"Nothing to do, nowhere to be
A simple little kind of free
Nothing to do, no one but me
That's is all I need"
- John Mayer
Buenas noches de Colonia del Sacramento! I'm writing from my new little abode on Barbot street complete with bright, salmon colored walls and white shutters and best of all - I'm steps away from the barrio historico
. Thanks to my German traveling companion, I was able to get my massive luggage to Colonia on Friday once again taking the bus from Montevideo. My lovely new neighbors, the Louers, kindly guarded my luggage for me over the weekend as I continued on to Buenos Aires to see Doro off to Peru (and to have some fun myself!).
Reflecting on my last entry, I feel the need to state that I had another lengthy morning chat with Gaston and he shed some light on why Uruguayans are so hard to befriend. As he states, because Uruguay is so small in comparison to her behemoth neighbors, Argentina and Brazil, many Uruguayos are wary of connecting with strangers or expats. They are a very proud people, and believe that most of the world doesn't know they exist - which I find to be somewhat true. When I told people I was moving to Uruguay, many did not have an idea as to where it was located. For this reason, Uruguayos tend to band together and keep outsiders out. This illustrates what I was experiencing quite well
. The Uruguayan people have deep cultural connections with their land and their own people and if you're allowed into their inner circle, I believe you'd find a people with rich traditions and warm hearts. Unfortunately, I failed to earn an invitation and thus was left with a melancholy echo of what could have been. Either way, I am grateful for the kindness I encountered with the staff at Academia Uruguay, and for the experience.
Doro and I arrived in Buenos Aires at 10:30 pm Friday night. We checked into a very chic and modern pension, Boho Rooms in Palermo Soho, and were happy to find a lovely little room with wonderful hot water and even better - water pressure! We utilized both and promptly fell asleep. The next morning we enjoyed a complimentary continental breakfast, where the staff literally ran out to go to the store to buy me some fruit as I wasn't able to eat the bread and jam. Our first order of business was to find a place to change our Uruguayan pesos to Argentinian pesos as the night before we were unable to do so because the "cambiar" was closed
. It was very strange as the ONLY cambiar that was open, on a Saturday, in a city with almost 3 million people, was in the mall. Literally the ONLY one. We decided to walk, and it was quite an adventure getting there. Every person we asked continually told us "only a few blocks more" and I do believe we got in more than a few miles before arriving. In addition, the weather was reminiscent of an Arizona monsoon complete with thunder, lightning and fat drops of rain. Since I had only had fruit for breakfast, at about noon I was about ready to pass out from hunger; the worst thing was that I couldn't buy anything as I didn't have the correct cash! I didn't want to use my debit card for a snack, and thus was holding out for lunch. Anyone that knows me knows that when I'm hungry things can get complicated, or as Doro coined "compli-caitlin." I liken the transformation to a Jekyll-Hyde shift... I feel sorry for anyone around me in these moments, and I have to say Doro handled it with grace! We finally found Palermo Alto shopping mall and were able to get some cash. We stumbled upon (in my case quite literally at this point), a wonderful little Parilla close by. Doro and I enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of prime Argentinian beef with mashed potatoes and pureed pumpkin. Due to my immense hunger earlier, this lunch tasted absolutely out-of-this-world. Quite satiated we left the restaurant in search of Recoleta cemetery for some quick sightseeing before Doro had to catch her flight at 7 pm.
Being back in BsAs felt like a hug from an old friend
. The city is so bright, so animated and so welcoming; the streets are clean and colorful, and cafes and bistros abound on every corner -once again contrasting against the grey and empty streets of Montevideo. Everyone in Montevideo warned us before leaving of the dangers of the "big city." Hearing these warnings, I have to say I was a bit nervous. I wondered if I had perchance had a distorted memory of my time in Argentina, as if Rina and I had been in a protective and luminous bubble that left us with a wonderful, yet contorted memory. Perhaps traveling alone had burst that bubble and what I was left with was the real deal - South America can be a lonely and dangerous place for a blonde girl... Almost immediately after pulling away from the ferry station in BsAs I realized this was not true at all. The city glimmered and winked a friendly hello, whooshing by on either side of us in a myriad of colors. The bubble was still intact.
The next morning I also reaffirmed my affection for the welcoming and open nature of South Americans
. I had a lovely 10 minute chat with the front desk agent who promptly told me to move to BsAs and gave me her email and phone number for when I arrived. THIS was the South America I fell in love with! After Doro made her way to the airport I visited the small grocer next to the pension and bought a few items for dinner. Finding a bounty of gluten-free items on the shelves I was reminded of how easy it was to buy specialty items in both Argentina and Brazil. I found greek yogurt, risotto, soup and more. In Uruguay, I can find pasta and sweets, but otherwise it's very hard to find items that are clearly marked GF.
That night I had plans to meet up with a friend that I had met on my previous visit to BsAs. Jorge, in conjunction with an old coworker of mine from Montelucia, owns a fabulous restaurant called "Mercado Central." El Resto is located a bit outside of the city in a barrio called Vicente Lopez. It's a delightful spot, with a lovely patio and quaint old-fashioned theme and is reminiscent of Postinos in Phoenix
. Gonzalo was unfortunately out on a snowboarding trip, but Jorge invited me out for a glass of wine and conversation, though he asked me to come late so that he would have more time to talk. Now, when anyone from South America tells you "late" - be prepared - these folks don't start dinner until 9 PM! I asked him to define what that meant and he said midnight. Ay mi dios... BUT, when in Rome, right? I hopped in a cab at 11:30 PM and made my way 30 minutes NW of the city. Upon my arrival it was absolutely pouring rain and I was surprised to see the restaurant FULL of people. Mercado is booming - so much so they're opening a second concept this fall. Jorge situated me with a full glass of vino tinto next to the register to watch and listen. It was extremely entertaining (and delicious!). Finally at about 1:30 AM things quieted down enough for us to move outside to catch up. I will forever have the picture of the patio, with the soft patters of rain and distant booms of thunder, glowing warmly under neon liquor signs, etched in my memory
. It is a special place and I'm grateful for Jorge's hospitality. It was an enchanting evening, and I fondly wished a certain someone could have joined the memory.
The next day I again boarded the ferry to return to my quaint little Colonia. I arrived to find my luggage already placed inside my new little house. It's a great space - just what I need for a few weeks until my next adventure. I am excited and terrified to spend some time alone with just myself and my thoughts. John Mayer's words reverberate - I plan to be perfectly lonely and a bit adrift for a bit. A small amount of down time to reflect on what's shifting within and to figure out what's coming next. See you on the flip side...
Perfectly Lonely
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aire, Argentina
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