Monday, July 20, 2009

Flying over the Andes



On the way back home, we flew to Santiago, Chile before going north. Here are a couple of shots from my airplane window seat.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Goodbye Argentina!




After three weeks of exploring the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and after battling the obstacles of swine flu, we decided to change our tickets and come home a little early. This is not a problem for me--I now have some time home with my family and friends.

We had a pretty awesome flight over the Andes mountains into Santiago, Chile yesterday. The mountains are amazing and the country looked beautiful from the air. We had a 4 hour layover and headed north, arriving in MSP in the morning.

I'm glad for the time we had in South America, and am already planning my next trip there!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Mate (pronounced: mot.tay)


Every weekend, there is an artisans market outside the cemetery in Ricoleta, which is right outside our apartment. We have walked through the market a few times, priced things out and made mental notes of what we wanted to bring home as souvenirs.

We both picked out a mate gourd and straw and decided to try some (finally). Mate seems like the national drink, well...that and red wine.

After filling the gourd with mate and hot water, the mate host should drink the first cupfull through the filtered straw because the first drink is the most bitter. Next, he/she should refill it with hot water and pass it to the next person, and keep doing this until it has lost flavor before starting again.

I've noticed people with their mate gourds and thermoses of hot water sipping mate all day every day. Kara read that it is believed that when you share a mate with your friend, you share your dreams. :)

Cafe Tortoni


Today was tango day! We finally bought tickets to a show at the city's oldest cafe: Cafe Tortoni. It was established in 1858 (I read that on the mug). We stopped in earlier this afternoon for a coffee and some churros, and while we were there we picked up tickets which turned out to be a good idea. We got better seats for purchasing them early.



The show was almost two hours long and really great! There were four musicians including a guy playing the accordian. There was a male singer who was able to get everyone to sing "por una cabeza" with gusto, as well as another song which he quickly told us the words before we had to sing them (I think I got at least 40%). Finally, my favorite part was watching the tango dancers. It really makes me want to take dance lessons when I get back to the States! So beautiful!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Ghosts in the graveyard...


As posted previously, our Buenos Aires apartment is across the street from a really creepy awesome graveyard. After mysterious visits from the unmentionables in the middle of the night (ha ha...reference to Pride and Predjudice and Zombies, which Kara so thoughtfully lent me this week), we made a return visit to hunt down the burial site of Eva Peron (a.k.a. 'Evita').


This cat, the one in the corner of the picture above, seriously followed us through the many narrow walkways of the cemetery. It followed us past Evita's grave, and down the next few rows of tombs. It stubbornly refused to pose for a picture, so I snuck up from behind. There were so many stray cats in the cemetery. Mangy, dirty cats everywhere.


We found Evita. Mostly because she was the only recognizable name for us to search for! :)

A day in Uruguay


Today, Kara and I woke up really early and boarded a boat for Uruguay. It was freezing cold this morning when we left, despite my four layers of clothing! When we got to Colonia, we found maps and started walking.


Colonia is a UNESCO heritage site, showcasing many buildings dating back from the 1600's! We took it easy all day, wandered the streets and stopped in for a Cappuccino Italiana and some sweets.


After coffee, we walked and walked and walked. Thankfully, it warmed up and we weren't blocks of ice anymore.


Finally, before boarding the boat back to Buenos Aires, we stopped at a local parilla to eat a chivito, an Uruguayan steak sandwich with ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato and a fried egg. It was so good!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

What is it?


Yesterday, in the park, I saw this bird. It looks like a turkey/pheasant/chicken mix with pants on! Does anyone know what it is?

Buenos Aires, Week 3


Just got back from the MALBA (museum of Latin American art)... Very cool.


Taken from the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio, possibly the widest avenue in the world. It takes several stoplights to cross the whole thing!


Sculpture park near our apartment in Ricoleta.


We stumbled upon this architectural gem on Avenida de Mayo while looking for the Tango theater.


Finally, our trip wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without this: la Gripe A, known to the North Americans as "Swine Flu." More on that in another post...

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

La Biela


La Biela is an Argentine institution, "the best in all of Buenos Aires," according to our elderly neighbors. It is a place where locals come for an afternoon coffee, beer or dessert. A group of men gathered at one table this afternoon while we were there, wearing their old fashioned suits and bow ties, sipping their espressos and having a jolly conversation with one another.


This cafe is such a great place, partly because of the food and drinks and partly because of its location. Just outside this restaurant is a huge, 200-year-old rubber tree. There are several benches situated around the tree, and lots of people milling about selling things or playing music.



Floralis Generica


To tell you the truth, Kara and I have been laying low today because of the threat of Swine Flu. These pictures are from this afternoon when we finally got out and around town a little. We decided to go for a coffee in a little cafe around the corner before getting some groceries and heading home.


We decided that it was much too nice of a day to sit indoors, so we took off down an undiscovered street. We found this statue. This giant steal space flower is located in the middle of a park. One interesting thing I learned about it is that it closes each night and opens again in the morning.


We are still enjoying our time in Argentina, but are keeping a close eye on the H1N1 stuff. Some local schools were closed today because of recent outbreaks, but it doesn't seem to be too bad yet.

