Feliz Navidad

¨We have won it. Things are better now. You can sort of tell these things.¨

Just wanted to shout out a Merry Christmas and preemptive Happy New Year to everyone, wherever you are, whatever you´re doing. It was a wild Xmas Eve here in Argentina...didn´t make it home tilll 8am...story and photos coming shortly. Still, if there was ever a day or two I wish I was home, now would be it. I´d trade the sun and glamour of Buenos Aires for the snow and shenanigans of Toronto in a flash.

Thanks also to anyone who´s sent me an email over the past 7 weeks... and many apologies for not writing back. I´ll work on that in ´07.

Nos vemos.

Addendum (Dec. 29): I tried writing about Xmas Eve/Xmas but realized I couldn´t really capture or describe the events. In very brief, we incredulously ran into guys we met in El Bolson 2 weeks ago and followed them around the ghetto of Buenos Aires and eventually to a rock/ska party. They live in the area but appear homeless. They specialize in street art, street fighting, street dealing, and eating trash off the street. They found a half full beer bottle, wasn´t sure if it was beer or piss...one of them took a swig and then smashed the bottle on the ground...we´re guessing it was the latter. They were handing out tango cds as Xmas gifts...where they got these cds, who the hell knows. They temporarily lost their vial of coke but one guy had just dropped it on his nuts. They jumped up and down in celebration like little school girls when they found it. We walked 30 blocks through some rough neighbourhoods but had to cab the final 4 because they were too scared to walk across. THEY were too scared...wow. The party (held in a converted circus shed) had a live band, served only beer and only in 1 litre cups, showed hentai on a projector, and was absolutely electric. While people inside did whatever it was they were doing, old women and men danced outside and children lit off firecrackers till dawn. And then the long haired bearded scrawny hippie at the door refused to let people leave at 8am...he tried so hard to get everyone to go back inside and keep partying. The cab Andrew and I took home didn´t stop at red lights or intersections because of all the loonies and roughians parading the surrounding streets. I think I saw fires amongst the crowds too.

It may not sound that bad but it was much sketchier in person and yet so unbelievably genuine. You travel to have messed up experiences and this was one of my most memorable Xmas´s ever...for all the right reasons. I just wish I could properly explain it.

Damien (2nd last photo, far right) took all the above pictures for us (along with a hundred other really weird ones). I don´t think we´d still have our camera if we tried taking them ourselves. FYI, for those in the know, Damien is like the Colonel to the next level. So thanks dude. For some strange reason, I got a feeling I haven´t seen the last of you, your bro (3rd last photo w/ glasses), or the Doctor (1st photo) just yet.