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Check out pictures from Spring Break in Brazil!

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The Last Few Days

After leaving Dad at the airport, I took the bus back to Buenos Aires and got back to the apartment. A few friends came over and we ordered in take out Chinese and brought in some beer. We spent the night hanging out and enjoying the relaxed college environment of hanging out in an apartment. A little later, Jane, Nell and her new roommate Erica came over to hang out as well.

Thursday I slept in later, checked out of the apartment, and then had lunch with Santiago. I spent the afternoon on the computer just catching up and surfing the web. I also started look at classes for next spring semester, but the GW website was giving me problems. After dinner with Patricia I went to bed early.

Friday I had class in the morning, then continued working on classes for next semester. Then I talked to some friends at home before I went to lunch with Nell. After lunch I talked to Blaire and a few other friends then sat in the sun for a little and read. I came back took a nap, and had dinner with Patricia. After dinner I met up with Jane, Nell, and Elise to go to a house party of an Argentine that Jane and Nell had met in Rio. It ended up being a fun just relaxed chill environment, and we were there until 2, when we left to go to Macarena’s party (Nell’s host sister). That party was soo much fun again, and we rocked out to some great music and a good party. I got home around 5am, and passed out quickly.

Saturday I slept in late and read in bed for a while. I got up, went to lunch, checked some email, and then made my way to the park to sit outside in the beautiful weather and read. Later in the afternoon I did some research for travel plans….and then got myself ready for going out. Elise, Alex, Sarah, Lauren, and I met up for Mexican food at a restaurant in Palermo. It was a great time. After dinner we hung out in their residencia for a little before going out to Plaza Serranno. After hanging at a bar, we made our way to La Francia, a club we knew of downtown. It ended up being another really fun party, with great music and really cheap drinks. I got back around 4.45am, and fell asleep rather fast.

Sunday I slept in, read in bed, and then made my way to lunch at a café with wireless access. I am eating here and doing some online work with Elise, before we go over to Alex’s apartment to watch a polo match on TV. Life is good.

Dad's Visit

Thursday I met him at the airport, took a cab back to the city, and moved into our apartment for the week. We left for lunch at went to Café Tortoni, a really old classic café in Buenos Aires. After lunch we explored the Plaza de Mayo area, Palacio de Congresso, the obelisk, Teatro Colon, the Jewish Temple, my school, and UBA Medical School. We went back to the apartment to crash and rest before dinner. For dinner we had a nice meet and greet at my host families apartment. Wine and empanadas were served before we all headed out to dinner.

Friday we woke up and got touring early. In the morning we saw Recoleta Cemetery, the Law School, the Flower, and the Museum Bellas Artes. For lunch we went to Bengal, and enjoyed a 9 course lunch. Later we toured around Plaza San Martin, Avenida Florida, and then walked back through Recoleta to see the old mansions. For dinner we went to Milion, and then Elise met us there later for drinks.

Saturday we took a bus to Mar del Plata and after getting into our little hotel room, walked around and explored the city a little. We went out to a nice seafood dinner then crashed early since we were really tired.

Sunday we started the day at a bakery called Boston, which my host family claimed had the best medialunas and scones in the world. After an amazing breakfast we spent the day walking along to coast and enjoying the beach, sun, and beautiful weather. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the side of the beach somewhere along the way. For dinner we went to a seafood restaurant recommended by our hotel, which was located in the residential areas of the city. After another amazing dinner, we walked into some people from my program on the street, and ended up all going out to the bar district for some drinks after dinner. We took a cab home around 2am, after a great and full day.

Monday we had to wake up early to catch our 8.15am bus back to Buenos Aires. In the afternoon, we explored some of the park areas in Palermo and enjoyed the nice spring time weather. For dinner, we went to Cabana las Lilas, the best steak place in the world. After dinner we walked around Puerto Madero for a while, then went back and crashed.

Tuesday we made the trip up to Tigre. After walking around the city for a little we found a restaurant on the water for lunch. Later that afternoon we took a boat tour around the delta region, and then took that same boat back to Buenos Aires. It dropped us off at a marina along the coast really far away from the heart of the city. We walked along the coast for about 45 minutes, then hailed a cab back to the area of the city I knew well. Later that night we went to Casa Cruz for dinner, and then some drinks at Plaza Serrano.

Wednesday we slept in a little, and Dad finished packing. For lunch we went to Classica y Moderna Libros, then to Volta for ice cream afterwards. Then we took a bus to Plaza San Martin, bought a few gifts and then hung out in the park for an hour. We took the bus home, got any last minute stuff together, then waited for the taxi to be downstairs to take us to the airport.

Back to School - At least for 3 days...

The next three days I was swamped with school work since I was taking the next week off while my father was visiting. I finished a paper due the next week and handed it in early. I finally finished all my work Wednesday night and was excited for Dad to come in Thursday morning.

Spring Break- BUZIOS BRAZIL!!!!

Our vacation started off a little different then expected. Our flight to Curitiba was delayed two hours, therefore not allowing us to make our connecting flight to Rio later that night. After talking to the airline staff, we were transferred to a direct flight to Rio that was boarding that moment. We ran to the other side of the terminal and got onto the plane with hand written tickets. The plane took off shortly afterwards, and we were in the air on our way to Brazil.

Once we arrived, we found our luggage did not make it to our direct flight, and that our luggage had arrived in Curitiba aboard our original flight. We filled out some paperwork, and the airline told us they would send us our luggage when it arrived.

We got onto a bus and started the drive to Buzios. Even though we only got to see Rio from the bus, it was a magnificent city, and very beautiful. We arrived to Buzios in the afternoon, and after settling down in our hotel, headed out for a much needed lunch.

