Home again

Couldn't resist writing one more entry sitting in my computer room here at home. Such a shock to leave the land of a bidet in every bathroom ( including some restaurants...couldn't quite figure that one out) to the land of " what's a bidet?" , from almost 40 deg in the Argentine heat wave where any clothes are too much to the soft falling snow and "long johns under jeans" attire of Guelph.
Our taxi driver who took us to the airport was a young man who wanted to learn some English. He pulled odd words out about the good things in Argentina and pointed to some of the sites we passed on the drive. We understood where the slums were when he equated them to the Flavellas of Brasil, we comprehended the references of "caliente" when we talked about the weather...but one word we couldn't get..he referred to Bariloche and cena ( that means dinner) and kept trying other Spanish references...felt like charades. It wasn't until he hit on "Forest Gump" that we realized he meant had we tried "chocolates"...Movies are so international!

The flight home was comfortable..Lan Chile is a good airline and even served a hot breakfast. We hung around the Santiago airport for 7 hours..it has lots of floor to ceiling windows with a view to the foothills around the city. We even found a great restaurant..Ruby Tuesday's..that had a salad bar- I gorged my self on vegetables. We finally reached JFK airport in NYC early Friday morning. This was a transit stop before we reboarded the plane for Toronto. At least we thought that's what it should be; the Americans see it as a chance to create jobs, ferret out terrorists and make sure tourists don't ever want to take a plane that transits through the US.
We had to go through immigration ..which meant standing in a line for an hour, getting our finger prints and pictures taken ( when we objected, the immigration officer said he couldn't remember whether he was supposed to do that for Canadians or not as they were always changing the rules), re-enter through security where we had to take off our shoes and send everything thru x-rays and metal detection ( surely shoes could be sniffed by a dog). I had wondered why they had allotted over 2 hours for the landing. Even the shopping in the transit area sucked.

So now we are at home and back to a comfortable routine, mostly. Our car wouldn't start yesterday..CAA came and replaced the battery right in the driveway. We went to the market this morning, met good friends and headed off to Diana's for breakfast. We have shovelled snow ( or at least Jurg has) and I had a flu shot. We picked up our skis and found out Blue Mountain opened yesterday. According to the papers, people are mad at the politicians, just like in Argentina. But I thought we really have no idea how good our lousy politicians really are. Our trip has changed us at least in that.
We both said how much we love Guelph and are glad to live here. And Jurg is talking already about the next trip to Switzerland!

Chau Argentina!

First the shopping trip...a very crowded subway ride, ´the recommended Lonely Planet stores seemed to have moved, the frustration of the heat. Jurg didn´t last..after finding a cafe for a coffee on Florida street, he headed for the subway and home. I persisted, hitting all the tourist stores and found a few things. Not bargains though, those days are over here. Leather purses are hundreds of pesos...close to $100. One must thread the way around mothers with babies begging for pesos, not something we see at home. I was surprised how quickly I adapted to the jolt of seeing this...my pesos were for purses it seemed.
Finally the subway ride home and Jurg was not there. He had indulged his passion for subways and ridden to the end..then headed for the Evita museum. One last look at his secret love.
So, for me one more tour around trendy Palermo and the fashion stores...gazing at pricey things for skinny women.
And then dinner with Steven. A final Parilla meal and a bottle of malbec starting at 9:30 pm. Dinner was over at 12:30..truly we are Argentine! Great stories of the travels, promises to stay in touch, a relaxed evening as our last night. Steven is great fun and we have enjoyed meeting him...we gave him our unused subway tickets, he gave us a beautiful little photo book of Patagonia...inspiration for our next trip here for sure! He was kind enough to save the stories of the bus accidents that take place here on the overnight buses until this last evening when our bus rides were over.
The taxi awaits, over 24 hours to the ice and snow. It is over 30 deg again. Goodbye Argentina! Don´t cry for us!

