Well, I've been in BA for two weeks now, and feel reasonably comfortable getting around. Walking is still my safest bet as my taxi experience has been somewhat mixed (though depending on my mood, it may be just the thing), but I have managed to take a few buses around as well. I read somewhere (I suspect someone else's blog) that traffic in some of the larger South American cities is sort of like water in a river. It's true. All the cars are headed in the same direction at about the same speed, but there is absolutely no order in how they get there. It just happens. There appears to have once been paint delineating traffic lanes, but what remains of it is purely aesthetic. Sunday drivers need not apply.

Too much of my time the past week has been spent studying spanish (i.e. sleeping with my spanish notebook on my chest). I've been considerably more adventurous in my selection of foods, though. It seems my concerns about losing weight while traveling were unfounded, at least in BA. My gold stars for gluttony this week include a fried veal cutlet covered in a slab of ham and melted mozzerella and tonight's dinner, a steak covered in bacon with a side of french fries covered with two fried eggs. Why eat such things you ask, because they sound much healthier in spanish, particularly when you don't know spanish. I'm pretty sure neither meal cost more than about $US4.

In trying to determine what city I should next subject to my spanish skills, I've spoken with all the travelers who've been cycling through the hostel. All have been extremely complementary of Uruguay, saying a couple areas in particular have gorgeous beaches which are more or less empty. Sounds ideal to me. One of my current roommates is considering heading that way as well. Unfortunately, his spanish is a bit worse than mine. Ah well, two idiots are better than one. What's the worst that could happen?

If I fail to post again, search for me in an Uruguayan prison.