PEANUT BUTTER -exclamation point-

The package has arrived, and not only did it include the debit card, but letters from loved ones, Kevlar for torch making, and... PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY. This sentence would ordinarily be followed by a long string of exclamation points, however the keyboard I´m working with seems to have a dead key or seven, so you´ll just have to take my word that we are very, very, very, very, excited to have these wonderful, splendiforous things in our possession and incredibly grateful for the lovely ladies that made it all possible: sister, Dream, and Becketsy. We love you all. We´ve lived on peanut butter over the past few days and we feel really, really good about it. And I cannot neglect to mention the sweet, delicious, accompanying goodness that is homemade jam. Thank you Dream.
And with the arrival of the package came a swift departure from Mendoza though, I must admit, it came with a bit of remorse. It´s amazing how quickly you can become a regular in a place. We made a handful of good friends that it was difficult to say goodbye to, and really just began to scratch the surface of the circus scene.
We ended up spending most of our last days in town with a Chilean juggler named Willy and his lovely lady - a Mendocina - Valentina. We juggled a lot, cooked incredible meals, and shared beers and pizzas at gas stations, just like the locals. Gas stations, believe it or not, are the major hang-outs in Argentina. You can get food, coffee or beer and watch Fútbol all day long. We also went to a silks workshop at an abandoned train station that was pretty amazing. Pictures to be posted soon. The trains have stopped running in many parts of Argentina, and at least four of them that we´ve heard about, have been converted into cultural centers that seem to focus on circus. The workshop had four sets of silks hanging - they cost about thirty dollars a set down here -, had about fifteen ladies in attendance - the only fella was the instructor, lucky dawg -, and it was totally free. And I guess they happen all the time. It was a beautiful sight to behold. It was all becoming quite comfortable in Mendoza and we were getting a healthy dose of Spanish practice after Sam´s departure, but after three weeks, it was time to go. And off to Jujuy we went.
We were only there for a day, wherein we met a juggler that Willy had told us to find, juggled in a construction sight in the middle of a road, and had my guitar stolen - the details of which are too painful for me to go into at great length.
We are now in a lovely little town called Tilcara, an artist colony in a high desert. It´s beautiful and so nice to be in a small town after so many cities. The streets are dirt or cobble-stoned, the people are friendly, and the colors are plentiful, the surrounding mountains changing hue with every passing hour. Sunrise and sunset are the most breathtaking. Purples, oranges, greens and reds. We went on a great little hike this morning and discovered even more beauty along a small river with deep canyons speckled with saguaros. Pictures to be posted soon.
And we´ve been spending time with some great people to boot. A Spanish juggler named Leo and a lovely porteña named Carla. We´re already here a day longer than expected. But Bolivia is well within our sights, and I expect that the next entry in this little blog will come from within its borders. No way to be certain though.