One of my favorite Argentine-isms is the typical goodbye: chau, suerte! Bye and good luck! It’s such a hopeful way to say goodbye to someone: a wish for the unexpected and perhaps fortuitous things to come.

Here’s some vital stats on the old Spanish Tour:

Months: 9
Books Read By Greg: ~20
Books Read By Nikki: ~15 (he reads too fast!)
New Random Websites Launched: 1, 2, 3, 4
Wineries Visited: 29 (winery visits and reviews)
Breweries Visited: 1 (Stone!)

Countries Visited: 10

• USA
• France
• Spain
• England
• Canada (we stopped-over in montreal, and had to clear customs, eh.)
• Argentina
• Uruguay
• Argentina
• Chile
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Peru
• Chile
• Argentina
• USA

In preparation for taking the Diploma de Español como lengua extranjera, I spent our last two weeks studying Spanish in Buenos Aires. Through craigslist, I found Natalia, an incredible teacher with very reasonable rates. I’ve been taking Spanish classes much of my life, and Natalia is hands down the best Spanish teacher I’ve ever had. En serio.

Central America can easily turn one off to Latin American capitals. Smog, poverty, dirt, and chaos prevail from San Salvador to Guatemala City, with the possible exception of Havana-esque Panama City. I’m glad we gave Latin American capitals another chance in South America. Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montevideo, and now, La Paz, have all exceeded our expectations and are well worth a visit.

Wine from Argentina’s North