The Foreigner with a Smile

He's no Argentine, it's apparent in his facial structure, hair color, wardrobe and funky gringo accent. The looks he attracts are felt from all angles on the streets, in the buses and in the subway systems. We're all people watching, other people watching me... rings Jack Johnson in the earphones. They all take at least two looks up and down, not on purpose. It's more out of genuine curiosity. Look how this stranger dresses, it's not like us, where is he from? The body language is even different. The stranger feels a bit uncomfortable the looks drape his every move. He takes a deep breath, swallows his shaken confidence and throws a nonverbal bomb. It's one that comes unexpectedly and immediately disarms those around him. All of the sudden, the tension the foreigner feels is diffused with this unspoken message. Everything returns to normal and the people feel more accepting to this non-Argentine.

All of this with a simple smile. Some of these people appear as if their facial tissues and muscles have forgotten how to form a smile. All it takes is one dimple to remind them. Why not let the foreigner initiate the good energy... all with a smile :)

Mother Nature Wins

I look at the clock on my cell phone, it reads 15:00. Yup, it's tour time. Here I stand at Plaza Dorrego with the bikes ready to go and nobody shows.

15:01, the clouds release and the showers begin to rain down on the bikes and myself. Everyone takes cover in their stores. Yet, I, well I must get all of the bikes back in their respective storage space... 3 blocks away in a garage. I start by locking the bikes I'm leaving and taking 2 bikes at a time down the cobblestone road of Avenida Defensa. People in the cafes look at me confused. ''What is this gringo doing running with 2 bikes down the street in a rainstorm?" I look back and muster a smile. Two bikes locked safely in the garage, now time to run back to Plaza Dorrego for the rest. Again, 2 at a time.

"Oye, there goes that same gringo running with 2 more bikes in this torrential downpour." What is that boludo thinking?

Rewind several weeks: Biking BA has decided to store bikes in a garage several blocks from a highly touristy plaza. Lo bueno: It's very affordable to store the bikes in a garage near a closer location to our South Tours. Lo malo: We must arrive at least an hour in advance to transport the bikes from the garage to the meeting point, 2 at a time. It's not the most efficient way of preparing for a tour, but 'es lo que hay.'

So there I am, 20 minutes into the storm, drenched and defeated. Nobody showed for the tour, rainstorm duh. I had heard it was going to rain but I went to set up for the tour anyways, hoping the weather man was wrong. Dedicated or stupid? You tell me.

I then hop on my bike and make the ride back to Palermo area, 45 minutes away in the rain. The water drips out of the foam handlebars as I cruise through the slowing storm at a leisurely pace. The taste of defeat, oh so bittersweet.

Then I ride past a young man with no legs in a wheel chair, wheeling himself down a puddle-filled sidewalk with a smile on his face. A health dose of perspective sinks into my bones. It could always be worse. What am I bitching about? Sometimes, a little perspective is all we really need.

I love Buenos Aires for that reason, whenever something may seem upsetting or negative, turn the corner and you'll find a good dose of perspective. It lies in the faces of each cartonero.

The rest of the ride home, I carry a smile and know that tomorrow the sun will shine and another tour awaits. For now, I feel warm in the cold rain knowing I have a place to sleep tonight and am surrounded by good friends and family all around. More tours will come and the next time, maybe I'll believe the weather man.

Spanish phrase learning:

boludo- A common term in Argentina used between friends. Literally means someone who's head is filled with air, like a ball. Can mean fool or friend, depends on how it's said.

es lo que hay- Also very common here. Literally translates to 'it's all there is.' Used often in terms for settling for what there is.

Vale La Pena

It's 2:37am local time Buenos Aires, Argentina. The freshly brewed yerba mate injects caffeine to keep my brain cranking away at the Biking BA business plan. This has been a work in progress for over 4 months, has changed over 30 times. The end goal? To get investment into our company.

The process, many nights like this analyzing the risks of investing in this simple business. Remember my talks about keeping things simple? I do my best to practice what I preach. This has been a challenging project. And that's why I love it. I take a second to step back and look at my life....

Here I sit, a 26 year old kid with some ambition to create something much larger than myself. It's a Friday night, no wait, 2:38am Saturday morning. The friends are out partying and I'm sitting here looking at potential risk analysis charts, SWOT analyses and many other theoretical business practices that we can make practical in our business. Is it worth it (vale la pena)? Who knows, who cares. This is where I chose to be at this point of my life and I must say, no complaints. Putting in this extra work, even if it doesn't lead to results and goals desired, is part of growing. It's about the journey, not the destination. The last 100 days or so that I've been in Buenos Aires trying to start a business has been the most educational time of my life. Everyday, I'm amazed at what I don't know. I feel that I know less every day.

How cool is that? Everyday, class is back in session. The name of this course... life! It's tough kid, life isn't for wimps I've heard. What is being learned by trying to start a business in Argentina?

Patience, first and foremost. This has to be one of the most inefficient countries on the globe. The exchange rate is 4 pesos to the 1dollar, it also takes 4 times as long to do what takes 1 time in the states--> patience!

