Una semana loca

Hola a todos! I'm in Resistencia, in the province of Chaco, Argentina right now, with internet for the first time in quite a few days! It has been a crazy week, starting with a sad goodbye, and since then there have been festivals, unexpected trips, food-robbers, and a voyage to every hotel in town.

I have gotten to know the feeling of an omnibus (the most common form of transportation in Argentina) and have perfected the sleep-upright-while-avoiding-contact-with-the-lady-next-to-me position, while munching on the preserved sandwich served at 11pm. I have now watched movies ranging from "It's Complicated" (chick-flick) to "Taken" (action-thriller about abduction of young people in a foreign country - not the best thing for me to watch, I must say), both with subtitles and dubbed with Spanish voices. I also now know that feeling that so many backpackers speak of when they speak of the strange feeling that all of their belongings are strapped to their body. Moving from place to place has its fair share of adventure, but has already made me want to take a break. I have had some trouble talking to some contacts, from meetings falling through to a surprise holiday when the entire city shut down to a detoured bus ride. The cool part is that I was able to focus the research portion of this week on poverty among the riches. That is, whenever there is a festival, the rich come. And whenever the rich come, so do the poor. In Chile, a holiday means no work, for anyone, and I still don't know what exactly they were celebrating.

Though I planned to head to the province of Chaco on Monday, no buses were able to make it to the city, so I spent 2 days in Catamarca, where Argentina's only winter festival was being held, a festival celebrating indigenous life and culture. It was interesting to witness this festival, because though it was celebrating the people who were traditionally subdued, put down, and forced into poverty, those who spent the most money on the celebrations were the ones whose ancestors forced these people into their separate communities. The hear the point of view of the mayor of Catamarca City, Catamarca contrasted with that of the chief of the Huarpes tribe fascinated me, that through history books and oral history two very different tales came to be. And though lined with a slight layer of tension, the festival served as a great opportunity to experience yet another culture in Argentina.

As I said, I am now in Chaco, in the capital city of Resistencia, the sculpture capital of the world, where yet another festival is being held, accompanied by contests and lectures. If I knew (or cared, for that matter) anything about sculpture, I'm sure I would know how lucky I am to experience the Bicentennial edition of this event. But instead, I sit, brooding over my lost sandwich that a stray dog stole, the oil stains that somehow appeared on my nice khaki pants, and the hotel shopping I did around town. Mind you, none of these hotels have websites, and even if they did, my computer battery managed to die - I'm talkin', dead, for good - so I couldn't look online. Hostels are not even in the question, as Chaco has absolutely nothing to give to an Australian, European, North American, or even local tourist (minus the sculptors and their enthusiasts). I took a bus instead of a taxi into the center of town, half to save the 75 extra cents and half to prove I could, and stepped off around a group of hotels. I had a map, but obviously no prices, and each hotel insisted that their price was the cheapest and that they knew of no other hotels in the area. So I took my 2 backpacks and 2 plastic bags and walked the 30-40 blocks (total) to each and every hotel in town. As I approached each building, I saw the prices, one more expensive than the other. I paused, wondering what lesson God was trying to teach me - not to be cheap? Settle with what I have? Don't push my limits? As I rounded the last corner, out of hope and ready for another starburst break (those things got me through the day), I walked into the luxor hotel, and found it: the Holy Grail of cheap 1-star hotels. for only eleven dollars, I got a full bed AND my own bathroom, and wi-fi and TV in the common area, all next to the central plaza! Then I realized the lesson: count my blessings. Twice. Everything looks so much better and nicer and cheaper compared to their ugly counterparts. This goes for people as well, as the receptionist, though not exactly happy, was at least willing to look at me without laughing at the immense amount of baggage I had surrounding me.

As I said earlier, I'm already ready for a break, and a break I shall take. I head off tonight to the world-famous Iguazu Falls, to apparently experience the awe-full sights and sounds of this tropical wonder. Hopefully it shall be another reminder of all of the things I should be thankful for, and how truly awesome this experience has the potential to be.

Until next time,

Will