Buenos Dias from Patagonia

Well, we finished up in Buenos Aires after exploring every corner of the city - from the colorful old port section of La Boca where the Tango was born and the San Telmo barrio with it´s artsy stores and eclectic Sunday Market, to the MicroCenter filled with European looking colonial buildings and the seats of the local and national governments, to the upscale Ricoletta neighborhood which reminds me of Park Avenue in New York and finally, our favorite, Palermo whose tree lined streets are filled with sidewalk cafes and literally hundreds of restaurants, bars, and the curious ´restobars´(some type of hybrid restaurant-bar). The food was fabulous and cheap (think of an excellent, huge fillet mignon for under $7!).

We had fun talking with the myriad of traveller passing through Casa Ezmiralda (our Hostel in BsAS), from Mark, the British guy studying Spanish, to Rob, the DeBeers diamond buyer who lived in Zaire, West Africa, and India, then quit his job to travel the world, to the three college students from Michigan (yes, Michigan!) who were on a 10 day vacation. Along with the Germans, Norwegians, French, Spanish, Dutch, and our Argentinian hosts, there was always lively, interesting stories to be told.

We are now in Bariloche in northern Patagonia. It seems to be like a mix of Denver (as it's on the edge of the plains (or pampas) with snow capped peaks in the background), the Swiss Alps (since there´s a distinct itialian-swiss architecture and a ski town feel), and Alaska (because its chilly, rough, rugged and a strong wind is blowing across the lakes). Today we´re planning on exploring the small town center and planning our adventures up in the mountains.

Until the next update...
Dan