weekend update

This weekend was a combination of relaxing, slowness and events.  Mostly importantly I got to sleep in… so my friend went to brunch on Saturday without me (and don’t feel bad as she is a super morning person and another of her morning friends went with her).  Our events for the day centered around eating… we had lunch plans, shopping, and dinner plans. Both of the meals were so amazing!  I got ordered more beef and for dinner we did a full beef platter type thing – awesome.  My belly and blood are so full and richly red right now – um. 

We did make it out to a bar, Argentine style (very late) and then off to a club even later.  She bowed out somewhere around 3ish and I stayed out with a trustworthy and very nice friend of hers… I realized somewhere in my dancing that I wasn’t able to fully follow or know what my feet where doing that I was simply tired.  So we left… and boy would I have LOVED a Denny’s or IHOP right then, but nonetheless BA doesn’t have one so I hit my bed somewhere after 5ish.

To the more amazing surprise to everyone, I made it up before my friend went to brunch with her friends… so they left, I hopped in the shower, and joined them late.  Honestly, this might have been my favorite brunch spot, I ordered a cappuccino – it was so big and so awesome!  Not to mention the service was great and honestly, everything was just good… expect for the fact my brain was fully functioning and my friend and I couldn’t really communicate to each other and the more one of us tried to understand the more confused it got!  It was hilarious!!!

The rest of Sunday was equally as relaxed and lazy, we meet up with some friend for mate in the park… it started to rain so some folks came back to the house to chill.  I’ve decided that mate without sugar is not for me which is surprising as I’m such a plain drinker – normally I like my coffee dark and strong but this is different.  This is different, it has a way more earthly flavor and I just don’t like feeling like I’m eating trees so the sugar adds just enough to bring it back to a milder tea flavor for me.  Bottom line the mate in the park is a great tradition and everyone seemed to be out, very cool!

tango

Hello… I’m still in BA but I thought for my last day I’d catch you up. 

Friday I sort of spend the day centered around tango… I was up early to meet a co-workers cousin for brunch in  San Telmo however I got lost.  The cab driver either took advantage of my lack of language skills or just plain didn’t understand me and dropped me off in the completely wrong part of town.  Thankfully I was in a safe area just totally turned around and couldn’t find it on the map so I finally tried asking someone – hilarious but I got it.  I made it to our brunch location an hour later and am sure I missed her but it the day was still beautiful, so I ate and then honestly just wondered.  I wondered up and down the streets window shopping in the antique stores.  Honestly, if I had limited income and/or lived here I might have spent more time because the chandeliers here are gorgeous!  Then I wondered back to the Plaza Dorrego which is a little center that has restaurant tables, vendors, and a little bit of tango all in the same area.  I found a necklace I couldn’t live without and then sat down to wait for some tango…

It ended up being a short day for wandering around because my body was just done and tired – maybe old age setting in?!  hahaha!!!  So I came back to my friend’s house and chilled, it was great.  Once she got home we opened the bottle of wine, had a smorgasbord of food, and got ready for the tango show – perfect.  The show it’s self I thought was awesome!  I’ve seen better individual dancers however the tango dance is just really cool to me, the passion, the variety, and, here, the costumes all very very cool.  Really glad we went… and really glad my friend sucked it up for me as she is not a fan of watching it at all  …now that’s an awesome friend. 

Go Green!

Yes, I’m in the southern hemisphere and still managed to watch MSU play last night… wait, did they actual play because whatever happened last night I’m not really sure what that was?! 

As much as my friend doesn’t watch or follow or even know that sports exist… she apparently has friends that enjoy watching March Madness.  So we went to their house, where the games were projected on wall, we opened a good bottle of wine, and enjoyed homemade thai food – delicious!   (I tried getting to go bags, but no one would listen to me?!  haha)!

