Time is catching up...

Here I am, in my last stop of South America. 

It's not bitter sweet, it's just bitter. I'm not ready, let me stay a little longer...

When I first got to Argentina, it was a bit overwhelming. This city is ginormous and there are never ending amounts of neighborhoods and buildings. I'm staying at a Air B&B, which is absolutely adorable! 

The place itself was great, but it definitely was not in the area that would have been ideal. Anywhere I wanted to go or see, I'd have to take that jam-packed, smelly subway. And if you can't feel my love for the subway by now, there was another problem with it...every single time I came out of it...I'd manage to lose any sense of direction I thought I had. "Where would Shayna go"--she goes straight to her compass to figure out which way is north. 

The great thing about Buenos Aires, it's buildings and shops. Breath taking and everywhere. 

These buildings were perfect on the eyes, incomparable to a photo. As a matter of fact, as I was taking a photo of the above building...an old lady stopped and said something along the lines of... 

"estás loco para pensar que puede capturar la belleza de este edificio en una imagen. poner su teléfono y mirar el edificio. Ése es el problema con su generación, no se puede simplemente disfrutar de ella como lo que es . cree que debe compartir en tu facebook así que eso es real. Colgar el teléfono y con tan sólo mirar maldita sea"

Translation please?! 

You're crazy to think you can capture the beauty of this building in a picture. Put your phone down and look at the building. Thats the problem with your generation, you can't simply enjoy it for what it is. You think you must share it on your facebook so thats its real. Put the phone down and just look damnit.

Well, I can't confirm that this is what she said but if I had to guess...

If I had to pick one word to describe Buenos Aires it would be, "Big!" 

The city itself, the portions of meat and wine, the shoes these woman wear, the legs of each Argentine woman, the buildings, the menus...just not their coffee. Don't you know I never order less than a Venti? 

These are your typical shoes if you want to fit in...needless to say, my rainbows didn't match the trend...

And if my rainbows weren't enough to make me stand out...my thick short legs would. They are about half the size in length and double the size on width of your typical Argentine woman. Wtf. My envy...maybe it's because they wear such platformed clonkers that they look so tall. 

I decided to go on a walking tour, get my feel for the city, went to an Asado where the meat just kept coming...my arteries were pleading for mercy. 

I also went to a tango lesson and dinner show. Lord help these hips, they have no rythym...

My instructor kept scolding me every time I laughed in his face because that's what I do when I get nervous...I laugh. Tango dancing is so serious and passionate...and I'm so, not. Here I am, laughing hysterically in the face of a professional as he's piercing me with his eyes and yelling at me in Spanish to "get it together" He's very...what's the word? Flamboyant. 

Well, that was a fail but I got my "Tango certificate" along with 80 year old Carol...feeling nice and worthy. 

I must say, my favorite part about Buenos Aires was not Buenos Aires. It was the decision I made to hop on a boat over to Uruguay. Have done no research on it or even what there is to do, what it looks like, anything for the matter...I was in for a surprise.

Oh the beauty of this small, quaint and old town. I can't help but think that Nicholas Spark surely has used this as a setting for one of his hopeless romantic books. The streets are old, the lanterns that light up the street are lit with character, the ocean is calm and the shops are so adorable. 

I rented a bike for the day and headed along the coast. Dear God, you're out of shape. Also, could you have picked a taller bike?! 

I pedal uphill being far more winded and far more aware of my leg muscles than I should. Oh why not make me look like more of an amateur? What better way to do that than to have a tri-Athlon going on along side the same road I am going? This guy is running faster than I'm pedaling on my bike...and the cyclist has passed me in record time...

I get off my bike about 6 KM in, it's time for a break...

I spent the rest of the day riding around, taking in the sunshine, reading "Eat Pray Love" and thinking about what I'm going to have for dinner...dumplings in vegetable sauce (so damn good I had it two days in a row!) 

It was such a great "escape for an escape." 

My time in South America has now come to an end...I find myself in an emotion that's equivalent to high school graduation. Somewhere between, "Wow that flew by, I'm not ready yet...and Good freakin job, you survived!" 

There is so much more I want to explore in South America, I know there is no way this can be my last trip...I must come back and I will! 

¡Caio!