Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

OK! I am here. Buenos Aires. It feels like it is 95 degrees–but everything down here is in Celsius so who knows. The humidity is severe. Regardless, I am having a blast so far except for my throbbing hangover induced headache.
I am keeping a written journal. Here are some of the entries from the last few days:

1-9-2007 4:30 pm

I am sitting in the airport at Dulles sipping on an ice cold Stella.  Today is the day it all begins and it has definitely not set in yet that I am getting ready to do this. I just changed some dollars into Argentinian money. The exchange rate is 3 to 1. Does that mean a good steak is $8.00?

1-9-2007 6:34 pm Sitting on the plane in route to Sao Paulo, Brazil before heading to Argentina

Either there are a lot of Asian people in Brazil, or I am on the wrong plane.
I have now had many Stellas and spent a good portion of the last few hours arguing with a San Diego Charger’s fan about how much better the Baltimore Ravens are. I have just begin to read the Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara. It is Che’s diary as he travels through South America on a beat up motorcycle with a friend in the early 1950s. So far it is a great read and perfect for the start of my trip. Che eventually ended up as a Cuban revolutionary and was killed off by the CIA in Bolivia. I would love to his trail of aimless wanderings laid out in “the Motorcycle Diaries” but would prefer not to be snuffed out by the CIA in the long run. Cuba is supposed to be beautiful. Will I have to wait until Castro dies to travel there?

1-10-2007 2:00 pm

It has definitely hit me now. I am sitting at bar drinking a grande cervesa, eating carne empanadas. I have checked into the hostel and already met about 15 crazy Australians. My plan from the beginning has been to find some Aussies to travel with–they are everywhere. I just walked down Nuevo de Julio–the main 9 lane drag in the heart of Buenos Aires. Our hostel is located downtown not far from San Telmo Square.

I feel like my job is to enjoy this experience and learn about the culture here. It is a truly empowering, fantastic feeling. All I have to do is experience life for the foreseeable future and I can not stop smiling.

1-11-2007 5:30 pm

Milhouse hostel has a great reputation among travelers in these parts. It is enormous. The workers are friendly and helpful. They have a travel agency in the basement. Breakfast is included. The place is spotless and security is tight. So far I have felt extremely safe here.

Last night was a big, big, big night. I ended up getting home at about 6am in the morning. It all started when a huge group of us went out to dinner in San Telmo Square. Surprisingly, there were three Americans in our group in addition to the 4 Australians.

The restaurant we went lived up to its hype. The cartoonish waiter ran around like a madman waving his hands the whole time. The people in Argentina all seem animated and emotional. For example, we saw about 10 different couples openly making out on the street last night. For dinner, we ordered 4 bottles of Argentine red wine from the Mendoza region and big fat steaks. We also ordered appetizers, desert, and salads. The the total bill per person was less than 10 bucks a man. I love that our money goes so far here.

People in Argentina do not go out to dinner until at least 10 pm. We got there at 9 and the place was a ghost town. By the time we left at 10:40 there was a line around the block. On top of that, Argentinians do not start partying at the clubs until 2am. From what I gather they leave the clubs at about 8am the next day. How in the hell do these people get up and go to work on Monday?

After dinner we bounced around for a while and eventually settled on a fine Irish pub. I drank entirely to0 much and paid for it today. At 1pm I woke up sweating–there is no AC in the rooms–with the sneaky suspicious that somebody knocked me in the head with a lead pipe. Was it Colonel Mustard or Mrs. Scarlett? Hmm.. I am not sure.

From what I have heard from the Aussies, I have to go to Machu Picchu, Bolivia, and Mendoza. Everyone seems to have great disdain for Chile. At this point, I think I am going to cut Chile and go to Bolivia instead. Bolivia is supposed to be full of adventure tours. In the Amazon you can apparently swim with pink river dolphins.

The buzz in the hostel is all about Brazil and Carnival. The Aussies and Americans are all scrambling to get their Brazilian visas. The Brits do not have that problem as there passports are omnipotent; they seem to get in anywhere without a visa. I think I am going to get a visa next week. Most people here are going to Rio for Carnival. I have heard some nightmarish stories about Rio. I think that I am going to go Salvador instead. I have heard that that is where all the local Brazilians go. It is a lot farther north though. I think its 48 hours by bus.

I met an Aussie named Benny Vears that I am going to travel with to Montevideo, Uruguay next Tuesday. We are going to check out the city and Punta del Este– Uruguays beach resort town about 9 hours by bus from Montevideo.

Tonights agenda–More wine and more steak.
Oh yes, one more thing, the local women here are drop dead gorgeous. They are stunning. Damn it I should have paid attention in high school Spanish class.

Notes:

>My intentions are to update the blog twice a week–Monday and Thursday. Wish me luck!

>I have turned the comments section on. Please keep in mind that my Mom is reading this before you comment about pornography and cocaine. Although if it is a good story you better email it to me.

> I have some info on a great tour company and individual guide for Machu Picchu. If anyone is intested in coming down here let me know. You will probably need to take off of at least 10 days of work. I do not think it will end up being that expensive. It is a 4 day guided hike to the ruins. The rest of the time we´ll spend in Cusco, Peru which is supposed to be great. You can hire porters to carry your bag for you the entire way for 50 bucks US. The guides cook you three meals a day. I am shooting to be there in early April. Email me if you are interested.

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