3/15/06 - DAY 5

"Awake, had breakfast, and presently writing on board the BUQUEBUS, or the ferry that connects Buenos Aires with the town of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. I'm so excited to have gotten a new stamp on my passport from somewhere I'd never been before; it's like collecting experiences or looking at photos. Each stamp represents the start of a new adventure; I much cherish my passport.

Colonia.. (sigh).. incredible.. a town suspended in time.. with spanish and portuguese influence in the streets, the architecture, the chapels with their thick wooden doors from the 17th century, 2-foot-wide walls made of stone... the little houses in the Historic District with their steel gates and flowers the size of my open hands, blood red and yellow and orange.. Mi dad and I rented a couple of motorcycles and we rode through the complete Historic District, the Plaza Mayor, Saint Francis Convent where there's an old lighthouse, the main gate to the city complete with a moot and drawbridge, and the remains of what used to be the town's protective perimeter wall.

And amongst all this history that has seen its own families come and go and streets that have witnessed joy, sorrow, triumph, and pain, a sense of peace and tranquility unmatched.. The town suspended in time, and the people peaceful, nice, smiling, like constantly enjoying their dream surroundings.

The "Calle de los Suspiros" or "Street of Sighs", no words to describe.. cobblestone street by the portuguese (evident in the drain down the center), with the little houses and their red terracota shingles almost wanting to wake up and retell their memories, the parties and celebrations, the battles, but without being able to by the tranquility so evident it keeps them in a constant state of sleep. I think we probably took pictures of every corner, every moment..

We also rode further away to a bullring and a horse race track, iberian legacy very evident.

So overwhelmingly beautiful, such a hunger to take it all in, we didn't even give ourselves the time to sit down and have lunch. But we saw it all, and savoured the town's everflowing tranquility. However, there was no way we weren't going to sit down for at least a few minutes to have a beer, so we took a small break in the Anjo Preto restaurant, right across from what used to be the "Governor's House" a long time ago.

Going back to Buenos Aires on the BUQUEBUS..

So I'm back at the hotel bar, and my friend Juan recommends I read Albert Cammus, an individual who writes about the philosophies of existencialism, a post-war subject who aparently is obsessed with suicide, and comments that people first get used to living before thinking...

so he got me thinking...

..without definite conclusion yet, naturally since we haven't even gotten into deep discussion yet, but it intrigues me the same and surely I'll look up this Camus to better understand, as well as to better comprehend my friend's points of view and why it appeals to him.

Yesterday and today Joaquin Sabina performed in a local theater; I would've loved to go see and listen... haven't had the pleasure yet of seeing him live. It would've been nice to listen to him sing "Cancion de las Noches Perdidas" or "Song of Nights Long Gone".. singing about street shoe polishers, street lantern lighters, pain and passion..

Tomorrow at noon I'm going back to Esteban's shop to pick up my vihuela, and it has me nervous, enthused, excited about the future together.. like if it were a new plane that waits and wishes to fly high and far.. and me not yet even knowing how to fly.. but it'll have patience with me and will slowly show me its personality, its character, and we'll slowly get to know each other, and connect.. I'm sure we'll make a good team soon enough... clay in potter's hands..

I'll soon leave Buenos Aires, but I'm not leaving emptyhanded.. but rather with the spirit full of good experiences, new friends, new connection with myself, and a unique instrument that will help me open my music further and appreciate the honorable art of musical craft.. the craft of ancient instrumentation, a rebirth of ancient music in an era where it fits no longer, but that in one way or another has never ceased to thrive in its elegance, relevance, and importance."