Last days in Buenos Aires

So Andrea and I are finally moving on from la Capital Federal. It´s been a fantastic adventure and especially enjoyable having visitors stay with us. I don´t think I will loose my way in this city if I ever have the chance to return; surely by now we can be considered honorary Porteñas. We´ve cheered at soccer matches, know the markets of Recoleta and San Telmo backwards and forwards, devoured more than our fair share of chocolate mousse torte, mastered the bus system, found our favorite bars, danced the drum circles to shame, and acquired decent enough porteño accents. Time to try something new? Yes.

Now we are off to explore wine country (Mendoza), the glaciers (Calafate and Ushuaia), and the lake district (Bariloche) before crossing into Chile to begin farming again... yeah remember that´s why we set off on this adventure to begin with? I hardly do at this point.

Also, just fyi, I have updated 3 new posts including new photos of Iguazu Falls. You should check all of them out. It´s been quite a trip.

Some freaky kind of creature we found in the park. I thought it was cool.

Delicious provoleta cheese at Restaurante Norte.

A pretty good steak in Buenos Aires, also at Restaurante Norte. My favorite was actually from this rinky-dink, no-name, hole-in-the-wall place, though. (Thanks to Tio Coco for that lunch!)
Argentino Juniors stadium in Paternal where we lived with Tio Coco. This was where we watched Argentino Juniors kick Hucucan´s sorry butts. 5-1 Eat your hearts out Hurucan!!!

Rosario, the "hidden jewel of Argentina" -Claire Weaver

We passed through this sweet little town, Rosario, five hours between Córdoba and Buenos Aires each respectively. It´s known as the cleanest city in Argentina... or at least fast becoming the cleanest city. It´s a beautiful town and you can easily take a ferry to river-island-beaches. I wish we had staid longer actually but we only had one rainy afternoon to see the town. Also, Ernesto "Che" Guevara lived here (though he was born in Córdoba I believe?). We tried knocking on his door but no one answered.

This is the train station at 6 AM.

A monument to the national flag of Argentina. We eventually took refuge here from the rain while we waited to leave for Buenos Aires on the night bus.

A VERY wide river...

Maybe it´s hard to tell?

Knocking on Che´s door. No response.

Downtown Rosario in a hurry, trying to not be run over.

Córdoba and the Sierras

First of all I have to say thank you to our hosts, Cristian and his mom Monica, for not only putting up with Andrea and I for an entire week but for showing us a grand time in their beloved city. Córdoba is to Argentina what Austin is to Texas... only greener and more delicious. It´s very much a college town (this is where everyone studies abroad from the US) but it has its own rhythm as well. It´s a decent sized city surrounded by rivers and mountains, so plenty of outdoor excursions to entertain. The alfajores are the delicious part to which I refer- cookies sandwiching fillings of dulce de leche, membrillo, pear, etc... sometimes covered in chocolate, sometimes smathered with suger and coconut shavings... decadent as hell and the reason foreigners gain a few kilos living here for any extended period of time. Córdoba is a famous argentine province for its exquisit selection of artesenal alfajores.

I won´t lie. We had a fantastic time here speant mostly eating, watching Avatar (in 3D finally!!)multiple times, and being lazy by the rivers.

This is a dam on the outskirts of Córdoba. The region is experiencing a pretty fierce drought though because there is hardly any water at the dam and the river around it is nearly dried up completely (at least in certain parts).

We think this is a deliberate joke. Why else?

The second of the three river spots Monica and Cristian took us to. When you swim in the water it looks like you´re swimming in a spilt treasure chest because of all the mica that glitters from the river bed. It´s quite dazzling really.

Why did I put the same photo twice, I don´t know but blogger won´t let me delete it so oh well... This next one is Cristian´s art work though... (he´s actually a photographer unlike moi, hah).

Our last river to visit the day we left. Sometimes Argentina reminds me an awful lot of Texas.

Not the greatest photo but I took it out the car window. This monument marks the center of the country. "Córdoba, el corazon de Argentina". I´d feel proud about that too if I were from here.

Puerto Iguazu and the Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls are some of the most expansive cascades in the world. Only Victoria Falls beats them out as the longest running line of waterfalls becuase Iguazu is broken up into segments expanding from the northern edge of Argentina into the southern most region of Brazil. Unfortunately we did not see the Brazilian side of the falls but apparently the Argentinian side is cooler anyway... apparently.

Iguazu Falls, or Las Cataratas de Iguazu, are located in the eastern corner of the northern province of Missiones. Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to explore the region in 1541 but the land surrounding the falls had been home to the Guarani tribe long before the Spanish conquistadores invaded.

The Guarani´s romantic myth about the creation of las Cataratas de Iguazu tells a story about young Naipi and her lover Taroba who attempt to flee their home via canoe down the Iguazu River in order to escape Naipi´s impending marriage to one of the tribal gods. The god, however, was not outsmarted by mere mortals (they should have seen that one coming perhaps?). As the myth goes, he catches them somewhere along the river and in order to stop them causes the earth to shake, breaking the river apart. As the two fall down the new falls in their canoe, the beautiful Naipi is caught in a stone and transformed into a tree that still hangs in the middle of the falls today. Her lover unfortunately falls to his doom in the lower river and is transformed into a boulder, forever fated to look up and see his beloved dangling from the waterfall but never to be reunited.

