GTE Day +5 – Love you GAPers!

Thank god for late checkout because I slept right through the normal 10am checkout time. I didn't wake up until 11:15. I gathered my things and went to checkout. While I was doing this, I was given a gift certificate for 1 free night. Really? Stay for 1 night and get a GC for another? Wow! You rock Krista Hotel! It was good for me or anyone else. I checked out and headed back to Bab's place to pack up my big pack. Justin and I were leaving at 8pm that evening but that meant we had to leave around 5:30 to get to the airport. We also were going to meet the rest of the remaining GAPers for one last lunch together at 1. We got our stuff together and met Andrew, Hannah, Elizabeth, Lydia, Amanda, and their friend Pippa (short for Philippa) for lunch. Milkshakes, smoothies, and awesome sandwiches. A great trip ending lunch. I had also brought with me the Krista Hotel gift certificate and in speaking Andrew, decided to give it to Hannah. She hadn't been feeling all that well and the hostel experience wasn't going great so Andrew said she was in need of a nice break. She was so happy when I gave her the gift certificate. She almost cried. It was sweet. I also had to buy 1 last present for Julia's birthday so after lunch Babs directed me to a few places to find some nice baby clothes. Then we headed back to her flat for the last time to get our stuff and wait for the cab. We said our sad goodbyes to Babs (but she's coming to the states in July) and headed off to Buenos Aires airport for the 18 hour total flight back to San Francisco.

But while we were at the airport, we met another American named Kim who was also flying through Houston so chalk up another friend met while traveling! I still think it's the best part about traveling… meeting truly amazing people from all over. The people I've met on this trip will be friends forever. We've already decided to meet up again in September in London for a reunion. I can't wait to see them all again! I love you guys! You are all amazing and thanks for making this trip unforgettable!

GTE Day +4 – San Telmo Market

We all woke up late, 11am knowing it was our last full day/night in Buenos Aires. I also woke up with an idea in my head. I told Barbara and Justin that I would be moving out that night and into a hotel for 1 night so they could have the place to themselves. I had found a place nearby for $40 US for the night so would just leave my big backpack and pack an overnight pack. They pretended to be sad but I'm sure they were pretty stoked. Then we got ready to head back to San Telmo for the Sunday market. The Sunday market in San Telmo is the street fair of street fairs. BLOCK AND BLOCKS of amazing street vendors selling leather goods, wood sculptures, jewelry, etc. It was pretty amazing. I bought gifts for everyone for about $130 US including some really nice leather goods and jewelry. I had been coordinating with Amanda and her friends and I also knew Hannah and Elizabeth would be there but without phones. I was walking down the street with Justin and Babs behind me buying gifts when all of a sudden, I turned around and they were gone! Shit. I looked around for 10 minutes then decided to head back to the square (the center of the market). We had all talked about it so I hoped they would figure out to try and find me there. I also knew Amanda was there with her friends. I found them quite easily, but Justin and Babs were nowhere to be found. I was sending Justin texts but when he didn't respond, figured he left his phone at Bab's place. I knew where I was and how to get back to Bab's place so I was ok with spending the day with Amanda and her friends. We spent the day walking around looking at the amazing goods for sale and watching the street artists when we decided to stop for ice cream (dulce de leche for me this time!). While we were standing out front, I spotted a familiar face walking in the crowd. Hannah! (Again, what are the odds?) We all reconvened and Hannah and I decided to head back on the metro to Palermo SOHO and I'd make my way back to Bab's flat to get my overnight pack and head to my hotel. I got back to Bab's place around 8pm and they were acting like guilty parents for losing their kid at the mall. It was pretty funny. I guess they didn't have a very good day because they spent the day looking for me. I told them I had a great day. LOL! We caught up for a bit and I grabbed my stuff to leave for the night. Babs and Justin wanted to check out my new digs so they came with me. Thank god they did. The place was 3 blocks away but when we got there, it wasn't a "boutique hotel" but was an apartment building. The night guard had no clue what we were talking about. And since my reservation didn't have an apartment number, he couldn't even find out what apartment it was supposed to be. He also didn't speak any English so Babs had to do the translating. Love that girl. After 30 minutes, we told him forget it and I'd find other accommodations. Fortunately, there are 2 other legit hotels less than a block from Babs place. Though more expensive. The first was $280 US a night. Uhh, no thanks. The next was $130. Sold. It was a super cute boutique hotel called the "Krista Hotel". They even bring you a plate of cookies and a glass of water upon check in. Nice big comfy bed (no more futons), AC, WIFI, it was beautiful. Though the shower was shit. What is it with showers with crap water pressure down here? It was a shower, but I was literally cupping my hands to catch water and throwing it on myself. But I fell asleep early (midnight) saddened that I would be leaving this amazing city the following day.