Somewhere along the day toured Cemeterio de la Recoleta and saw Evita’s resting place.  My friend is so right, walking into this cemetery is like walking into a Tim Burton movie but only in real life – very cool!  I also should mention our tour guide was amazing!  She spoke very good English and was super knowledgeable about the sites… and she even through out some perfectly timed jokes.  Great stuff.  Next I wondered up Avenida Alvear which is supposed to be like the Paris Champs-Élysées but it’s on a super small-scale here, though the Ralph Lauren (one of my favorite stores) was too intimating even for me to walk into!  The entrance to this store reminds me of the Playboy Bunny club entryways… like I needed a key or special invitation?!  Crazy!  Anyway, I strolled up to the Teatro Colon, got my tour this time and it was amazing!  They were doing a final rehearsal before the performance that night so we paused for a moment and listen… honestly, highlight of the trip so far – it was so great!  This is supposed to be the #1 rated for opera acoustics and #3 rated for orchestras in the world.  The musicians don’t need any kind of mics, the sounds just travels that perfectly.  After, I headed to the water and by then I was hungry so sat down and had a very delicious steak… finally after my belly was full I found my way home.  All in all, another good day. 

walking… shopping… talking…

Yesterday, as you can guess I did some walking, shopping, and surprisingly talking!  As I was venturing out for the day I ran into a lady that I was in line waiting with the day before… she was from Mexico, but spoke great English.  We chatted to fill the time…  today, to my super random surprise, she was in line again!  What are the chances of that happening in such a big city?!!    So we ventured out together for the first half of the day…

The tourist part started in the heart of the city, Plaza de Mayo – kind of like the park behind the White House… but dirtier.  I found it odd that monuments were painted or chipping and grass was very bare in spots.  Took pictures of the Casa Rosada – their White House.  It really is pink, but not as pink pink as I was imagining in my mind… more like a brownish pink but very cool because it’s so close to the sidewalk and with ID one is able to go on a tour that day.  Then we walked along Avenida de Mayo to have brunch at Cafe Tortoni – oldest cafe still brewing in the city.  The inside was beautiful!  Lots of wood and marble, very heavy but beautiful feeling.  Next we walked back to Calle Florida (a pedestrian road much like downtown Kalamazoo) all for shopping.  While I didn’t really do any shopping, we did stop in a few leather stores (I almost got super sucked into getting a me designed hand-made leather coat!) and the big galerias – shopping malls, but more beautiful than ours.  Finally, the street ended passing the empty Harrods – yes, same one from London but now gone – and opened into the Plaza San Martin, which is also the beginning of the ‘museum mile’.  This plaza has one of the oldest rubber trees in the city, very cool!  It kind of reminds me of the big old trees from Charleston that need help standing up but more stringy looking in the trunk.

Next I ventured up Avenida 9 de Julio, this is that super huge road you see in postcards or pictures, toward the Teatro Colon (opera house).  However the guy selling tour tickets decided that today wasn’t the best day and if I had time to come back on Friday that would be better… I appreciate his honest, so I’ll be back on Friday.  By now a snack break was needed in the Plaza Lavalle and i decided that there was at least one purse I really, really liked!  So I walked all the way back to the store, Prune on Calle Florida to purchase. 

After this home was calling my name… and while I know how to hail a cab I don’t know how to speak to a cab driver, so thankfully I’ve gotten each destination written down and just simply point to the paper and show the cab driver!  hhahahaa!  Next up is a change of clothes to meet up with some friends for a good old American style happy hour and Argentine style wine tasting.  Both very fun but the latter being on the long-winded side!  Granted, I had no idea what the guy was talking about… but he just kept talking and talking – hello, wine in front of me?!!!

touring

Yesterday began with a 12 hour sleep – awesome!  Breakfast was coffee, fruit, yogurt on the porch… I know, rough life.    On a side note the yogurt is so delicious and super smooth!  Then I headed off to raid an ATM machine and venture on my way.  First off it was super weird seeing my paycheck in peso… I had to mentally remember how much I normally get and honestly, I’m horrible with conversions but at least I have some now.

The majority of the day was spent on top of a double-decker tour bus – Buenos Aires Bus.  It’s one of the those ride for 24 to 48 hours and hop on or off depending… however they also have headphones to ‘plug into’ the tour in whatever language you prefer.  The total trip is supposed to be just over 3 hours… well, it’s me, so we know that didn’t happen!  I’m not sure why mine took longer besides just general stops, traffic, and breaks but oh well.  I think those types of tours are a great way to orient oneself to an area.  I got to see a TON of the city… all parts of the city and honestly probably way more than if I would have attempted to hit all those parts via my own transportation.  Granted the down side to my way, is that I just stay on for the tour guide overview type thing.  So I don’t get off to take the perfect picture… because I leave that for other days this week. From the tours I like to take what I thought I wanted to do with what sparked my interest, combine and go.

Overall thoughts of the city are:

• parts of the city remind me of Chicago’s residential sections… the section north of the Mile overlooking the park.  I’m surprised by this because I am in Latin America.
• on the other hand… parts of the city are so VERY what we think of in Latin America and it’s kind of weird and cool to see this all scrabbled up together.
• I’m very surprised at how spacious the city feels.  Maybe some of that is because I was riding from the second story of bus looking down on people but the streets are wide (to accommodate the crazy traffic but still lots of space in some parts).
• finally, I am continually amazed at all the green space.  The city, with all its people and traffic, still has places to hang out and relax in – not to mention soak up all the pollution.  Very cool and because of this I’m going to try my hardest to be outside this whole week.

We finished up the night with a bottle of wine chatting at home… a new grape for me and super awesome – Torrrantes.  Honestly, might be my new favorite white it’s that awesome.  For food we went out to this good, middle of the road type steak house.  I tried the pvovoletta (with bread of course for my stomach) but it was very tasty!  And for our meat option we did a baby beef… I wish I could remember the cut or maybe that is the cut but it was good.  It didn’t come as rare as I personally like but my friend said that will happen often but in general the steak was so good.  It was still tender and chewable for me, the generic table Malbec was good (not as good as Sunday’s bottle) but everything, while around like $25ish, was just not the same caliber as I would normally get at home.  So far… so good. 

i have arrived!

Well, its official, I”m here in BA!  So far it feels like a long but fast blurry journey to get here.  I spent 7 hours in ATL – pampered my toes, my nails, and my entire body… and even took a break from all the pampering to watch MSU!  Go green!  It’s never the most ideal to spend 7 hours in layover time but I have to say, it also wasn’t the worst.  The 10 hour red-eye flight its self wasn’t that bad either… though I think the anticipation of doing it again is not going to be fun.  In my head I broke it up in pieces – movie #1, movie #2, sleep, arrive.  The first two and the last piece of the trip went off without a hitch; it was the middle that left me a lot to be desired.  Bummer that I didn’t sleep a whole lot but I did enough to not make me totally out of it.

So we speed into the country at about 30,000 plus thousand feet (my ears were fine!!!!) at about 550 miles per hour – amazing.  Honestly, the hardest part of the whole trip is that my entry forms (customs and immigration) need better instructions.  Maybe even instructions for dummies!  The print was so small, it was in three languages, and some of the questions didn’t even make sense.  Now I’m guessing most people out there are thinking, well ask the flight attendants… we did and no help.  Million dollar idea #1 – travel form instructions for dummies, pocket-size addition.  It was hilarious!  I was trying to read the form out loud for the little old ladies next to me then the three of us would attempt to discuss what information it was actually asking for… oh to be in the row behind us most have been amusing.

Anyway, the plane landed and despite my lack of knowledge with the language or forms customs and immigration were easy.  Oh I also found out my immigration fee is good for up to ten years (so, yes, we definitely have to come back and spend some time just in wine country).  My friend here gave me very detailed and awesome instructions on how to find a cab and we made it through the city with my arm still in tact.  I say that because the weather is so beautiful I really wanted to stick my arm out the window while driving but honestly, it would have been lost!  They drive so close here – imagine DC but with smaller cars and no thoughts about staying in lines or maintaining the laws of traffic.  I could have reached out and touched the car next to us multiple times!  OH – they all have manuals down here! 

Surprisingly my friend was home when I got here… she wasn’t feeling well therefore it was a perfect match.  I was tired and she wasn’t 100% so we took the day really easy.  Chilled out, went out for a very delicious brunch, strolled back, drank wine, ate in… oh we got a hail storm last night!  I was in bed around 9 pm because I was so tired.  All in all… good way to start a relaxing vacation.

week 3: lessons learned

I have to admit I don’t have to many to really no lessons learned this week because I’ve just been busy… so that’s probably the biggest lesson or struggle is how to balance life (hanging out with friends, getting stuff done around the house, etc) with working out.  I feel like right now I can only focus on one or the other, then I get frustrated because I’m behind in whatever I didn’t focus on.  If anyone out there has some solution or comments – please I’m completely open to seeing/hearing differently.

Though I will report that I’m only past day four of no candy month (four because I started late and then messed up and had candy that first day) but it is going ok.  I’m still in the phase of missing it and the crunch/workout it gives my jaw is great – but I’m hoping the apples and other harder type food will offset.  Normally when I do stuff like this it’s day 10 that is the ‘ah-ha’ marker and by the end I just feel so much better I’m happy to not go back.  Giddy up to day 5!

Oh and I’ve decided my next month will be to add in a salad every day – now that will be a challenge because I just tend to not like them and don’t even think about ordering them when I go out… but nonetheless I feel much much much better when I eat more of them.

Other really random but exciting things – I’ve officially booked my ticket to Argentina!  I’ve also booked my ticket back home for a friends bridal/bachelorette parties!  And I will be seeing some of the Alaska family in April!  …see it’s been a busy/exciting week.  So far I’m really thankful 2012 is going so well, hopefully your is too.  :)

Traffic

So we all know DC has horrible traffic, but last week we apparently had ‘sunshine delays’ (yes, NPR traffic report called it sunshine delays)?!  Really?!  In DC I have traffic problems for tourists wandering around, rainy days, of course snow days (by snow days I mean about 1/2 inch), and now we get stopped up for sun?  This is not the Mid-West, we have sun fairly often…

Unlike DC, the Mid-West can go for months without seeing the sun… or so it feels like.  Though a couple of years ago I was visiting a friend in the Mid-West and I was following him somewhere – him in one car and me in another.  He pulled off the highway, I pulled off the highway; he turned on a street, I turned on a street; he turned into the parking lot, I turned into the parking lot…. oh wait, we were NOT supposed to be going to this store?!!!  I got out of my car so confused to ask is something wrong, is the car ok, why are we here, change of plans, etc… to my surprise we pulled over to gaze at the double rainbow?!  Haha!!

Welcome to the Mid-West.

i got coal for christmas!

I have to say this past Christmas was definitely one of the best!    I don’t know if it was Mom’s new house or that I just really needed a break from life in DC but it was so nice to be home for those 10 days.  The trip began with a full day of being Aunt Chaz and an awesome I love you voice mail left late one night from Andrea – very awesome message (and yes it is still on my phone)!  Next up was the annual Savage holiday party with Mom’s house decorated beautifully and the food was amazing.  That was definitely the start of visitors coming and going along with me gaining at least five pounds.  I had such a great time catching up with all our Gratiot County family/friends – they are wonderful people. 

Next up is Christmas festivities themselves… we have the tradition of baking our goodies on the 24th, having a nice dinner, heading to church, and sometimes over to a friend’s for desserts.  This year however the dessert party was postponed until after I was already back in DC.  Instead Mom and I came home and just chilled – it was great!  Actually, now that I think about it not only did I spend the whole week eating I spent a good majority of the week on the couch (which is suuuuuper comfortable)!  …maybe that’s why I gained those extra pounds?!

Anyway, so we’re sitting there watching a Christmas movie, counting down the minutes until Santa comes when I heard it… he was coming early to my house!  Normally, he comes to my house just like everyone else is – after I fall asleep.  But this year, he was coming right at mid-night?!  (Can you just see the grin from ear to ear?)  Yup, Mom thought it might be fun to have our little family Christmas a few hours earlier than normal – awesome!!  …and then not so awesome…

I got coal in my stocking!  I don’t know if Santa thought 2010 wasn’t a very good year for me but man, really?, coal?!  …ok, it might have been stuffed with a little money and super cute in its little Santa hat! 

Soon after we headed to Grandma’s and had a chance to play with the rest of the family – always awesome to hang out!  We even got to see a 3-D movie with Grandma the next day – of course along with a little shopping.  In all, it was a very good time at home and fun celebration with all. 

sledding

Ok, I have to admit my new favorite role in life is being Aunt Chaz!    The little ones in my life totally just thrill me and I love them to pieces.  This Christmas I got the chance to introduce one of the little ones to a typical Mid-Westerner holiday activity – sledding!!!

So Mom’s new house has an awesome hill in the back yard -well just right for little ones- and since I had the privileged of hanging out for a full day with one of them and the key to the awesome day was the back yard.  Check out the fun!