so when we got bored of one scene we just went upstairs to try something new. We also got in for free with these coupons. Now that I only have one month I want to try new bars and boliches.

On Friday, I went to the free cooking class provided by IES. It was awesome to see this chef make empanadas, dulce de leche dessert, steak, and other delicious food. At the end of the class we all got to try some of everything. I plan on using the empanada recipe in the United States and cooking for my friends. I really do miss cooking here. 

The carne for the empanadas.

They let us fill the empanadas.

Dulce de Leche dessert

I finally ventured to the Salon for the first time. Waxing is incredibly cheap here. I have always wanted to get my legs waxed, but I never wanted to pay for it. It was only $7 here! They also do not use paper here, but honey wax. It was quite the surprise when she yanked the wax off. I think it hurt a lot less than the American method.

Today I explored the wool district in Palermo. I was so proud of myself for getting home from Palermo. For someone without a sense of direction, it is amazing how far I have come from the first couple of weeks. I did not have a map or my guia t (the guide of all the bus routes) and I managed to find the subway. Anyway I bought some wool to start making a scarf. This girl knits every spanish class and I have been extremely envious. I really miss knitting.

 Time to celebrate the feriado (holiday) - no class manana!!

Tandil

This past weekend I took my first IES field trip to Tandil. It was a nice relaxing weekend away from the city. Tandil is only five hours from Buenos Aires. Apparently the name Tan dil mean falling rock in Mapuche.

We left early on Friday morning. We stopped for lunch at an Asado (Barbecue). I ate so much I was still full for dinner. We literally ate every type of meat. It was one of the most delicious meals I have had in Argentina.

Afterward we drove to see a view of the city. 

I was not expecting a real city when I signed up for a hiking trip. It was interesting to see a pretty large city right next to farmlands and hills.

The next day we woke up and hiked all day. It was a great opportunity to spend time with other students I haven't met before. I also finally got a chance to talk to some of the staff and practice Spanish.

At night we went to a cheese fondue restaurant for dinner. Naturally we had to order wine.

The next day we visited the famous "moving rock." Well it turns out there used to be a famous rock that would rock back and forth. It finally fell in 1912 and split into two pieces. In 2007 the city decided to recreate the rock and glue it into place.

Here is a picture of the fake rock.

The idea is cool in theory - but it seemed kind of silly to visit a fake rock.

On Sunday we went to an ecological park and walked around. 

 

 

 

Adorable

At the top of the mountain we saw another view of the city and horses. 

When we came down from the mountain we had one last amazing meal. We had guiso (stew) and plenty of meat. They love their meat here in Argentina.

For dessert I splurged on some chocolate ice cream.

After lunch we took a ski lift up to the top of the mountain for more walking and picture time. It was kind of the theme of the trip.

Overall it was a nice, relaxing trip. But now I am ready to spend some time in Buenos Aires. I feel like I am always traveling.

Sunday night I went to plaza Serrano with some friends to celebrate my 21st birthday! It was exactly how I imagined a 21st birthday to be. After the plaza we found a club (even on a Sunday night - this city really does not sleep). We finished the night off with pizza at Molinos. I did not go to bed until 7am. Mariana (my host sister) went straight to her Monday class the next day. 

Thanks to everyone for who made it an amazing birthday!

Also congratulations Rachel and Dan on their engagement...mazel tov!

Machu Picchu: One of the seven wonders of the world

Yesterday I came home from my Spring Break in Peru. I feel I have been gone from Buenos Aires forever. I was way overdue for a blog entry.

I guess I will start with my Inca Jungle Trek. We left for Cusco on Friday morning and started our trek Saturday morning.

The first day we rode bicycles down the mountain. Puder successfully rode a bike by herself!

The second day our guide Jimmy John (yes his name was Jimmy John) offered us the option to go white water rafting.

The day after they they offered us a chance to go zip lining. Naturally we could not say no once they kept offering us these wonderful deals.

We did a lot of hiking and trekking through the mountain. We were able to walk to same path as the Incas. Our tour guide taught us about the chasquis or runners who would send messages for the Inca civilization. Basically one chasqui would run a long distance and then pass the message to the next chasqui. 

The last day we finally went to Machu Picchu. In 2007 Machu Picchu was voted a new addition to the seven wonders of the world. 
We woke up at 3 in the morning because the first 400 people to climb Machu Picchu are given a permit to climb Wayna Picchu. It was pitch black and I had to use peoples surrounding lights to see up the mountain.

The six of us made it to the top of the mountain.

Machu Picchu was so amazing. I literally could not put my camera down.

We climbed on the back side of the mountain and the view was incredible. We were literally sitting in the clouds.

After our tour of Machu Picchu we hiked to the top of Wayna Picchu. We were able to see the top of Machu Picchu from a birds eye view.

We took a lovely nap at the top of Wayna Picchu. We were pretty tired. They literally asked us to leave because apparently everyone must leave by 2pm. Machu Picchu closes at 5pm. We spent almost 12 hours there.

My feet dangling on top of Wayna Picchu.

My favorite picture of Machu Picchu.

Overall Machu Picchu lived up to its expectation and in reality was more than I could imagine.


The next three days were a low of my trip. I finally got super sick after the intense hike, elevation, and water in Peru. One day I slept 18 hours in Cusco. I wish I hadn't missed the city, but I needed to rest.


We headed to Lima for the end of our trip. We took a free walking tour of the city and learned a lot about the history of the Incas and the Spanish. We also went on a shopping spree. Apparently llamas are a big hit in Peru and I bought a warm, comfy llama sweater. 


The last night we celebrated Alana aka slani's 21st birthday in Lima. 
6 more days until my 21st!