"The Paris of South America"

This past weekend, we traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  It was so fun!  Part of the memory is tainted by our horrible flying experience, but I am so glad I decided to go.

On our way there, our original flight to Buenos Aires was at 2:30 am.  Then it was delayed till 5 am, then cancelled, then we were booked on a 7:30 am flight, so we had been at the airport for 9 hours already and had gotten very little sleep on the airport chairs.

I got to hang out with a friend from Boston most of the time in Buenos Aires! He had been studying abroad in Buenos Aires for four months and I just barely caught him before he left back to the States.  I had my personal tour guide who knew all about the city and could find us some great food!

First experience in a hostel!

Recoleta Cemetery

We went to all the "touristy" stops, ate delicious parillada (meat), and had tons of laughs.  Friday night, I got to go with Ben to a wedding at the church he goes to.  The people getting married were friends of Ben who attend the church that he has become a part of.  It was simple and beautiful.  It was so fun to be a part of this, even though I had never met anyone before, but they welcomed me like they had known me my whole life.  Such hospitality.  I felt that they truly cared about me by the time I left at night.

Wedding in a Church

Diego (bride's brother) and Amanda (bride)

Ben and Joseph, from Angola, studying in Buenos Aires

Dessert table, yum!

New friend!

La Boca - a tourist stop at the "mouth" of Buenos Aires

Such colorful buildings!

The equivalent of Buenos Aires' "Fenway Park" - La Bombonera

La Casa Rosada - where the President lives

Graffiti on the streets

Lunch - Milanese Sandwich (breaded meat) so good!

Eco Reserves in Puerto Madero - like a whole other city

Best tour guide ever!

We had dinner at a cute restaurant called La Cholita.  It was so good! I ordered the "vacio" cut, and it was huge, as you can tell.  They serve you your food on a giant wooden cutting board!

Before

After

Sunday, I went back to the church where the wedding was held with Ben.  It was so sweet to see everyone so excited to see me!  The Pastor prayed over Ben and I at the end.  Love the community of God!

 

Train Station

San Telmo Street fair

Mate is a very big part of the Argentine culture.  It is a stronger kind of tea. There is a whole set of "rules" that come along with it, so I was really looking forward to trying some! When we got back to the hostel, the receptionist was kind enough to brew up some mate for us to try.  We sat around on the couch and drank mate!  You put the leaves into a special "mate" cup, stick the "bombilla"/straw in it, and pour water into the cup.  One person drinks all of the water in the cup, gives it back to the "host", who refills it with a liter thermos, and gives it to the next person.  So everyone shares one cup and straw, and you don't move the straw at all!  It is a sign of respect. 

Noam Chomsky's book in an Argentine bookstore!

A giant flower sculpture that supposedly opens and closes with the sunlight

On our flight home, just as we are about to land, the captain comes on the intercom (in Spanish) and tells us just kidding, we are actually landing in Concepcion, Chile, wherever that is, because we can't land in Santiago due to the weather.  We were almost home and yet, there was another hiccup.  So we landed in Concepcion at 12:30 am, wait around in the airport for 2 hours twiddling our thumbs waiting for Sky Airlines to inform us what we were supposed to do (something they are very bad at).  They then tell us that we can take a 7 hour bus ride back to Santiago.  So on top of a flight in the wee hours of the morning, we slept overnight on a 7 hour bus ride to arrive in Santiago at 9 am.  What. a. trip.

All in all, I had a great time in Buenos Aires! I loved getting to see the old, European, pretty buildings and walk around with a good friend in a foreign country!  The food was a lot better and cheaper than in Chile, I think, and I left with more souveniers than I have gotten my whole time in Chile.  Either it's the initial sparkle that I will always remember, or Buenos Aires is really pretty great.  I guess only time will tell.

This weekend, I'm going back to Argentina, except to Mendoza this time!  I sure am taking advantage of the reciprocity fee.  I am so excited to experience another part of Argentina, one I've heard is completely different from Buenos Aires and use up some more Argentine pesos.