Agra via Delhi

We woke up early to the imam, grabbed what we had packed the night before and left for the bus station. We found the 7 AM Volvo and took off for Delhi.

We met Jesse with Babalu (our driver) in Delhi at the bus stop. We relaxed at the Varma house for a few hours, had a wonderful lunch, and took a shower. Then we took the long, crazy, traffic filled drive to Agra. Our Hotel was beautiful, fancy, and filled with foreigners. It was definitely the most opulent place we stayed.

Lost in Jaipur with no Hindi

We woke up to the imam calling people to prayer at 5 AM. After tea and biscuits, we went with Sanjay to see his silver shop and buy our tickets for the bus tomorrow. The shop was great!




Sanjay dropped us off at City Palace, but it wasn't open yet. The Palace was oppresively hot and OK but not fantastic.

We had an hour of madness, noise, and begging before we found an ATM and someone who could help us find a place for lunch (LMB). We also had fun paying a shop keeper with a quarter in place of 16 rupees. He was very excited when he saw the quarter in Lacey's change purse and after we paid him, he showed it to everyone in the shop. LMB was great and cost about $15 for lunch for two which was swanky by Jaipur standards.

After lunch, we found an autorickshaw outside and negotiated a decent price. We even convinced our driver to actually take us to our destination instead of the first place he tried to leave us.

When we got home, Anu wanted to know what Lacey's freckles were. She wondered if they were scars and was shocked when I showed her that I had freckles too but that they were harder to see because my skin was darker. While Lacey napped, I walked about a bit. I saw pigs, goats, and cows in the street and cows sleeping under shady corner trees. I can honestly say I never stood out so much my entire life before that moment.

In the evening, we relaxed on the veranda and had some beer, before heading out to buy takeout for dinner. That was a wonderful adventure. While we waited for our food, our hosts took us to a street vendor to buy food. He would take mashed potato, stuff it into a tiny pastry shell, dip the whole thing in butter and hand it to you in a bowl made our of leaves. As fast as customers could eat these things the guy could make more. He just counted as everyone ate and when folks had their fill they generally drank the butter from their bowl and paid him 5 rupees (about 8 cents) per 6 pastries. Lakshayta must have eaten twenty!

Jaipur!

I slept more than Lacey with the time change, but we both woke up early, probably 5 AM local time. After a quick bite to eat we caught the 7 AM bus to Jaipur. We experienced the standard foreign confusion as we tried to buy tickets and find out whether to pay before or after we got on the bus. Lacey didn't feel great but the bus ride was OK with the exception of some bad Bollywood at the end and when the bus driver forgot to let us off at the right stop.

Luckily, another passenger, Ubikesh helped us out, because the taxi drivers were on the two of us like white on rice. Sanjay was at work so we met Anu at home. She was wonderfully welcoming , gave us tea, and sent us off to a nap to recover.



After our nap, we walked to the store to get water and snacks. We were clearly an oddity, with friendly little children shouting hi and following us. After Sanjay came home, we bought beer and groceries and relaxed on the terrace. Anu made dinner, which was fantastic and Lakshayta (their daughter) ran amok with her friends before we went off to bed.

Landed in Delhi

We landed in New Delhi about 8 PM with Kanik and two of his freinds, Anchul and Rodika. It tooka couple of hours to get luggage, buy gifts at duty free, get cash, etc. Kanik's family met us at the airport and we rode back to his house. We talked for a bit, ate some dinner and crashed.

Going to India

For those of you who I haven't told, Lacey and I will be headed to India for two weeks next month. A friend is getting married and it was too great a deal to pass up, so despite not having much vacation accrued yet, I plan to use it all up! Photos and stories to follow when we get back.

Visiting Friends in Syracuse

Lacey and I drove to Syracuse to visit some friends, Mike and Jill, and their new dog Nacho. Mike and Jill moved there about a year ago from Boston and are enrolled in grad school. It was a real Boston renunion as Jeremy and Marla came in too.

I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed Syracuse. One of my favorites was this gas station covered in quilts.




