I am leaving today, this afternoon, in a couple hours. I sit here in a cafe, looking out the window of a second story building. As I sip on my double espresso, I am writing in my journal, reflecting on my trip, and feeling a deep sense of peace. There is a huge parade on the street below me. The waiter tells me that the reason for the parade is to celebrate an anniversary of something South American (I couldn't understand everything he was telling me in Spanish). Children march by in groups dressed sharply in their school uniforms. Toddlers holding balloons and carried by their parents follow and behind them is a group of teachers. Military groups march by with their huge shiney guns with knives on the tips pointed to the sky. After I ... read more

I was not planning to go to Buenos Aires before I left for South America, but a friend of mine, Danielle, begged me to visit a friend of her´s that she had met on her South America adventure just a couple months ago. Her friend, Max, worked in the hostel in Buenos Aires (referred to as BA from here on out) and she was sure we would be great friends. 9:30 am Sat. morning, I arrived exhausted after an all night bus ride from Bahia Blanca. I walked up all the stairs of the Victorian building with my mochilas (backpacks) and threw all my things below the reception desk. A few youngsters were hanging out by the stairs drinking mate and I casually took a seat on the stairs. The guy at the desk said to ... read more

Playa Hermoso, the ghost beach town is the southernmost beach resort in the Buenos Aires Province and only a 30 min. bus ride from Doerrgo. It looks like a bustling town in the summer, but in the fall there are only a few fisherman and lots of shells scattered on the beach. I walked up and down the beach soaking up the sun and admiring the iridescent colors of the oyster shells. I spent the day contemplating if I was going to go to this volunteer job or not, I am getting very frustrated waiting around for them. Still not quite sure, but it was a relaxing day anyway. Feeling uncomfortable with simply flashing photos of strangers, I decided to introduce myself to a fisherman on the sand. His name was Blas and he was from ... read more

Enjoy some pictures- my camera is coming to life again!! Not quite fully there, I always have to use a flash and have no other manual controls... but hey that’s better than nothing. HaHa- to all those who said it wouldn’t work again! Always keep faith! Arrived last night to Bahia Blanca, the biggest city I have been to thus far in South America. I walked around the bustling city until 10, checking out the stores, trying desperately to understand the Argentine accent... zscha, zscha, zscha. I have been told many times that I sound like a Mexicana. At 10 pm, I went to the movies and saw Syriana, in Spanish- ha. I could only understand about half, if even that much because it was dubbed over in Spanish and not subtitled. Hmmm, should have asked ... read more

Easter Morning As the full moon continued to rise in the early morning of Easter, the light became more and more brilliant on the peak. The skies were clear and the stars were bright. Every hour or so when I turned to adjust myself in my down cocoon, I looked over to the glowing snowy peak and smiled. Something about moonshine on mountains just makes me smile. The mud on the ground was frozen and the puddles had iced over, but I was warm. Two beanies pulled down over my eyes, a turtle fur neck warmer pulled up to my nose, three layers of long john tops and bottoms, fleece pants and a top, wool socks and down booties was just enough to be comfy. Perfect. Well, almost. At around 5 am, the clouds started to ... read more