Communication. From calling manufacturers to emailing vendors in Spanish, this has been one of the most challenging... yet rewarding.

Creativity. With limited resources financially speaking, we are forced to make the most of what we have. For example with the limited amount of bikes in stock, we've put out the idea of bike sponsorships. People or companies sponsor a bike and get their name on the bike. We will also put ads on our rental bikes and charge a low monthly advertising fee for the mobile ad space. This will help with some extra cashflow in the meantime--> un poco creativity.

By the way, a special thanks to those who have already sponsored a bike!

These are just a few lessons one may learn in pursuing a passionate project.

In our case, even if our company doesn't end up where we envisioned it, we will certainly be better than before because the journey has far more significance than the destination in this classroom called life. Happy learning!

Life is Short.. Live it Your Way.

The image you see above is the brilliant manifesto by our friends at Holstee clothing. This might as well be my personal manifesto that I never took the time to think of, if that makes sense. Everything in this manifesto is how I strive to live my life, so thanks for the reminder Holstee friends. If you're like most every other human with a pulse and a healthy sense of curiosity, you've probably felt lost in your life before. Then you find yourself, then lose yourself again. What is this cycle all about?

I don't know! But it's a great question that I've vowed not to ask myself anymore.

I don't have all of the answers for why things happen in my own life and I feel ok saying that you shouldn't have all of the answers to the mysteries in your life. Let's remember that life truly is simple, it was never meant to be complicated... but we human beings complicate life and blame it on... life itself. Let's not confuse simplicity and ease. Life is not always easy, nor should it be. How would we grow and evolve as human beings without challenges and the 'life is so damn hard' moments? The difficult moments are usually our most telling times as we learn more about ourselves in the never ending pursuit of 'finding ourselves.' More often than not, our actions and emotions are products of our minds. The mind is a tricky bastard, don't let it control you, dictate you or demoralize you. Remember, life is short! Why live your whole life trapped in the complexities created by the mind?

Yesterday, an Argentine lady jumped off of a 23-story building and came crashing down on top of a taxi, without the driver in it. The building she chose to end her life off of is called the Panamericano. It is known for its roof-top bar with a great view over Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, one of the best views in the city. She must have been caught up in her mind and lost all hope and then decided to make life shorter than it already is. Yet, fortunately for her family, she survived. Yes, she survived the fall, probably thanks to the taxi cab saving her life. Who knew taxis provided such life-saving services? Ok, all jokes aside, this is a miracle. Anyone hopping from higher than 10 stories is usually applying for their one way ticket to their respective after-life destinations. This Argentine lady is going to wake up in her hospital bed with 2 broken hips, internal bleeding but is expected to survive. Hopefully, she'll reward the angels looking over her.. and the taxi that was below her by living her life her way this time.

What if you came face to face with death? Picture death as a person smiling at you and daring to grab your hand, kiss you, and pull you to the other side. In reality, isn't that what death is? Death is our best friend, reminding us to not take life for granted. The beauty of our friend death is that it is staring us in the face each moment of every day, whether we know it or not. Any one of these moments could be our last... Now, is it so hard to live your life?

Author note: This post is not intended to inject fear in any of my readers and I apologize in advance if it has. It is intended as a friendly reminder to take a deep breath, smile, and live YOUR life!

Turn the Calendar, Turn the Page, Turn Yourself

Turning pages from 2010 to 2011

Looking back on my 2010 Resolution and Goals with my feet kicked up after a long day on bicycle, it's time to reflect people. How was your 2010? What's in store for 2011? New Year's is my second favorite holiday behind Thanksgiving. The new year represents the turning of a chapter in our lives dictated by the calendar, no better time to reflect. Thanksgiving is a holiday that should be actualized on a daily basis but the fact that we make a point to touch our gratitude pulse on one day is special.

In my personal reflection, I realize that I only fully achieved 40% of the resolutions and goals I set out for. Upon further analysis of the goals that I did not achieve or those that are in progress (60%), all of them have lead to something different. Different is ok, although it may not be what I set out for, something good came in an alternative form. For example, instead of the the pursuit of Spanish literature, I've followed my language passion into learning another language... Portuguese. Brazilian beauty intrigued me into learning its language. That's just one example but in my refl

ection it's interesting seeing how much life has changed in the last 365 days.

The year started in the bitter cold of the rocky mountains passing days at Monarch Ski Area then hitting the Golden coast for a road trip with my 2 hermanos (one from anotha motha). Then came a summer time of mountain biking and working 6-7 days a week to save money for a return to South America, one of the successful resolutions! Then came the migration south in September. Colombia was my home for 6 weeks and the perfect transition to my life here today, in Buenos Aires. One whole revolution around the sun and I find myself back in the southern hemisphere, this is the place for me now.

So now it's time for resolutions and goals in 2011, let's turn another page. This year will be one to remember, I can feel it!