We also tried out Mike's new smoker. The ribs were so good, Mike and I ate them until we felt a little queasy. Everyone else was smarter. We also went to a local music fest and heard Chaka Khan sing.




On the way back, Lacey and I stopped at some wineries and checked out Lake Geneva. It was really, really nice. We even drove by Geneva Falls, where my grandmother was born.

Northern Michigan

Lacey and I spent the weekend in Northern Michigan. It was a great chance to see a side of Michigan I'd definitely never seen.

We saw the Mackinaw Bridge and stayed on Mackinac Island, ate pasty's and fudge and generally spent as much time on the water as we could.

Buenos Aires Recommendations

Well, I'm back home and this will be last travel blog for a while. But I wanted to give everyone some links to things to do in Buenos Aires, the last stop on my tour. It's affordable and fun compared to any other city it's size in the world.

First, there is a recent New York Times article that a lot of you sent me with plenty of recommendations. My favorite way to find restaurants in BA, aside from asking friends, is the Guia Oleo Restaurant Guide. www.whatsupbuenosaires.com) is a bilingual guide to the city’s arts, music and cultural offerings. www.bue.gov.ar), the city’s official tourism site, has event listings, useful tips and directories. Another expat blog I found in the NYT article is www.tangospam.typepad.com.

If you want to learn Spanish, check my earlier posts for the two schools I've used.

Hopefully, you'll all hear from me soon on another adventure.

In Houston

Well, I made it. I had a relatively good flight and managed to sleep a full 8 hours. I sat next to a guy who grew up in California and Mexico and we talked off and on for a couple of hours in Spanish, which was a nice reminder that I can keep up what I've learned. I've got a few hours and then I'll be in Cleveland. 24 hours from now I'll be at work!

Last Day

Last night I went over to Ceci's new house for a cup of tea. I got to meet her son, Andreas, who is 11 but already a head taller than her. The new house is great. It's way in the back of the complex and has 3 private patios. There is probably moore outside space than inside.

After Ceci's, I met Sofia and David at the house of cheese, which, as you can imagine, has a ton of cheeses to choose from. After dinner we wandered to a nearby bar and sat outside while we had a couple of beers.






Today I did a bit of shopping and had a nice traditional Argentinian lunch at the Querencia. Now I'm justing waiting for the bus. By the time most of you read this I'll be in the US

Ice Cream

I went back to Belgrano lasr night, to the Sunday night fair. It was a perfect night, warm but not humid and two guys were performing traditional Argentian music. I even found the belt I wanted to buy.

I also spotted a Persicco ice cream shop. The ice cream in Argentina is amazingly good. I can't decide if Italian orr Argentian is better, but they are the best in thee world and quite similar, ice cream here is a product of Italian immigrants. Most of the Argentines I know believe Persicco is the best but I say Volta has them beat. The lemon tart flavor was good at Persicco, but the dulce de lech (the test of any local ice cream) was too bitter.

After the park, I went to the Viruta and took another lesson, before catching the bus home. Can't believe I'm almost home.

Today I need to look for a pair of brown shoes aand don't have much else in the way of plans.

Bust

Was supposed to meet up wiith friends last night for some music but somehow I go the address wrong and nobody was there when I showed up...better kuck tonight.

Couchsurfing Party

I hung out with Andreas and Sofia at a relaxed bar (think Argentian interpretation of Cheers or an Irish bar) before meeting Martin at a couchsurfing party. There were a ton of people. I only wish I had come across theem sooner.

Pool

Martin and I went to Jobs Bar last night. Martin is another porteño (native of Buenos Aires) that I met through couchsurfing. I'm still badat pool, but I had a great time having a night out with only Sspanish, listeniing to Martin speak fast about politics and traveling.

La Viruta

I went to La Viruta last night with Eric and Julietta. I think I'm getting the hang of the basic Tango. On the way home, it started pouring rain wwhile I waited for the bus and I got soaked before I could fiind a cab.

Where is the beef?

Farmers, who traditionally are one of the wealthiest and most poweful groups, are protesting a hike in crop taxes. At the moment, agriculture is Argentina's primary industry. The strikes have started causing shortages in beef and milk.

