Adios, Argentina --- But We'll Be Back!!!

Tomorrow we leave BA, and after 4 months we feel a part of this city.  We have made friends who we plan to see again somewhere in the world and sadly, we have lost one too soon.  We have traveled to the Bariloche and the Lake Country, to Iguazu Falls, and to Salta and Jujuy provinces.  And there have been close-in excursions.

We shared in the nation's Bicentennial Celebration and now their participation in the World Cup.  These events tell us a lot about Argentina's people--- fierceness and pride, their heritage as well as their future, the large city versus the rest of this vast country.....but the land is what speaks to us.  It has won a very special place in our hearts.  And we plan to return early next year, not only to live again in BA, but to travel to those provinces we missed this time.  We still want to visit the far south, Calafate, and perhaps take a cruise to Antartica.

On our last night in Buenos Aires, good friends Jamye and Dave Smith hosted a going away party.  How best to end, but with pictures fo the wonderful friends from our short stay in Argentina.  We're signing off this blog and will begin again sometime soon. Hasta pronto, Argentina!!!

Sleepless in Salta y Soaring in Iruya

In the far northwest of Argentina, two provinces are known for their dramatic high-mountain beauty: Salta and Jujuy (say "who who-ey").  This is Andean country, the land of  condors and llamas, pan flutes and El Condor Pasa, wool weaving and pottery, and of course the Andes mountains.  These provinces create a finger of Argentina alongside Chile and poking into Bolivia. Here fiercely independent, native cultures continue to thrive.  In the late 1400s the area became subject to the Incas from Cuzco, Peru and shortly after that to the Spanish.  A Spanish general from Lima founded Salta, the principal city in this region, in 1582. Salta,  800 miles from Buenos Aires, sits in the rich farming Lerma Valley and has 500,000+ residents.  The colonial city center looks much more Spanish than Buenos Aires with its Italian/French influences.

G and I talked about visiting the region, but had difficulty pinning down a date.  Finally with only two weeks left in our time in Buenos Aires, we went to the bus station last week for the 18-hour overnight "cruise" from BA to Salta, which surprisingly wasn't so bad!

Once off the bus, we were besieged everywhere by the haunting recorded music of the pan flute, which we soon realized had burned into our brains....Is there any song not playable on the pan flute?  We heard "Can't Help Falling in Love with You (Elvis lives!), " Can You Feel the Love Tonight?",  "Unchained Melody", "Brasil",  "My Heart  Will  Go On"  (Theme from Titanic), the theme from the movie, "The Mission" as well as various Beatles tunes....Even just before sleep comes, the melodies keep playing in the distance.....


Here is the Cabildo, now Salta's Historical Museum, which contains many items from the pre-Colombian era through Inca and Spanish wars....this week they were celebrating General Guemes' victory during the war for independence.  Salta is a wonderful museum town.  Art, history, culture -- it's all to visit.  Probably the most dramatic is the MAAM museum.  Three Inca children, sacrificed to the gods, were buried, frozen on the top of a mountain.  On a rotating basis one of the children can be viewed, in a perfectly preserved state, along with all the Inca relics found with the bodies.

After two nights in Salta (Hotel Candela), we jumped on  the bus again for Humahuaca, a small, quaint town, 4 hours north.  We had stayed up watching "Sleepless in Seattle" (yet again) in our room and then couldn't sleep that night in Salta!  We returned to the bus station early the next morning, knowing we would have to change buses in Humahuaca for the pueblo Iruya, high in the Andes at the end of a dirt road.

Alas, after arriving in Humahuaca,  there was no bus for Iruya.  So we spent the night (Solar de la Quebrada), feasting on typical local food of empanadas, tamales and humitas (fresh corn with cheese in a husk) at a small cafe just below the hotel.  Great hot sauces.  A waiter explained that in the northern cold country you need "picante" to keep you warm, whereas Buenos Aires is warm enough not to need it.  Wedidn't extend the discussion by bringing up the excellent picante sauces in Panama.......




























We caught the early morning Sunday bus to Iruya.  All the buses we have taken in Argentina are luxury double-decker vehicles with plush wide (first class airplane) type seats.  The Iruya bus was our first experience of the "chicken" bus with lots of locals getting on and off at various wide spots in the road.
























The first hour was on the paved highway, then 2 more hours on a rocky, dirt road through the most amazing, colorful mountains, valleys and DRY river beds either of us have ever seen!  For a while the countryside was filled with saguaro/sonora cacti, but quickly we climbed high enough that the vegetation disappeared.


























At the highest point of the trip, we were on the border of the Salta and Jujuy provinces at 4, 000 meters (13,123 feet).  We got out of the bus for a stretch. We weren't gasping for air, but the altitude did make us breathe a little harder....talk about high and dry! If you look carefully you can see the church steeple of Iruya at the end of this valley.







































Here is our goal -- Iruya, a jewel of a pueblo and the end of the road!  It sits nestled in the mountains at 2730 meters (8957 feet), its Spanish colonial church glistening in the morning sun.  As we got closer, we realized this was to be a very special visit--the sky was blue, the air crisp and dry and the vista like no other....




























We knew from a friend that there was a nice hotel in the pueblo, so we jumped off the bus which stopped just below the church plaza (Sunday Mass in session) and headed up the cobbled hill, following only a hunch.

The people along the way greeted us with a "Buen Dia!" and smiles which made us feel welcome, especially once we realized we had no idea how to reach the hotel and a nice lady told us to cross the basketball court, turn left and continue up the hill.