Buenos Aires- revisited

We are back to where our journey began and we first fell in love. We arrived early Monday morning at the bus station Retiro...a huge monster of a place where most people arrive if they aren´t flying in. Our bus journey took us past some of the slums where people put together homes made of cast off items, quite a dramatic look at some of the poverty that plagues Argentina. Yet, these poor seem to find a way to work rather than beg. More on that later.
We weren´t sure how we would feel about the city after all the other places we had come to know. But, when we got back to our familiar little apartment hotel, the friendly staff made us feel right at home. By 10 am we were in our little studio apartment and ready to explore.The streets are now familiar...we checked out some of the places we remembered. We cultured ourselves...the MALBA ...modern Latin American Artists. We bought fruit at the neighbourhood green grocer, we drank coffee in cafe´s- didn´t take long to start feeling part of BsAs once again. The power of this place!
Today we took the 3 hour ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Uruguay to explore the historic town of Colonia a UNESCO World heritage site- a beautiful, but expensive place and very hot. It must have been about 40 deg. We hopped from shadow to shadow. We have started to talk about how skiing would feel good... We came home on the fast catamarran...a 1 hr journey ..in first class with a glass of champagne.
Tomorrow I have to shop..and we will have dinner once again with Steven. It seemed fitting to have our last dinner with the one who introduced us to BsAs. Jurg has volunteered to shop with me..not sure that is a good idea, but we will see.
I mentioned the poor. There is no more begging here than in TO..maybe even less. Many of those who approach us are physically disabled. Other of the young perform tricks and juggling at the intersections or squeezee the car windows. Young men stake out a parking claim. You pay parking twice..once to the machine, once to the man. Then he watches your car, sometimes will wash it, and moves the cars around ( all are left out of gear with parking brake off) pushing them back or forward to let cars in and out. Another whole vanguard ( around 20,000) push carts around the city to recycle things from the garbage. They pick out things of value and gather cardboard and plastic. I read one of the commuter trains has been modified to accommodate their 4 wheel carts for travel. People set up impromptu stands on the sidewalks with socks and underwear for sale..often mothers have their young children with them. Quite an underground economy.
The jackaranda trees are still covered with their purple blooms that fall and cover the sidewalks below. The shopkeepers are out early in the morning hosing down the sidewalks in front of the stores. The dogwalkers don´t break their pace as the stride purposefully along with their 10 panting charges. I don´t think BsAs will even notice when we leave.
And tomorrow the long journey home...

Wonderful weekend in Firmat

We left the mountains behind and fell asleep as the miles of semi arid desert rolled by and woke up to the Pampas. For many, the Pampas are the heart of Argentina...the economic greenspace with its fertile soil and sunshine. Big machines rolled past our bus, heading out to work the fields as we neared Firmat. The sunshine, this year, has become a bit of an enemy...drought is stalking the area and farmers are hoping for rain before they plant their last crop of soy. In Argentina, troubles never come one at a time.

The bus pulled over at the side of the highway in Firmat and we disembarked and watched as Matias strode up to meet us. We felt like we were coming home again. We walked to the office of the family business just down the block and met up with the family. We were welcomed once again as if we were family and we stepped right back into the rhythm of the Argentine life.

Lunch at home, a siesta in the afternoon, a swim in the pool, a quiet dinner late in the evening - such a welcome respite in our travelling busyness. We talked and laughed and got to know each other. We were introduced to the lovely Laura..Matias girlfriend. We felt so lucky that Rossana and Matias have learned English...Jorge works away at his rudimentary Spanish with their patient help. Such a gift this weekend was..wrapped up with the generosity of this family who opened their hearts to us. We shopped with Rossana´s help on Saturday and Jurg watched Matias play a game of soccer with friends. We ate food prepared by Rossana and some great crepes saved from Horacio´s birthday in order to share with us. Rossana continued with the lesson in how to drink yerba mate...the great Argentinian tea that has much ritual associated with it. It is made with warm water stored in a thermos and is a shared drink. The bombilla (straw) filters out the leaves of the plant and after a turn, more water is added and it is passed on to someone else. I think I could master this at home now.

Sunday was the day for the whole family to gather at Grandparents house...Oscar and Nedia Pelligrini...for the lunchtime assado (BBQ). Rossana and her sister and their families...all the grandchildren are young adults, some with partners and one great grandchild. The only one missing is Paula, Matias sister, who is married and is in Mexico. We shared salads, BBQ´d sausage, different cuts of beef and desserts brought by Venyss (Rossana´s sister) that she had made for her own birthday on Friday. We were so warmly welcomed and I had great fun talking with the young women about their lives...they all wanted to practice their english- thankfully!

We talked about so many things through the weekends we spent with this marvellous family. Political troubles, money issues, parenting, sports, our challenges in our lives..it was absolutely marvellous to feel so close and compatible. It was heartbreaking to hear how in this young democracy ( only 25 years), the government seems to make decisions that have such profound impacts on all. Only last Friday they grabbed all the private pension funds that had been saved and moved them all into the public plan. All the financial advisors running the private plans will now be out of work and no one knows what return they will receive. Argentines are getting accustomed to handling these setbacks.

Sunday night it was time to leave. Rossana, Horatio and Matias gave us special gifts- a beautiful mate cup, a bag of yerba mate, an Argentine picture frame for one of my photos- all so thoughtfully chosen. ...and for Jurg..the most special shirt..from the Atlante football team that Javier their son (brother) in law plays for in Mexico. Jurg will wear it at home when he morphs into "Jorge" and watches the Atlante games and cheers for #2 Javier. The gift of their friendship is beyond measure.
Our bus to Buenos Aires left at 2:30 am and Laura, Matias, Rossana and Horacio stayed up with us in spite of the fact the work loomed for them later in the morning. Matias drove us to the bus and made sure we got our luggage on and waved goodbye as we pulled away...the picture is etched in my mind. What a beautiful young man he is! so good at taking care of others. We can only hope that the family can come to Canada so we can extend the same hospitality to them. Hasta luego!

Bariloche and environs

The freedom of the car! wow...what we have seen around here over the last few days through the dusty windows of a little Fiat..little but powerful. It zoomed up the mountains in 5th gear - wonder if GM knows what these little European type cars can do. And we sure had the chance to zoom. First we headed up north toward San Martin de los Andes via the seven lakes road. We followed the shores of blue green lakes with green hills reaching up to 600 metres dipping down to the water and views of snow capped mountains. There was a dusty gravel section..under construction as well..but it was still magnificent. The yellow gorse is in bloom, probably an invasive curse but still beautiful. As well, Jorge in his typical fashion, spoke to some young women who turned out to be from both Argentina and Israel. We ended up with a bunch of pictures with all of us apeing for the camera. Lots of laughs!
San Martin de los Andes is a small, delightful ski town where we stayed at a hosteria on one of the main streets. The guy in reception we affectionately called the Spanish nazi..(think Seinfeld). Everytime I uttered an English word he said "Ëspagnol solo" and forced me to search through my now 50 word vocabulary to say what I wanted. He certainly would patiently wait as I struggled...but would not back down. added to the experience.
In this area there are 2 National Parks...Nahuel Huapi and Lanin....so there are thousands of protected hectars. The area is filled with lakes and rivers and right now it is fly fishing season, a big occupation here. We haven´t seen much wildlife but the scenery is spectacular with the mountains reflected in the lakes. On the way back from San Martin to Bariloche, we took another gravel road that is sometimes closed. It went through a marvellous valley following a rushing river with rock hillsides topped with the most intriguing of hoodoo type formations. We did discover why it is sometimes closed...had to ford a couple of streams and go around a few washed out sections..made for interesting driving. The dust was overpowering when someone came the other way..which was seldom. Saw a few fishermen in the river but other than that we were mostly allone for the 60 km.
Back in Bariloche, we decided we would try to go up one of the lookout peaks in the area. Of course, being off season one, Cerro Otto, was closed so we headed for Cerro Catedral...the famous ski area. Disappointment there as the wait behind all the people on tour buses to get on the cable car would be 2 hrs. So we climbed back into our dusty car to do the Circuito Chico..a loop around part of Lake Nahuel Huapi with views and a look at the famous Llau Llau hotel. We tried to get in there for tea...guard told us we needed a reservation. Snotty crowd!
There is a small area called Colonia Suiza that is an historic town started by Swiss imigrants in the 1800´s. Jorge, now once again Jurg, had visions of Rahmschnitzil with Spaetzli dancing in his head. Disappointment again...there was no way there could be schnitzil at the end of the gravel road...there was barely coffee and a poor excuse for a torte. Seems they only have activities on Sundays and Wednesdays...hardly deserves to have Swiss in the name.
We stayed in a lovely place Tuesday night and were the only folks there on the outskirts of Bariloche. In consultation with out host and much mathematics as to whether we could squeeze the kms out of our maximum allowance we decided to head back to Catedral and then go on to El Bolson. Turned out to be a great decision. The view from the summit of the mountain after a ride on a cable car and chair lift, was spectacular! Miles of lakes and mountains reaching to the distance. And then one more gravel road around Lake Guiterrez. This was the most challenging my Swiss Chauffer had faced with this car. Really should have been a 4X4 drive...deep gullies, big rocks and lots of holes. But a wonderful reward of a view.
El Bolson at about 130 kms from Bariloche was a terrific little hippy town. It is a nuclear free zone ( not sure if that made a difference to us) and grows a lot of organic vegetables and has lots of artist coops. The drive down on the fully paved hwy was wonderful...certainly worth the effort. And gas is much cheaper down there...this is the northernmost town where the Argentinian Patagonian gas subsidy is in effect.
So here it is Thursday morning and we await our next bus ride...off to Firmat once again with gifts of chocolate in hand. Hope the bus isn´t too hot for the 20 hr journey. We do have the 2 seats up front again.
Haste luego
Sue

