Tango Mania

As if I haven't posted enough times about tango, I will give you one more taste of the South American dancing craze that consumes Uruguay and Argentina.


While in Buenos Aires with Emily we saw tango at every turn. There wasn't a day with out it. In fact, there probably wasn't a 5 hour time period without some sort of tango flashing past our eyes. There were street performers, live music in restaurants, tango dancers posing for pictures with tourists, old couples dancing the evening away in the Confiteria Ideal, and more. Buenos Aires was a complete tango mania.


I captured a video of some very good tango dancers in the Recoleta neighborhood. Even though the picture is small (sorry, I shouldn't have turned my camera vertically and then rotated the video), you still have to watch! This video clip is much clearer than the last one I uploaded. You can't not love tango when it's this beautiful.

A Narrow Escape in La Boca

Last weekend when my dear friend, Emily, was visiting me from the states, we hit up all the toursity stuff in the Montevideo and even made time to head over to Buenos Aires for 2 days. I think our favorite part of the city was La Boca despite our little "incident" in this neighborhood.


The houses are brightly colored and tourist shops, restaurants, and tango bars warm and welcoming. You can feel the spirit of Buenos Aires in the air of this neighborhood. The Museo de Bellas Artes de la Boca "Benito Quinquela Martín", was a great fine arts museum showcasing some excellent artwork of emerging Latin American artists and and of course the works of Quinquela Martín, one of Argentina's most beloved painters. His works are especially vibrant and expressive. I love his representation of color and water. His style is regonizable almost immediately. The museum is where he actually lived and worked overlooking the port. A must visit in my opinion.


However, as we were attempting to catch the bus back to the the city center (in broad daylight mind you), two boys popped out of nowhere and demanded that we give them our cameras. We didn't understand what was happening at first so they repeated their request to which I responded, we don't have cameras. What did they think we would do? Say, sure, just a minute, let me get out my camera so I can give it to you? I can't imagine what would have happened to us, if I didn't know any Spanish. They then started grabbing our purses and reaching in our pockets, but we resisted and ran across the street to where other individuals were walking. Fortunately, we escaped unscathed and with all of our belongings.

I have to admit that I am a little paranoid of shady-looking teenage boys now. Almost getting mugged in the streets of Buenos Aires can do that to a person.

Concordia, Argentina

The bus pulls over on the side of the highway. I scramble down to the driver's booth to ask him where we are, and he responds, Concordia. Oh yes, this is where I need to be. But where is the bus terminal, I ask? Oh, it's right down the road, just walk that way a little. He gets out of the bus, takes my suitcase out of the cargo-hold, climbs back on the bus, and drives away. I look around me. Nothing. 6:30 AM. Thick fog obscuring the view any more than 5 meters away. So I start walking; he said the bus station was nearby.


40 minutes later. Still foggy. Still cold. Still walking along highway with my heavy backpack and pink suitcase with wheels, only the wheels don't work because the ground beside the highway is sand. Hence I am dragging my suitcase and small mountain of sand behind me. I haven't showered in over 24 hours. Trucks honk their horns as they speed by. A lone girl in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing in sight but an industrial park. I have no idea where I am. There is no bus terminal nearby. What was that driver talking about? There are no taxis to hail. My cellphone is not functional, my minutes expired almost a week ago and I didn't plan on getting a new card until returning to Uruguay.

I feel rather exasperated, so I flag down a motorcyclist on the highway. When he stops I asked him how to get to the bus station and he said, oh yes, just walk along this road and turn at the white cross...yaddah, yaddah. Then he gives me the kicker, the bus station is only 10K away. 10K? That's 6.2 miles! There is no way on earth I can walk that far with my all my luggage at 7 something in the morning in the fog along a busy highway. I break down. I start crying hysterically. I just want to be back in Salto, somewhere familiar.

Despite the frantic tears streaming down my face, I continue to walk forward. Standing alongside the road is not going to get me any closer to the bus station. Eventually I come to a guard station for the industrial park and I ask at the security desk how to get to the bus station again. He basically tells me the same thing as the motorcyclist. I continue onward.

Soon a white truck stops. The man inside pops open the door and motions for me to get in. I look at him. I look at his truck. I look at the tan carpet seats. He doesn't look creepy. He looks like he works in the industrial park--wearing a blue flannel shirt, jeans with dirt stains on them. I don't know what else to do. I throw my suitcase in and I climb in afterward. I hope I don't regret this later.


The man tells me that he saw me when he made a delivery and and then when he was on his way back he saw me again. He has three daughters and he felt bad for me, because I had been walking for a long time and then I stopped at the security gate, so he knew something was wrong. He asks where I am headed, and drives me to the bus station. I learn about his entire family and about a boy who drowned in a lake nearby in the past week. How sad.

This man is a good man. I am so thankful. My first hitch-hiking experience (if you can call it that) turned out well in the end, and once again I am reassured that there are more good people in the world than bad.