Sigh, how tragic... yet spectacular.

This is a far-away view of La Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat), the most impressive of the falls on the Argentinian side, or so they say. I like to refer to this one as Charybdis though because it reminds me of the whirlpool moster from the Odessey. Seems calm enough here, right?

What about now?

More of La Garganta del Diablo... the long view.

There were swarms of butterflies and moths flying through the park. I even had several land on my hand... and stay there the majority of our hike through the catwalks.

Sweet little coati (pronounced co-ah-tee). Apparently they might bite your hand off if you get too close feeding them. Also, you aren´t supposed to feed them to begin with (duh) but people do regardless. There are currently about 5 in rehabilitation at the local animal hospital because they were found on the park paths on the verge of death. Something about greasy, salty, sugary, over processed foods not being good for their wee-stomachs. Go figure?

This is a photo from our boat tour... notice the red rubber in the corner of the photo...

Me on said boat...

We concluded our tour of the park with this boat ride. I took this photo just a few minutes before the captain steared us directly into what appears like a gentle cloud of mist but in actuality is violent surges of upchurned water as it hits to lower river. Yes, we were soaked and it was so worth it.

Who the hell is Joaquin Sabina?

The pulse of the heart of latin american folk music beats steadily to the tune of thousands of ecstatic fans chanting "Ole ole ole ole, Joaquin, Joaquin".  The man in the bowler hat who, staring wide-eyed and beaming into the faces of his adorers, tips the brim in humble salute and gesture of gratitude; perhaps the most sincerest thank-you a performer has ever bestowed his audience.  You are there packed into the grandest stadium within Buenos Aires proper along with countless thousand other Portenos, beholding one of the most revered and respected musical geniuses of this time, and yet the distance and dimension is not estranging.  You feel close to the music and the emotion and the man-- as if you were merely down at the local pub enjoying a round with your buddy, Joaquin, reminiscing those good ol' days singing your favorite songs.

Flood lights focused on the stage, the crowd becomes a black mass, an abyss save for the twinkling of spots from lighters and flashlights raised in homage to the legend standing before them.  They resemble patterns of dazzling constellations, as if Sabina were singing for the cosmos.  Suddenly the light doubles back onto the masses to reveal the surge of fists pounding the air in unison, bodies jumping like sparks of static across the floor.  An earthquake couldn't shake the columns and stands as fiercely as the passion exuded from this crowd.

If you cannot tell by now, I am in complete awe of this man and the performance he delivers.  I had never seen an artist captivate an audience so completely and charismatically as I did tonight at Boca Stadium. 
This is Joaquin Sabina.

(Oh, and by the way, we got in for free. hehe.)

Last night in BA for now...

Just a quick update with some images of the planetarium at night and the drum circle performance.

In and around Buenos Aires, or Somethings Silly

Just some funny happenings in and around BA these days. Liza leaves Tuesday and then Andrea and I head north to Iguazu Falls and Cordoba for a few weeks.


She says "sí!"

I threw this photo in with the rest for this blog post just because it amuses me. Liza and I finally found a burger joint near the apartment. I had been craving a hamburger for the past 3 months. We had no trouble finishing our dinner quite obviously.

Various ketchup packets were, however, harmed in the making of this feast. I think 27 casualties in total. But it was delish!

This flower is actually a practical (well more or less practical) art installation. The petals open and close with the sunlight, so sort of like a funky sundile you could say.

Family friends took us out and around BA New Years day. This is a pedestrian bridge in Puerto Madero. I think it´s called Puente de Mujer. Every street in this district is named after a famous Argentinian woman.

Fanciest Stella Artois I´ve ever ordered. This restuarant is called Palacio de las Papas, or Potato Palace, just fyi.

These flowers are everywhere! I also recently learned that they aquire their color depending on the acidity of the soil.

A fair we passed in the riverboat ride while visiting El Tigre just outside of BA.

Cuartitos Pizzaria, aka best pizza in Buenos Aires. We devoured the fugazetta (cheese and onion pizza, a staple here in BA) and most of the Atomic. We learned it ain´t called Atomic for no reason. Definitely the spiciest pizza I´ve ever eaten. Next time we´re sticking with the Napolitana.

Cheers to 2009

Happy (belated) New Year to all y´all... yes I may think myself Porteña now but in truth I´m Texan tride and true.

We watched the city expload with fireworks at midnight from the bridge in Recoleta and finished the night in the trendy Palermo Soho district. We even happened to notice when it was 3 AM and toasted to the Texas New Year.

We also made a funny little video that I tried to post in this entry but I think the internet at the house may be too slow for it to process the upload. Next time I´m at a locutorio I will try to add it.

Until then, Happy 2010! Love you all.