Well, It's Not the Ritz, But it Will Do

Americans do not use hostels. They don't. I just found out a few weeks ago that there are even a handful in the US when I looked them up on Hostel World. We have hotels for every price range, but I promise you less that one out of every 1,000 people utilize the hostels in America. I was shocked to find out we had any honestly.

For me, traveling has been a bit different even from the hotel world. In my family we timeshare. If we were planning a trip together, we were staying in a condo. The more rooms the better. If not we yell at each other for having the TV on too late or someone (dad) is snoring and no one else sleeps. Vacations were just nicer in a condo. Plus, I always liked the jacuzzi bathtubs. You had best believe that is my favorite nightly ritual on vacation.

If we didn't stay in a timeshare, it was always a top quality hotel. For example, staying on the grounds at the Biltmore Estates was quite the experience. I felt like a princess and I ate like one too. When I travel with my nona there is a rule that the hotel my be five stars, room service will be utilized daily and a private tour of the city in a limo stocked with champagne are all musts.

Needless to say, I travel extravagantly and thus far I have avoided ever staying at a hostel. This is quite amazing seeing as I have had my passport(s) stamped in six different countries and my total time abroad adds up to over half a year (come August). Yet, some how I never stayed in a hostel until just over two weeks ago. It had to happen eventually I guess. Since then I have stayed at three and they couldn't have been more different.

The first one I stayed at was Hostel Suites Mendoza. It was very hotelesque. My room only housed three people. Private bathrooms in every room. Ok. The bathroom sucked. It was about 1.5 squared yards in spaced total. This included the toilet, sink and shower. I felt extremely obese showering because I could not move without bumping into something. Plus the rinky dink shower curtain did not keep the water from going everywhere. One girl there with me (a big group from Road went together) described the experience as being able to use the toilet while showering at the same time. This is no exaggeration.

I actually really liked this one though. The hot water functioned better there than at my apartment so I was thrilled. The people working there knew about things to do in the city. Good internet access. Neat people staying there (we met a guy from France that has been traveling for seven years. SEVEN YEARS).

Now, the next place I stayed at was not good at all. It was in Colonia and I probably would have liked it better had the weather been better. To best describe the place, I would have to say there were two courtyards, one was covered and surrounded by the common area, kitchen, office and one dormitory, all of which had a door closing them off. Then, there was an open area that connected the two courtyards. No door. The second one was surrounded by two levels of dormitories and three bathrooms. In my opinion it was very traditional South American home. Where I live is much nicer, but this hostel was the way the majority of South American homes actually are.

Now, like I have mentioned. The weather was BAD. Thunder. Lightning. Flooding. All in the covered courtyard while we were trying to eat. Did I mention it was a tin roof? I got scared and ran in the common area. Being flooded on is not pleasant. The various leaks in the common area was much more bearable. Later on while showering during a break in the storm, I came across the bathroom experience. They came fully equipped with a squeegee and in typical South American fashion, turning the water heater on first was a necessity. The water heater was directly above the bathtub. so was the plug for said heater. I guess it was safe though seeing at he shower head could only go straight down, not arch out. The water went no where near the heater. Sadly though the water only stayed warm for a few minutes and just got increasingly colder with no safe way to fix it. To do so would require adjusting the water heater. You can't do that wet...

Then name of this place was El Español Hostel. If you go during the summer when a cold shower is enjoyable and there isn't rain, this would actually be an alright place to stay. Unfortunately, this was not a part of my experience. All I could think about was that my nona would not approve of my living conditions that night.

My all time favorite hostel was the last one. No question. It was Boulevard Sarandí Hostel. Located in la Ciudad Vieja which is probably the most charming part of the city. it was an only 1800s house that had been renovated. Think cool NYC loft with the exposed brick, high ceilings, neat colors, great balconies and antiques scattered around. Heaven, right?

The staff was PHENOMENAL. Beyond friendly. When the work was done or there was a break, they always pulled up a chair to talk. Most places, the staff is just there for the work and leave. No strong personal bonds. This was not the case at BSH. Both nights I was there one of the staff offered to show us a bit of the night life. I accepted the second night. A Monday night in the winter in Montevideo is not the most happenin night. Really wasn´t a shock there, but every once in a while it is nice to have someone force you out of your pajamas and make you go out. That in and of itself made it all worth while. Oh, and did I mention great showers, comfy beds, fully stocked kitchen and warm dorm rooms? I would have stayed if I could. Well, actually I could have. My internship did not start Wednesday like I thought, but I didn't know that until I was an hour from BA. Oh, well.

Even right now as I write this I would LOVE to write a good review for BSH on Hostel World. Sadly, either I'm dumb or they won't let you unless you have booked that hostel through their website. If I am just dumb though, someone please tell me so I can up their rating. 84% is unjust considering how amazing they are.

So now, I leave you all. Maybe you will have a better understanding of the hostel operations. Yes, you really can just show up and a bed will be provided for you if available. Usually, yes. Accommodations are not always ideal, but they aren't scary like the movie Hostel would lead you to believe.

¡Besos!
La porteña Emilia

Enchantment is Only a Ferry Ride Away

Uruguay. Not very many people are dying to go there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most travelers only go there because it is only an hour away from Buenos Aires and a very easy country to enter. Regardless of one's reasoning behind going there, I think Uruguay has a certain character that captivated me. I would love to go back. Honestly, I think I was the only one on my four person trip that felt this way. Apparently they like how much bigger Buenos Aires is over Uruguay, but for me that is exactly what I preferred about Uruguay. Big cities are just not something I can handle.

Alright. I have to admit Sacramento de Colonia was a bit too small. It is not a joke when people say that you can see everything in a day. I am even willing to put money on the idea that it could take less than that. All that aside the most important thing is that Colonia is a place you CANNOT miss. Enchanting. Romantic. Stunning. This are just a few words that encompass Colonia. Cobblestone, rocky coast lines and beautiful gardens surround the center of town. It is captivating. They can also boast having the nicest people (well, person) I have ever met. When a local asked me in English where I was from, it wasn't so he could practice. It was so he could tell me "Welcome to Colonia." I almost cried from gratitude. This place was incredible. I recommend it as a MUST for anyone traveling South America, but to be fair, I don't know if I could live there. After a whopping six hours, you run out of things to do. However, this is not the case in Montevideo.

I could not help but love Montevideo. The old architecture that people travel all the way to Europe for is just as prevalent there (and in BA too for that manner). Huge statues, cute parks and plazas. Adorable beyond belief. The best part is, it's smaller than BA. It has the big city feel (which it is, over half of the three million people living in Uruguay live in Montevideo) with fewer people. It felt more relaxing. More calm. No need to wake up early in the morning. A lot of (tourist) things did not open until after noon.

Because it was smaller too, it felt like it would be a lot easier to meet people. I could probably go to a different bar every night in Buenos Aires, Montevideo has a smaller selection. I'm a fan of this. It absorbs you into the culture. You cannot avoid it like you can here.

I think Montevideo would be a great place to do study abroad. You still get the obnoxious castellano instead of español, a lot of similar culture too, but the calmness that I am used to with living in Mobile can be found here. Horns are not honking 24/7 here. Silence can be found in the middle of the night. If I had to pick between the two for a place to stay for a long time, it would definitely be Montevideo. Living and working I'm not so sure about. I talked to one of the guys working at my hostel (same one who shared the Sweet Home Buenos Aires video with me) and minimum wage there is based on monthly salary, not hours, at $300 USD per month. Nothing. And Montevideo is more expensive than Buenos Aires. No joke. Ok, from my American POV it still wasn't too bad, but I just find that sad. I did the math and that is the same an American would make working full time on minimum wage.

All in all I took a lot of time to chill there too. Sometimes being lazy is just as nice as seeing everything. Plus, it was kind of cold and rainy. Very rainy. Almost depressingly so, but sometimes you just have to take what you are given. It was a holiday weekend. Flag Day. Had to take advantage of the long weekend.

¡Besos!
La porteña Emilia

Goals

I am a believer in setting goals and accomplishing them at all costs. These are the places I MUST see before I leave Argentina. I will Raman my life away if need be.

URUGUAY

Montevideo

Punte del Este

Colonia





MENDOZA
aka Wine Country

BARILOCHE

the Switzerland of the South

IGUAZU FALLS

¡Besos!
La porteña Emilia