Quiz Results: You are 18% Shameless Tourist!

I am so much more invigorated by good company in a modest kitchen in the Barrio then I am by collecting snapshots of myself in front of world-famous attractions. 

Today, Javi and I sat in the kitchen for nearly SEVEN hours drinking mate and chatting in spanish (hey-o) about many things, including that mysterious topic of tourism that always seems to be hovering over me in this country. 

Dad had an absolutely incredible visit to BA with a very minimal tourist agenda. He saw Recoleta Cemetery, wandered Puerto Madero, and listened to some Tango, but it was by no means because of a strict adherence to a guidebook's itinerary suggestions. Dad's trip was amazing because he was interested in becoming more intimate with something specific: daily life, food styles, some music, basic spanish. Things that are not out of reach with some local connections and SO much more rewarding in the end. 

Will I be devastated if I come all the way to Argentina and don't see Patagonia? Mendoza? Punto del Este? Igazu Falls? No, no I won't. I guarantee I would have an amazing time in those places, but what moves me more than being able to say, "Hell yeah I went to Patagonia! Yeah I skied! Yeah it was awesome!" is actually feeling like I made an authentic connection with the culture. 

And the path to that is...ding ding ding! The people!! 

I like interesting people more than beautiful places.

Hablamos.