ola from <buenos aires

<greetings from sunny <buenos aires.

<i shall start this blog with an update on how the travel went. <we started our day with a 4 am. wake up call and short 2 hour flight to <chicago. we spent about 6 hours in downtown chicago. i was impressed with the architecture of the city and althuogh iḿ not a fan of the usa, i did like chicago. we took a 45 minute train from the airport to downtown and then walked around for hours. <malaya enjoyed the change of scenery. we walked up this trendy high end shop street called michigan avenue and we went to this famous popcorn place ' <i serious cannot remember the name but this place was on oprah and its sooooooooooooo good. we got the caramal corn-cheddar mix. it sounds gross to mix these two together but trust me it was delicious. it is the kind of popcorn that leaves major caramal and cheese stains on your hands...so good.

<by mid afternoon we boarded our 2nd flight to miami. this flight was as easy going as the first. <malaya was easily entertained with a new toy every now and again, although she was starting to show signs of major fatigue having awoken at 4 am and having had a wierd short nap not at her regular time. for our first two flights we lucked out and had an empty seat between us so malaya didnt have to sit on our laps.

upon arrival in miami i requested a basinet for the flight. this is where the runaround started. iḿ not going to get into it but basically there was no way in hell anyone over at american airlines was going to get me a basinet. whatever. the flight was so full that 15 people were on standby. what a nightmare. <<<malaya was on my lap or marks lap for 14 hours straight. we were stuck in the plane on the tarmac for over 2 hours because the engine wouldnt start. one minute we were getting off the plane and not going to argentina, the next minute they were fixing it, the next minute it was too big of a problem and then whammo they decide to manually start the engine and get going. the pilot assured us that even though this isnt the usual way to start an engine we would be fine. so here is where it got sticky. we left miami somewhere around 11 pm and malaya was beyond tired and beyond unimpressed with having to sit on my lap. she screamed bloody murder for about 3 hours. she kept kicking and hitting this spanish speaking woman next to me and of course when i gave her trouble she took an even bigger fit at me. i am still in pain from her kicking me, biting me, ripping all the muscles in my arms from holding her all night. it was exhausting. then there is mark next to me ..... not dealing all to well. i can honestly say i am a stronger person for enduring that flight. it was torture and i nearly lost my mind and scratched out my eyeballs. i did nearly cry but kept it together knowing mark would not have been able to make it if i broke down on him.

we landed. we lived. the engine did not fail and malaya did fall asleep after 2 rounds of medication. <our first attempt, tylenol, worked more like a monster red bull energy drink so we opted for benedryl after the tylenol wore off....dont judge me. iĺl do it again on the way back

we landed in <buenos aires at around 9 a.m. and instantly noticed the temperature change. it is 16 degrees here today but it feels warmer.

today we did not do too much. malaya was still cranky and tired since she once again woke up at 4 a.m. today. we decided to stay at the hotel for nap time. unfortunately people slamming doors woke her up from nap early. iḿ hoping she sleeps through the <full moon white t shirt party tonight and the drinking games party and the pub crawl. seriously this is a very nice hostel and other than slamming doors it is quiet so far.

okay so back to today.

today we did nap time and then went for a walk on florida street. this is the street where our hostel is and it is a very large, touristy pedestrian only street full of shops, restaurants and a large number of beggar children holding babies. <we walked the street down to a large park and let malaya play on a playground. this was also a chance for mark to park it and rest. he isnt holding up too well. he definately has a cold and is exhausted. i think he may have a flu since he is complaining of feeling sore, weak and not having the energy to move. lovely. did i mention he had a partial root canal the day before we left

this park was a nice quiet time. lots of locals were lying on the grass doing nothing. lots of locals were making out too. you wouldnt believe the people in the park lying on top of each other going at it with the tongue. gross and graphic. i wouldnt mention it if it were one couple but when you see it all over itś a trend.

after the park we continued walking around the streets of our hotel. we located a laundramat and the so called grocery store is a joke ' no meat ' 3 boxes of cereal....you get the gist. <i did find milk for malaya so weŕe good to go.

language hasnt been an issue. not many people speak english outside our hostel but i am a pro at hand gestures. i ordered 3 meals today without saying much spanish. who am i kidding ' i know like 3 spanish words.

im not sure what to make of argentina yet. it had been such a trying 24 hours and like i said we didnt really venture out too far today. mark and malaya are sleeping now and im hoping they both wake up tomorrow back to their usual selves. heres hoping mark doesnt have the flu.

we will be in buenos aires until saturday. <i think weĺl take a proper tour of the city tomorrow and perhaps go to a soccer match could you imagine the pandemonium

i have no pictures to attach to my blog since the hostel has locked up the computer tower and i have no where to insert my memory card.....maybe later i also have no idea how to get punctuation to work on this keyboard. iḿ sure i make sense....to a degree...

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