De la playa

Back in the city! My trip to the beach was certainly an interesting and fun few days, and a nice break from the hustle and noise of the capital. Mar del Plata is a small city located on Argentina's eastern coast, about 400 km/250 miles south of Buenos Aires. The difference between the general atmospheres there and here is noticeable almost as soon as you step onto the streets- much more relaxed, less noise and traffic, and none of the intersections have stop lights. Or stop signs. It's basically a free-for-all of drivers who speed down the road, then approach every intersection at about 20-30 mph to check for cross-traffic and screech to a stop just in time to avoid having their bumpers clipped. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera charger, so I'll have to wait for my friends to upload their pictures, then I'll commandeer some to show you.

The best way to get to somewhere like Mar del Plata from the city is to take a microbus- a bus that holds about 50 people who pay around 300 pesos to sit in its large, cushioned, recline-able "semicama" seats, eat the complimentary snacks the bus line provides, and watch nice, family-friendly (or not) movies like "The Professional", "Taken", and "The Ides of March". Watching unbelievably dramatic things happen and people getting shot isn't exactly what I like to fill ten hours with, so I brought along my iPod. Wait, did I say ten hours? I did indeed. The traffic all the way to Mar del Plata was so heavy that the trip took an extra four hours. We finally stopped at a gas station about seven-and-a-half hours in, thankfully because we were all hungry.

The fourteen of us all shared three hotel rooms for three nights, and it was like a big slumber party. We went to the beach, which was completely packed with people (but not so much that we didn't get sun!) and it was so funny going into the water- people just wade and stand around in it, nobody really swims with a few exceptions, probably because the water there is so cold. With the sun beating down, though, it was quite refreshing. One of the things I really enjoyed about the beach was the wide variety of people and body types and the way that, no matter how a person looked, he or she was there, in his/her own skin and in a swimsuit, having a blast in the waves, completely comfortable. It was truly beautiful, and being there in the midst of it I don't think I've ever felt more beautiful and comfortable in my own skin.

The bus trip back only took about six and a half hours, which seemed downright short after the trip there. All in all it was a great trip- we discovered a great club where there was a cumbia band playing live two nights in a row, spent time soaking up some much-needed sun, ate at the 200-year-old bakery where the Argentine alfajor was born, and made some wonderful new friends.

For now I'll leave you with that story since my eyes refuse to stay open, and hopefully after some sleep will be back to give you more entertainment of better quality than tonight's post. Chau y buenas noches!