First Anniversary

We've celebrated special occasions in many different places this past year: A wedding in Canada, Thanksgiving in the Himalayas, Christmas in Kathmandu, and Easter in Tahiti, so I guess it's fitting we should spend our first wedding anniversary here in Buenos Aires. We don't have much planned, dinner out at a parilla, and then maybe some ice cream at a heladeria, I guess a year long honeymoon negates the need for excessive anniversary celebrations. However, I have been reflecting on the past year quite a bit today, and thought that I might share my thoughts.

To say it's been a strange year would be an understatement. A lot has happened, most of it great, some of it difficult, and all of it very different than anything that's gone before. It was an unsettling year of constant change and uncertainty. Colleen and I haven't had a home or, aside from the clothes in our packs, any possessions in over a year. We've experienced sublime beauty as well as horrible ugliness, and have struggled to make sense of it all. While I may figure it out one day, right now, all of it just serves to underscore the one constant in the past year: our relationship. It has not been easy or smooth, a year on the road does not lend itself to easy or smooth, but it has been a fantastic adventure, and I can honestly say that the best part of this past year has been sharing it with Colleen.

So I say thank you to my wife (I'm still not used to saying that word) for an incredible year. I hope that the next 50 are half as good as this past one, although maybe we could do without the long bus rides and dodgy hostels.



Michael 

Buenos Aires



one year ago today



Buenos Aires: Steaks, Wine and Time to Think

33 days. That's how long it took us to decide the trip wasn't quite over yet. Actually, it took us 33 days to leave North America after arriving, we decided to hit the road again way before that. Why? This past year has been a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. We have seen and done so much it is overwhelming, and processing it all while constantly on the go has been a challenge - contemplating the majesty of the Taj Mahal while trying to avoid touts selling you tiger balm and hash just doesn’t work. We thought we might have more time and space to let it all sink in once we got back to North America, but, we quickly found that our reentry was more hectic than anticipated, and time to ourselves was at a premium. The trip started to fade in the face of inevitable realities like careers and where next to live. We decided that the past year was just too big a deal to let go without giving ourselves a chance to really let it sink in. That or we just wanted to put off the real world a little while longer. Either way, a month after getting back, we got our tickets, packed our bags, and headed for La Guardia airport. Next stop, Buenos Aires.


tree lined streets

Why Buenos Aires? We didn’t want to go anywhere we had already been, and we figured North America and Europe would be too expensive. That left South America. We also decided that we were done running around, no matter where we went, we were going to stay in one place. Finally, we decided that we would prefer to be in a city, comfortable and interesting in its own right, that we could explore and get to know. Hmm, and interesting city in South America… It didn’t take us long to agree on Buenos Aires. Colleen loved the idea of spending time in a cosmopolitan South American city and having a chance to practice her Spanish (although I think she really liked the idea of staying in one place the most). As for me, as far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to see Buenos Aires. I’m not sure where I got it from, but I’ve always had a romantic notion of a sophisticated, cultured city with tree lined avenues, street side cafes and quiet neighbourhoods, a city with a veneer of old world sensibilities over a passionate Latin soul. A city full of beef eating, tango dancing soccer fanatics.

We arrived at Ezeiza airport on a Tuesday. Another airport, another border crossing, and of course more mindless bureaucracy and senseless fees (a whopping 140 dollar “entry fee” this time), but an hour after arriving, we were in a cab heading into the city. It is fall here, so it was a little chilly, and the leaves on the trees had changed colour or were already gone, but the first impression was definitely a good one. The streets are in fact tree lined, and there are cafes everywhere.



steak and wine

We spent our first few nights in a hostel. It was quite nice as far as hostels go, but hopefully it will be our last for a while. Our plan was to rent an apartment for the month so we got to it right away. A quick internet search and a few emails and we had set appointments to view four apartments. The first three were nice, but the fourth was definitely the one for us. It was a little more than we wanted to pay, but we couldn’t pass it up. The location, in the Palermo Alto barrio just outside the centre of town, was perfect. It was bright, lofty, and modern, with a small balcony overlooking a park and some cafes. It was exactly what we were looking for. So Friday (3 nights after arriving), we moved into our new digs and unpacked our bags for the first time in a year. You cannot image how satisfying that was. I never thought the act of putting my underwear in a drawer could be so comforting.



pinkest sunset

We’ve been here two weeks now, and we’ve checked off a few of Buenos Aires’ must sees: The Casa Rosada, Recoleta cemetery, San Telmo antiques fair, Ave. Nueve de Julio, Caminita in Boca, and Palermo Viejo. We’ve also eaten steaks at a parilla (for Colleen’s birthday) and tomorrow we’re going to a soccer game (River Plate vs. Lanus at el Monumental). We’re even taking tango lessons. I’m actually really enjoying it, but Colleen is having a hard time with the concept that I lead. There was also another first: first time being covered by an ash cloud from a volcano. While the eruption of the Puyehue volcano in Chile didn’t really affect us that much (flights out of Buenos Aires were cancelled, but we weren’t flying), it did produce an eerie grey sky and the pinkest sunset I’ve ever seen. If that all sounds like a lot, let me assure you it really isn’t. As a matter of fact, we’ve spent most of our time here on ourselves. Sleeping in, reading, exercise (mostly running), eating steaks (they really are that good here) and drinking wine, lots and lots of delicious wine.

Most of all though, we’ve had a chance to exhale and try to make sense of the past year. We’ve learned so much, and have so much to be thankful for, that we owe it to ourselves to figure out how to incorporate what we’ve experienced into our lives as we go forward. It’s a tall order, but with the help of a great apartment, amazing steaks and lots of wine, I know we can do it.

Saludos,
Michael

Charcas & Bulnes
Palermo Alto

Buenos Aires

Argentina