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! :)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Argentina

Tomorrow morning I will wake up and, within mere hours, I will switch continents and enter a new world. I'm pretty excited for my trip--it has been on my radar for a long time. Maybe even since high school--I've always wanted to travel to and in South America.

My flight leaves at 4 from Minneapolis and my bags are packed and standing by the door.

http://www.fineartphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/la-boca-800.jpg

I will try to update my blog frequently as my trip gets underway (now that I might actually have a little rest and free time).

Monday, June 22, 2009

My neice and nephews...


Grandpa came over yesterday for lunch--so did my brother, his wife and their three kids.


Me and Chandra.


Dahlton...


And baby Zachary. He likes me :)

Potluck dinner at school:


Two weeks ago, we had a potluck dinner with my beloved night classes. It was the last night for me to teach night classes and we wanted to celebrate the switch-over. We threw a potluck!

Our sushi restaurant owners brought two huge trays of sushi, and there was a myriad of other dishes--but not a fork in sight. In the picture above, you can see sushi, a pasta salad (literally, salad + pasta...made me laugh), and Korean kimbap. I brought the American classics, mac and cheese, and pbj sandwiches (per request).

Here are a few of the night class students. I really miss them--the morning group is nice, but I really enjoyed working with these guys! Martin and I sometimes hang out with the group after class on Wednesday nights. We meet at a coffee shop and all hang out for an hour or two.


One student, Taka, is an expert sushi chef. He brought in some mackeral and showed us how to make a sushi roll. He torched it and cut it with a huge sword-like knife. It was some of the best tasting sushi I've ever had! :)

My former housemate:


A couple of weeks ago, I drove straight home from work and took Edna out for dinner. We went to her favorite local restaurant--Carrows (like Perkins). In this picture, you can see that Edna is quite a bit smaller than I am. When standing, her head doesn't even come up to my shoulders. I think she used to be 5'2 back in the day, but now I think she is more like 4'10. She is petite.

I was excited to meet Edna for dinner because I haven't seen her in awhile (I moved out of her house in February and try to stop by once in awhil) and I know she gets lonely. We really get along pretty well, but it took us quite awhile to get to that place. Living together was a little difficult at times.

I like hanging out with her, though. I learn things from her. She turns 95 this August and has had so many experiences. She is spunky and has a lot of gumption for her age. She only wears button down, polo-style tops because she thinks an open neckline makes her neck look old, and never wears pants because skirts are more lady-like. She gets her hair done every week, always wears lipstick, and secretly smooths on expensive wrinkle cream each night to delay the look of old age. Her friends are half her age or younger, but that is what keeps her young.

I promised I'd send her a postcard from Argentina.