Changing Plans...

Hey Sweeties!
Just a short note to let you know that Chile has been canceled to make room for Bolivia... Border crossing is tomorrow, then I'm meeting Andre there and we'll go to the Salt Flats around Uyuni!!
Right now I'm in Salta, which is actually a really nice place, too bad I'm already leaving tomorrow... Met up with some of the El Bolson girls here and we have a cool hostel room together.
Mendoza was ok, but not my favorite, the wine tour was a lot of fun though! I'll give you detailed reports on Mendoza/Salta later, right now I have to pick up my laundry before leaving civilization ;-) Thanks for all the emails, I'll try answering them all, but time's really short at the moment...

Don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing's gonna be alright...!!!

El Bolson II

Hello again from El Bolson... now don't laugh, I'm leaving tomorrow!!! Already bought my bus ticket, just to be sure... I could really stay in this place for ever and ever and ever and ...

I've met even more amazing people here, three girls from Indiana, one from the Netherlands, three Irish boys, one "Kiwi", one Aussi and even 2 Germans from Munich! It was really weird talking german again, but we all speak english most of the time anyway. On the 17th we had a major celebration of St. Patricks day with the Irish guys and the US Girls that also have Irish ancestors. We actually found an Irish Pub here in El Bolson but Manuel, a boy from Buenos Aires, started showing us how to dance, and so we ended up dancing salsa in the Irish pub... the next day we just had really bad hangovers (actually I didn't- after 3 hours of sleep I started doing all my laundry and got on everybody's nerves with my good mood) and hung around all day. Thursday of course was feria day again, which basically means that we hang around there instead of here, drinking beer and talking, sitting in the sun... Heather, the Australian girl, made me my first dreadlock, so I wonder what I'll look like when I come back (sorry mom!)

On Friday we did an "all girls hike" and went to the "Cajon de Azul", a hike of about 20km through the most beautiful forest next to the Rio Azul with incredibly blue water. We were very proud of ourselves, since everybody had been telling us, that the hike is too hard and long to do in one day, but we were also very very tired! So the next day, yesterday, we went to the feria again and did nothing! It's so funny, everybody is just happy here all the time (by now we call ourselves "the happy hippy family")- we say "this is just too beautiful" about 50 times a day and just enjoy everything, even if its "just" sitting around in the sun or having dinner together. We cook together almost every night, usually for about 8-10 people, so I feel really at home (Gruesse an die Kommune in Berlin!!)

Well, today is finally my last, I'm thinking of going out for some ice cream, but then again I might just stay here and enjoy life :-)

I really really have to upload more pictures (it's all too beautiful!), but internet is really really slow... I'll try again in Mendoza, things should be faster there. Sorry to all of you who I've been wanting to call, there are no phone cards to be obtained here! They just don't exist! But that too will probably work in Mendoza, so I'll try again next week.

Despite how wonderful things are here, I still miss all of you and am thinking of you alot!!

Hugs and kisses from the happiest hippy ;-)

El Bolsón

Peace, love and happiness.....
I think I've died and gone to heaven! This is the most amazing place with the most amazing people I've ever seen! I was welcomed with the words "just relax and give your soul some time to arrive...." in the evening we had an incredible dinner, cooked on open fire and spacecake for desert ;-) The place I'm staying at, the "Casa del Viajero" is more a commune than a hostel, run by the sweetest people. All the other people staying there are also incredibly friendly, and absolutely everybody here ist just RELAXED!! Most people come here, intending to stay for only a couple of days and thei'll end up staying for a month or longer- Augustin, the owner lets people help with the work around the place and lets them stay for free in return... I was actually thinking of doing that myself, but I'm afraid I don't have enough time... but if anything goes wrong on the trip or I decide to stay here, I'm definitely coming back here!! The scenery around El Bolsón is also beautiful, with mountains (that are actually snowcapped!), forests, rivers,... On weekends and twice a week there is a "feria" where artesans sell their crafts- there are so many beautiful things that I could easily spend all my money here! Only problem is, that it already gets really cold here, especially at night, and I don't have a lot of warm clothes with me, so I end up wearing the same clothes everyday, but who cares ;-)
Yesterday I got talked into climbing a mountain (1500m) which was a lot harder than I thought it would be... I'll try to upload some pictures but internet is pretty slow here. So today I'm really sore and just hanging around, but tomorrow some Irish guys at the hostel will go on another hike on which I'll probably join them and then in the evening we'll get incredibly pissed, since it's St. Patrick's Day!!
I also met a really sweet australian girl here, who's also traveling by herself and with whom I might continue my trip with, at least for some time. So to all of you who are (were) worried about my going alone- I'm in very good hands!!
I hope you are all doing good in Germany, I heard it's finally getting a bit warmer?
Hugs and kisses to all and thanks for the emails!!

