The Trip That Almost Happened

La Flor
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Well, a friend of mine, Sierra, and I were supposed to spend the past weekend in Peninsula Valdes.  It's full of Magellanic penguins, sea lions and whales.  I was really excited for the trip.  On Thursday we were packed and ready to go.  We made it to the bus station and this nice man "helped us" find our bus.  Well, apparently he was not so helpful and he had us wait at the wrong stand and we ended up missing our bus.  Since it was a long weekend here due to Dia de la Raza on Monday we couldn't get another bus until Saturday and we were supposed to leave Puerto Madryn on Sunday.  So, we didn't end up going.  It's too bad but, we made the best of our weekend in Buenos Aires.

At Opera Bay
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Friday we went to get some of our money back and then proceeded to spend most of it on a small shopping spree, a feria, ice cream and a visit to a nice restuarant last that night.  Saturday we went to another mall and saw a movie.  I think it's call "Guardians of the High Sea" at home, with Kevin Costner.  I would recommend it, like any good movie, it made me cry.  That night we tried an upscale dance club and had a great time dancing the night away.  Sunday was a day to relax and we watched a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy that my wonderful sister has been sending me so I can keep up-to-date (I have the BEST sister ever!).

Being kissed by a camel at Tierra Santa
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Monday was my 21st birthday and Sierra (who is also my running buddy) surprised me with an alfajor with candles stuck in it and Nelly gave me a necklace.  The rest of the day Sierra and I spent at ferias spending the remainder of our trip money.  At night a few friends took me out to Acabar to celebrate my "cumple".  Overall it was a great weekend, I really had a good time.  Who needs penguins when you have good friends to pass the time away with?

Also, prior to the vacation that almost was, I had the unique experience of visiting a religious theme park.  I was expecting rides with Biblical themes like "Ride the donkey just like Mary did on her way to Bethlehem" or "Beware the flood on Noah's Ark".  But, thankfully, it was a lot more tastefully done than I had imagined.  It was basically a miniature Jerusalem that followed Jesus' life.  And, even though I'm not as used to all the imagery as the rest of the people in this very Catholic country, it was not so bad.  Except that is when an 18 meter high Jesus was resurrected every 30 minutes...that was something else.  But, an interesting experience nonetheless.

I have about five weeks left here in Buenos Aires and I have mixed feeling about going home.  But, I am very excited for Emily and Chris to come visit me.  They will both be here a month from today.  I can't wait to see them, we are going to have a great time!

That's all for now, a luego!