Tomorrow's schedule: take the 11AM English tour around the neighborhood cemetery, then check out the area known as Palermo Hollywood.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

El Caminito de La Boca


Just a short taxi ride through town led us to El Caminito in an area called La Boca. This street is probably the most photographed street in BsAs and is the image gracing the front of many postcards and souvenir books.


La Boca is well known as the home of Tango. There were several dancing couples who braved the crisp air to entertain the tourists and lure us into their cafes and restaurants.




We were on a mission for warmth today. Our apartment wasn't equipped with lots of extra blankets, and I somehow underestimated the temperature of Argentina's winter and forgot to pack for the cooler climate.

I found and purchased 6 pairs of socks, a fleece blanket and four long-sleeved black undershirts. That should help. I guess I was just so preoccupied with other things while I was packing that I forgot to think about these things!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Cementerio de la Recoleta


It would be easy to get lost in this city of the dead. This labyrinth of mausoleums has a way of drawing you in. I don't know if it is the stone angels watching over the place from above, or the eerie atmosphere of the resting bodies entombed deep inside. Either way, I slowed my pace when I entered and suddenly didn't have anything to say as I stepped through the quiet streets of the cemetery.


The most famous resident of this cemetery is 'Evita' Peron, Argentina's memorable First Lady. We didn't have time to seek out her grave, but will make sure to do that when we come back for a more detailed tour.


One thing I should mention is that this cementario is less than a block from our front door--actually, just across the street. I am glad we have quiet neighbors, but I hope they stay within the confines of their 'city'--I don't need any ghost stories to tell around a campfire or anything...

Friday, June 26, 2009

Wine and Steak

Today was a great day. We moved across town--to a great area. We explored our new area, Ricoleta, on foot looking for some supplies for our apartment. We decided to pull over for an early dinner and settled into our chairs for what turned out to be way too much food!


What you see above is Proveletta--a baked/grilled provalone cheese with a little ham and tomato on the top. YUM! This was our appetizer. (We also got some empenadas, which I don't remember ordering...maybe we did by accident.)


And this is my steak (under all the mushroom sauce). No, those aren't corn pops on the left--they are a kind of potato ball french fry. The steak was juicy and tender and delicious, the sauce was good, but not necessary (next time, skip the sauce, skip the potatoes and get another glass of wine).

Our bill was very small for the amount of food we got--about $30 each. For steak. And wine. And appetizers. Awesome!

Our Apartment in Ricoleta


We moved into our new apartment this afternoon. I have to say it doesn't look like it did in the picture, but it will be a great place to call home for a few weeks.


See the orange chair in the corner? That doubles as a bed. One of us will probably use that, while the other will sleep in the full sized bed in the center of the room. You saw the mini kitchen near the door? Well, the fridge is already full with three bananas and four units of yogurt. The greatest thing about this apartment is the location. More about that later (it is really awesome--it is like my Korean apartment: small, but great location).

Thursday, June 25, 2009

A little exploration...


Today started around 10AM. I love vacation! It is the only time when I feel it is OK to sleep in so late. We got ready for the day, layered on everything warm and set out with our map and cameras.


We decided to explore the Centro area between our hostel and where we are going to move to tomorrow. We checked out a couple of plazas and found a great avenue called "Av. Florida" where there is lots of shopping and a little street tango.


One of the few things I knew about Argentina before getting here was mate (pronounced: mott-eh). It is the national tea that I have yet to taste. The containers that you see in the picture above are used to drink this special tea.


We walked for almost 6 hours today, and I feel tired, but excited! I like being able to explore by foot--it looks like most places we will go will be accessable by foot.

We don't have much planned for this trip--lots of exploring, lots of Spanish learning. I am excited to take small trips out of the city (especially to take a ship to Uruguay for a long weekend), and know I will really enjoy all the rest. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day of moving and getting settled into a more permanent place.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Day 1 in Buenos Aires

We landed safe and sound in Buenos Aires this morning after a 9 hour flight from Dallas. The flight was pretty good--no free upgrades for me this time, but at least my video screen worked. I watched three movies on the way here--two of which were a mistake. That's what happens when you have unlimited hours ahead of you and you can't fall asleep.

After arriving here in the tundra (OK, it's not really that bad, but going from 95 to 50 overnight is somewhat shocking), we promptly snuggled into our beds and slept! When we finally decided to join the world again, we showered, got dressed, and started wandering the streets.


We followed the street down, down, and down, trying not to make too many turns so we could still find our way back. I offered to bring along bread crumbs to scatter behind us, but later decided against it when I saw the hungry pigeons waiting outside. So far, Argentina reminds me a lot of Europe.


We decided to duck inside this warm restaurant for their "menu de dia": a choice of chicken, fish or beef, salad or fries, dessert or coffee plus a drink for our meal.


The grand total for our meal was 44 pesos, which comes out to just under $12 US dollars for the both of us!


Tonight, we are planning to join some of our fellow travellers at the top floor of the hostel for a movie night organized by the hostel staff.

I feel pretty good after having flown so far. The time difference is a mere 4 hours from California, and 2 from Minnesota, so I expect jet lag to be minimal.

Also, I just want to mention that Kara and I have rented our very own apartment in the posh part of town for the next 4 weeks. If you happen to have time off in July and want to come down for a week, just let me know! Bring a jacket and your Spanish dictionary and I promise you will have fun! :)