WELP apologies for the very long, but also highly anticipated CARNIVAL POST. I AM (barely) ALIVE after about 2 straight weeks of partying.. if i never drink a beer or caiphrinia or take another shot of cachaça in my life (ehrm.. more like next week), i will be a happy person. Carnaval was everything i could hope for plus 4857439857439853475394583 times more amazing than i imagined... I spent the first half of Carnaval in Salvador, which is in the northeastern part of Brazil, and the second half in Rio.. which is FUCKING RIO(!!!!!!!!!)  When i was deciding where to spend Carnaval, people kept telling me "visit Rio" "no Salvador is better" yadayadayada so I thought... "what the hellll.. i'll go to both cus #YOLO" Apparently the main difference is that in Rio, Carnaval is all about the, huge organized parades are led by samba schools while in Salvador, they have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. Salvador's Caranaval is also influenced by African-Brazilian culture (for those who don't know.. Brazil has the largest amount of people of African descent. But Rio also has a ton of bloccos as well, though it's more spread throughout the city. 

Greetings from Mendoza peeps where I’ve been drinking (even more) copious amounts of red wine & eat (even more) delicious meats so I’m basically paleo again minus the whole not consuming carbs thing cus empanadas are cheap and beers are great too.. and hey if I’m gonna be wearing a bikini and competing with the bootylicious behinds in Brazil for the next few weeks .. i gotta do it riight!! i just treated myself to a fancy schmancy lunch at a melipal bodega in Mendoza after a recommendation from a friend.. wineries are called bodegas in Argentina and they are definitely the polar opposite of the ones i'm used to frequenting back home where i could purchase my 10cent icies, tall boys, utz super spicy potato chips and/or wise deli jalpeno chips (those were my jam!) & loosies (hollller!!1) no no, this was a bit pricey (for south america standards cus i justified it by thinking how much a 5 course meal woudl cost in NYC) and since i've been doing a lot of trekking.. EQUILIBRIUM baby!

Cus I'm so well read and shiiiiit(buzzfeed and tmz count riiight?) im gonna start this entry with a quote from Bruce Chatwin, author of In Patagonia.

"I have done what I have threatened.  I have left N.Y. for South America."

HERROooOO peeps. I am currently sweating profusely at a hostel in Buenos Aires. The city is experiencing a heat wave so while i would probably be complaining about the bitter cold in NYC, I now get to complain about the oppresive heat here instead. But yea.. no one really wnts to hear me complain... plus there are so manyyy other great things about the place!!

HOLLLA PEOPLEEEEE. FELIZ NAVIDADDDDD/FELICES FIESTA (Which means happy holidays.. the more neutral term). I WANNA WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEARRRRRTTT..