Argentine Sunrise (Sunset)

Every time I saw a beautiful sunset growing up, my dad would tell me it was an "Argentine Sunset." I have to admit I've seen some beautiful sunsets here in Argentina, but the Argentine sunrises are just as beautiful. Here are a couple pictures of the sunrise taken from my 13th floor balcony in Buenos Aires.

Patagonia (Argentina/Chile)

Thanks to an Argentine holiday, we had a long weekend, which I took full advantage of. After going to Colonia, Uruguay on Saturday, Gaspar, Eduardo and I took off took off to Patagonia. We made stops at El Calafate, Argentina (to see the glaciers), Torres del Paine, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina.

Perito Moreno, Argentina

About an hour and a half away from El Calafate, a city near the southern tip of South America, is one of the most beautiful glaciers on the planet, Perito Moreno. The sheer cliffs rise several hundred feet above the icy waters below. The deepest part of the glacier is actually 2,300 ft deep. The sound of the calving of the glacial walls is an impressive sound that I don't think I'll ever forget.

Me, Eduardo and Gaspar about 300 meters from the front of Perito Moreno.


Torres del Paine, Chile

The drive to Torres del Paine was long, but we had a blast. We left around 4:45 am to make sure we had enough daylight at the park. We braved a few snow flurries and when we got to the Argentina/Chile border at 9 am, it was so dark that it could have been midnight. The sun finally peaked up from behind the mountains at 10:55 am. By 3:00 pm we lost sight of the sun (behind the clouds), by 4:00 pm it was getting dark and by 5:00 pm the night had begun. One of the most remarkable things I saw in Patagonia were the stars. The only place I've seen something similar was in Bolivia, where I actually confused the stars with a cloud because the stars were so thick. The difference here in Patagonia was that the "cloud" of stars actually stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. I can certainly understand the orgin of the "Milky Way". We could also see two smaller galaxies just to the left of the Southern Cross. I've never been more awed by the stars. It was simply amazing. The only bad thing was the bitter cold! It was tough to stay outside the car for more than 5 minutes.

Patagonian Grey Fox with the Cuernos of Torres del Paine in the background (top left).

The "Cuernos" or the "M" as it is commonly referred to is seen at the top left of the picture. Probably the most stunning mountain I've ever seen.

Condors on a ridge at Torres del Paine.

Another beautiful site of Torres del Paine. The Cuernos are in the top right of the picture.

We saw literally hundreds (or even thousands) of guanacos grazing in the Chilean Andes.

Ushuaia, Argentina

Ushuaia is the southernmost city on the planet, located at the tip of Tierra del Fuego, the island on the tip of South America across the Straights of Magellan. It is also the city from which most Antarctic adventures depart. It is located at the base of the Andes mountains and overlooks the Beagle Channel.

The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel is sometimes referred to as the "Lighthouse at the End of the World."

Colonia, Uruguay

This morning eleven of us left for Colonia, Uruguay, a charming little colonial city. It was the first city in Uruguay and was fiercely disputed between the Spanish and the Portuguese (changing hands about a dozen times over the last several centuries). Because of this, Colonia has an enormous amount of Portuguese and Spanish influence.

We took the buquebus ferry from Buenos Aires which was very convenient offered beautiful views of BA.


La pandilla de Lauder. One of these things is not like the other ... one of us doesn't have a scooter.


Some poor photography of beautiful Colonia, Uruguay:

It was my birthday on Wednesday! 31 years old ... definitely the grandpa of the Spanish track. There are 3 or 4 people older than me in the Lauder group, but I'm the oldest one in the Spanish Track. The average age of the Lauder students this year is 28 (range: 24-32).

Anyway, we went to a restaurant in Puerto Madero called Asia de Cuba, which was a fun experience. Good food, fun atmosphere and great company!

Eduardo wearing his rose pedal crown.

The Constitucion station after our corporate visit to Clarin (the largest media group in Argentina).

I went out to a pizza parlor called El Cuartito with Greg and Jeff the other night. It was packed with people watching a soccer game and filled with soccer memorabilia. The pizza was outstanding!

Argentine armored truck.

A picture of a fountain in the Jardin Botanico in front of my apartment.

A beautiful building in the Jardin Botanico.

