South American Bus Trip

Friday morning I got on a bus with my friend Carioka to go to Sao Paulo. Really good. Pap e ta bon e.... No but seriously, we had good talks and I got to meet his family and stuff. Later that day, my friend Pedro came to pick me up and give me a tour of the city. Olivia joined us. (Some of that paragraph references some things specific to my Brazilian readers. So don't worry if you didn't get all that.)

That night we had dinner at a nice restaurant, and maybe a little something with dinner to help with the sleeping... I'll give you a hint: It wasn't coffee. Ok, no but seriously, there's a famous Brazillian drink with pinga (a Brazilian liquor) and lime called a cappurinha, and I somehow managed to not try it until my very last night in Brazil. That would be like going to Mexico and never trying a Margarita or going to France without sampling the wine. It was definitely time.

On the bus I slept soundly most of Friday night, but don't be confused: It was not a nice bus. We're talking smelly bathroom with Greyhound quality seating at best. Fortunately, that night I had two seats to myself. Around 3 or 4 AM I woke up freezing cold. I noticed that everyone around me had packed a blanket in their carry-on, and I about kicked myself for not doing the same. Southern Brazillian winter in a bus with no heating. I had two coats; so, I put one around my legs and the other I wore as a jacket, and I crossed my arms. I was actually able to find a position that retained the most body heat possible and slept until just before dawn when we switched to another bus. The second bus was identical to the first but had a working heater. PRAISE GOD!

Saturday we stopped for breakfast lunch and dinner, and most of the day felt like a dream. I tried to stay awake to insure good sleep the following night, but it was difficult. I managed to meet a few new friends though, and that was fun. Overall, I do not recommend going to Argentina by bus though. There are easier ways to make friends. Sunday we arrived in Buenos Aires at 3:30pm. That means the total trip was 41 hours... WOW!!!

Not a lot to report about Buenos Aires yet. I met with the missionaries today, and I start school next monday. I'll be in my own apartment; which may mean lots of time to write letters etc... so don't hesitate to write or contact me!

In the meantime...
Ashley