Picture Hunting #3: South Temple Street

Salt Lake City, Utah

Quinha invited me to take pictures of the historical South Temple, the most glamorous street of Salt Lake City.

Today is possible to find huge mansions, beautiful structures and a lot of history.

So ladies and gentlemen, with you: ‘South Temple Street’ by Hernán.

Which one do you like the best?

See all the pictures clicking here

Farting Contest

Family guy, with all its inappropriateness, some times comes up with some hilarious jokes.

Like the Farting contest between Peter and the controversial film maker, Michael Moore.

Again, hilarious!

If you can’t watch the video click here.

Memorial Day: Hunting Graves

Salt Lake City, Utah

On Memorial Day I went with the Smiths to the Salt Lake Cemetery to visit Wayne.

Once there some from the group wanted to find some other relatives who passed away so we started a grave hunt.

We started with relatives, and continued with prophets…

Actually we intended to find Gordon B. Hinckley’s grave…but it’s tarted raining so we left.

It was fun though.

He didn’t win??? (American Idol Surprising Finale)

I was going home from work when I saw many , many people going to the ‘Energy Solutions’ ARENA to watch the finale of American Idol.

As I predicted, David Archuleta (From Utah) was one of the finalists… (He was compitting against a guy named David Cook, from Ohio)

There were at least 4000 people at the stadum, lost of screaming teenagers.

The best of the night came with the surprising finale.

The surprise was the anounsment of the winer.

Against all odds, the winer was: David Cook.

And this was the reaction of the people at the Arena:

A Place in the World

There is a show in the radio called ‘Un Lugar en le Mundo’ (A place In The World) that airs in Mar del Plata (Argentina) every Sunday from 7 to 9 a.m. (Argentina time)

The DJ of the Show, Florencia Cordero, called me to talk to her about all the trips I have been doing around the US.

I was the first call of the show, so like at 7:30 a.m. I was saying “Hola” to Florencia on Air.

7:00 a.m. in Argentina is 4:00 am in Salt Lake City.

That early in the morning my mind was still in English and for my surprise; it was hard to switch back to my own language!!!

It was way embarrassing but fun.

After me they called Pepe Sanchez (The first argentine to play on the NBA).

However the best part of the show was the comment that this Lady left about my interview.

This is what she said:

“Yeah, good morning, (this is for) the guy that I am listening right now o the air… in Utah… Sincerely I just feel sad, because … He is more a ‘Yankee’ (An American) than an Argentine…”

“humm… He missed out a lot of things in Argentina, which is beautiful as well…”

“I can’t believe that he has the North American language more than Spanish…”

“… And honestly, this ‘testimony’ is worthless to me, in fact, it makes me sad…”

“We had lost and argentine… oh well… don’t came back”

To listen the first part of the show clock here o visit their blog clocking here.

Soundtrack of My Life

Prelude

There are times in life when you are doing something memorable, special, or simply you are just ‘doing something’ with a song (from a radio, TV, etc) playing in the background.

Years later the same song is back in your head for some reason and it takes you back to the same place you were before. And the same feelings you were feeling back then are born again.

(Mi papa, Mi hermano H, Mi mama, Mi prima N. en Foz Do Iguazu, Brasil)

Some times thats wonderful because it takes you when… when you got married or when you proposed, or when you realized that you are crazy about her (or whoever you were crazy for), or when you got some good news… but also, it can take you to sad moments like when you and the person you thought was your soul mate broke up , or when you found out that somebody died, or when you missed them so much that a simple song made you cry…

(Casamiento Civil de mi hermano H y L, Buenos Aires)

However those songs became part of your life… and after many years we manage to collect a huge amount of treasured songs that are the music of our own life.

(Casamiento de Vivi y C, Buenos Aires)

It’s better that any movie’s soundtrack, because the main characters in the story are you, your mom, your friends… It’s awesome.

Andy, mi hermano Hu, y mi hermana Vivi en Punta Mogotes, Mar Del Plata)

High Note

Back in April (21th) while in the road, minutes after we left the Salt Lake City area to Las Vegas (To rake a flight to Florida) I found myself staring outside the window.

The sun was hiding slowly on the horizon behind the mountains.

The sky was pink and orange and the road… the road was an endless straight arrow pointing away from us.

Suddenly the road was more than just a road… to me it was a path to freedom.

