The small pleasures... The ones that make the difference.

 

Hola Chicos and Chicas,

 

So let's see.  I wanted to list some of the small stuff that I have enjoyed on this trip.  The things that provide some local color, personal insight, or just bring a smile to my face.  I am just going to write in a stream of consciousness style so bear with me if there is improper grammar or nonsensical phrasings...

 

I like walking down the streets of Rosario at 6am after a recent downpour with the smell of the rain still in the air and the sights and sounds of a city just beginning to wake up for a new day.

 

I like the light mobile on the wall of our hostel room in Montevideo each morning.  I still haven't been able to figure out what is causing this piece of art to form and move each day.  If I could capture it and recreate it, I am sure that I could have it installed in a modern art museum somewhere.

 

I like the fact we are chasing summer around the globe.  It is warm and light.  The weather has been mainly sunny and the sun doesn't go down until at least 9pm.

 

I like that besides Cusco, La Paz, and now Montevideo, I have met at least one wonderful local guy to spend some time with and get to know on a non-superficial level.  To enjoy his smile, eyes, and kindness.  To see a local site that I may have missed if he didn't offer to take me there.

 

I like that the peoples of South America seem to enjoy music and drums on nearly daily frequency.  There is some group somewhere marching, dancing, singing, etc.

 

I like the small cars and trucks that have large speakers mounted to their roofs and which blast out advertisements as they travel down the streets at 100 decibels.  I would probably find them annoying if I understood what they were saying, but since I don't, it usually amuses me because of the intonation and lyricism of their speech.

 

I like that I received a hair cut yesterday for $6 US in a stylish hair salon for men which included a wet bar with brandy and liquor for the clientele's enjoyment.

 

I like feeling the air move with the wind and the different smells that come with it.  I could do without the dust and litter that also tags along.

 

I like the buses in Peru and Bolivia which are nothing more than VW or regular vans which operate with both a driver and a teenage boy or girl hanging out the door yelling the various destinations that bus is going because they do not have signs or numbers to distinguish them.  I like that many of those buses are hand painted with various designs or personal creativity since it appears that each is individually owned and operated.

 

I like the horse drawn carts that work their way along the roads of most cities stopping to collect the cardboard and plastic discarded by businesses and residences.  I like that the drivers give their horses a little personality with hats, garlands, or flowers around their heads.  We saw one just yesterday which was wearing a baseball hat with holes cut out for its ears.

 

I like some of the various foods and wish we knew more Spanish so I could be more adventurous when I am ordering.

 

I like that all of these countries speak a different form of Spanish.  There are many inconsistencies with vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

 

I like the indigenous people and their colorful native garbs.  The bowler hats of the Peruvian and Bolivian cultures are my favorite.

 

I like riding on the back of a scooter without a helmet around the city holding on to the waist of the guy who was taking me on a date in Cordoba.  

 

I like watching the Latins dance.  Even the men know how to move their bodies.  Even the straight men.  The notable exception would be the Chileans.  They don't seem to know how to dance any better than the straight white men back in the States.

 

I like picking up my food daily from the local small vegetable shops and markets.

 

I like the stars I have seen so far.  Admittedly, those have not been numerous because we have mainly been inside larger cities so far on this trip.

 

I like people watching on the streets.

 

I like walking long distances through the cities and down random streets.  To paraphrase Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, "The only thing by Subway is Subway."  (the movie says "interstate" instead of "subway".)

 

I like the mixture of abandoned & dilapidated buildings, colorful buildings, and modern buildings all juxtaposed next to each other.

 

I like the good electronica dance music clubs when we come upon them.  Admittedly, that is rarer than I had hoped.

 

I like that you can buy most medications without a prescription at the pharmacies. 

 

I like THE TREES!  Trees are by far my favorite members of the Plantae Kingdom.  They have some of the same trees here as we do in the States, but they also have many that we do not.  I have touched, hugged, and kissed tens of trees on this trip- usually when Ozell is not around because I think it would embarrass him.

 

I like the numerous green spaces and plazas most cities have interspersed throughout.  Most are small but provide nice resting areas and gathering spots.  Many could definitely use less litter and trash which is a disappointment.

 

I like that Ozell is around to share some of these experiences with me, and I like that many of these experiences are just for me alone.

 

Ciao for now,

 

Sean