Last night, there heaated speeches by both the agriculture union head and the president and people took to the streets to support the union with pots and pans. It's interesting to me because I think most of the protesters are economically better off with the taxes they are protesting. Here are some news stories about the protests:

Story 1

Story 2

Story 3

Peruvian Food

Cecilia aand I went to El Rey (the king) last night to have Peruvian food. It was great and cheap and spicy. It's the first spicy food I''ve had in weeks. Argentina normally has nothing remotely approaching spicy. The restaurant even had Inca Kola, a Peruvian soft drink that I remember Cathy telling me about from her Machu Pichu trip. After dinner, I just went home. There wan't too much going on because of all the farm tax protests, whhich I'll havee to post about later.

Out Late

I managed to have a proper night out in Buenos Aires, but I needed 4 cups of coffee and a red bull to make it. Nicolas and I went to a damcee club called Palacio Alsino. His cousin was kind enough go put us on the list at the door. It was a sort of techno modern club but actually reminded me a lot of dance clubs I went to in College in Gainesville and Daytona Beach, TJ Morrisey's anyone. We got there at 2, it didnn't get busy until 3, and was going strong when we left at 5. By the time I got to bed, the sun was rising, definitely the first time I've seen that here. My favorite part was the number of people wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night.

I have to say I'm still thoroughly American. As hard as it is for my Argentinian friends to imagine, I'd still rather go to bed st 10 most nights.

Belgrano

I went for the first time, I thought, to Plaza Belgrano, a leafy suburb in the NW part of the capital. Once I got there, I realized that it's not too far from where Stefan and Malin and Ii went to aa free outdoor cooncert last year. We walked through the park and then Chinatown last year to get to the concert.

The park is pretty nice, but a bit rundown like pretty much all the parks. There was also a nice little outdoor craft fair where I found a belt. While I'm on the subject of parks check out the photos one of my Chilean classmates took.






Belgrano is still close to things but there are much quieter streets there and I nnoticed a lot mmore families living there and a lot more trees. I'm glad I made the effort to go check it out.

After the rain

The rain, which was unseasonably strong, with tornadoes, cleared up today and I had a great dinner at Miranda with Pall, Julietta, and Julietta's boyfriend Eric. Miranda was great and Ii had my best steak so far in Buenos Aires. After dinner, we hung out at Olsen, a Scandinavian bar that's also in Palermo.



Earlier in the day, I went back to thee Ecological Reserve for a run. I couldn't get the photos to come out the way I wanted, but I came across a column of leaf cutter ants. They cut leaves into pieces a couple of times largger than themselves and then carry the pieces back to the colony. I don't think I've ever seen them before except on TV, but I remember my Mom telling me about some ants that would infest her home as a kid annd thhe whole family would have to move out for a couple of days until they left.

Hispanaires

This morning I went by the school where I took classes last year, Hispanaires and said hi to the owners, Flor and Carina. Wher I'm taking private classes that I absolutely love and are perfect for me this year at N, but if you want a physical space and to meet more students, I liked Hispanaires.

Other than class, I spent the rest off the day catching up on the blog and organizing my last two weeks.

Lacey is off

Lacey and I went to Shopping Palermo this morning to check email and buy some jewelry at a great store we had found before. I think it's my favorite mall in BA. It's nice, but not over the top like Galería Pacificos.

We took a hot subway ride (the bus is so much better during summer) to grab lunch at Pizza Guerin before my class with Sofia at 2. After clas, we packed up and then headed to the bus station. Seeing Lacey off, really has me thinking about how soon I'll be back. I know exactly what myjob will be Progressive (same group, same boss, just a bit of change to help me grow) and part of me can't wait to be back. At the same time, I want to make the most of my last two weeks and before I know it, I'll be sitting on the same bench where Lacey and I waited for her bus, waiting to head home.

