My first Argentine vacation

So my new job is going well, and what's even better is that I got a chance to go to Patagonia last week. I left Thursday night on an overnight bus (with a scary view from the upper deck: SEE VIDEO) and arrived 22 hours later in San Martin de los Andes. Really cool town. Like one big outdoor apparel store. That's where I met my buddy Remington, from LA. He's been living there for the last 2 months. We did a hike that day, hung out for the night, and then went to Villa Angostura on Lago Nahuel Huapi, where we had a private fishing guide; a local Argentine who took us out on his boat and even put us up at his family's house. It was the REAL experience, with a rooster alarm clock and all. Fish weren't biting, but it was a lot of fun.

On Sunday, we cruised down to Bariloche, which many call "The Switzerland of South America". If you've been anywhere in Switzerland, like I have, you have to agree. Check out the video (coming soon) of the paraglider we saw from the highest point on the hill above the town.

Spent a day in Bariloche before the loooonnnggg bus ride back to Buenos Aires. Got back Tuesday afternoon, and now it's back to work :(

Great time, though. Enjoy the pics and videos, and I'd love to hear your comments.

-Brent

Got a sweet new job! No more teaching...

So I'm a TV journalist again, but this is definitely NOT sports! Press TV, a 24-hour English-speaking news channel which broadcasts in Iran, is opening a brand new bureau in Buenos Aires. I saw the job on Craigslist, then sent them a story I wrote in college, then some amateur video from my rooftop with a Flip camera, and boom, I got the job! My producer flew in from Belgium to help set up MY new office (I'll have pictures soon), and I started today. My cameraman is from Buenos Aires, so he knows his way around and has some good contacts. We'll need 'em, because, being that the bureau is brand new, we have no idea what we're doing... yet. I have no list of local contacts, and certainly no archived video to rely on. We'll have to generate all our own stories, which I will write, voice, and do my on-camera thing for. My cameraman, Adrian, will handle most of the editing.
I'm getting paid in Euros, which, if you don't know, is worth 1.35 dollars right now, so when I convert that to pesos down here, I can actually live comfortably and enjoy BA!!! Awesome. I don't know how this all worked out, and so quickly, but I'm glad it did. I'm committing to a year with Press TV, so I guess that's that.
First story on the horizon... the dramatic saga of the Argentine President vs. the Central Bank. Plenty of story there... I just need someone to interview!
No more teaching English, which I can't say I'll miss.
Well, once my stories are up on the Press TV website, and they will be, I'll let ya know.

Hope everyone's having good fortune like mine.
B.

America's Favorite Pastime, in South America

Hey all-

So one of the best things I've done for myself since I've been here is that I joined a baseball team called The Shankees. We're known as the American team, and for good reason. It's mostly US expats, from Jersey, Colorado, and anywhere else. Mix in a guy from Nicaragua and a few Venezuelans, and you've got yourself a "mediocre" ballclub. Yeah, we're admittedly not the best team in the league (proven by our 25-11 loss to a local team in our Opener last Saturday), but we have the most fun. Kinda like the Bad News Bears... we even call our manager "Buttermaker". It's just low-key, "hope to win" baseball, and it's been a blast so far. I've been playing centerfield mostly, and no errors YET. Check out the video of me ripping a standup, RBI double into the right-center gap last Saturday!

Love you all. Hope you're doing great.