LOTS of LOVE from El Bolsón, Hippie-Heaven

Sierra de la Ventana

Hello again, dear friends!
After two days in Buenos Aires and very little sleep I got on the night bus to Sierra de la Ventana, a small town close to Bahia Blance, approximately 500km south of B.A. Here I´m visiting the daughter of my mothers best friend, whom I haven´t seen for about ten years. She moved to Argentina seven years ago and now has three adorable kids that take up most- no all- of our time right now (the youngest one is only 18 days old!). So again, no time to relax, but good practice for the future ;-) They live in a small house with a large garden, and many, many animals! My favorites are the sheep named Pandora and the huge dog named Paton... I am awakend everyday at around four by the rooster, and then again at seven by the kids... Everything is really small here, and time seems to move a little bit slower. A good place to calm oneself after stressful days of packing things, partying and traveling.
There´s not much to report now, since all I´ve been doing is playing with the kids, bathing them, bringing them to school, and then sleeping for two hours before they have to be picked up again. Only new experience was Mate Tea, which I´m probably going to be addicted to soon!
I´ll probably be staying here for another week or so and then moving on to the little "Hippie-Town" of El Bolson, close to Bariloche near the boarder of Chile.
All is well, I certainly think alot about all of you at home, but I´m glad to be here...
Let me know, how you are all doing, soon!

Hasta luego...

Buenos Aires

My dears, I have arrived!!
Leider hab ich gerade kein Lust, Englisch zu schreiben, sorry for all that don´t speak german...
Es ist scheiss heiss und vor allem schwuel hier... man kann duschen und ist 2 min spaeter wieder nass! Der Flug war ok (hab fast die ganze Zeit geschlafen, da ich die letzten 2 Naechte vor der Abreise nur 3 Stunden geschlafen hatte), bis auf das schreiende Kind neben mir und das Plastik-Essen. Bin gegen Mitternacht in einem lustigen Hostel angekommen, dass eher wie ein Club oder eine Lounge wirkt, und erstmal ins Bett gefallen! Heute bin ich ganze 8 Stunden durch die Stadt gelaufen und hab ein Bisschen geshoppt- alles viel billiger hier! Jetzt hab ich neue Flip Flops, eine Sonnenbrille und natuerlich Argentinien-Aufnaeher :-) Morgen werde ich mir das "gefaehrliche" La Boca und "posh" St Telmo anschauen und mit meinen Bekanntschaften aus S.Afrika und Neu Seeland ein schickes Steak essen gehen, bevor ich abends in den Bus richtung Bahia Blanca steige. Am 4. komme ich dann morgens in Sierra de la Ventana an, wo ich Britta und ihre Familie besuchen werde (Patentochter von meiner Mutter).
Ihr seht, es ist eigentlich alles schick (Lieblingswort, sorry) und mir geht´s gut!! Hab keinen Jetlag und trinke europaeisches Bier- was will man mehr ;-)
Ich hoffe, euch geht´s auch gut und ihr friert nicht allzusehr in good old Germany :-P
Melde mich so bald es geht wieder, fuehlt euch bis dahin umarmt und gekuesst!!!