modest and mute as a garden-wall

Okie dokie here are some pictures of an excursion I took on my day off from school. I walked passed a few gardens some ginormous parks and a zoo last Wednesday. What struck me the most was that I was always told that everybody works on Wednesdays. Not true here. I think down here Wednesdays are "take family to the park day." The days before, i.e. weekdays my routine has mainly been concentrated on school and doing some solo trips around town. But, don't let this full you I still manage to go out and have a good time with friends and what not. In fact I finally meet an Argentine dude that's way cool. He's a really good photographer and is taking me to his little gallery coming up soon. I can't mention enough how nice it is to have a male Argentine friend. So lets get into the photos. First we have a typical day on my street which is the best. Next is a picture of my bedroom window with the awesome view of our neighbors kitchen, and yes I picked out the plants and the purple lettuce. The next picture is my street yet again just a different look to the left this time. We have the best inexpensive restaurant right next door called El Buen Gourmet. The people that work there are the most kind people ever and the food is the best. My first time there I decided to introduce myself and explaining to them in my horrible castalleano that I am their new neighbor. Before I could even tell them with whom I live with they said "Oh Thor" so yeah, need I say anymore. Following suit with the order of the pictures are the weirdest cats I've ever seen, don't you think? And the last picture is from what I can come up, is a graveyard for statues. Like I said in my first post "please insert better vocab."

Now here we are on Thursday at the best museum I've ever been to. It is called Malba, full of Latin America's best artist. Here I saw original Frida Khalo, Diego Rivera, and the Colombian painter who always draws the really "fat" charactures of people, amazing. It was also full of other artists that a better art connoisseur would no about. The pictures are just of the outside. I could not take my camera in.

Now it is Friday and we are in the little river town know as Tigre. It is beautiful here just a bunch of intersecting rivers forming islands between them. We took a train from Belgrano (where my school is) for 1,10 pesos there and back and it was about 60 miles away. What a deal right? Money seems to go the furthest with transportation, food, beer, wine, and the other stuff we drink. So in the photo to introduce this section we have Aldo, the Brazilian from Miami now residing in Argentina, next is the lovely Canadians, Tara and Kylie. The next photo is us riverside on the steps just hanging. It was really hard to leave those steps, with the view, the laughter of all the kids chasing the pigeons and just being with great company. The best smoothie ever, real fruit cut right in front of you. Blows all those chain and coffee shop smoothies out of the water. The sign is very funny just read. Tigre is also known for its churros and they are very good to let you know.
Okay so I must emphasize these two awesome spirits. These girls (Tara on the left and Kylie on the right) are zen masters and don't even know it. -Which is the way people of that kind tend to role; modest, humble, and kinder than kind.- These girls everyone in the world should have to be obligated to meet in order to grasp how friendly the world really is. So let me share on how they made the day feel for me. Examples: they make the sun brighter, the scenery more clear, make all the sounds you hear sound like music, and make you smile with teeth you didn't even know you had. I could go on forever talking about these two, but I will stop here. So if you ever see them say hi and you'll completely understand what I mean. And to top it off they are amazing salsa dancers!

Now we are on Sunday a day after my bros birthday -dd happy bday- We are at the FERIA De MATADEROS, this is in the barrio of Nuevo Chicago one of the oldest slaughterhouse places that is still in running condition in the world. That was not our main attraction though, the little get together was a gaucho festival and a cultural showcase for Argentina and surrounding countries. It involved the most dancing I've ever seen in the middle of the streets, the best music I've heard so far, and some really good food. Above are just some kids doing there thing in the park, next is some men that will blow you way with their dance moves. An authentic gaucho, Maria Elena hanging with the cutest lama ever. And the last is what was typically heard and seen around every corner or start of a new street.

Buenos Aires has been bery bery good to me. Chau