Author: Chris & Tamara

We had a major meltdown. While eating more bland-yet-also-somehow-sweet food, we both looked at each other and felt a lot of emotions that can only be described by these gifs. First, we were like:

 

 

And then, Chris was like:

 

 

And I was totally about to:

 

 

But somehow we managed to keep our cool. We said, “Remember? Remember when we used to eat delicious tacos al pastor in Mexico City?”

Maybe our reactions surprise you. That’s because we can’t share everything we’re thinking on this blog or else it would be impossible to maintain. Let’s just say, besides closed door restaurants serving international cuisine, we haven’t had a meal worth writing about in a while.

We came across a blog post for gringos like us who are missing Mexican food and trying desperately to find some. So we went to La Fabrica del Taco to see if anything could satisfy our craving basic human need for strong flavor.

 

 

 

The good:

• The hot sauce was hot
• The carnitas had good flavor and were juicy
• Housemade tortillas
• Big tacos
• Friendly and fast service

The not-so-good:

• No limes
• The refried beans weren’t very flavorful
• The al pastor meat was crispy/blackened, yet still pretty good
• It was expensive

But the real benefit is that it did two things: 1) satisfied our craving for sabor, and 2) convinced us that we need to make our way back to Mexico soon.

 

We’re not really sure what day it is. Thursday and Friday were holidays here in Argentina so our last day of school was Wednesday, but we kept thinking it was the weekend. Anyhow, we’ve mostly been bumming around (like Holly above), enjoying the sunshine after last week’s couple of rainy days.

 

 

Chris has been working on and off, enjoying the flexibility of working when he feels like it — with the exception of phone call meetings. I’ve been working on putting my book Awesome Supervisory Skills on different platforms, like iBooks and Google Play. It’s not as instant as Amazon and I have a feeling Amazon will continue to be the biggie, but the benefits of expanding outweighed the benefits of being exclusively on Amazon.

We’re also prepping for our next leg in Costa Rica. Our to-do list is halfway complete, and we have all of next week to finish:

• Book refundable onward ticket so we can enter the country (which we’ll cancel later)
• Call bank/credit card company to extend the travel notices on our accounts
• Check bank account balances; make transfers as needed
• Book place to stay in San Jose for a night before we head to Sámara
• Check bus schedule and logistics for getting to Sámara
• Stop by internet cafe to print out copy of Costa Rica’s pet import requirements to bring to vet
• Take Holly to the vet to get an exam and health certificate
• Take Holly for grooming
• Go to SENASA to get an official health certificate, required for Holly’s entry into Costa Rica
• Book taxi to pick us up at an ungodly hour to get to the airport

Not on the list, but equally important, is to go get a really good steak one more time before we leave. I’m not a big steak eater, but I can’t leave without having one. For Chris, this will be a repeat affair.

Lastly, here’s a photo from our morning walk yesterday. Love the architecture in Buenos Aires.

 

 

 

Today was our last day of school since the next couple of days are holidays. It was sad to say goodbye, even though we’ve only known our classmates and teachers for a short time. While you meet lots of people while traveling, you end up saying a lot of goodbyes.

During a break between classes, Chris and I went over to El Ateneo, a famous bookstore in Buenos Aires on Santa Fe and Riobambo, which is just a couple blocks from our school. It used to be a theater but was then converted to a bookstore. There’s a cafe/bar inside, and it was a nice hideaway from the crowded sidewalks.

 

 

 

 

They also serve very strong coffee, which helped me get through my last two hours of class. If you’re ever in South America and looking for a language school, we’ve both had great experiences with our language school: Ecela Spanish. The teachers were all great and it’s a nice way to meet other folks from around the world.

Anyway, we’re off to the grocery store. Gotta stock up before everything is closed tomorrow…

 

Every Monday at the Konex Cultural Center, La Bomba de Tiempo performs. My friend Eric recommended it, so Chris and I grabbed two of our classmates — Guillermo (left) from the U.S. and Lucas (right) from Brazil — to check it out.

 

 

The doors open at 7pm, but people don’t show up until the show starts at 8pm. Although, if you want a beer, you should get there early because you can’t leave the bar until your drink is done. It costs about US$7 to get in, which includes a contact high.

Anyhow, it was great drumming and great people watching! Some of the best people watching to date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll land in San Jose, Costa Rica on Monday, May 12! After doing quite a bit of research, we settled on Playa Sámara on the Nicoya Peninsula. It looks like it has everything we want: tropical weather, beaches, a variety of services, a language school, a mix of locals and expats, and roads that won’t get too washed out during the rain. Fingers crossed!

Sometimes we forget to stop and share what it takes for us to make decisions like this.

1. Read, read, read about potential destination, especially at this time of year
2. Look into surrounding areas in case potential destination doesn’t pan out (like when we were in Bariloche)
3. Research housing options and costs, including checking availability at a couple choice spots
4. Check visa requirements, including whether onward tickets are required
5. Shop around for flights
6. Review requirements to get a health certificate for Holly in origin country
7. Locate requirements for Holly’s entry into the country; call agency via Skype to clarify questions
8. Book flight and contact airline by phone to reserve Holly’s spot

This may seem like overkill, but not only is it our personality, it’s also a wise thing to do. Once within a country, it’s easier for us to fly by the seat of our pants, but crossing international borders — especially with a dog — requires some foresight.

Anyway, we are really excited and will keep you posted as plans progress.

Lastly, we had a great time last night at a language exchange bar night called Mundo Lingo. We talked the night away, practicing our Spanish and helping others to practice their English. Although, it got so loud and packed that we are both hoarse today. We met a lot of interesting people, both from Argentina and abroad.

We met a couple guys from Caracas, Venezuela who were hilarious and clearly trying to pick up some women because they complained that it was a fiesta de bomberos. Bombero means firefighter, and he explained, “It’s because there are too many hoses here.” We laughed and said that in English we say “sausage party,” and we all felt good about our little cultural exchange.

Holly’s feeling much better! Except she’s still on bland food — chicken and rice — and is not happy about it. She’s constantly hounding us because she lives for food and treats, even though she left a little rice right on her nose! Oh, Holls.

Chris and I are enjoying our Spanish classes. He’s doing four hours a day, and I’m doing two. Did you know that in Argentina they don’t use tú as the second person, informal? Instead, they use vos, and also conjugate the verb differently. (Por ejemplo: tú puedes = vos podés)

School and other projects aside, the big thing occupying our brain space is: where the heck are we going next? So we went to the best possible place to think about it.

 

 

Sometimes, you just need a little taste of home — and one that isn’t McDonald’s. Anyway, the caffeine plus the slightly different vibe from other cafes in Buenos Aires (which are much more social) was perfect for bringing a laptop and doing some research.

While we’re enjoying it here in BA, we’re looking forward to going someplace smaller. And warmer. And beachy. But still big enough to have major services. And developed enough to not get trapped in by washed out roads during rainy season.

This is where I’ll back up and say that getting to this point was actually a big challenge. There is such a thing as travel fatigue, and the thought of having to uproot into the unknown again felt a little tiring. I wasn’t even able to answer when Chris asked me: if you could go anywhere, where would you go? I wouldn’t go home, but I didn’t even want to have to think about where to go next.

But we pushed through it. We’ve been sorting through recommendations from friends, travel forums (Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum is awesome), and countless blog posts. We’d get excited about places, only to find fatal flaws. Too expensive. Too remote. Too many gringos.

As of tonight, we have an option that we’re both really, truly excited about and looking forward to. I’m not going to tell you where, because we’re still looking into it and I don’t want to jinx anything. All I can say is that Holly isn’t the only one bouncing back around here! More soon.