On to Bariloche

We left Mendoza on a warm lovely Saturday night at 8 pm. The squares were filled with people...lovers, soccer players, break dancers, families and adolescents cruising with glazed eyes dressed up in newest fashion clothes with their radars out for the opposite sex. The bus that was to take us to Barriloche would take 17 and 1/2 hrs...in semi cama class. We had wanted Cama..that´s the one with the lazy boy chairs...semi cama is more like a greyhound with a little more leg room. Also we could only get one seat in the front and one in the second row. This was to be to Jorge´s (Jurg´s new Spànish alter ego) advantage. The seat beside him was occupied by lovely Julieta, a young, single veterinarian who was eager to help him advance his knowledge of Spanish. So the fact that there was no where to put his size 12 feet, seemed to fade in importance. He struggled in Spanish to explain that if he were 40 years younger, and his wife wasn´t in the seat behind him, then he would make a pass. It must have sort of impressed her, as she gave us (make that me) her phone number to call if we ran into any trouble.
Beside me was another interesting young woman, a recent graduate from high school in California named May. She had spent a term on exchange with a family in Santa Fe province of Argentina and was now travelling mostly on her own for 6 months throughout South America. How brave! And I thought, how brave of her parents to just say that she would be missed. She was staying in hostels and camping and hoped the adventure would help her decide her college major...either international relations or environmental engineering. So our companions seemed to suit us..a change from being elbow to elbow with each other.
The sun set soon after we started, which was great as most of the ride was through desert areas populated by horses and cattle..and a few small towns. Dinner was served with a choice of Sprite or Sprite, sleep was difficult with the confined quarters. Breakfast was instant coffee and one small aljoras ( not sure how you spell it) an ubiquitous cookie covered in chocolate and filled with dulce de leche. And then finally the scenery started to change late in the morning ..the mountains appeared on the horizon and the most magnificent drive through the foothills began beside an azure blue river lined with light green willows and Argentines with fishing poles, camping equipment and vehiciles in little hollows enjoying the magnificent sunshine. Snow mountains capped the horizon in the distance. So all the beauty was concentrated in the last hour of the trip!
Bariloche sits on Lake Nahuel Huapi and is similar to many ski resorts you see throughout Europe...except more open to the skies and the vistas. The mountains ring the lake but don´t overpower it. There are all sorts of upscale shops with ski equipment, trekking stuff, purses and leather goods...and tons of chocolate shops, the legacy of the Swiss immigrants who came here in the early 1900´s. The hotel we stayed in was called the Tirol and looked similar to those we saw in Switzerland. The telephone exchange at the front desk reminded me of the one we had at residence in university in the 60´s! But we had a wonderful view over the lake and across to snowcapped mountains. We had a great dinner at a restaurant called Familia Weiss.
We have rented a car for 3 days...discovered that the best deals are not with the big names but with the plethora of little companies such as A1 rentals, Da car, or the one we picked Uglu rentals. At least 50% less than Thrifty or Avis. We hope it is not 50% less car....we pick it up in an hour. We will head for San Martin de los Andes via the 7 lake route and we hope we have some magnificent vistas.
We have already booked our bus back to Firmat...cama class...we were not willing to count on interesting companions that could divert us for the over 20 hours it will take. I think the class names come from the level of sleeping that is possible...coma vs semi coma...and after 3 days here a coma will be nice. We leave on Thursday at 1 to return to Firmat and our friends there.

A romantic wine tour

or at least that was what I had in mind when we decided that we would really be like locals, take the public bus to the area where there were lots of wineries and rent bikes to ride around, tasting wines and wobbling back to catch the bus home. The bus ride went well...most Argentines travel by bus as gas is too expensive to own a car. We saw lots of the city and surrounding urban areas. The tourist info place had assured us we didnt need to reserve bikes..there would be lots. So arriving in Maipu, we went to the recommended bike place "wineandbikes"and were told there werent any bikes left. But, the little guy hanging around the bus stop had some bikes for us from his place. Coco bikes it had to be... they showed us the brakes worked, the tires were good and the seats were adjusted. Even a number to call if you had problems. But, no helmets, no baskets and only 1 bottle of water to share for two.
When I first rode off, I realized that the 12 kilometre planned trip would work very well it I didnt have to stop..the guy demonstrating the brakes must have been able to squeeze about 10 pounds in each hand. Luckily, the land is flat and braking and gear changing are seen as added extras.
We had planned a visit to the museum, then tasting, a visit to the choclate place, then tasting, a trip to the olive grove, then tasting and then lunch at Familia Tomassos place with tasting. We made the museum and the first tasting (which was about 400 metres from the bike rental) and then started off down the major road. It had a nice bike path beside it...which in typical Argentine fashion doubled as parking in spots, and then gradually the path petered out as we got further along and more committed to our journey. Then there was the part they were paving, and then there were the huge trucks and busses that pass you with a foot to spare...and then there was the heat..probably 30 degrees or so. A few of these things we hadnt figured on. The bottle of water was long gone when we decided to forget the chocolate place, cross off the olive oil, and just head for lunch. My bottom was remembering my nice soft seat on my bike at home, my hands were appreciating how squishy the rubber grips were on my bike at home, and my wrists and elbows were complaining that my higher handle bars at home were much better.
By the time we got to the lunch place, Jurg was so hot he wasnt hungry and another glass of wine didnt seem inviting. Luckily, I could still manage a glass of Malbec with a salad as he endured ice cream with fruit. And luckier still, these great clouds came that covered up the hot sun.
We rode back to Coco bikes in record time, hopped on the bus and got back to our hotel by 6 pm. before a slight spattering of rain arrived. On the bus ride home we came up to the Mendoza terminal along Jorge Obrien Street...we guess he must be a relative of the great Chilean hero, Bernardo Ohiggins. Lets drink to those Irish!
Maybe, sometimes, the tourist bus wine tours could be a good idea.

Further explorations of Mendoza

We are constantly amazed how quickly we begin to feel comfortable in a city. Last night, after just 2 days and one overnight, it felt like we had been here in Mendoza long enough to feel at home. What fickle lovers we are! BsAs is almost a has been. Though it will probably only take a small taste to win us over again.
Yesterday we rented a car to explore the Alta Montana...the high mountains. The maps they give you, show an easy drive that one can do in a nice pace and enjoy. We, of course, had to do the most complete circuit...no travelling twice on the same road. So, we took what was called the "old road to Chile" from an abandoned thermal bath place called Villavincencio. We had asked if the road was paved...and it was...up until Villavincencio. After that, I think the translation of "paved" is "not a footpath". Beyond as we drove into the foothills higher and higher, we read it was called "the years road" as it had 365 turns in it. That was certainly no exaggeration. First gear most of the way on roads that were full of potholes, gravel and fallen rocks, and through desert scenery including blooming cacti. But the views were wonderful...blue sky, sun and vistas across miles and miles of foothills. Thank God for my Swiss chauffer! We hardly saw another car until we reached the point where we got our first glimpse of Aconcagua..the tallest mountain outside the Himalayas, snowcovered and majestic. Finally we came out of the "camino sinoso" and onto straighter gravel roads and then finally rejoined the paved highway at Uspallata. We still had a hundred km to go to get to where one could walk in and gaze at Aconcagua from where the climbers start off.
And what a wonderful drive it is even there. The foothills are massive rocks of many colours that loom above the highway, punctuated by valleys the hold the red, roiling waters that race down from the Andes. There arent many cars on this main highway that is the new road to the Chilean Border...but there are a million trucks. All of which end up in lines waiting to cross the border, on each side of the tunnel that replaces what used to be a road full of switchbacks. We measured one line almost 2 km long. Jurg wanted to drive as close as possible to Chile so he could look down and see if he could see into the plains below...Sue, faint of heart, with visions of military shooting tourists without proper papers...forced him to turn back partway up the second line of trucks. At least he got to talk to 2 truckers when we turned around..they said it was at least 5 to 7 hrs they would have to wait before getting to customs..and this was the second lineup they had been in.
Anyways, we did get to do the walk up to Cerro Anconcagua...a 2 km hike from the parking lot at an elevation of 3100 meters. It was a slow walk..one got a cardio workout just by being there. But, a great view of the mountain and its 300 meter thick glacier that covers part of the south side.
On the drive home, Jurg got to put the pedal to the metal.. we had to be back by 8 pm and all our adventures had taken more time than we thought. After an unexpected, poorly marked construction detour, a stop by the Argentinian police to check papers, and several slowdowns behind old diesel trucks...we did make it back at 7:30.
Just a comment on driving here in Argentina. I am sure to get your drivers license, you need to pass a written test, a driving test and an intuition test. In the cities, most streets are 1 way with only the major ones having 2 way traffic. Stop signs are almost unknown and traffic lights are used sparingly. Which means, when you approach an intersection, you have to use the "slow down and guess" approach. In Canada, we might call it playing chicken. As there is generally only traffic from 1 other direction that part is not so bad. But, the pedestrians, and cyclists work from a policy of seeing rules only as guidelines. ...I cant believe that we havent seen one accident or dead pedestrian so far. This is amazing as well, in that half the people dont turn their lights on either, and the cyclists have no reflectors or lights or helmets. One has to throw in a whole bunch of scooters, buses, and trucks just to add to the picture. Oh, and I also saw a donkey cart here in Mendoza. By the way, the traffic lights are only for the cars...they dont have pedestrian lights that you can see...again you guess when you should cross. I am just thankful they drive on the right side of the road.