GTE Day +3 – Touring BA

We got up and Justin and I had the intention on heading back into BA Centro to catch the open bus and check out the tourist sights. The open bus runs every 30 minutes and if you stay on the bus lasts 2 and a half hours. But you can get off anywhere you want to look around and just hop back on the next bus. It costs 70 pesos (about $18 US). I like riding buses. You can see an awful lot of a city riding a bus. We started walking the 15 or so blocks to the zoo when we came across Andrew, Hannah, and Elizabeth (what are the odds?) They were heading into SOHO to get lunch so we agreed to meet up for dinner later that night back at La Cabrera since Andrew didn't really get to eat there and Justin and I were down for eating one last massive steak before we left Buenos Aires. We said our goodbyes and continued walking down to the zoo where one of the open bus stops supposedly was and waited…and waited…and waited some more. No open bus. Barbara finally asked around and a few vendors who were there said they hadn't seen the bus at all. Maybe it wasn't running that day? But on a Saturday? That seemed odd to me. However it was a) Saturday B) Argentine Labor Day C) a free concert was playing there in an hour so the "normal" bus stop was blocked and D) there was a protest in Centro that afternoon. Mmmm… Barbara proposed an alternative. Jump on the normal bus to La Boca (the furthest area from where we were) and she'd narrate plus La Boca is a touristy area so for sure we'd catch the open bus from there. That sounded good so we jumped on a normal bus headed for La Boca for 1.20 pesos (or 30 cents US!) It took a little while to finally get there (about 40 minutes) but it was fun seeing different parts of the city. We got to La Boca around lunch so walked the 2 blocks it consists of and stopped to eat. La Boca is a port city that is one of the oldest in Buenos Aires. It was where the immigrants came first and the area is filled with brightly colored homes. Barbara explained the reason for this is when immigrants first arrived the only paint they had was whatever was left from the ships they arrived on. They painted whatever colors they had and that tradition has lived on. It's a fun little area. We ate lunch at a local restaurant then jumped back on the bus to head back towards the city and stop at the Plaza de Mayo on the way. Oh and on the way in the normal bus what did we see?... The open bus. I mockingly shook my fist at it as Barbara and Justin busted up laughing…

The Plaza de Mayo is the area where the Presidential Palace is located and it's painted a bright pink. When we arrived, we were surprised to see that it was pretty much deserted. That was when we noticed the large police barrier and presence. There was a protest scheduled for that afternoon to fight for higher wages. We walked around the square for a bit and it was an eerie sight. The main avenues in the city were completely empty. I joked it was a "24 Days Later" moment referring to the zombie movie when London has been wiped out and the streets were deserted. We were walking down the middle of some of the normally busiest streets in Buenos Aires. On the way, we passed the famous Café Tortoni so we stopped for a cup of coffee. While inside, the protest started outside so we walked out to check it out. I imagined a hundred people or so… NOPE. Try THOUSANDS. It was impressive. They were banging drums and carrying banners. But completely peaceful. It was pretty cool to see actually. I was tempted to jump right in and join them! It was starting to get late so we took the metro (subway) back to Palermo SOHO since we had to meet up the gang for dinner in a few hours. We got back to Barbara's flat and I got a text from Andrew saying that he and Hannah had a slight relapse of their stomach problem and that dinner was probably out but could we still meet up back at Bab's place for drinks and to catch up. Justin, Babs, and I were still hungry so we told them to meet us at the restaurant and we'd come back afterwards for drinks. Then we headed off to get us some meat! We got to Cabrera and tried to get a table at 8pm. Well first, they didn't open until 8:30, and second, they were booked solid for the ENTIRE NIGHT!! DOH!!! So we walked around the corner to another place that wasn't quite as famous as La Cabrera but served up similar food. But they also served up a roasted veal rib that Barbara said was her absolute favorite. Justin got the Bife de Chorizo and Babs and I shared the veal ribs. They were OUTSTANDING! The flavor was amazing. Definitely another great meal! Around 9, we saw Andrew, Hannah, and Elizabeth walking up so they joined us for the rest of the meal then we all headed back to Bab's flat for drinks (and so Andrew could check out the hammock). On the way, Hannah started complaining about blisters so the girls grabbed a cab and Andrew, Justin, and I walked. It made for a HILARIOUS video of Andrew later in the evening that is on my Facebook page. Go check out the video titled "My name is Hannah".

We stayed at Bab's place until midnight when we were supposed to go meet Amanda and Lydia back in SOHO. We headed out to meet them and their new friends who were joining up with them fresh from Bolivia. Well, the night turned into a really LONG evening since it took us 2 bars and 3 and a half hours to get 1 drink. I don't think I've ever gone out for drinks and gotten sober. After that disaster, we got home at 4am ready for bed and our last full day in Buenos Aires.