I guess they're not that bad after all

You know what, sometimes I'm just wrong. Not too often, but everyonce in a while I'm just completely off base. And I like to think that I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. And this time, I was completely wrong. I've made some unflattering remarks about the Germans (sorry again Patrick) and thought even worse, but it turns out some of them are quite decent.

See I'm staying in a hostel here in Buenos Aires which is run by this great guy named Paul. Paul isn't German, he's actually from Hollywood. He decided to flee the US about 6 years ago and settle down in Buenos Aires. I started to ask him why, but then I realized it was a silly question.

But Paul's ex-girlfriend is German. And apparently she's done some advertising for Paul back home so about half the clientele of the hostel right now are lovely German ladies. Well there is one German guy too, but he's pretty cool. And he bought me a beer so that makes him ok in my book. The other half are folks from the US, but not the typical annoying gringos I kept meeting in Brazil. These guys all speak pretty decent spanish and have cool travel stories to tell, so that makes them good people.

I was finally feeling somewhat better, this being my second full day in Buenos Aires and all. So when the group of hostelers decided we were going to hit the tango / salsa club tonight I was down. The nine of us hopped on a bus and headed out towards Palermo Viejo, where all the cool kids hang out at night.

The club was just getting going, and we were just in time to catch the first tango lesson. It's a great dance really, smooth and sensual, makes sense seeing as it was invented in the brothels of Buenos Aires. I was a little lost at first as usual, but by my third dance partner I had gotten the first series of steps down. No not quite Al Pacino from "Scent of a Woman" but I've got a couple months in Buenos Aires to go yet.

In between tango and salsa lessons we sat and chatted. Every conversation with an international cast of characters invariably turns to politics. And it was fascinating to hear the German perspective (well assuming the 5 samples I heard represents the collective German perspective).

"The problem with Germany is our welfare state is crippling our economy" I was told by Dan, the lone German male. "Unemployment is high and there really is no incentive to work hard." And oddly enough I found myself touting the benefits of socialized medicine, something I've never done before. Turns out folks from Deutschland are really quite reasonable when they're not trying to take over the world.

Somehow the conversation changed tracks towards "Nenne really wants to learn some salsa, why don't you teach her what you learned in Cuba" Yes the Germans really are delightful. And it doesn't hurt that when I'm on the same dance floor with them I feel much better about myself.

I can't understand what it means

Buenos Aires at last. When I began this trip there were only three things that I really knew for certain. I was going to start in Colombia, I'd be in Rio for Carnaval and at some point I'd wind up in Buenos Aires. Here I am again.

BsAs is quickly rushing into the number one spot on my list of all-time favorite world cities. I've taken to describing it as Paris, without the Parisians. It's full of wonderful parks and artwork, beautiful architecture and quiet little shops, fantastic cafes and bakeries, amazing nightlife all the benefits of a metropolitan city and and of course the best steak and wine in the world (ok, maybe french wine is better, but you have to put up with the French).

Argentineans in generally, and Porteños specifically (inhabitants of Buenos Aires) have developed quite a reputation in South America for being snooty and arrogant. It might have something to do with the fact that they've taken to refering to themselves as the "Europeans of South America" And while it's certainly true that the average Argentinian I've run across isn't as friendly as the average Colombian or as fun-loving as the average Brazilian, they seem like pretty swell people to me.

And after spending the last 3 months travelling through one smelly, dirty Latin American city after another (actually Medellin was fairly clean and so was Panama City) it's quite refreshing to be in a jewel of a city where my olfactory senses aren't constantly assaulted. I can drink the water, flush the toilet paper and eat all of the food.

The only problem I've run into so far is Brazil left me with a little present. There's some kind of tickle in the back of my throat, which has kept me from enjoying BsAs to it's fullest this last day and a half. But patience, patience, said the man. All things will come to pass in due time.

I plan on being here for a bit of time. I'm looking for a univeristy to attend to actually learn this language I've been butchering for the last several months. And somehow just settling down and renting an apartment has a certain appeal to it, after spending the last three months living out of a bag and travelling from country to country. I could see myself spending quite a bit of time here infact, guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

I've already pissed off the feminists, who's next?

Whenever I find myself in a mixed international crowd and I introduce myself as a US citizen, the same question invariably arises..."so what do you think of George Bush?" When speaking with anyone who doesn´t have a good grasp of the english language there is only one acceptable answer. "George Bush es un carbon!" [don´t bother correcting me, I´ve already been mocked endlessly for my latest linguistic miscue]

But when there is a solid foundation for communication I find myself more at ease to discuss some of the nuances of my position. No I don´t particularly like George Bush. No I didn´t and still don´t support the war in Iraq. Yes I am extremely bothered by what seems like an excessively arrogant administration.

But the US is at quite the crossroad in our national history. Right now, moreso than ever before, our position as the unquestioned world super power is at risk. The status quo looks certain to change with the emergence of China and India on the global stage and an increasingly united Europe (although they still remind me of a bunch of kids trying to get along during recess).

I do know this. If in 20 years time there is by some miracle functioning democracies in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine (and maybe Iran?) than George W. Bush will eclipse the allure that has been hoisted on Ronald Reagan since his death, and will be remembered as one of the greatest US Presidents ever.

What´s the likelihood that this will actually come to pass? I have no fucking clue, and anyone who tells you they do is either blinded by a partisan viewpoint or lying. What bothers me most about the world opinion that I´ve heard so far is there seems to be an actual hope that the democratic experiment in all of these countries fail miserably and they desend into civil war. Then everyone can look at the US and say, "see, we told you so."

