To: Morgan (on Facebook a few weeks ago)

***This is a message I sent to Morgan on April 11th about 30 minutes after arriving to my friends house in Buenos Aires or BA.***

Ok ok...it all started yesterday.

Jeremias said it doesn't take long to get to the bus station...I asked are you sure? How long 10 minutes...ok cool...I need to be at the bus station by 9:30 bc we leave at 10am...

Wake up at 8am...shower get ready...starting to rush cause I have to say goodbye and its now 9:30...shit! Where are my sunglasses? ok go back into the house...running around..can't find em...ok screw it...just sunnies, they can be replaced...hop in the car...its 9:38...Jeremias says...Jason do you have any money for gas? WTF????  Ok heres 10,000pesos $20 bucks...He drives so fast up the freeway dodging cars left and right, like Gran Tourismo....we get into the city and its like 9:50... "probably not going to make it dude!"

So I run through the myriad of bus counters at the south station...say "Buenos Aires"...the guy points to his watch and shakes his head...which terminal..26! OK I run out there...a bus in 26...says CATA, "oh wow they haven't left yet" 10:14...Drop my bag down for the guy to load it....I say "Buenos Aires si?" The guy says "no...it left already"...

*Some really loud swear words found their way out of my mouth*

Then the driver says...come with me (all of this is in Spanish by the way, except my swearing)...I follow the driver back to the counter...asked about "Cambiars" and what not...really fast and I didn't catch all of it...but I know that I am going to get a lift with this guy and then catch up to the correct bus....

Wow! How lucky....this Driver lives in Buenos Aires so he has to change seats with the other driver of my "actual bus" at the "frontera" or boarder of Argentina and Chile...what a blessing in disguise...so lucky!

In the rush and during the chaos I eventually get to the boarder like 2 hours later...still not sure if this going to work out and I'll have to stay another night in Mendoza...but sure enough...the CATA bus, a bit nicer by the way, was there! All of the passengers were in line going through immigration and what not! Stoked!

I'm on the correct bus now...headed for Buenos Aires...and we eventually stop around 7 pm to rest our legs and take a break and buy some snacks....well I only have Chilean Pesos...and with the rush and everything I didn't have a chance to exchange my money at the boarder....so like a little puppy dog looking into the snack shop, I'm salivating, so hungry (cause the sandwich they gave me on the bus has Mayo which I wont eat lol).

I asked around if I could exchange some money, no luck, "todos cerrados". This is about the time a short, wealthy, multiple gold-ring-wearing Argentinian pulls out a wad of $100 American and Argentinian pesos....he slips me a 10 spot (pesos)...I buy a large water for $7.50...I offer him the change back and he said "tranquilo" ...I showered him with thank yous and hand shakes. What a Legend!!

Little did I know...but that $2.50 of change that he let me keep would save my life!...

Back on the bus, happy and watching free movies through dinner....pass out for a couple of hours and bam! The lights are on bright as day...it's only 5 am and the announcement comes on that we are approaching our destination. They brought coffee and cookies around to everyone.

We stop. The conductor makes another announcement...something about "pardon...tienen pacencia...este es Moreno"...still groggy and slow, I thought nothing of it. Then my Spanish speaking amigo sitting next to me, whom I had an amazing and coherent conversation with the evening before, says isn't that your street? Moreno? I'm thinking yes, is this it...I had a list of directions written down to find my friends place in BA...sure enough "Avenida Moreno"...but no one is getting off the bus...(1st clue)

I go outside and ask the conductors about my address and the directions...I had left my bag inside on my seat (2nd clue-listen to your instincts) thinking this can't be the stop. The conductors hurriedly said yes this is Moreno street, I don't know your specific address but this is Moreno Street...they pulled my big pack out of the back of the bus as I was showing a heavy-set driver of an un-marked taxi cab (3rd clue) my hand written directions...he said "dale dale" or come on as if he new exactly where I needed to go...I stood there as he loaded my bags, watching my luxury two story bus drive off into the darkness...

I get in the cab, explain my directions to this "cab driver" and we sit there for 5 minutes bantering...he was trying to read my directions from top to bottom...I explain to him that these are a couple of different options on how to get to the address, this number and street are the only important things....he drives down the street for 2 blocks...stops at a busy intersection in the middle of the road and gets out of the car and goes to ask a local store manager for directions...