Mendoza the beautiful

Another great bus ride in the front two upstairs seats brought us here to Mendoza. In the third seat was a handsome young man who is a chef here in Mendoza...he is trying to learn english and was a great help...especially when the first thing they did on the bus was to play a sort of bingo game. They called out numbers and one had to punch a hole in the number on the card and get all the numbers. For me it was a great way to learn...especially when this fellow kindly called out the numbers in english. I have a long way to go to be able to count to ninety!
We travelled through the pampas...great flat swathes of farm land with wheat, corn and soy the main crops...They can get all 3 crops off in one year if the weather cooperates..this year it is a drought so the wheat has dried up. There are few buildings on the pampas as the cattle and sheep don´t need shelter from this kindly weather and the people live in town and drive out to their fields...much more civilized than at home. Saves all those school buses that drive miles to pick up students.
At night, on the bus, I struggled to sleep but certainly it was better than the plane. Dinner this time was at 9:30 after the movie and then lights out! the moon was almost full...it looked wonderful through the bug splats on the window. In the morning we approached Mendoza and the mountains as the sun rose behind us...the mountains were snowcovered and pink in the early morning sun. Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Western hemisphere rose solemnly in the distance and called to the Swiss mountain man in the seat beside me.
We arrived in Mendoza and were able to book a 4 star hotel...named, of course, Hotel Aconcagua. We are currently exploring this most beautiful city on foot. The streets are lined with magnificent trees that make tunnels over the roads. As this is really a desert area, water from the Andes races through trenches at the foot of the trees and replenishes them. There are many beautiful squares where they actually water the grass with the same water and the fountains are working as well...which was not the case in most of the other places we visited.
Mendoza is known for its wine- mostly reds, Malbec for one. It is obviously quite affluent here and is able to handle tourists. Already one lovely senor approached me and spoke english ..he says he is a writer and has a friend in Quebec. Lovely conversation..especially when he said to congratulate my husband on having such a beautiful wife...how can you beat that! So I told my Swiss senior senor that and he, of course, agrees.
We hope to rent a car and drive to view the great Aconcogua up close and visit a winery Matias´family recommended. What a country! This is the life and temperature is in the 20´s with sun here everyday.
hasta luego!

Catching up

We really did catch the bus fromIguazu to Rosario where Matias met us at the bus station...but we have been having such a wonderful time that I just haven´t found the time to catch up on the blog. There is so much to tell.
First our experience on the bus...We sat in two of the three seats right in the front up on the top. , with the third seat occupied by a guy from Germany named Horst. He and Jurg spoke in German throughout the trip, as for most of the way we were the only people in the bus. Jurg felt right at home...the seats were like sitting in a lazy boy chair with a big screen TV playing out the scenary of Argentina in front of you. Only you couldn´t put it on pause for bathroom breaks. As it got dark the stars appeared in front of you as there aren´t many lights along the highways. We drove into these little towns where people gradually got on and filled up a few o fthe seats. As the night wore on, I kept wondering about the dinner they said we would get. Finally about 10:30 we pulled over in a town and I saw a young man run out with a stack of what looked like takeout dinners. There were only about 6 or 7 people on the bus. Ididn´t want to fall asleep until we ate. It was about 11:30 before they finally brought the dinners aroundwith a choice of red wine or coke to drink. Not quite elegant but welcome. Breakfast never did ap`pear..but we arrived in Rosario an hour early at 8 am...18 hours after we started. Jurg thinks this is the bestway to travel and Greyhound should get with the program.
Now on to Matias and his mom and Dad...Roseanna and Horatio. What gracious welcoming hosts they were. They live aboutan hour from Rosario in the town ofFirmat..several thousand people live there...in a lovely house with a beautiful garden and pool. The houses here take full advantage of the climate and they all seem to have abig room with a fancy firepit and lots of room round a table where they host their Argentinian BBQ and serve assado...several types of cuts of meat that are slowly cooked over a fire. We had marvellous grassfed beef for our assado on Sunday at mid day, with Argentinian wine, a few salads and then a tiramisu for dessert. Delicioso!
Matias showed us around Firmat and took us to see a Lagoon called Melincue...a shallow lake in the pampas where people drive up with their cars, have picnics, swim, sail and enjoy the sun. We also spent time getting to know the family, meeting Roseanna´s mother and father, her sister and brother in law and watchingsome DVD´s of their daughters wedding. Roseanna andHoratio are young and fit and gorgeous looking...weightwatchers inspiration.
But the piece de resistance was that Matias arranged a trip to the Nestle factory for us. The HR manager at the plant had spent 5 years in Montreal and was a Canadian citizen He loved his time in canada and was glad to oblige us with a tour. We donned caps (think Gilles Duceppe atthe cheese factory) coats and earplugs and saw this modern plant. They were absolutely meticulous about hygiene and we had to take off our jewellry to ensure we didn´t contaminate anything. Matias translated for us and Jurg was able to feel like an engineer again. Part way through the tour, the oldest employee at the plant came by, one Christan Celauro, who remembered Jurg´s Swiss friend Heinrich who had worked there. He said he was a great engineer and a terrific guy...Jurg was delighted! Felt like he had found the Holy Grail.
Then after the tour we drove Matias to Rosario....where he and his parents maintain a flat. So we had a grand city tour last night...seeing the monuments and recreational areas along the River Parana, savoring a beer as we watched the ships sail by and then enjoying a big platter of Argentine specialities in a restaurant in the busy entertainment area. Today we walked the city with camera in ahand and marvelled at the historic buildings from the early 1900´s, and the wonderful shops along the pedestrian only streets in the centre. It feels so much like Europe! After a lunch at a Parilla ( great bbq meat) we have said goodbye to Matias and await our overnight bus to Mendoza...Again we will sit in the top two front seats so Jurg can feel like he is watching a DVD of Argentina. He has said so many times that, DVD´s are the best way to travel.
Hasta Luego!

A Spanish Lesson

Jurg is internalizing his spanish with a little help from his adoring fans. Yesterday we went back to the Falls and saw it all again...including rainbows in the sun. Jurg spoke to a group of schoolkids...who only encouraged him...had to have their pictures taken with him...even one of the girls kissing his cheek. Grades 6,7,8 they were...and they giggled and laughed at his attempts to explain hockey. On the park train he satwith them and must have really learned alot...for your edification, a"v" in Spanish sounds like a"b". This morning he announced to me that the Cataratas Iguazu are certainly one of the marbles of the world...

The Amazing Iguazu Falls

What an adventure we are having here...starting with our accomodation here in Puerto Iguazu. We are staying in a hostel type place in a private room with our own ensuite. Comfortable but not luxurious. The guests here are from all over...New Zealand, Ireland are 2 we have met. We are in the centre of town right across from the grocery store and once again have the nicest front desk staff, but lousy keyboards on the computers. Last night Jurg worked on his Spanish by watching CNN espagnol to get the election results. Tonight he watches Soccer...there is a 24 hr broadcast of games from somewhere in the world.
But we spent the day at the Falls...think Niagara times a zillion. The river Iguazu spreads out over 2 km between Brazil and Argentina and its brown roiling waters crash down in wide falls, narrow falls, rocky pathways, little bridal streams...anyway water can possibily fall off a cliff, it does. There are walkways over the water to view all these different waterfalls with the piece de resistance being a look into the Devils Throat...a monstrous cauldron of water pouring down that soaks those watching from above. All of this is contained in a park filled with canadian houseplants and annuals...begonias, impatience, philodendron, transcantia...beautiful butterflies that land on you as though they are pets...and coatis (think racoon) that have learned to harass the visitors for their lunch. The noise of the falls fills the air and the spray coated us intermittently. Unbelievable!
Then tonight, another fine restaurant...where Jurg indulged, once again, in pasta bolognaise made with fresh noodles. Of course, washed down with a few glasses of Malbec.
I have a zillion Pictures of brown water falling down...hope a few are interesting.
We are here until Friday when we tackle the next adventure of the trip - an overnight bus trip to Rosario. We have booked seat "cama" on the top level at the front...we will be served dinner and breakfast, given pillows and blankets, and be able to fold our seats into a 120 deg bed. This is how most Argentinians travel their country...for us it will cost a total of $300 pesos...about $100 US...and take about 19hrs. Letyou know how it goes...
Hasta luego!
Sue

We feel at home here

in BsAs..after only 4 days. But what days they were! This is a city of neighbourhoods, each one walkable and liveable. As most people live in smaller apartments, the city becomes another room in their house..so the streets, cafes stores and malls have such a sense of familiarity and connection. For the price of one coffee, you can sit and linger at an outdoor table for the day, it seems. And coffee always comes with a small glass of fizzy water and some sweets...how civilized! The museums and galleries open at noon or two and dont close til nine...obviously this city doesn´t do mornings very well. There are little plazas with statues everywhere and the streets are shaded with trees- a very good idea as today it reaches 32 deg.
The sidewalks are interesting...everyone maintains their own in front of their place...so they are a checkerboard of types-tile, concrete, cobblestone. The only thing standardized is the holes, broken parts and dog poop. One must walk carefully here, either watching for the poop or its creator. Portenos love their dogs and the wealthy have dog walkers that march at a great clip down the sidewalks with a phalanx of dogs...up to 10..occupying the whole width forcing the rest of us off. The parks near the ritzy areas are really doggie daycare areas...one person with a zillion dogs tied to the trees letting a few off at a time.
Lots of mysteries for us here yet...the long lineups for the 2 bank tellers when there are 5 machines not busy, the great number of shops and glitzy goods in a country where the middle class is suffering, whether one should tip when there is a service charge on the bill, why there is fewer beggers on the streets than there is in Toronto, how people eat all these wonderful pastries in the shops and don´t get fat, why women don´t go gray and men do...
We are off to Iguazu Falls now...talk to you all later

