Backpacking Boisterously

Went through the visa wrangling this morning.  Long process, pretty goofy all around.  First I had to head to the American Embassy to add pages to my passport, which ended up taking about two hours all told.  The Brazilian Consulate was actually pretty speedy, but there was a crazy American tourist teeing off on the lady behind the visa window in English, and the woman clearly understand what was being said.  I hate tourists that give us a bad name like that.

The only real issue I have is that the visa here is only good for 90 days upon entry into Brazil, unlike the visa that you receive in the US.  Talk about a rip!  An extension can be requested while in Brazil, so I’m going to have to take advantage of that if I can.   Perhaps an Amazon trip?  Or maybe Carnival…

As the time of my Brazil trip gets closer and closer, I´m getting more and more excited about the beach activities that await.  Scuba diving is one of my all time favorite activities, and snorkeling isn´t far behind.  Florianopolis should provide both in spades.  And to top it all off, I get to learn how to surf?!  I´m going to be in heaven!

And just when I thought it couldn´t get any better, I hear from a blogging friend that Florianopolis has phenomenal seafood!  This palm tree Christmas isn´t going to be bad at all. 

My parents are coming down to visit in January, and I can’t decide if I want them to bring my Digital Rebel XT with them.  I have a smaller digital camera that I use for daily photos here already, but it definitely isn’t as nice as a detachable lens model.  The only problem is lugging said camera and lenses around is a big hassle, especially when taking the space constraints of a backpacker into account.

What to do?  Take beautiful pictures or walk around town light as a feather?  Tough decision!

I’ve been living out of a hostel the last couple of days while waiting to change up a living situation, and I’d almost forgotten how easy to meet people in one.  There have been a parade of unique folk coming through here in the last week, and I’ve gone out with a couple of them and had a great time.

Not only were they great people to talk to, but they had tons of information about travelling about South America, something that I haven’t had a lot of experience with yet.  Now I’ve got a whole list of places I wouldn’t of though of on my own to make stops in on my own travels!  Hostels are legit.

I met a charming old fellow at the crafts fair in San Telmo yesterday, by the name of Ruben Mercado.  He’s a 68 year old Argentine who I spoke with for a solid hour about the history of Argentina and why I chose to travel here.  It was great practice for my Spanish and really eye-opening to talk to someone who has seen the entire evolution of Argentina’s problems over the last decades.

He gave me his number and wants to have a coffee once a week just to talk, he  said he’d love to learn about my point of view towards Argentina as a young foreigner.  Can’t wait to take him up on his offer and learn all about what Argentina was like before the crash!

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been deciding where exactly I’d like to spend my Christmas break, and I’ve settled on Brazil now.  I’m going to go up to Iguazu for a couple of days, and then on to Florianopolis to try and learn how to surf.  Super excited!

I’m a big snowboarder so I’ve never had the chance to learn how to surf, and Florianopolis is supposed to offer all sorts of options for people wanting to learn.  Think I’ll be able to get up within a week?  I guess we’ll see!

I’ve found a real nice used English bookstore in San Telmo, so I’m real happy about having some new books to polish off.  Even if they’re throwaway Clancy novels, it’s still nice to spend an afternoon reading in a plaza.  Hopefully my parents visiting in January will bring me a whole new stock of books!

Spent a relaxing afternoon in San Telmo today, watching the tourists watch the tango dancers in Plaza Dorrego.  It’s one of the few open squares in Buenos Aires, and it’s a real nice spot to sit and relax during the day.  I also met some Peace Corps. workers on vacation from Paraguay, and gave them some hot tips on places to go while they visit.

I think I’m going to enjoy moving to San Telmo, it seems to cater to artists, writers, and hippies.  Definitely my type of crowd.

Recently I’ve been looking into applying for a adventure tour guide position that would allow me to travel all over South and Central America leading various tours.  It’s a year long commitment, with full training, good pay, benefits, performance incentives, etc.  It seems like it’s right up my alley.  The only thing I’m balking on is the year long commitment.

I can’t decide if I want to head back to the states for a while or keep traveling right now.  I keep getting this vague sense that I should be back starting a career somewhere.  At the same time, there’s no better time than now for me to do something like this.  I’ll be making my decision later this week.  Opinions?

Well, my love affair with Palermo officially ends tomorrow.  The apartment I’ve been in for the last two months is being replaced by a new spot in San Telmo.  New barrio, new bars, new experiences!  I want to try and and experience all the different neighborhoods and their different vibes during my time in Buenos Aires.

In other news, it’s only three weeks until I head out to Brazil for two weeks or so!  I’m getting really pumped about it!  Time to bring out the ol’ backpack for another go.