Date: November 16th 2005

View archives of past emails here: http://www.songseek.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/jamie
Photos here: http://www.pbase.com/stevegallagher/jamie

Dear all,

Time in Argentina seems to go by fast each day. I find myself now back in Buenos Aires, staying at the same hostel I stayed in my first night in Argentina, nearly a month ago. I spent the last week in Puerto Madryn, a coastal town 17 hours bus ride south of Mar del Plata. The beaches were beautiful and we saw whales jumping and playing just off shore every day we were there. We spent our days sitting on the beach, or walking mile after mile of vacant shoreline. I must say it brought back many fond memories of similar beach walks in PEI over the years! We even saw two very smelly rotting dead whales which made me feel right at home!

The only thing missing in Puerto Madryn was our dear friends in Mar del Plata, so after camping for nearly a week, we decided to head back and say a final goodbye before coming home. We took a 10 hour night bus half way there and then after a few hours layover in a town we had warned was full of naziŽs, we took a 7 hour bus the rest of the way. Mar del Plata was just as we had left it and we were greeted with open arms and a warm welcome. We had just one more night in the back room at Tinta Roja that had become our cozy little home before having to say our goodbyes once again. Only this time we were also saying good bye to Koala (one of the 3 other friends I am traveling with) as she decided to spend an extra month in Mar del Plata.

We are determined to find a way to get at least a few of the folks from Tinta Roja to come visit us in the states within a year or two. One idea is to get them to do a workshop on the community organizing they do here at the National Conference on Organized Resistance held every February at American University in DC. They are beginning the process of getting passports, and weŽll start the rest when we get home!

We arrived here in BA at 5 this morning, and spent the day wondering around the city. We fly out tomorrow evening, and I plan on spending just a few days back in DC before making my way to Vermont for thanksgiving!

See you all then!
love Jamie

PS: I got a bunch more photos off of my camera and onto the website, including a bunch of the protest itself and lots of our friends in Mar del Plata!