Eric on Jessie's balcony in the Palermo section of Buenos Aries. Photo credit: Jessie Stadd.Yes, the toilet does flush backwards, but as everyone had said, it's just not that interesting.
I suppose I had expected something a bit more dramatic once I went south of the Equator, but no such luck. The world wasn't upside down, gravity didn't feel any difference. The only noticeable thing is that it was almost winter and fairly cold -- 10 degrees C, as the airport monitor told me (1180 mb atmospheric pressure, for those who care.)
At the airport, I eagerly headed to the toilet after passing through customs and headed into a stall. Carefully scrutinizing the pattern of the flush, I did detect that the final swirl headed in a counterclockwise direction. It was true!
Of course, this was no old-school American slow-flushing toilet. It sucked the water down quickly, leaving me staring at it as I tried to follow the path of the water. No dramatic turns here, just a can that wanted to take care of business quickly.
So here I was, down in the other hemisphere for the first time. I sat in the waiting area, pulled out my jacket, and scribbled in my journal as I waited for Jessie to show up. My flight was early and immigration took about 10 minutes, so I was plenty early.
The flight was uneventful -- I watched Bridge to Terabithia (careful, it's depressing) and popped a couple Benadryl to put myself to sleep while we fought turbulence over the Caribbean.
The flight seemed to be dominated by Argentinians, who honestly look like and dress like Europeans. As Jessie said, I probably wouldn't stand out too much -- possibly with the exception of my random National Parks Conservation Assocation hat I've been wearing to try to tame this beast of a hairdo.
What's most interesting for me is to be on a vacation with no agenda and little to worry about. Unlike my previous famous vacations, I'm not rushing off to meet a kayaking expedition or to climb some Alps. I'm just here to hang out and do whatever Jessie and I can think of.
I assure you the next entries will be more interesting.
4 comments:
Are you sure that isn't Iraq?
like the hairdo
Are you trying to say that the toilet story isn't the MOST EXCITING THING TO HAPPEN TO YOU IN YOUR LIFE???!! I don't think it's humanly possible. On a more serious note, though, I really wish you wouldn't keep rubbing in the fact that you're in Argentina watching the water swirl backwards in the toilet while I'm stuck in a statistics workshop all weekend. It makes me really envious of all the toilet watchers of the world...
Wait...I watched Bridge to Terabithia too....something fishy here!!! Also...it is very strange to be on a vacation where you are just to relax. I'm also quite used to go go go, and it was weird to just enjoy the spontaneity of rolling with the flow. It's different, but in a way, you get used to it!
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