Argentina Top Ten List — The Tattered Journal

I quit my job, stored my few worldly possessions, sold my car, and bought a plane ticket. So, that's what I've been up to.

And after a month of traveling around Argentina from Bariloche in Patagonia to Buenos Aires to Mendoza to Iguazu Falls, I'm still decompressing. I'm jotting down some big-picture thoughts, self realizations, and travel inspirations in my same tattered journal, but they're just fragments and feel a little too raw to share yet.

I didn't want to leave my home-away-from-home (I figure anywhere I am is now 'home' since I no longer have an address) - the glorious country of Argentina - without reflecting on my time here. So, here's my Argentina Top Ten List:

10. Fernet and coke. It's not exactly my new favorite cocktail, but I loved drinking it with my host family Dad, Jose Luis, while watching fútbol during dinner.

9. Hearing a piece of the Ventisquero Negro glacier, perched at the top of an inactive, stratovolcano called Cerro Tronador which straddles Argentina and Chile, crumble down the 11,450 foot peak.

Cerro Tronador got its name Tronador (Spanish for Thunderer) by locals in reference to the sound the falling glacial ice makes. Thunder is exactly what it sounds like! — Cerro Tronador got its name *Tronador* (Spanish for *Thunderer*) by locals in reference to the sound the falling glacial ice makes. Thunder is exactly what it sounds like!

8. Seeing and, more importantly, listening to an opera practice at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The orchestra music, emotion of the singer, and beauty of the theater brought tears to my eyes.

7. Learning the fascinating intricacies of tango thanks to my former professional tango dancer friend, Renee. The head nod invitation from the man, the various dances under the umbrella of tango, the female and male dancers picking up on the opposite tempos of the music, and the necessity of staying at the milonga until after 3am to see the good dancers!

6. Cheating and speaking English with my fellow Spanish student, world traveler, and kindred spirit, Anita, in cervezerías in Bariloche.

Anita and I with a peak view of Lake Nahuel Huapi and the Andes behind us.

5. The unlabeled 'house' Malbec at Posada Verde Oliva in Mendoza. Best Malbec in Mendoza!

The early morning light on the Posada Verde Oliva vineyard is picture-perfect and complements their family-style hospitality and swoon-worthy Malbec.

4. Patagonia. Full stop. It's mystic isn't just the magnificent beauty that your eyes see but more the expansiveness that your soul feels.

3. I will be forever grateful to Adriana for teaching me how to roll my r's, patiently coaching me to sound a little less like a gringa, and for appreciating my final word remarks.

Las tres amigas - Renee, Adriana and I - on our last night together in Buenos Aires.

2. Iguazu Falls, the 275 waterfalls that crash down on the Argentine and Brazilian border, the Iguazu River, creating the largest waterfall system on Earth. It's one of the most powerful and magical places I've ever been. The abundance of life-giving, cleansing water punctuated with the vibrant promise of a rainbow filled me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Kind of an ‘I’m the king of the world’ pose, but I guess that’s how the falls made me feel!

1. The pride, thoughtfulness, and lust for life of the Argentines - shown to me by my Porteña amiga Adriana, by my Bariloche host family the Leisses, and by all the people who took a minute or hours to help me, to teach me Castellano, to share something of their culture - is a special gift that I feel extremely grateful for receiving. Thank you!