Out of the Monster

We made it safe and sound out of the grips of the huge and frightening Buenos Aires.  For a few days we found a nice little hostel in Palermo, which is the up and coming trendy spot for going out, but far, far away from El Centro with some peace and quiet (and trees!).  Actually, we were in ¨Soho Palermo¨which makes us even hipper, but don´t tell people we´re still eating dinner at 8, or if we´re lucky 8:30 with all the other foreigners.  We met some interesting people staying at the hostel, and if staying for an undetermined period of time means anything, they were indeed, ¨interesting¨.  One guy had mysteriously not gotten his passport stamped while traveling from Brazil to Argentina, and couldn´t get his visa renewed to get back into Brazil, so he´s been in Argentina for a few months, and has no plans of leaving the hostel anytime soon.  He´s 64, from Maui, and is having catorac surgery in Brazil.  Hmm, why not go to the US Embassy I ask.  Oh, I´ll try that next, he says.  Yea, uh, good luck with that.

But we´ve definitely moved into the world of rambling travelers, with no agenda in site.  It´s a change from the everyday movers and shakers we were in Spain, but we´ve finally gotten to the point where we don´t feel guilty if we just lay around and read all day and sleep late (which is a new practice for me, as you well know).  It´s been warm and sunny in Tandil, which is at the base of some 2000 million year old mountains (some of the oldest mountains in the world!) with good hiking, mountain biking and horse back riding, but today it started raining and just recently stopped, conveniently for us to go out and find some food.  Which is perfectly fine with us.  I´ve taken up napping and have gotten good at finding disgarded, albeit random, books written in english left at hostels.  Currently I´m reading Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman and Jacob has just raced through the stunner Masters of Everon.  Good stuff.  We´ll be here at least until Wednesday, staying at Casa Changos, a chic hostel all to ourselves because it´s geared towards Argentineans and they only travel on the weekend, and once out of Buenos Aires, have yet to see another foreigner traveling, only locals, which is nice.  We literally have a whole wing at our disposal.  We´re staying in doubles, by the way, which gives is a great deal with hostel prices, but no more staying in dorm like settings.  Death to Bunk Beds! 

Then to Villa Gesell, a laid back beach town, where we hope to spend at least a week or two.  Such decisions we face.  Our only stress is figuring out the bus system, but we have to keep our brains working some how, right!

One more note on the food.  While Jacob has been getting Milanesa Bife at lunch and dinner every day, which translates to a chicken fried steak without the gravy, I have discovered the fabulous Tartas.  They´re like a quiche except some are just vegetables, like spinach or squash or sweet potatoe held together with some sort of, I¨m guessing egg binder.  It´s saved my vegetarian ways, and they´re huge and cheap.  4 pesos for a big wedge, which is a little over a US dollar.  Jacob´s Milanesa is 7 pesos, a grass fed steakish thing for about 2 dollars.  The cafe con leche can´t stand up to the espresso in Spain, however, but then again, what can.  we´ve been spoiled but are trying to cope.  Another dilemma we´ve been facing, although mostly Jacob, is what size of beer to buy.  You can get a 12 oz bottle for 2.26 pesos or a Liter for only 2.69!  This is much too much beer for me, but Jacobo has been enjoying the Liters on occasion in our relaxation mode.

See you on the beach!