Buenas Aires, Urban Bliss

28 hours by bus from Florianapolis to Buenos Aires!
And i´m not talking about those rediculous first-class buses available in Argentina. The only way is Brazilian style ghetto-jelapi bus featuring a leaky bathroom and a Banderas movie marathon (Zorro 1 &2, the 13th Warrior... not even Desperado!) All is ameliorated when I meet up with Paula and Violetta, two way cool girls from Buenos Aires. That´s what happens when you rock the warriors shirt...its a catalyst for meeting interesting people. The deal was sealed when they spooted Diplo on my Ipod...classy! They rep Buenos Hard, working as the dynamic duo of graphic deisgn projects throughout the Argentinean music world. More on that later.
Also on the bus was an English fellow by the name of James, whose from Manchester, lives in London, and supports Everton...Football fans respond now. The man was relaying stories of Debauchery unleashed by the brits in Floripa (other side of the island, unfortunately) And we got beds at HI Tango City. You can never go wrong with HI in terms of basic sanitary standards, and the location was fine. Enough of that...
BUENOS AIRES IS A KILLER CITY:







Buenos has it all:

The music scene is strong, Amazing graffs and public arts, Parties that last until 6 am at least, delicious steaks which cost less than a tall late at Starbucks, Avant garde architecture, Beautiful women, World-class (and cheap) wine, crazy hostel scene, etc etc., more stories to come.

Carnaval Day 4: Hamas, No Homo, conclusion

So its getting towards the end of the festivities, and frankly its getting a bit tiresome...No, it really isn´t. Carnaval in Floripa surpasses any of my expectations. Its been 4 days of beach-centered parties. And after 3 months at -5 degress weather, its about damn time. Carnaval in Brazil would cause any one to relax, stay tranquillo, and enjoy. Even the Hamas:




Dudes were downing straight cacasha shots. Now, put all nationalism and mutual hatred aside, you gotta respect Khaled when he´s killing bottles of 51 and hitting on anything moving.


...speaking of hitting on, i´ve seemed to have been showing hot pink on the gaydar. As some of you (I´m not judging) may know, Florinapolis is amongst the gay capitals of the world. So is New York City and Tel Aviv, so no gay jokes, alright? By day one of carnaval, someone commented that i am tasty. By day three, a personal trainer from San Francisco is trying to help me as i was doing some pushups. NOw, i am by no means a homophobic, but they aren´t helping the cause. Women, I now know what it feels like to be objectified by men. On the other hand, i wasn´t complaining about the free drinks either...
And so:
NO HOMO NO HOMO NO


To conclude:
Carnaval is a amazing time, something everyone who enjoys life must experience. Floripa wasn´t the crazy time Ouro Preto was, but it is the place for you if you´re looking for the beach. or for amazingly good-looking women, or men, i guess...

Day 3 of Carnaval...

Daytime:

Evning:

Night:

repeat...

Beleze! it starts...

Carnival begins tonight. Saturday to Tuesday, a constant routine of: drinking, dancing around samba trucks (check the pics) partying on the beach of Lagoa until dawn, sleep a few hours, hang-over induced coma on the beach all day, repeat...

First night of carnival hosts the opening ceremony, a massive parade where different schools of samba field hordes of choreographed dancers, musicians and floats. This is where the order ends, as chaos insues throughout the island until the last minutes of carnival.

A Brazilian Post-game wrap-up:

Floripa, Genesis

I Flew in on the 17th of Feb. Within 20 hours,It went from -7 to 26 degrees (yea, that is in celsius).
Its still a bit unfathomable. I have dreamed about this trip during my entire Army service + the time spent saving up and working for it, and now thatit has arrives its still in some sublime, unpenetrable place. Well, scratch that, i realized I am officially a muchillero the second i me the first Israelis at the airport. The type that loves to share his or her stories with you. And all you can do is sit and listen quietly like a disciplined pupil... That, to the left of this entry is Mole´ Beach, about 7 minutes by bus from where I stayed,which was Barra Da Lagoa on the Island of St. Catarina, near the city of Florianapolis. A surf capital and all-round amazing place to spend any amount of time, especially Carnival week.

The Intro, the FAQs, the Shouts...

Brought to you by: Drury´s Whiskey, Brazil´s SECOND cheapest whiskey...

What it is, Ladies and Gentleman,
I will try and keep this pitch short and sweet. If you dont like it, you can just go ahead and send it right back at me (reference #1). This is my South American trip blog, meant as a vessel of communication between yours truly and the interested friend, worried parent, vindictive ex, and the Voyeuristic multitudes who seek to live vicriously through others. Hey, i am NOT judging! i watched all 3 seasons of Flava of Love, and the spin-offs...
Ok Ok, due to exceeding demands from the many viewers i have already garnered, here are some faqs to alleviate email influx:

1) who are you? who do you think you are?

I am the foreigner when in America, the American when in Israel...The first question i get asked in hostels is where are you from? so far the answer tends to begin with : It is a bit complicated... Why write this blog? because the trip is too short for me to update my facebook, call the family, send emails to all the friends, etc. So here it is:a one-size-fits-all means of relaying it all.

2) Why should i read this shite?

Well, you shouldn´t! hence the blog name (Manuelita is Argentinian slang for masturbation) And now for a constructive view of my writing: I have realized in the very short time I have spent in South America that although there are clearly beaten tracks, including those for Euros, Israelis, and the rest- every one has his own unique set of experiences. Some are damn near horrible, while others are fantastic, but all are interesting. Use this for tips, entertainment, personal insights on new scenes, the occasional what-have-you,etc.

3) Where are you, what are you doing? are you wasting your life?

Yes, this is an actual question i have received several times, usually from the North Americans. Currently I am in an Internet Cafe in Buenos Aires, on week 2 of a x-month long trip. The bare-bones plan is to continue southto Patagonia,and work my way up toColumbia and North Brazil. that{s about it for planning...wasting my life? perhaps, but atleast ihave stories. What will you have? oh yea, money...and a couch for me to crash on!

Shouts: Gorens&co, Warriors, Tzabar, Kfar Hannasi, and the people met during the trip...