kellita the señorita the ibby dibby dow: Goodbye February Hello Brazil

Sometimes when you're traveling you meet amazing people. People you have fun with, people who make you laugh, people you feel like you've known for years. You get on an intimate level with these people quickly, and before you know it you have 200 best friends of 3 days or less. It's great.

But sometimes when you're traveling you meet not-so-amazing people. People with whom you never get over awkward silences, people who don't understand your humor, and before you know it you're trying to switch hostels or change your plans to get out of town to escape them.

I usually know within 5 minutes if someone will be my best bud, someone I get along with but don't hang out with, or someone I avoid like the plague. But they always make the best stories.

Mostly I've been surrounded by people I like, which makes this trip amazing. This week in Bariloche has been a bit different. Though I had a good crew for a couple of days, the rest have been interesting. These were my 3 favorites.

1. Guy from Buenos Aires. Must have thought I didn't speak Spanish. Always said "HELLO" to me in a slow booming voice as if I was retarded. Spent every moment we were in the same room together staring at me making me extremely uncomfortable. I didn't care to debunk his myth about my Spanish. I was too entertained by his thinking I was handicapped.

2. My bunkmate. Didn't speak a word of Spanish. Got angry when the lights were on in the room. Got angry when anyone's alarm went off. Yelled at our Argentine roommates in English which they ignored because they don't understand English. Got angry that he couldn't understand Spanish or that these girls couldn't understand English. Only talked about how he hated it here because there was "nothing to do". I wanted to punch him.

3. Guy from some Eastern European country, where, I can't remember. "Lives in South America", but doesn't seem to have a home. Travels around going on extreme expeditions judging everyone who doesn't live this lifestyle. Asked questions about my travels and learning Spanish trying to make me feel less "important" than him. I answered in a similarly curt and dismissive manner. Didn't pick up on the fact that I was being rude back and didn't want to talk. Wears muscle shirts and is constantly flexing his ego muscles.

Sometimes the weird travelers are even better than the good ones. They provide the better stories later on.

If you ever want to go to a place with perfect weather, come to Bariloche. It's a bit chilly in the morning, hot and sunny in the afternoons with a nice breeze, the lake views are always clear, and sunrise and sunset will blow your mind every day.

My last few days have been equally perfect. Sunday I did the Circuito Chico which is a hilly bike ride around the surrounding areas. And yesterday I took the bus to Dina Huapi, a small lake community where I literally had the whole beach to myself.

Today I head for Brazil. I have stocked up on Spanish music, podcasts, and a new book to keep my Spanish up over the next month while simultaneously learning super-basic Portuguese words to get by there.