1. Grow Biking BA into top 5 tour companies in Buenos Aires with 2 locations and a fleet of 100 bicycles.

2. Learn Portuguese- At least the basics of the language to where I can hold a 10 minute conversation with my fellow Brazilian friends in their language.

3. Learn Capoeira- This Brazilian art is like a mixture of martial arts and break dancing requiring incredible core strength and flexibility. It has a great history behind it too. Read about it by clicking the link above. Also, to see a good video of capoeira, check out this video. Every time I see people performing capoeira live, it intrigues me to the point of wanting to jump in. Only if I knew how...

4. Write more- I'm aware that I lose motivation for writing at times but I love it when I'm actually putting the pen to the paper. So I must find what will I do to make it a habit and be continuously motivated to write while balancing the rest of my activities.

5. Visit 5 places I've never seen- This includes the Salta/Jujuy region of Northern Argentina and others on the list are Uruguay and Bolivia.

That's it! Yes, this year I'm only going with 5 resolutions. I laid out 10 last year and realized that I need to keep it simple for 2011. It's time to simplify and focus on what I enjoy doing on a daily basis, being active. Biking, 5 vs. 5 games of futbol, learning capoeira and samba all will bring me enough joy for one year.

Living 2011 as if world really will end in 2012

The Mayan calendar predicted that the world as we know it will no longer be in 2012. I'm not 100% convinced of this, however I will use it as an opportunity to propose that we all live 2011 as if the Mayan Calendar is correct. Within legal and moral judgement of course. But what's wrong with living each day of this year as its the last May 5th, June 17th, September 28th, etc. that you'll live. We all might show a little more humility, love and passion in our daily life. So take it or leave it, to those who wish to approach 2011 this way, I can't wait to see how your life will be this time next year.

I sincerely hope 2010 dealt you as many ups as it did downs. To living yet another year through our ups and downs with grace, love, health and felicidad.

What is La Pura Vida?

image from change.org

A slow steady realization settled in and I thought to myself, "Hmm self, it has be a while since I've written a blog on La Pura Vida blog. The self always responds in silence as a mirror of reality. With no excuses to lean on, I search for more meaning of why blogs are even beneficial. They help us upload and share information with others in our own pursuit of education, reasoning, happiness or whatever it may be. La Pura Vida, perhaps.

Pondering back to why I ever started La Pura Vida blog in the first place, I recall I was sitting at a dining table in my first week of Buenos Aires, 3 years ago to the day, using what little Spanish I had known at the time to name my new blog, translated 'the pure life'. The pure life wasn't so much about living free of sins but about exploring a pure life yet to be fully understood. La pura vida, like much in life, is very subjective and is open to interpretation. The intention of this blog was to show my personal life and pursuit of living la pura vida. It consitutes of living healthy, physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. They're all interdependent. By living healthy in all of these facets, I mean living without toxins-negativity and trying to be something that I'm not. La Pura Vida is living a well-balanced, simple life. We all like to make life complex sometimes and we must remind ourselves to simplify everything and remember what's really important to our well-being.

Personally, these are the elements that constitute my own pura vida- healthy foods (fruits, veggies, yerba mate, etc), yoga, cardio exercise, meditation, writing, reading, learning new languages and cleaning. Cleaning? Yes, ever since I left home at 18, I've been a product of my ''neatness counts'' Dad and can't stand being in a dirty place. Without clutter, dirty dishes, etc. it's much easier to focus on the other elements.

Some of the readers on this blog have asked me where I get my views or philosophy on life from. Here is a list of my favorite blogs or websites:

www.thefourhourworkweek.com/blog

www.zenhabits.net

www.realage.com

And that's it, those are a few of my favorite online sources that inspire my pursuit of the pura vida.

My favorite authors are:

Deepak Chopra

Eckhart Tolle

Tim Ferriss

Edward Abbey

Del Carnegie

Many of my views and inspiration for travels and writing this blog come from these sources. However, my greatest source for new inspiration is from you, anyone who reads this blog. What is your own personal pursuit of la pura vida?

BIKING BUENOS AIRES

The main reason I wanted to move back to South America, Buenos Aires specifically, was to help my good buddy Chilly Willy Whittle get his bike tour company in high gear. One of my favorite things to do when visiting a foreign city is explore it via bicycle. With each pedal, you get to see the many different lives on the streets. One corner you may see kids kicking around a futbol, the next corner you're greeted by drummers performing for a few pesos. Three blocks later, the smell of carne or empanadas may activate the appetite. It's interesting, fun and absolutely liberating exploring foreign lands by the pedal.

This is an opportunity to follow a passion and put to test our creativity, innovation and determination. It's truly exciting. If you or anyone you know has plans in the near to far future of visiting Buenos Aires, please let them experience the city the most fulfilling way...
http://www.bikingbuenosaires.com/.

To see our latest blog on our latest biking experiences in Bogota, click here!

We leave Bogota tomorrow for Buenos Aires with our vision in mind and on paper in the form of a business plan. As much as we've learned just putting together the business plan, we've only hit the tip the iceberg. Let the lessons, challenges and rewards begin.. See you in Buenos Aires!