Our Lauder group visited one of the oldest "plateros" in the world. This family has been doing silver work for 8 generations. Their work is incredibly elaborate and beautiful. They made the facemask that was used on Evita Peron at her funeral and made silver roses (as the one pictured below) for Princess Diana's funeral.

Day 2 in BA

I really don't plan on updating the blog nearly this often, but since a lot is happening these first few days, I thought it would be justified to post today as well.

Our first day of classes at la Universidad de San Andres started this morning at 9am. Greg and I took the subway, which is just down the block from us. The subways seem to be very clean, but CROWDED! It made the NYC subways seem empty. I think it was one step down from the YouTube videos that show subway workers in Japan forcibly squeezing people through the doors in order to get them shut. The subway got to be so full that at a few stops none of the passengers could get on because we were all pressed together so tightly.

Our professor at the local university actually taught at Penn a few years ago, so she is a great asset for us here in Buenos Aires. We of course have our summer coordinator/Spanish teacher from Penn here with us as well. He is Dominican (which is fun for those of us who have lived in the DR), and is just a great, low-key guy. After a brief orientation and a few hours of Argentine history, we all went to lunch together followed by a city tour. We got home around 6:30pm, completely wiped out. We visited la Casa Rosada, Boca, San Telmo, the Cementerio de La Recoleta (where Eva Peron is buried), and a few other places.

Me at the famously painted houses of La Boca.

Jeff, me and Sheynna at La Boca.

This was cracking us up! Daniel and Sheynna both did a perfect modeling job. Daniels face makes me laugh just thinking about it!

Eva Peron's grave in the Cementerio de la Recoleta.

The iconic Buenos Aires monument, el Obelisco.

Buenos Aires

I've officially completed my first Wharton and Lauder classes! Finals were on Thursday and everyone spent Thursday night either celebrating, packing or flying out of Philly (or all of the above). Here are some pics of my apartment, roommates, Lauder friends, etc. from the past week.


I think I've spent more time in the air than on the ground over the last 3 days . After wrapping up finals, I hung out with some of the other Lauder students to celebrate the conclusion of our first round of classes and then I headed home to pack and clean up my apartment before heading out to the airport at 4:45 am. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

It was SO nice to be home, even if it wasn't near long enough. I had about 24 hrs with my wife and two little girls. It was harder to leave than I thought it would be. That said, I'm glad I flew home before heading off to the Summer Immersion. It will be a tough two months without them, but I'm also very excited about the experience.

I'm in Buenos Aires! It's hard to believe I'm actually here. My dad and two of my brothers have lived in Buenos Aires, so essentially I've heard about this city since infancy. I can see why this city seems to charm people. It is full of culture and history.

I am rooming with Greg, a fellow Spanish tracker. He worked in the Peace Corp in the Dominican Republic and later worked for a Private Equity group in New York City that focuses on investments in the Hispanic market. He's a great guy and I feel lucky to have him as a friend and roommate. Our apartment is great. We have a spectacular view of the city, overlooking the Botanical Park. I think the closest thing I could compare it to is a NYC apartment overlooking Central Park (but not as expensive). ;) We are on the top floor and have a great balcony, which I'm sure we'd use a little more if the weather were a little better. Of course it is the beginning of winter here, so the highs are in the 60's and the lows in the 40's. Not freezing cold, but cold enough that I don't think we'll be hanging out on the balcony all the time either. Here are some pics:

This is the main hallway/entrance to the apartment. It is on the "penthouse" floor, so it has a spectacular view of the city and the Botanical Park. Nice, but simple apartment.


This is the view from the balcony. Beautiful view of the Rio Del Plata (which blends into the sky in this picture) and the Botanical Park.


Sheynna, Jeff, Greg and I walked around the city a bit this afternoon, which was fun. Jeff and Sheynna have both visited or lived in Buenos Aires before, so they know the city pretty well, so Greg and I went along for the ride.


Notice the piano on the street? Still trying to figure out how they get the piano there once/week.

Dulce de Leche icecream!

One of the coolest street performances I've ever seen. Notice how they are dressed the same? Absolutely hilarious!

La Casa Rosada (The Pink House) - the Argentinian White House.

Me, Sheynna, Jeff and Greg after a great Argentine lunch (chorizo, asado, morcilla, milanesa and provoleta).


Greg, Kat, Daniel, Amaya, me and Margot eating dinner at Quimbombo, a great find in Palermo.