All worried parties may rest assured: we have arrived in beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina and are safe and happy. Despite the last minute effort by Mother Nature to keep us in the US by burying us under 12 inches of snow, we are now basking in 80 degree weather, beneath a cloudless sky.

So, let´s take a look at our journey thus far:

• We drove 475 miles from Philadelphia to Columbus on Sunday
• We drove 350 miles from Columbus to Niagara Falls on Tuesday
• We drove 410 miles from Niagara Falls to Annapolis on Wednesday
• We had a 1.5 hour limo ride from Annapolis to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on Thursday
• We had a 2 hour plane ride from DC to Atlanta on Thursday (still)
• We had a 10 hour plane ride from Atlanta to the International Airport outside of Buenos Aires from Thursday to Friday
• And, finally, we had a 2 hour bus ride from the airport into the heart of Buenos Aires on Friday

So after many days of travel, our arrival to Buenos Aires was more than welcome. My "travel Spanish" navigated us through finding a bank, exchanging the large 100 peso bills we received from the ATM machine into smaller peso bills, finding a bathroom, finding the bus stop, getting change for the bus (we actually got on one bus only to be turned away for lack of change), finding the right bus, finding the right stop, and ordering our first meal in Argentina (burgers with ham and a fried egg on top, nummy). Go me! (Me thinks Tim finds me even more adorable now.)

After our first meal (which, randomly, was in some goth bar with pictures of the Cure and Freddy Mercury all over the walls), we were approached by a young man on the street who asked if we were looking for accommodation. (I think the backpacks, the map, and the confused looks gave us away.) He told us he was the Director of an apartment building where they rented out apartments (complete with kitchen and private bath) for 350 pesos a week (roughly, $117 USD). We checked the room out and, although it wasn´t bad looking and was very affordable, we thought we could do better. Not to mention, his request for a $300 USD deposit (in cash, no contract) was just a bit suspect.

Next, we proceeded to navigate just a few blocks away to the Milhouse Hostel (who we had read quite a bit about before arriving). They were booked (which matched our previous information), but assisted us in making a reservation for another youth hostel only 8 blocks away. And so here we are in our private room, complete with nice wood floors, a comfy bed, and a private bathroom (with a bidet, wheee!). All this and only 68 pesos (about $22 USD) a night! (That´s actually a lot more than we´ll be paying in most places, but in Buenos Aires it´s a good price for a private room with a private bath.)

Upon arriving in our room at 2pm, Tim and I decided to take a nap. And 8 hours later, we have woken up with exciting plans of going back to bed shortly. As neither of us have the energy to brave the streets of Buenos Aires in search of dinner tonight, we are dining on NutriGrain bars and a brownie (from the plane) for dessert. This is the life, I tell ya. But no worries, we´re happy.

Everyone in Argentina has been so nice to us thus far. Our fingers are crossed that our luck will continue, but it appears that there´s nothing like a smile and some rudimentary Spanish to get people to open up. Although it still doesn´t really feel like we´re homeless, jobless, and on another continent at the moment, I imagine these things will begin to hit us within the next few weeks. (At the very least, the jobless part will hit our bank accounts within the next few weeks.)

As for now, we couldn´t be happier. Tired, but happy. Goodnight everyone.