Peter the Swede (not Peter Benchimol) is a liar! They did not invent Swedish meatballs or the ball bearings. Still checking on the validity of the other claims but we can all agree we were duped by the Swede. Lesson learned.
There is a lot to talk about today and I don't want to miss anything. We left BA for the airport to fly to Posadas, the birth place of my dad and to meet my uncle, Paroto. Airport uneventful and when i say that it was still a shit show but not nearly enough to comment on b/c the rest of the day was awesome. Landed fine and the whole clan was waiting for us. Uncle Paroto, Mercedes, John (NOT JUAN), little John (again not Juan),
We got picked up into 2 cars. Mom and Dad in one with Paroto and the taxi driver, and Jen and myself in the other with cousin Mercedes and her husband John. We got the tour of Posadas which was a lot bigger and nicer then was described to us. They follow me on instagram and asked Jen about the Porsche she bought me for our anniversary. They must have stalked us on social media. I guess we are buying dinner tonight. You can cross the Parana River (pronounced Para-na not Piraña which is ironic because my dad learned to swim in this river until his lessons came abruptly to a halt when he got bit by a Piraña). Jen has been a champ as a translator and is the glue keeping this group together. Mercedes and John were great and so helpful showing us around and giving us the lay of the land. I wish I got a picture of John's shirt which said, follow me to Tennessee. Classic. I also bought 3 awesome t shirts in Argentina.
We went to get our bus tickets to Iguazu falls b/c Poroto did not get our telegram but the place was closed for siesta (which i am definitely instituting into my business plan when i get home). We decided to walk to Dad's old house (current house of Poroto, John, Mercedes and her mom). It was literally 3 blocks from the hotel in the middle of Posadas city. As we were about 1 block away and dad was not sure which direction it was, I said, does anything look familiar (keep in mind they were here in 2013 as well, but did not go into the house b/c it was infiltrated by El Gato's (17). The mango tree that dad remembered as a kid was taken down but he did not remember the sky scraper that was built in the back yard when Poroto sold part of the property. A tad cray cray. We caught up with the family and Poroto brought out a stack of old photos but no one knew who anyone was in the pictures. We hung for a bit and then went to get our bus tickets before getting ready for dinner which was at 9 at the Casino. I am thinking about sending Gary down here to fix a few electrical issues with Poroto's house b/c i think there is going to be a fire. Oh, on a side note, Paroto told everyone I am his favorite nephew and we just met! Apparently, (according to his girlfriend Mercedes' mom) he talks about me all the time.
Mercedes did a great job of setting up the table seats to accommodate the language barrier and then for the surprise, my dads best friend, Monica(a man) who was supposedly un-findable, was found and brought to dinner. Dad got a crash course in fast Spanish and talked intently for hours catching up. Monica is 89 and a political activist that introduced my dad to classical music. To top it all off, a friend of Pachona (dads sister who is not with us anymore) was the singer and when you see the pictures you will see how fast the night escalated. We danced, drank, laughed and cried (not really cry but you get it). A tad of a shit show at payment time (which Jen made me deal with) and there was a "mom and dad problem" not a "Spanish Problem" (Jen).
I think I could live in Argentina. In Europe, I stand out with my barrel chest but in Argentina, I blend right in. There is no "Me too" movement here, I can order beer and wine and find a bathroom (with my Spanish) and that is day 2! Everyone is so friendly here also but I do believe these people live a hard life compared to us and by us, I mean the USA. At 2:30 am, John and Mercedes tried to get us to go out and I told Jen to translate--como se dice "a 100 percent NO". She also tried to translate "me too" movement but that was unsuccessful. (This is Jen: John was very concerned about the "me too" movement bc the show girls at the casino were 1/2 naked and he was worried about the people getting handsy with the girls butts! He feels this would not fly in the US)
Thank God we did not go with those guys (john and Mercedes) bc we totally could've (actually it is would have) ended up in an Argentine jail. No Joke--for more info DM me! lol
To top off the night, had a great dance with my mom! #nancybenchimol
Dude, there are so many more awesome pics i could put up but i cannot figure out how to do it and i want to post this blog.... piece, love, Argentina
New development-I just hired Jen to be my publisher so if anything is not #metoo then I am not to blame!
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