We decided on a restaurant on the main street in town that had a little eating deck onto the beach. After a fresh fish and a drink, I was feeling much better, and was enjoying the view onto the beautiful water. After lunch we all walked around the town and explored the area a little. Later in the afternoon we took a nap, since our overnight flight had made us all very tired. After sleeping a little, we felt much better, but were not too hungry. We walked into town and found a crepe restaurant and had dinner there. It was perfect, since a light but sweet dinner hit the spot. After dinner we headed to bed early and decided to start our adventures the next day.

The next morning Kate and my luggage arrived at the hotel, although Elise was still missing hers. The included breakfast at the hotel was grand: coffee, tea, a fresh bread basket, fresh jam, and a plate of fresh sweet fruit. We walked into town and bought some towels and sandals before getting a water taxi to take us to a beach for the day. We arrived to Tortaruga beach shortly thereafter and set up camp in some chairs under umbrellas that belonged to one of the many restaurant/bars that populated the beachside. The chairs were a service to customers, and buying one drink at the restaurant paid for the use of the chairs. We spent the entire day on the beach-swimming, sunbathing, walking along the coast. At the beach, there were guys walking up and down the beach trying to sell stuff. Anything you could want while lying at the beach was available: towels, hats, and blankets. On top of that, there was a good selection of food: fresh corn, fresh oysters, and ice cream. For lunch we ordered a shrimp dish from the restaurant. By 5pm, we were ready to leave, and the water taxi came to pick us up. I was definitely red from the day in the sun, but little did I know that I would burn from only one day in the sun. I bought some aloe vera on the way home from the beach. After a little nap in the early evening, we went out to dinner at a Thai food restaurant. After dinner we checked out Mix Bar, a little bar on the beach with live music. We stationed ourselves on a table on the sand, and danced the night away to the live samba music. On the way home we stopped for ice cream, at a self serve ice creamery. It was glorious.

The next day we woke up a little earlier and decided to take a boat tour of the area. We boarded the catamaran boat around noon after some shopping in the morning and took off. The boat tour included going to a few beaches, snorkeling, and drinks on the boat. I ended up befriending some of the other people on the boat, and had a great afternoon. After the boat we headed over to a local burger shop for lunch. In the afternoon we took a nice relaxed walk to a beach on the other side of the peninsula. After getting back after dark I read and relaxed a little while the girls did some shopping. For dinner we went out to a Sushi restaurant. It was amazing, since the fish was so fresh. After dinner, we went to Mix Bar again, but on the way there, Alex and Elise made friends with some locals in one of the shops, and after they got off work, we met up with them to go out to another bar. This bar was filled with mostly locals and had a samba show going on. After a samba show, they opened up the whole place for dancing, and it was a lot of fun. After this bar closed at two, we all went to a hip-hop club that was open. A little later we retired back to the hotel with some new friends and a fun night.

The next day we made a nice long walk to a beach far away. When we got there an hour later, the beach was empty. Literally, we were the only ones on the beach for as far as we could see. We spent the morning relaxing and sunbathing at this beach, then walked across the island to another beach for lunch. After lunch we walked to the main road, and took a shuttle back to our hotel. From the hotel we walked north to the other side of peninsula to watch the sunset from a cute little beach. After an amazing sunset over the water, we returned to the hotel and realized there was a sauna that we could use. Afterwards, I went out on a search to find Nell and Jane, two friends that arrived that day in Buzios, but we had no way of contacting them since our cell phones didn’t work. I somehow stalked them down by asking at their hotel and searching some restaurants. We all went out for some drinks before dinner, and then said goodbye to Nell and Jane since they were very tired from traveling. We continued to a great fresh fish restaurant, and then had ice cream on the way back to the hotel.

The next day we took a full day tour from Buzios to two other beach towns near by. The bus from Buzios to Arrial de Cabo was about 45 minutes. When we arrived we boarded a boat and set off for a great afternoon abroad. We went to the first beach to snorkel and enjoy the beautifully blue clear water. Then we sailed past a grotto. The tour guide told us they had a surprise for us, and a crew member jumped into the water and came back out with fresh oysters he had harvested from the side of the grotto walls. He shucked them right for us in front of our faces and we each enjoyed one. The next stop was a little beach that had a hill, which you could rent snowboards for. Elise and I rented snowboards and enjoyed trying to snowboard down a hill of sand. The boat went back to the dock, and from there we went to lunch at a great buffet place. After lunch we checked out a few different beaches by bus, and then stopped at a shopping area for swimsuits. We got back to our hotel later that afternoon, and relaxed in the sauna until it was time for dinner. We met up with Nell and Jane for a nice fancy fish dinner. After dinner we went to ice cream, and then I went out for a drink with Jell, Nell, and Elise at the House of Rock and Roll bar.

The next day I did not go out with Alex, Kate, and Elise, and instead met up with Nell and Jane in the morning to spend the day with them. We attempted to rent a buggy beach car, but after a half hour, we realized none of us knew how to drive a stick shift well enough to actually use the car. After we worked out returning the car, we took the taxi shuttle to a beach for the afternoon. That beach was a perfect mix of quiet beach and popular hang out. The restaurant we had chairs at had a lice acoustic guitarist playing music all afternoon. We walked to another beach to watch the sunset, then parted ways to relax before dinner. That night for the last dinner in Buzios we went to a little romantic fish restaurant. After a great meal, we went to Mix Bar to enjoy the music and drink on the beach, then headed to bed.

Sunday morning we had to wake up and be ready for the bus to the airport at 6am. Once we got to the airport we were lucky and were able to change to a direct flight, and also make sure our luggage made it there with us. We got to Buenos Aires in the afternoon and relaxed before our school week would start again the next day.