I am just happy I am still alive. Traveling success. On a more positive note...the first time I went to Concordia with a professor from the CERP I enjoyed the town much more than the second time when I was all alone and lost. People say things are cheaper in Argentina and cross the boarder to buy stuff.

Wild Things

I want to share with you a few of the really cool wild things I saw when I visted the Iguazu Falls a few weeks ago. First up we have the cute (maybe not-so-cute) coati that looks like a part raccoon, part opossum mix in my opinion.



I was minding my own business walking along a path near the waterfalls when I decided to munch on a banana. I peel my banana, take a big bite, and all of the sudden, in the flash of second, I am surrounded by coatis. They wanted some delicious banana and jumped up on the railing right next to where I was walking. I thought they were going to bite me. Eek.


Three guys from Europe also saw the coati and were scared too. Every time the coati crawled closer they took big steps backward all together. Haha. I couldn't help but laugh. City boys.


There were some pretty flashy neon orange mushrooms on a log in the woods.


Some gorgeous butterflies.


Lots of butterflies.


Lizards sunning themselves on rocks, trees, and trails.


And pretty birds. Bird watchers would be in bird-watching heaven.

Fellow Fulbrighter Run In

Did I mention that I happened to run into another Fulbrighter at the Iguazu Falls while I was there? It just so happened we were on the same trail at the same time on an island. Freaky. Stephen was kind enough to send me this photo we took with the Argentine flag. Awesome photo no? It has to be one of my favorites.


Later that evening we had dinner together--mmm spinach cannelones. A good day it was indeed.

Puerto Iguazu

The Iguazu falls were all I could have imagined them to be. Spectacular. I ended up spending more time there than I expected because I really enjoyed myself in the Puerto Iguazu.


The entrance fee to the park is a bit steep for foreigners, 60 pesos or about $20, but it was worth every penny. There are many trails you take to explore the falls, local wildlife, and nature.


On the Argentine side of the falls there are trails, the upper and lower circuits, the Macuco trail, a boat ride to San Martin Island, and a train ride to the "Devil's Throat." You really have to see it all and you can't really fit that all into one day. You need at least two at a minimum just at the falls, just on the Argentine side.


If I had to pick my favorite part, it would probably have to be the Garganta del Diablo (picture above) which was a train ride followed by a trek on catwalks over the river to see the largest part of the falls up close. Word of advice? Bring a rain coat and plastic bag for your camera whether it is raining or not. You'll thank me later.

San Ignacio Jesuit Ruins

A beautiful little town in the middle of nowhere really, San Ignacio is.

San Ignacio Miní was one of the many missions founded in 1632 by the Jesuits in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period near present-day San Ignacio valley, some 60km south of Posadas, Misiones Province, Argentina.

The bus pulled up to a church smooshed between a few houses and a casino accross the street. The bus driver yelled out “San Ignacio” and I disembarked from the coach. The bus pulled away and I remained standing alongside the red dirt road with my suitcase in tow. Ok. So this is an adventure, right? Fortunately, someone pointed me in the direction of the ruins I was in search of.


The town is mostly a sleepy little village except for maybe four blocks around the entrance to the ruins where it turns into a big tourist trap. Every sign in addressed to Senior Tourist. Stop here. Eat dinner for 35 pesos. Buy these precious stones. Etc.


The ruins were intriguing. The remaining architecture was impressive. Definitely worth the visit. I would go back and spend more time there if I could. Horacio Quiroga's house is also in San Ignacio on the other side of town from the ruins.

Posadas

Posadas is a small town in northeastern Argentina, capital of the Misiones province.


I arrived in there after a 10 hours bus ride from Concordia. I asked at the bus terminal information center what the city had to offer me, but the woman inside didn't seem too enthused. She did fortunately pointed me in the direction of a hostel, or the general area of one at least. I left the bus terminal to catch a city bus, but unfortunately caught the wrong one. I asked the bus driver when I should get off and he said, oh no, this bus doesn’t go there as he proceeded to pull over to the side of the road to let me off. So I took my wheely suitcase and wheeled it right back where I came from. Then I found the right bus, found the hostel, and left to explore the city of Posadas.


The downtown is very cute. There are many shops and plazas for people to enjoy. The siesta however closes everything down for 3 hours in the middle of the day so I could not find a supermarket to buy food. After wandering everywhere over the city I found a bustling market place where I bought some much needed fruit. Then I spent the day walking up at down the coast where everybody seems to come to jog, walk, play drums, makeout, dance, and spend their time. I ate the best empanadas I have ever had in my life at a little hole in the wall, which is really saying a lot since empanadas are a major staple of South American quisine. The city of Posadas has a great view of the Paraná River.