This is right about the time when I start really feeling stupid..talking to myself alone in the cab..."yeah dude, you only have 40,000 Chilean pesos, that's 80$ American...what the hell are you going to do? Bro! You have that $2.50 Argentinian...how much could this cost...?" (4th clue) I also realized that I can't really understand this guy well and for that matter the conductors of my bus a few minutes ago either...hmmmm..."oh yeah you're in Argentina...they speak with different accents and words" (5th clue).

Cabby returns says he knows where the intersection of 9 de Julio and Moreno are...."good I should hope so you're a taxi driver..." We arrive...I look around...massive amounts of swear words come out of my mouth!!!!!!

9 de Julio is suppose to be a busy 13 lane road in downtown BA, not this one lane back neighborhood street. I ask the driver "hay un metro muy cerca?" ..."si, un tren"...I respond "estacion Retiro"..."no no no amigo, falta" (6th clue). This sketchy looking neighborhood and shady looking people out and about started to get a bit more scary..."es seguro?" he says not it's not safe for me to be out here alone...ok cool, thanks bro!

He drives me to the train after we figure out that I am not even near downtown BA (still dark outside) and that I have to take this train over an hour into the city. Turns out...Moreno is a small town on the outskirts of BA...Ironically the same name of the street on which my friend lives...also the reason that no one else got out of the bus but me...also why the taxi driver was so confused with my address.

At the train station now, I try to further communicate with this guy...failing miserably....he gets out and walks me to the ticket counter, purchases my ticket with his money (now he knows I only have Chilean pesos) and walks me over the foot-bridge to the other side where I am supposed to board. Keep in mind that I can't really understand this fast speaking mumbling man very well and I have total and utter trust that he is leading me in the right direction (what other choice did I have? Stay in the sketchy town till sunrise?)

I shake his hand and try and leave, thinking to myself. "Wow this guy is really nice...realized he made a mistake having me leave my bus and then buys my ticket into the city.." (7th clue- people aren't always that nice)

He then stops me and says I need to pay for the trip...ok how much? I only have Chilean pesos...he says I need to pay 20,000....which is like 40$ American....are you kidding? That's expensive, "muy caro"..he explains that half of my 10,000 peso bill is for the train ticket..."Ok whatever...the train is leaving I need to get into town, I'm tired, can't understand you, and I'm getting upset...it's just money, a traveler's tax for being an idiot Jason!" (I later find out that he needed 20 Argentinian pesos, the equivalent of 5$, I gave him 40$)

He leaves...I'm standing...back to front with a packed train-car stuffed with people...half sleeping and half dressed quite dodgy...smell of weed...mounds of trash outside as the sun rises...lots of people in the streets..."where am I even going"??????

I ask a respectable looking man...he spoke slowly, clearly, and with concern for my well being...he explained the "Retiro" isn't at the end of this train...but that I need to take a "collectivo" to that station...number 111...ok now I have to trust this guy...an hour and half later...we get to "Once" the last stop...the guy gives me a head wave to follow...he said I'm passing by the bus, follow me and I'll take you there..."wow this guy is great". He wished me safe travels...

Keep in mind...this is all happening with a 40 lb pack on my back and a 5 lb day pack on my chest wearing cargo pants...I'm also the tallest person in South America and blonde...I kind of stick out.

The bus number turned out to be 101, but the guy walked me to the right place...I get to the "Retiro" and now I'm at point A. The point where I should have been left off the original luxury bus. At first, I hated Argentina. I was so jaded and vexed bc of my experience that I wanted to leave...thinking just book  a bus to Brazil and get on with it...But as I traveled in the small "collectivo" I started to see the real city...It's beautiful and probably worth a chance!

I asked around and figured out that I needed one more "collectivo" to get within 3 blocks of my friends house...Finally! It's now about 8:30 am.

The funny thing was that each "collectivo" cost $1.20 Argentinian pesos...and there weren't any exchange companies open or ATM's nearby...remember I had $2.50 left over from the nice guy at the pit stop...how funny that it worked out, just barely!

Missing my bus from the beginning was obviously not a good start, but you would think after 2 1/2 months of traveling that I would have had the foresight to stay in the bus till my destination (despite crazy half-brain ideas from people whom you can't fully understand bc of the language barrier).

I'm here, safe and sound. Not without a fight, but I'm here!