We've been initiated here in Uruguay. Officially joined the backpacker ranks. First mosquito bites, first hostel with shared bathroom, first cold shower, and the first time we've really felt the effects of what Josh called the "tourist tax" - the price is listed right there on paper but somehow they find ways of charging you more. The fact that it's normal to pay 400 Urguayan pesos for dinner, which we then convert into Argentinean pesos and then into d...

I´m slowly learning that some of the best things in life are unplanned and casual, and that this is especially true when it comes to steak and tango. For this tried and true planner this is quite an admission. But consider the evidence: by far the best steak we´ve had in Buenos Aires has been the one we picked up for $1.50 at the local grocery store and cooked ourselves in the hostal kitchen. The pad of butter probably didn´t hurt, but either way, ...

We made it! Our stuff is in storage somewhere in Brooklyn, my thesis is (almost) done, we´re fully innoculated and documented, and we finally arrived in Buenos Aires a few days ago. We´ve been getting all kinds of reactions when we tell people we´re traveling for six months around South America. I don´t think I fully realized it myself until I was standing there, carrying my life on my back, face to face with our "basic" $15/night ho...

We made it! Our stuff is in storage somewhere in Brooklyn, my thesis is (almost) done, we´re fully innoculated and documented, and we finally arrived in Buenos Aires a few days ago. We´ve been getting all kinds of reactions when we tell people we´re traveling for six months around South America. I don´t think I fully realized it myself until I was standing there, carrying my life on my back, face to face with our "basic" $15/night ho...