Boca San Telmo

We went to Boca this morning to wonder about and look at crafts. We found some inexpensive wallet and bombillas (metal straws for drinking mate) right away. Then we walked up to San Telmo, stopping on the way for a McDonald's dulce de leche ice cream. It's strange, but Mcdonald's is much more upscale, eith espreso and real tableware.



In San Tellmo I found a belt, probably need to go back and get more. We stopped for lunch at el nivel, which was only so so and slow even for Argentina. Still it was nice to escape the midday heat. Closer to the Pink House, we saw more hand made crafts and jewelry.

We took the bus home and then went to Volta, our favorite coffee/ice cream parlor.

Amazing Sunny Day

Lacey and I had a great day outside today. We walked/ran through the ecological reserve and then checked out a small craft fair before havng lunch at a sidewalk cafe in Puerto Madero




After our standard nap, we watched Inside Man. We also watched the sum of all fears and it was a lot of fun watching it in English and trying to read the subtitles. I especially enjoyed the scenes in Russian where I had to translate the subtitles innto English for Lacey.

After the movie, we headed to a party. The first ever DST time change was during the party, which was interesting to hear the Argentinians talk aboout. We had a lot of fun talking to people, bur they were shocked when we left at 2 AM!

Goodbye Mullet

I took Pall's recomendation and had Gustavo cut my hair so goodbye mullet, I'll miss you. It was with great trepidation I cut my hair after three months, especially giving instructions in Sppanish, but Lacey insists it worked out. And at least for now I caan pass for Argentine or American, at least until I speak:)

Confiteria Ideal

Lacey and I took Tango lessons at this amazing famous Confiteria. It's the same place that several movies were filmed, including Evita. It was good but learning a new dance is always frustrating.

Afterwards, we went back to Pizza Guerin, which is definitely our favorite Pizza place. We've had great luck with restaurants so far. Now we are relaxing in Volta, a great coffee and ice cream restaurant with Wi-Fi...next stop plan out another great night.

Social Paradise

Lacey and I went to a fantastic restaurant calleed Social Paradise in Palermo tonight.

Milonga!

We went to grocery store this morning to do some shopping. Funny how prices and common foods vary by country. Here red meat and alcoohol are cheap and soda is expensive whle whole grain anything or skim milk is hard to find.






We were planning to take Tango lessons at Confiteria Ideal but took the wrong bus and walmed through through Pueerto Madero instead, which was beautiful on such a sunny day.










We grabbed lunch at La Querencía (empanadas, corn pie, and rice pudding) before taking a nap.

Afterwards we went to the Armenian Cultural Center for aTango lesson and bought some fantastic music. All my dancing friends, get ready for crazy electronic Tango remakes of The Police and Depeche Mode!

More Live Music

Lacey and I successfuly navigated the Argentine banking system this morning to get change. It's difficult for American's to imagine but change is valuable here. It's used for a lot of vital things, like thee bus but some businesses won't give change because of it's scarcity. To get some, Lacey and I stood in line for about 20 minutes to get the equivalent of a roll of quarters.

Then we want to a sidewalk cafe and people watched before taking a nap. After the nap, we went shoe shopping (think Ian euro style) and music shopping at a great store, Zivals, right doown the street.



We finished up with some live music at the Tasso Torquat Club Cultuural annd made it home soo early, 1 AM, that we walked by people finishing dinner at neighborhood restaurants.

Lacey made it!

Lacey made it to Argentina this morning with all the standard delays but she's here. Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I've been having lots of connectivity problems. I have a backlog I should put up soon.

After getting aettled in Lacey and I went in search of lunch and some shopping.shopping. We bought a couple of things in Palermo and walked through some of the great parks there. I also introduced Lacey to the wonders of the BA bus system.

We checked http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/ to find a spot for dinner and found Teatriz, which was fabulous. We had an interesting waitress who explaiined to us that they always keep the door locked because one time a drunk guy ran in with a knife!

awesome door locked knife

Boca San Telmo

I took the 152 colectivo down to Boca this morning. I never made it last time. It was nice but very touristy and small. From Boca I walked to San Telmo, past a Boca Juniors game. The game was neat, more local. I passed a lot of street vendors selling sausages and steak and I had to remind myself about getting ill in Mexico to not to eat the street food.

