Who needs a blog when you've got friends?

Here's the backlog. The photos are far superior to anything I'll be producing.

http://www.flourishingfoodie.com/2011/05/sacred-valley.html#more
http://www.flourishingfoodie.com/2011/05/goodbye-peru.html#more
http://www.flourishingfoodie.com/2011/05/ecuador.html#more
http://www.flourishingfoodie.com/2011/05/galapagos-islands.html#more

In summation: things are awesome.

Fotografías de Punta del Diablo!

Courtesy of Mr. David Burt:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150574647505072.669325.635070071&l=d69c58633e

I'm still terrible at taking photos

After two weeks and change in Punta del Diablo, I've returned to Montevideo. Having the beach in my front yard really encouraged some good habits (yoga and handstands everyday). I managed to slip in some surfing and horseback riding while I was there, and made a lot of new friends that are living/staying in Montevideo + Buenos Aires. Now that I've returned to silks class, I've discovered that I can climb the silks upside-down with a certain lack of grace that only makes me more of a man.

I may not have many photos, but you can't get angry at puppies:

With some weasle-work, I will attempt to snag the albums from other folks I met at the beach. I'm going to semi-promise that I will take a decipherable photo a day, in an attempt to have more than nothing to show you guys.

-Jag

Uruguay!

I have some pictures headed towards the facebook.

Here's the short story:

• Montevideo is pretty, but quiet. I will miss silks in the park, however.
• Punta del Diablo is three flavours of awesome, surfing lessons are coming up in 15 minutes
• I have fancy lenses for my phone waiting for me in BA. It should make my photos a bit more tolerable, but I may never get there if Punta del Diablo is as great as it seems.

Palabra del Día: Bigote

April cools?

Uruguay?

It's been a while since I've posted. Here's the haps:

I'm travelling solo now, my apartment lease is up at the end of the month, and I will dip a toe into Montevideo on the weekend. I'll setup shop if the water's fine, or return to Buenos Aires if it's as filthy as the river in Boca (which is very, very gross -- leather factory chemicals AND old tires abound).

As a result of the country switch, there's some good news for *you*. When in need of a new cellphone and a new camera, there's a perfect solution: a camera phone (how rare!).

Having a camera
+
it being one I am likely to carry
=
more pictures (which should be the spoonful of sugar that makes reading my writing palatable).

I've been hanging out with a lot of locals lately who speak relatively little ingles, which has been great. Recent highlights include:

• a chef student making me a multi-course dinner (candied pears, herb chicken with risotto, grilled/oiled/herbed-up veggies, and more!).
• hanging out a bunch of Brazilians and Colombians while dropping in at my go-to hostel, leading to an impromptu salsa lesson on the rooftop
• being taught Spanish by new friends via children's books, Casablanca with subtitles, and what I can only assume was Spanish comedy

In lieu of pictures, I offer this:

\\___//

 \0_0/

 (*_*)

Enjoy!

Buenos Aires - Summer of '11

Over the past few weeks, we've managed a couple of weekend trips to beat the heat.

The first was to Tigre, a heavily populated delta, that's a delightful network of street-like waterways for small craft (complete with street signs). We only had time for a boat ride, but we'll definitely return here to do some kayak-camping further up in the delta.

I'll be honest, we were too busy gawking to take good photos.

Rivers galore! And you can travel through any of this stuff.

The second trip was to Colonia, Uruguay. This small town's main draw is it's cozy, quaint, colonial, cobble-stone charm. Perhaps I've had my fill of colonial architecture, but I found scootering around the city and hanging out at the beach the more interesting parts of the trip. I suspect I will like the rest of Uruguay for these very reasons.

The drivers in Uruguay are terrible. 

I won the bullfight as a result of a no-show.

Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, our apartment has been photographed! Hopefully this will make up for the lack of circus pictures (next week, honest!).

The receiving area. I should not that if you don't have your keys you can't leave through the front door. In case of fire, break door.

Our main living space is quite cluttered right now. The bike should give you a point of reference. On the left is the arm of a loveseat. Our breakfast table is in the center (with yellow laundry draped over a chair). This is all Amy's mess, of course (including the white laundry bag to the right). In the back is the washroom (lit up), and the bedroom. Out of frame on the left is the kitchen. 

Entry way to the kitchen. it looks less dank on the inside.

There's a full shower on the left, but it's tough to get everything in one shot. The bidet is unused, but now that I see it there: when in Rome.

Bedroom/Office. Business time?

Basket of Goods. This is what $20 CAD gets you in Buenos Aires. Cost is indicated by visibility. Notice how hard it is to see the cheap wine in the back right.

Our de facto dinner table. Tomatoes here are incredibly tasty. Everything else is as salty as olives. Dying young never seemed so attainable. In the back we have some empanadas (and Amy, my little empanada!). Vino tinto accompanies nearly every meal.

Here are some things I've been up to in Buenos Aires. They're in point form for ease of your reading, and not because of my laziness/the heat:

•  Spanish lessons galore! Also, Spanish movies are great. Volver is excellent, Pan's Labyrinth was good but depressing.
• My bike was totally destroyed by cobblestone streets, but has now been repaired. 4-hour bike ride around Buenos Aires with our building's caretaker this weekend!
• New circus school! It's smaller, but fancier. Pictures of that to come as well.