"Las memorias son mas importante que dinero"

Yeah so a certain quirk of fate necessitates my leaving Argentina and re-entering before I leave for real. Since my passport with the entry stamp is gone with the wind (ahhh along with my poor puma kicks) I need to get a stamp proving that I actually entered the country legally. That's to say...

Surprise, last-minute trip to Uruguay!

I've wanted to see Montevideo and Colonia since I've been here but figured I'd save the money for my grand exit from magnificent Southern America. However, leaving and coming back is going to allow me to get some more money, so not only am I excited to go, I have to go. It's my destiny. Almost everyone in Buenos Aires has been to Uruguay since it's an easy jump to make if you need to renew a tourist visa (to stay in Argentina legally) so there have been plenty of travel tips to go around. It sounds like it's going to be a really calm, relaxing weekend. I'm going with this guy, Ryan, who I met at the farm, and Kendra. I'm most likely going to be hanging out watching sunrises and sunsets on the beach, drinking mate, drinking beer, and buying very cheap travel things at some street market that gets rave reviews from trusted sources.

So my last weekend in Buenos Aires is actually going to be spent out of the country. Kind of silly I know, but things have tended to take silly turns more often than not around here. Most of the Scandinavian friends I've met are leaving this weekend for good also because they are all here on a study program that just ended. I went to their end-of-semester party last night at this bar in Palermo which turned out to be a costume party. I found out about the costume thing somewhat last minute, but don't exactly have a wealth of clothing choices anyway (I could be "Drew" or "Michael" or "Charly" bless their souls), so Kendra packed her little bottle of fake blood which made its last, and epic, appearance at the "holiday party" at my sorely missed apt in The Heights. This party was thrown to celebrate it all - Christmas, Hanukkah, life in general, the season in general.... but was really a Christmas-decorated, pop-music themed, heathen shit-storm that miraculously didn't earn us a bullet or 30 through the floorboards. Anyway, the blood was a hit, and after a brief period of tension (the Vikings don't warm up to things so fast) everyone who was anyone had at least a little blood smeared on their forehead or forearm. Thanks Kenj.

So then, May 5, all of this ado will be left behind. I don't think I've ever been quite as excited for something as I am for what's coming my way in the next month. We start off easy, drinking wine in Mendoza, coming down from the BAires buzz and seeing some night- and cultural life in Cordoba, and some mountains in Salta. Then headspinning natural beauty in Bolivia, and finally, BAM, Peru. Since I was a wee lad in history class, I've been enthralled to the point of obsession with ancient civilizations. It all started with the Romans. And the Greeks of course, and the myths that inspired my tattoo. Then the Aztecs, which gave me the idea for the first AIM screen name I ever created... whatever, I've always been a weird kid. But mannnn oh man the Incas, truly amazing. I can't even begin to describe by typing how emotionally charged I feel about this whole thing. I don't think there are words anyway, it's just going to be awesomely moving, I'm going to freak out.

A big part of the travel research (which isn't too extensive, something I realized is almost worthless once I got down here) is reading peoples' travel blogs. Most people who have travel blogs actually blog about things they do, rather than rant about whatever is pushing their buttons at the moment. But these people also complain A LOT, which is interesting to read because they write about the worst possible things that could happen. Good to have a picture of how bad it can get before you go. Every plan made on a trip like this has to be made very loosely no matter what, but especially when Kenj and I will be cutting up through Bolivia and Peru, things can get complicated. Simple stuff like infrastructure issues, schedules (or lack of adherence to them), strikes, protests... things that hinder your journey but don't really affect how good of a time you have as long as you're in the mindset to enjoy the SHIT out of everything you're doing. And go prepared with enough supplies to last you a couple days of being stranded, just in case. So I'm excited to be meeting new people again, being on the run, living out of a gym bag and washing my underwear in the shower, stealing bread from the hostel breakfast in the morning to use for a sandwich at lunch....backpacking can be so fun.... and it's soooo not gay. Sometimes I just sit and wonder who I even am and how I could be enjoying this so much. Whatever, I would rather be doing nothing else in the world right now, and as much as I'm going to miss this city, I'm really excited to be leaving the whole urban situation again!

And Auntie-I'll try to stay healthy as best as I can but you know how I eat...