After the stadium I walked on to San Telmo, which had a lot more people. Found a great parilla...can't remember name have to take Lacey. Now I need to crash after a long day out





walked onn to

Ecological Reserve

The party was great last night. Julietta brought by 6 or 7 Argentinian friends and Pall came by with some Icelandic friends. We went out at about 2 and met up with Nicolas annd hung out at a local bar until 5 AM.

When I woke up it was finally sunny and I went for a run through the riverside park.

Party

I managed to watch television in Spanish while waiting fo folks to come to my party

The rain continue, very unseasonably, but the party was great.

So different from Chile

Class is good, but I'm at the point where I learn much more slowly.

I feel settled in to my apartment and doing OK with the schedule at at the moment, I sleep for a few hours in the afternoon and then go to bed again at 2 AM. Getting change is even worse this time and, surprisingly I'm having more trouble with internet connection and phones here than in Chile or Mexico.

I'm going to throw a party this Friday in hopes of meeting some locals.

Found an Apartment

The weather continues to be unusually rainy and chilly, but still better than winter. I managed to get more sleep last night and felt better in class. Today is one of those mornings where I feel like I can actually speak Spanish.




Like always, the third day seems to be when eveything comes together. I found an apartment to rent near Santat Fe and Callao, which is a good location, not exactly where I was looking but close enough. The apartment is very modern, which isn´t too common here and it has a pool and a gym. Excited to get settled in and try to enjoy the city more. Going to have a party Friday night, I think to try and meet more Argentines.








I also met up with Sofia. She has a friend singing in a Tango show so she invited a bunch of friends and students to come watch. It was a very local place with relatively few tourists. I also ran into Pall, a guy from Iceland who lives here part of each year. Turns out this year he´s living within a few blocks from me.


After the show, I managed to stay up until about 1:30 (which is still early here) and talked with Sofia and two of her local friends, then I came home and crashed.

Nicolas

Nicolas was my couchsurfing host in Argentina. I stayed with him my first two days in BA while I looked for a place. He's a great guy and speaks amazing English, having lived in DC. I'm hoping we catch up more before I leave.

Made it

Hey everybody. It´s raining and muggy in Argentina but I made it!

I had to take two buses early to get to the airport and then wait for the standard craziness that is Aerolineas Argentinas but I sat next to a cool Swedish guy who spoke several languages on the flight an had a great view of the Andes which are still snow covered even in the peak of summer.

I met a cool couple from England and we shared a cab to get into the city. After the standard trial and error I met up with my couchsurfing host, Nicolas, and now I´m safely ensconced trying to buy a cell phone chip and find a place to rent.

Surprise Maud and Felipe made it!

So I was settling in for a relaxed night when Maud and Felipe made a surprise return from the South to send me off. I had planned on settling in for a quiet evening but managed to stay up until 2 with everyone until I set an alarm for my 7:00 bus and collapsed.

Can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow!

I woke up fairly early this morning and took a nice long run in the sun and smog along the river. The smog is supposed to be awful but it seems OK right now, maybe because everyone is on vacation. I was even happier that my knee didn't bother me anymore than normal.

I tried to get in touch with my sister ho just moved, but didn't catch her. Hey Layne call me and tell me about Orlando/Melbourne.


This evening Damian and I cooked an arab dish called Tajine boulettes de boeuf...no idea what the name is in English or Spanish, but I liked it. You can check out the recipe at http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette.cfm?num_recette=32379

I'm feeling pretty tired so I don't think I'm going to go out late tonight. I have to take the bus tomorrow at 7:30 AM, not something I'm going to enjoy, but in 2 days or so I'll be safely ensconced in Buenos Aires enjoying my last stop before Cleveland

Everybody Smokes in Chile

About 1/3 of the adults in Chile smoke, supposedly the most of any country in the Americas. I can say that without exception every young Chilean I've met smokes regularly or occasionally. Instead of the surgeon general warnings that we have in the US they use this photo in Chile to discourage smoking.