I was free from reality!!!; I got the chance to go to a place that I dreamed to go since I was 4 years old.

I didn’t care for anything else, I was determinded to enjoy my childhood dream.

I think that , for a while, I forgot about problems and responsabilities.

It was a time to scape from reality… and then… as if it was planed, the beginning of the MGMT song started playing on the radio… and it was perfect.

Later I found out that the name of the song it was called “Time to pretend” (I got goose spot)

MGMT are out with the video to their single ‘Time To Pretend’, from their debut album ‘Oracular Spectacular’, out now on Columbia Records.

Fun(ny) attitude

Orlando, Florida

The last 3 days in Orlando weren’t nearly as fun as Disney World days. Even though we did fun stuff, we (Jon) didn’t have the right attitude.

We went to a Water park

We went to Downtown Disney, where the toys were really friendly, perhaps a little too friendly.

We went to Universal Studio’s Island of Adventure.

We jumped from the highest Skycoaster in the world

Our way back

Taxi to the bus station in Orlando, Bus to Tampa, taxi to the Airport.

On our way back we missed our plane to Las Vegas, so we spent the night in Dallas, Texas… where we missed our flight again…and yeah… after that we missed it one other time. (3 flights!!!)

Once in Vegas we couldn’t find the car, then the battery was dead, then Jon was too tired to drive me back to Salt Lake City (As he said he would) so I had to take a bus the day after.

There’s nothing to do but laugh in these situations.

MasterCard Moment?

Taxi to the bus station in Orlando ($50)

Bus to Tampa ($24)

Taxi to the Airport ($20)

taking two days to get home, missing your flight 3 times in a row then spending 60 minutes trying to remember where you parked your car… and then find out that the battery is dead? Pricel… $56.- (The bus home)

Disney World (Day 2)

Animal Kingdom

Our last day in the traditional Disney’s park was amazing… a lot of fun and fantasy.

We went to our remaining park: Animal Kingdom, a sort of Jungle where two continents meets (Africa and Asia)

Our favorite ride was the ‘Expedition Everest’

My favorite moment was when we went to the ‘Kilimanjaro Safari’ and we saw two chitas walking round.

My favorite picture is the one with Pluto and Goofy.

Grand Finale

After we did all what we could possibly do in Animal Kingdom we went back to Magic Kingdom to get ready for the grand finale: The fire works

Epcot (A ride to the World)

I thought that I wasn’t going to like this Epcot, but it was the only park that gave me goose bumps.

When I saw the huge golf ball realized that in deed I was here… I just stared at it telling myself “Yes Hernan, you are here… get over it already”

The first thing we did was to walk around the World Showcase.

My favorites countries were Japan and its arquitecture, Morocco (where we ate the weirdest food) and most of all The Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico.

There we got in to a boat and went on a virtual ride thru mexico with the Three Caballeros (Donald Duck, from The USA; Jose Carioca, from Brasil; y Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González, From México)

Our last ride was asimulator that takes you on a fligth all over California. The waiting time was of 2 and half hours!!!

Something about Disney’s lines is that they put stuff to do or watch while you wait… in this case were some cool interactive games where all could participate using their hands.

It was fun the fist hour.

The end of the day were after the spectacular fire works.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Happy Happy)

We made it to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The best of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was the Aerosmith Rollercoaster and our adventure trying to find an ATM.

The line for the Aerosmith ride was huge…almost an hour an a half of waiting time!! We were like “we have to do it” but the minute we got there a guy came to us and gave us a “fast pass” which allows you to skip the line completely… 5 minutes later we were in the front of the line.

The ride is great!

The tower of terror was also good. I took some pictures just when the door of the elevator opens and before the elevator falls.

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Happy Happy

We needed cash, but it was difficult to find an ATM… we asked here and there and finally we got to one in the “Toy Story Section”

Nikki saw a sign of one other employee (a Japanese girl) that said that it was her birthday, so she said happy birthday to her… and then we left…

Then I remember from my Asian friends that Orientals don’t really show emotions so I suggested sing to her “Happy Birthday” and give her a real ‘American Experience’

We went from behind and started singing really loud a Happy Birthday (you would think that other people would join us… but nobody did)

She was so surprised… that started crying… When the time of saying her name came we all looked at her plaque and it said: “Happy”… So her name was Happy!!!

We made Happy to happy!!! What a great day!