Buenos Aires- A Love Story

Like all good love stories, they must begin with an introduction of sorts. Ours was a bit fumbled at first...mulling over guidebooks, opening and closing maps...trying to make sense of a personality we didn´t quite understand. We went to Recolleta Cemetary...a true city of the dead...all housed in a great variety of little mausoleums and churches...including Jurg´s current favorite...Eva Peron.
And then the best intro of all, a mutual friend volunteered to show us BsAs. Steven Hansen a former Guelphite who has lived here for 10 years was easily bought for the introduction day....food was the bribe to get him to reveal all the secrets he knew about BsAs. First lunch and he shared the easy secrets...how to get around the city, what to eat, the basic language that would at least get BsAs to be somewhat open to us. Then a little bit of hard slogging...walking around her neighbourhoods by foot...checking out the basics- cathedrals, buildings, beautiful pedestrian streets filled with shops. With more comfort, he invited us to explore his neighbourhood...Palermo Viejo- cafe´s, parks, quirks. Then a more intimate time...we invited him to our place to show him what we had at the Ayres de Palermo: our beautiful suite with 2 bathrooms. Then we offered dinner...at a parilla...over a bottle of Malbec and Argentinian steaks he told us so much about BsAs...stories about the politics, the down and dirty little secrets that really help you get to know a potential lover. And we were still eager for more.
So today, we took her on by ourselves...we explored her subways, travelled on buses, indulged in the markets of San Telmo with the artisans and antiques. Feasted at several cafe´s, holdovers from her most gracious days of the early 1900´s. She maybe aging and her beauty somewhat tarnished but it is there for us to see if we take the time. We are so impressed by her clothing of greenery...streets shaded by trees and lined by houses with iron balconies that speak to a gracious life long gone. We are constantly helped by the Portenos...who offer us advice without being asked. Several have approached me to say "watch your camera"...so far no one has tried to grab it!
From San Telmo we went to the seamier side...La Boca...where we luxuriated in street Tango Shows and the great drama of the soccer fans streaming to the stadium to watch Boca Juniors playing San Lorenzo...even the Swat teams were on standby. And not chancing her darker side, we of course had travelled there by taxi.
But we get glimpses of a darker side that we are reluctant to explore...tales of shanty towns that exist under the expressways, side streets that we are warmed not to walk. And as we sat at a cafe in the beautiful Puerto Madero area, a dirty little waif who pointed to Jurg´s chocolate cookie (they always serve cookies with coffee here)..and raced away when he gave it to her. And lucky us, we were able to banish our hunger at a dockside restaurant with more steaks and wine and excellent service. BsAs has such class!
So we are hooked...we are falling in love...in spite of the dangers. Like all lovers, we emphasize the good and ignore the potential pitfalls. We want so much more from BsAs and we still have 2 days to explore her.
The cast of characters...is interesting...the business man we met at the airport who was carrying $20,000 US in his pockets as he felt the times here are so uncertain. The political corruption he described was horrendous. Steven who lives outside the consumer society, and says BsAs takes all his money just to live...even the restaurants are way beyond his salary. A 150 peso dinner is far too much when you may only earn 1500 peso´s a month ( 1 US $=3.3 pesos). The guard at the museum who was from India and whose sister lives in Surrey BC. Argentina was the wrong choice for him...he barely survives on his salary and can´t get to Canada as he can´t get a Visa anymore, even for a visit. All these people talk about the time the money was overnight reduced to 1/3 it´s value and how now inflation is increasing..prices have risen recently another 1/3 or so.
What a demanding lover this city is! For those who can´t get away...she keeps you penniless and at her mercy and yet offers such art and music and intoxicating lifestyle that you are not sure you want to get away.
Some people risk everything here...Puerto Madero is filled with new condo buildings, restaurants, shops and the Portenos who love to walk and bask in the sun with their lovers and families...so dynamic and connected compared to Canada. But we wonder who can afford all of this stuff.
So, we have booked our last 3 days before we leave back here as well...can´t get enough of BsAs...