I understand this viewpoint from the Latin Americans. They´ve seen first hand what US intervention has brought. For over 100 years the US has been interfering in the hemisphere and largely brought nothing but grief an misery, along with a string of ruthless dictators, and lots of tourists in hawaiin shirts.

But my European friends seem to have either forgotten or decided to collectively ignore their history. For over two millenia Europe waged war internally, and then when it became feasible, in every part of the world. Twice in the last 100 years that silly little peninsula dangling off of Asia has instigated a war the likes of which were previously unimaginable and brought the rest of the world to the brink of chaos. And both times the US of A has come on in to save the day in the nick of time, like the good cowboys we are.

It's not that I expect everlasting gratitude for what our grandparents did (yes, even my grandparents), but I do find the intellectual snobbery that accompanies any political debate with most Europeans to be more than a little insulting. Yes maybe you've figured some things out, but it wasn't that long ago that the rest of the world was suffering the consequences of your petty squables.

For the last 50 years they have been at relative peace (did someone mention the Balkans?) Perhaps it is true, the collective unconcious of Europeans have benefited from those years. Almost every country in Europe had its moment to shine, to be the world super power. And perhaps they have learned that it really isn't worth it.

Whether we like it or not, Pax Americana is coming to an end. It's not feasible for the US to continue to dominate the world stage indefinately. The rate of change continues to advance. The Roman Empire lasted for something like 1500 years, the British for only 200. The US hasn't quite hit 100 years yet, how many more do we have to go?

The Bush Administration seems to be doing what they believe they need to do to push that timeline out as far as possible. Everything that our administration is doing right now is designed to counter the threats to US Imperialism and ensure that the US continues to be the only global super power. But short of nuking China, it's bound to fail.

I don't know when, but I believe within my lifetime we'll see a shift in the power distribution in the world stage. And I say, bring it on. As much as I might be annoyed by political debates I've had with Europeans, I think they're on to something. It just isn't worth being a world super power.

When you're the top dog, everyone is aiming for you. And are actively searching for any point of weakness to take advantage of. You have a few allies, who will back you up when times are good, but will turn on you if they can improve their own position. And some brash upstart who has had a string of good luck is just waiting for the chance to knock you off your high horse. But when you're Germany no one cares about you except for the cars (sorry Patrick, couldn't resist). The end of the world as we know it is coming, and I feel fine.

Man and God and Law

When I started this trip I knew I needed to take a bunch of reading material with me. I knew finding books in English wasn't going to be easy while I was travelling and my Spanish has improved, but reading a book in Spanish is still pretty exhausting mentally.

So I loaded up my bag with the books I had sitting around in my "To Read" pile. Great stuff about religion and philosophy, Marx and Freud, the shit I'm usually into reading. 7 books in total and they took up a lot of space in my bag, but I figured it would be worth it, because these books would provide so much knowledge and insight.

Well it's been 3 months on the road now. And I've skimmed through a few dozen pages and was bored me to tears. I've had no desire to read them, I no longer believe they can tell me anything that I can't figure out myself.

I used to mock people who talked about opening their eyes and seeing the world around them. I still kinda do in fact, but I think I have a little better idea of what they're talking about. Many people have told me I think too much, that I need to master my anxiety. I always ignored that criticism as simply daggers from the unenlightened. But maybe they're on to something.

I've decided I need to get rid of some stuff before I head over to Buenos Aires. And this whole pile of books is number one on the list. Turns out I don't need them anymore. Yes they can be interesting, and there are some great bits in there, but if you want to learn about life, I think you need to just live, not read a book about living.

The books are getting left at the hostel. Hopefully some bored philosophy major will stumble across them and put them to good use. I actually feel like they served my purpose perfectly without ever being opened.

Somewheres in this universe there's a place that you can call home

Argentina is where it all started. I was there about a year ago, my first trip to South America. My first taste of the culture, the music and of being immersed in the spanish language and I loved every second of it. Of course the wine, women and steaks didn´t hurt either.

I´ve had the travel bug for as long as I can remember. When I was young my parents moved around a bit and my Dad was always travelling for work. I suppose that´s where it comes from. But there´s been something different about Latin America. Of all the places I´ve ever visited, this is where I´ve felt the most at home. Maybe it´s just because I´m spending more time looking right now.

I´m kinda done with Rio and Brazil in general. I can´t actually believe I´m saying that, but it´s true. Beautiful city, wonderful people, but I´m just kinda done. I haven´t really learned much Portuguese down here, but my Spanish has improved. I´ve been looking forward to settling down in Buenos Aires for a bit. Finding a language school to attend, taking some dance lessons, renting an apartment for two months or so. Bill says he´s going to come down to visit and my sister Asma is considering it too. It was nice to have Ellick and Samira meet me in Rio, hopefully this will be equally as good.

After three months of travelling I am kinda feeling like I need a bit more structure in my life. A schedule, a routine. Yes waking up every morning in Rio, hitting the suco stand for some mango juice (they have excellent mangoes here you know), lounging on the beach for a couple of hours, going for a swim and hanging out with whoever was around in the hostel has been a lot of fun. But it never really seemed like more than a vacation. My rudder seemed disconnected and even I need more of a direction than just wherever the currents take me.

They say you can´t go back home. I wonder if you can go back to Argentina? Who knows if BsAs will live up to the fantastic time I had there last year, it certainly won´t be the same. Well I´ve got my ticket bought for this tuesday, so I suppose I´ll find out then.