Flu and Fever Stay Away

Oh my. Swine flu. Dengue fever. I have subscribed to El Pais, the national newspaper of Uruguay on my GoogleReader. Everyday there are more stories about dengue fever and the swine flu spreading. I feel a bit paranoid about them. There haven't been any confirmed cases of either in Uruguay as of yet, but one suspected case of the swine flu and a few cases of dengue in Argentina. Dengue is trasmited through mosquito bites. I have looked up the symptoms several times, and it is also called "bonebreak" fever for the severe joint pain it causes. Fortunately I don't have anything like this, and the chances of getting dengue outside of the tropics is low. As for swine flu? Do we know anything about it yet? other than there is a world-wide scare about it going around? Scary.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

I forgot to mention the Recoleta Cemetery that we visited in Buenos Aires. It is perhaps the coolest place I've been where dead people are buried.


The Cemetery is situated in the fancy Recoleta neighborhood and is a large enclosure where hundreds of monuments are built to the honor the dead. The grounds were well-groomed yet still very creepy. Many visitors (and stray cats) milled about the grave sites.


The cemetery, or rather mausoleum, if we are being precise with our terms, boasts of the graves of many past Argentine presidents and of Eva Peron, the very person whom the play, Evita, is based upon. We had to do a little detective work to find her grave, which more or less involved us trailing two guys who were talking about finding her grave. I suppose that kind of made me feel like a spy...


I think the appeal of the cemetery lies in the fact that it is both somber yet commemorative, dark yet sunny, creepy yet beautiful, aging yet manicured, peaceful yet lively, old yet invigorating.

Argentine Art

Here's a quick review a few more things I did in Argentina art related:

Visited Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA). A good traditional and modern art museum combined. I spent too long on the lower level and not enough on the upper one, but a good way to spend an afternoon. Famous European Artists below and Latin American artists above.

Visited Museo de Arte Latinoamercano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). A GREAT modern art museum. Loved it. Lots of funky pieces. Lots of fun.

Saw 2 live theater performances at the Cultural de la Cooperación Floreal Gorini for more or less $10 each (35 Argentine pesos). One very good, one very confusing. One I could follow, the other hopeless. One a story arc, the other crazy people on stage ranting about...well, I don't even know. El Tiempo y los Conway and Los Siete Locos

Saw a movie. Although a German film with Spanish subtitles, still very good. And Along Came Tourists

In review, if you plan on going to Buenos Aires you have to partake in the local art scene. Definitely go to a live performance and definitely pick a few of the art museums and visit the ones you think you'd like the most.

Parillada

So what does one eat when they go to Argentina? Well, let me tell you. It's beef. That is what you order. In particular, parrillada. But, you have to be careful, parrillada can include some interesting cuts of meat. This site says: "In Argentina, the meat is often grilled at the table, and includes various cuts of steak, lamb, pork, sausages, sweetbreads, and internal organs not often found on US menus." Mmmhhhhmmm. Knowing what you are ordering is the name of the game. Stay away from the chorizos, kidneys, intestines, livers, udders, and sweetbreads. In my opinion, avoid being "adventurous" when it comes to strange words on the menu of a parilla restaurant.


I ordered a bife de costilla which is a t-bone. As you can see it turned out to be huge. I'm not the biggest red meat fan, but this steak was good. Yes, Argentina has good meat if you stick to costillas alone.

Argentine Tango

My favorite thing we did in Buenos Aires was probably go to the Catedral de Tango where real Argentineans go to dance. It was no touristy tango spectacle, just a big, dimly lit, warehouse-like space with table on one side a dance floor on the other. There were different sorts of modern "art" on the walls and a big picture of Carlos Gardel, one of the most famous tango dancers ever (who by the way both Argentina and Uruguay claim as their own).

We got there at about 11:30 PM and the locals didn't start arriving until more like 1:30-2 AM. The dinner off the menu of the day was delicious--some sort of baked squash with cheese. I enjoyed sitting there listening to the beautiful tango music and occasionally sneaking peaks at the couples on the dance floor. We didn't end up leaving the catedral until about 4 in the morning, and apparently that was an early evening for most South Americans.

Back from Buenos Aires

I just got back to Salto after a long week spent in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, the 3rd largest city in South America. I will spend a few posts telling you about my time in this wonderful place. It reminded me of a mixture between DC and NYC, (largely for its political and cultural significance), only with everything in Spanish. Ha ha.

This is a picture of the "Casa Rosada" or "Pink House" or more formally, the Casa de Gobierno where President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner works but does not live. It is situated right on the Edge of Plaza Mayor.


Buenos Aires also has an obelisk (which looks just like the Washington Monument if you ask me, but hey, who is?) located in the city center along Avenida Corrienties on which our $15 a night hostel was planted. The hostel, Rancho Urbano, was not bad at all, actually, quite nice as far as hostels go. Thank you hostelworld. I grew a bit attached to my free breakfast of medialunas (crossaints) and coffee. It just might have been nice if were farther up Corrientes so we didn't have to walk so far to get to the city center. There were also a few pretty little kitties running around that made me miss my last roommate's cats. Boooo.


The picture below is one of Puerto Madero, built up along the Rio de la Plata. It seemed to be located in a very nice area of the city where all the young working professionals go for lunch and relaxation.


Expect more posts to follow in the next few days about the City of Fair Winds.