Buenos Aires

I'm almost to the end of the travel posts, I promise. It was a fun 6 weeks and I feel very fortunate to have done and seen everything that I did. My travel around Chile has definitely changed the way I plan to travel in the future and the things I still want to see. Gone are the days of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, hello Cartagena de Indias, Colombia!
If you're one of those outdoorsy types who likes Alaska or the Western USA, you HAVE to add Patagonia to your list of place to visit. I hope to return someday to see the other side and make my way up the places that I missed like Ushuaia, El Calafate, and Bariloche.
Now...on to my photos of Buenos Aires. Although it's a beautiful cosmopolitan city, I knew right away that I made the right choice in coming to Santiago. For me it's more manageable and the only way I can describe it would be like moving from Chicago to New York City. At any rate, since I'm a Chicago girl, it was nice to get out of this desert for a few days and into a little heat and humidity and see the beautiful people, architecture, and fashion.

Retiro and Plaza San Martin:

La Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo:

Puerto Madero:

Recoleta area and the cemetary:

Everyone comes to see Evita

I didn't get it in the photo, but there was even a butterfly flying around right here next to this quote that says to focus on the life that is beginning and not ending. Pretty cool.

Crossing Over, part II

After Mendoza, I returned to Santiago for a few days and still had a little time remaining before classes started so I decided to dip into my travel savings fund to take one last trip, to Buenos Aires. I mention this tiny detail to any readers who might be considering teaching English here just to remind them that although the summer is great for travel opportunities, (and also high season fares) it's also a long time to be without any kind of steady pay. Save during the good months, come with some money that you saved at home, or plan to stock up on private students to stash away some cash for travels, otherwise you could find yourself unemployed, hot, and bored in Santiago for a month or longer if you don't plan ahead.
If you remember a few posts back, I crossed over into Argentina by bus. Santiago to Buenos Aires is usually a reasonable plane fare and I opted for that since the 20+ hour bus ride just wasn't for me. I thought the sights on the bus over the Andes were spectacular, but these shots I got out of the plane window were even better.

Stay tuned for pictures of Buenos Aires and my day trip over to Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay.