I'm a US citizen again!

I went to the embassy and they processed my new passport in a matter hours. As soon as I get back to Santiago I will post pics of my last few days.

Stuck in Argentina.

I had to go to Mendoza, Argentina to renew my tourist visa. The plan was to take a long weekend and be back in Santiago Sunday night. I feel like I've been on a rollercoster. The trip from Santiago to Mendoza should only take 6 hours on a bus. Our trip took 13. I got into Mendoza later then expected so the hostel I had reservations at gave away my bed. I found another one that was way crapper...but what are you going to do at three in the morning. I slept in and awoke to explore the city. What I found blew me away. Imagine Fort Collins with a Latin/European flare. This city's downtown streets are lined with cafes and bars that are filled with live music and people enjoying the crisp fall morning.

I ended up drinking a coffee and watching a Latin Jazz band play. I have pictures but I'm using the computer at the Best Western Inn so I cant upload them. I had and best day browsing the city's shops, poking into book stores, waking and people watching in the city's plazas. On the way home I discovered a Casino and thought I would take my chance at some cards. I guess lady luck was by my side (for the time being) and I won around 225USD playing Texas Hold 'em poker. I went to bed on a high.

The next morning, still on a high, I woke up early to take advantage of the free breakfast offered by the hostel. Jumped out of bed at 8 in the morning and got my stuff to take a shower. I put some of my stuff on my bed....my wallet, camera and keys under my jacket. The rest of my stuff I left in my backpack. I took a quick shower and when I returned my pack was stolen. The staff at the hostel seemed pretty unsurprised and I defiantly think they had some part to play in it. Stunned, I had to walk to the police station to make a report of what was stolen. They took my iPod, clothes, a credit card, phone charger...and worst of all...my passport. I tried to enjoy the rest of my day in Mendoza...because there was nothing else I could do. I bought a backpack and a bus ticket to Buenos Aires, the capital, where the US Embassy is located. I'm now writing you all from the computer in the Best Western Inn in BA. The embassy doesn't open till tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.

I'm here!!!

Hello everyone,

I sent out invitations to follow this blog on facebook and got an overwhelming response. After traveling something around 20 hours I arrived in Buenos Aires. In the Washington DC airport I was holding my breath because there were 18 people trying to get on the plane stand by. Where was I in the line of 18? I took the scary position of #15. After a lot of sweating and praying my name was called for a seat.

It turned out that I was seated next to a lady from Paraguay who didn’t speak a word of English.

Getting off of the plane was a shock in itself. I went from 30 degree weather in Colorado to 85 degrees here in South America. I grabbed my carryon bags and headed for customs and immigration. Standing in the hour and a half line to get my passport stamped I started talking to people around me. I met two super cool guys who were staying at the same hostel that I was. Adam was from New Zealand and had been working on the Colorado Ski slopes for the last three months and Tommy was from some small Celtic nation in the UK. We ordered a taxi and were off to the center of Buenos Aires.

On the short ride from the airport to the city center I could tell that I was going to love this city. It’s a mix of European architecture and Latin culture.
We checked into out hostel, secured out things and were off exploring the city. We walked 8 blocks to La Casa Rosario where Evita Paron addressed her people upon her return. Right next to the Casa Rosario is a huge cathedral. What I found interesting was at the very front of the church where Jesus Christ usually is portrayed on a cross they had a huge statue of Mary instead with a little statue of Jesus under her.

We explored the city for hours and by the end our feet were so tired we were forced to go back to the hostel. We met some girls from the UK during the day and ended up going out do dinner with them and some of their friends.

I ended the night chatting and drinking beer on a rooftop terrace under the stars in the warm air with people from Brazil, New Zealand and the UK....Man this is what living is about.

Click here to see some more pics from the day.