Boo-Ya Boo-Ya all over the OC-Ya

McLean, Virginia

My name is Erik. I'm 30. And I'm addicted to the OC.

Traveling with the OC was truly an event of a lifetime. Just the fact that I could join up with my father and brother was pretty cool. But throw in my fiance, Mike, a large foreign city, horses, beef, wine and a favorable exchange rate, you've got yourself the right ingredients for a good time.

Needless to say, everyone agrees that Argentina, and more specifically Buenos Aires, is the biz-omb. Karen and I both consider it a city worth setting up a second home. However, I am not going to spend much time talking about BA as it has been duly covered by Mike and Jason. Their posts range from sore-ass remarks to the consistency of gastronomically homogenized shinola.

While Karen and I were a little nervous about sidling up with the OC for a week, our worries were quickly dissolved by the relative calm and experienced handling of the OC operators; Jason and Mike. The 10.5 hour direct flight from Dulles Airport was the best flight available, but was nonetheless extremely tiring. For long flights, we highly recommend even the smallest of upgrades (super -economy). The extra 2 inches goes a long way ($75 per seat). After we landed, we were expertly lifted from the airport in the outskirts of the city and gently placed into our hotel. After a bite to eat, we were right in schedule with the rest of the city with our afternoon siesta.

This trip gave me an insight to the OC that one can only experience first hand. The following are things I learned.

- They have become as close to professional nomads as a person can possibly get. They make traveling look easy.
- I think that Mike picked up more Spanish in the last few months than I could remember from my 8 years of Spanish classes. It was almost embarrassing.
- They have achieved the second level of nomadic evolution: specialization. Each had become responsible for various tasks. While each has the capability to do it all, it is quite remarkable to witness their divide and conquer tactics.
- The OC is a well-oiled machine. One would think that with three years of planning, the whole trip would be mapped out in detail. But no. The plan was to figure it out as they go. The adventure is such an amorphous event. It contains no structure, but maintains form. There is method to the madness. Walking into their hotel room kind of reminds me of a mobile college dorm room.
- The blurry pictures aren't a filtered effect! They really are a reflection of drunken behavior and I can testify to that.
- They really are human.

For all those who are a considering joining the OC, lay your reservations and doubts aside. The OC is a once in a lifetime opportunity that is magnified because of the two lads that you can share it with. Experiencing the OC was everything it was cracked up to be. I would do it again in a heartbeat.