Hap Working The World

If you read my last post you will know that I have only 2 weeks left in beautiful Bariloche, Argentina’s ski resort town. The setting for the next chapter will be Paraguay.

Most people, South Americans and backpackers, ask “why Paraguay?” They ask this question because Paraguay is not a big tourist destination, compared to it´s neighbouring countries, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina. It does not have the ski resorts of Argentina, the beaches and jungles of Brazil, the mountians and backpacker attractions of Bolivia.

It wasn´t that I chose Paraguay, Paraguay chose me. Mandy lived and worked in Paraguay teaching english in 2003. She will be able to work back at her old english institute. She also has many good friends in Asuncion (the capital city of Paraguay), that have offered for us to stay.

I´m quite excited about the coming chapter, it may not have the physical beuaty of Bariloche, but this chapter will be all about the people. I´m excited to meet the people the Mandy has talked so fondly about.

So Hap will be working the world in Paraguay, but not just yet. I have 1 week left of Spanish school, then the last week here in Bariloche is going to be dedicated to snowboarding and exploring the sights.

G’day folks,

Firstly, while I remember I have finally got around to posting my Thailand end of chapter.

The reason why its taken me so long is because the past 2 weeks I have been taking Spanish lessons, and have another 2 weeks left in them, so I have been studying hard.  If only I was this focused when I was at university!

The good ol’ study of language, I reckon the more you study the more you realise you don’t know. Anyone that has studied a language will know that it is one of the most frustrating things, 1 step forward, 2 steps back it feels like sometimes. Some days you can talk about swine flu with the local taxi driver for the whole journey, then the next day the grocery assistant asks you “how are you?” and you stand there looking like a cow that has eaten too much grass or a deer in the head lights, what ever rocks your boat, moooooooooooooo!

But it is also one of the more rewarding things to study. Looking back you realise that you have improved, and realise that even though you sometimes look like a cow that has eaten too much grass, you know that 2 weeks ago you looked like a cow that is one mouthful off a food coma and has a small dose of the mad cow disease, which they call La vaca loca in spanish- wow, those spanish lessons are paying off, I can say mad cow.

Enough of my rambling, the photos I have posted here are taken on my walk to school, and the body of water is the lake that Bariloche is by. Nnot a bad view for a morning walk to school.

Anyway,  just wanted to say that I had put up the Thailand end of chapter up. Argentina independence day tomorrow, so I’m heading up the mountain for the first day snowboarding, woop woop.

When it comes to the countries that I have been to, and the typical food of the country, Argentina is up there. I’m a very simple person in many ways, and food is definitely one of them, give me red meat and I’m happy, chuck in red wine and I’m even happier, hey just call me Hap.

On Friday I went to an Asado, which is basically a sit down meal where 7 or so different cuts of meat are cooked on an open fire. During the night you are brought the different cuts of freshly cooked meat, and in some cases the meat looks like it has been cut straight off the cow and jumped on the plate missing the grill all together. By the time it comes to the last cut of meat, which unfortunately is the best, you have eaten the equivalent weight of a small child in meat and have to dig up all your will power to eat it, or all your stingy, thrifty, backpacker, “I paid for this so I’m going to dam well eat it” power.

The best part of the Asado was that you got all the red wine you could drink; I thought I was in heaven! Until I woke in the morning with a headache from hell, in a food coma as my stomach worked around the clock to digest the small family of dead animals I had consumed the previous night.

Nuthin but love Hap