Buenos Aires With Love: All Hallows Eve

Hello to all,
It has been a bit since I last wrote, but things are really going great. I have started working half days and am taking Spanish in the mornings which is really going to be great in helping my Spanish progress faster.

I have to admit that I miss autumn in Oregon. I miss seeing the leaves and colors change, but that said... Its 70 and sunny down here, I don't have a complaint in the world. I had the opportunity last weekend to go to my friend Pato's weekend home in Pilar, a town about 40 minutes outside of the city. It was an unbelievable getaway if even for a a weekend. Saturday night he invited some of his friends from the city to have an asado (BBQ). We had about 5 passings of different cuts of meat, and rounds of Argentinian Malbec, it was really wonderful. Everyone was so fun and easygoing. I was the 9th wheel among four other couples, but I could have cared less. One funny observation is that the English taught in schools here is British English so when someone would speak to me in English to practice, they had a very distict English accent, very proper, and very formal, I loved it.

This week, my friend Bruno (he is the one dressed in red in the photos and looks more like a real-life pirate than a musketeer) and I decided that Halloween was worth celebrating more than once after finding out that the only rental option for our Musketeer costumes was for a week at a time. Wednesday we went to a party at Asia de Cuba, a restuarant which turns into a club at 1AM. It was so classic. He and I, both dressed as Musketeers, and his friend Mercedes, dressed as a Geisha, took the public bus from Palermo (my neighborhood) to Puerto Madero (where the club is). We got rounds of applaus as people got on and off the bus for our costumes. The funny part was that we wound up getting off the bus at the wrong stop, getting off in a very unsavory part of town. Bruno and I offered some protection with our plastic swords, but soon decided taking a taxi the rest of the way was a wise decision after seeing a masked man of whom I do not believe was on his way to the same party.

We arrived and were escorted to our table by Frankenstein. It was fantastic, everyone was dressed to the nines. I have to admit that we in the states might be more creative with our costumes, but it isn't exactly a nationally celebrated holiday here so slack must be given. There were smurfs, cheerleaders, an old time tennis player (Renee Lacoste) a modern one (Rafael Nadal), Madonna, the Joker, and Louis XIII. We ate and then danced till the wee hours of the morning. The best October 29th Halloween I have every had.

Tonight we embark on one last adventure as Musketeers. We are going to another Halloween party and hopefully will find our third Musketeer in the crowd. I hope everyone is doing well and this time of year makes me recall all the great memories celebrating this wonderful holiday with friends and family. Have a great night and I want to see photos of peoples costumes! Until then here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.