Diego Martinez-Rojas: Argentina

   ARGENTINA 2013         Diego Martinez-Rojas




   Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires!

After almost ten hours of flying I knew I was finally reaching my destination when vibrant lights began to fill the night sky around our plane. I was shivering with excitement at the simple thought that in just about an hour I would be walking through the streets of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, with my newly made friends. Though exhausted from over a full day and night of travel, upon arriving at our hotel my group and I did not waste a minute after unpacking before heading out for a tour which would eagerly continue over the next four days. 

"La Boca"

Some of the nearly countless sights we saw during our stay were the Casa Rosada, which is like the White House of Argentina in "El Centro" (the center of the city). We went to la Boca which is a very traditional and almost bizzare area at the southern tip of the city. Also we had day-long excursions to Palermo and Recoleta in the North and a river delta called "El Tigre". Each day was better than the last and with each passing moment of our orientation in this incredible city I not only learnt much about Spanish and Argentinian culture but also about the different lives of my friends from all over the U.S. and myself as well. 

Salta 

My next stop during the trip was my homestay in the city of Salta, a city with about a million people in the northern tip of Argentina. I did not realize why they called it "Salta La Linda" ("Salta the Beautiful") until my flight from Buenos Aires landed. Upon exciting the plane I was met with a breathtaking view of a very mountainous, almost surreal landscape unlike anything id ever seen before.

Salta Horizon

Shorty afterwards I left the airport and headed home to the neighborhood of "San Lorenzo" with my host family. Over the next two weeks I became extremely close with my brother Tomas, my Sister Trinidad, and my mother Eda, who taught me all about life in Argentina.
                                                         

Museum of Salta

                                                       Just as with my family, over these two weeks I also formed great relationships with my friends meeting and talking with local Argentinians doing lots of community service and visiting the many shops, restaurants, museums, plazas, and other countless places of interest in the city. Finally on the last night of the two weeks our homestay families came together to throw us a farewell party which culminated the unforgettable time I spent in the beautiful city of Salta!     

Chicoana

After saying a final goodbye to all the great people we'd met our bus finally took off from Salta as we headed to a small yet seemingly infamous town known as "Chicoana". For the past two weeks everyone in Salta had been telling us that Chicoana was not only a very aesthetically appealing town but also the people were some of the nicest we would ever know, and they were right. We were met by about 15 English students eager to meet us and ready to give us a complete tour of the town by foot. 

Arrival at Chicoana

                                 
Following the tour we unpacked at our hostel, which was directly facing the town's main plaza, had almuerzo "lunch", and headed out for a friendly soccer match with the locals. During our four day stay at this incredibly nice town we...

"Bife Chorizo" Steak

• Played lots of soccer

• Ate more amazing traditional Argentinian food

"Gaucho" Parade

• Shopped from merchants at the Plaza

•  Saw a Parade every night and day due to local holidays

Mixing some Paint

• Shopped from merchants at the Plaza

• Did community service each day at a local "finca" (a ranch)

• Met new Argentinians everyday! 

       




     The Great Outdoors

         

     The last (and perhaps my favorite) segment of the trip was a           week spent horseback riding in the breathtaking mountain ranges    of Northern Argentina. After leaving the town of Chicoana we          took a relatively short bus ride to a small ranch were we would        first meet our horses. 

My friend Jack and I

After putting on our helmets and being given some simple instructions we loaded up and headed out into the Argentinian countryside! After just ten minutes of slow trotting all that was in sight was distant mountains and the dirt roads leading up to them. 

Taking off on our horses

This four hour ride was really just a warm up and a time to get acquainted with our horses. Though at first my horse "Pallo"  didn't seem to like me much by the end of the ride I'm pretty sure we were already good buds. After finishing the ride and setting into our campground, the "gauchos" (cowboys) with which 

On top of the mountain

we were horseback riding took us 

on foot up a long mountain path

up to the top of the mountain 

where I saw one of the most 

incredible scenery I've ever seen

my entire life.

My friend Michael with Luis the Gaucho

Traditional Argentine Music

  Any way you looked there seemed to be a never-ending horizon of mountains beyond mountains. After the hike we had a delicious campfire dinner and later in the night got to see a very 

talented local Folklore Band sing traditional Argentine music. 

Horseback Riding

Though this first day of enjoying the outdoors seemed to be unbeatable the rest of the days horseback riding only got better. During the following week we also went to a ranch called the "Finca Santa Anita", where we attended a Tobacco museum, got to try different kinds of freshly made goat cheese, and even had a goat-milking contest among many other cultural activities. 

"The Throat of the Devil"

Walking in the Desert

Also we spent two nights at the beautiful traditional mountain town of Cafayate. We went to many incredible geological places of interest, such as "La Garganta del Diablo" (The Throat of the Devil) and "El Amphiteatro" (The Amphitheater), and the Ruins of the Quilmes Civilization. 



By now my travel group felt like a second family and visiting so many amazing places with them could not have been more fun and enjoyable. Unfortunately the trip had to come to an end and we finally headed back to Buenos Aires for our flight back to the U.S.

My friend Ben and I at the "Quilmes" Ruins

To the Wilson Family


I'd really like to give a huge thank you to the Wilson Family for providing me with this incredible experience.
Though from before even setting foot on Argentina I imagined this would be a great trip it probably turned out to be the best month of my life so far. Every single day I learnt more than I could imagine, I saw countless incredible sights, I made some of the best friends I've ever had my whole life, both American and Argentinian, and my perspective of the world has expanded far beyond its previous boundaries. I will never forget my time in Argentina and I hope to return again as soon as possible. Thank you Wilson Family!!!