The hotel, Hosteleria Iruya, was at at the top of the pueblo bathed in pale pink stucco, reflecting the colors of the mountains themselves....but first we had to climb up the several flights of rock stairs to the lobby!  Boy, were we huffing by then!  A one-story building with just 15 rooms and almost no guests, we chose the very best room -- an end room with windows on two sides and a trillion dollar view!  Our room also had a king sized bed, 4 pillows, nice sheets and coverlet and a lovely hand-woven wool blanket at the foot.  And we were sure this room was larger than most peoples' homes...food for thought!

Once settled, we went for a short walk around town, had lunch---quinoa tart with cheese, herbs and tomatos and roasted potatoes and legumes in a vino tinto sauce.  Both absolutely delicious!....and then returned to the top of the hill  for a short nap.

On waking in the late afternoon and from the bed, we spotted birds flying, grabbed the binoculars and saw two condors soaring  near the opposite  wall of the canyon.  Then we spotted their nest...they were too far away to capture well on camera...BUT WHAT A THRILL!  And the lazy man's approach to birdwatching, from bed no less!  Our waiter that evening commented that yes, we have many condors here, as if  something taken for granted.

Here's the front patio of the hotel, which had outside dining too....it warmed from below freezing at night to shirt-sleeve weather by noon....and the bright sun was overwhelming at times.  Note the pinks, grays and greens of the stones..there was also an abundance of trees covered in lacy sprays of pink peppercorns everywhere in this area, which we never expected...

Here we are on one of the plazas, where we traded shots with another couple...note that there are no windows on these homes....some homes are made from stone, some from stacked adobe blocks, some from new hollow block, reinforced with rebar.

























The older women all wear hats, not the bowlers as in Peru and Bolivia, but flat-brimmed, Royal Mountie-style.




























While waiting for the bus to return to Salta, this young mother approached us selling chances as a fundraiser for the school.  Prizes included a stove and a motorcycle.  We bought a ticket and told her to put her name down since we wouldn't be around to collect the prizes.  Her photo was reward enough!

Moments later, 3 young girls passed by on their way to school.  One had a Mickey Mouse school bag so G jumped up and ran over to show them her Mickey Mouse watch.  They were impressed and had a good giggle before continuing up the hill...






































Monday's bus ride back to Salta to our same Hotel Candela for another night felt like the right thing to do...we had a wonderful pasta dinner at a Paladar Negro just next door and a tour of the Historical Museum on the main plaza the next morning before our plane back to BA....This gem of a Falcon  was parked just outside our hotel while we were waiting for the taxi.....in an area where there is little to burn for heat or cooking, this bundle of sticks amounted to a gold mine!

Events Galore!

 Wouldn't ya know that after a handful of rainy days in  3+ months in BA,  the one day the girls decided to book an excursion to the countryside for a gaucho show in San Antonio de Areco at  Cinacina that the skies would open up and drench us! 

But we had fun anyway as the gauchos cooked and served us endless cuts of roasted meat and sausage for lunch.  One guide book suggested that "like a python, you  should put away enough meat to last you several days, while keeping in mind Miss Piggy's advice to never eat more than you can lift!"  




Then these same gauchos jumped on their wet horses and raced each other kicking up mud in hopes of spearing a silver ring tied by a ribbon over their head......

Laura was presented with a ring and a kiss from one handsome gaucho.

We arrived home to find gifts from Jon waiting for us----jerseys for the next day's futbol match....we tried them on, even though we were soaking wet from our walk home from the bus stop at a nearby hotel.
















 

 


The next afternoon the weather held  as we attended the futbol match between Argentina's national team and Canada -- the last "friendly" match before World Cup.  We were enveloped in the pride of Argentina, all decked out in blue and white, thousands of fans cheering as Argentina scored 5 goals (Canada 0).   We were more than  happy to be among them and enjoyed the post-game fireworks.

Stevie and G attended the 10th Annual Feria Puro Deseno (Pure Design Fair) at the convention center, La Rural.  Many booths with interesting jewelry, clothing, home decor, handbags, etc. where we marveled at the use of color, materials and design. 

On May 26, G, Stevie and Laura went to the opening of the 2010 opera season at Teatro Colon.  Jon was not able to attend on account of the "coat and tie" requirement (some things were left behind in Panama).  Their seats were in "Paridiso", the highest balcony, and left something to be desired for viewing and hearing La Boheme.



We also visited the MALBA Museum ( Museo Artes Latinamericanos de Buenos Aires), Argentine artist Xul Solar's museum, went to a tango show at La Ventana in San Telmo, discovered the gallery scene during the monthly Gallery Night walk in the Recoleta and Retiro neighborhoods.....AND SAID GOODBYE TO OUR FRIEND, LAURA.























 
Saturday night at 9:30 we went to our first "Puerto Cerrado", which is dining in a private home with a small group of people.  There about 25 of these type of restaurants in Buenos Aires.  They are open only on weekends.  Reservations are required (in order to get the address of the chef's home).  It gives the chef a chance to create interesting meals, usually with multiple courses.  

We chose Casa Felix,  at the recommendation of friends, Joe and Christine, whom we invited to join us.  Chef Diego Felix and his wife, Sanra met us at the door and as we waited for the other guests to arrive, we enjoyed a special Bolivian inspired drink, chicha morada, made with purple corn into a type of sangria.  Then we were seated at multiple tables in their living and dining rooms and then the courses began.  Warm homemade bread with a mystery spread and a glass of champagne.  Peanut soup with mint.  A spinach salad on a bed of roasted wheat kernals,  garnished with a chiffonade of dried peppers which had been slightly sweetened.  Really yummy!  Then came a palate cleanser of lemon verbena granite, followed by the main course, Patagonian sunfish with roasted vegetables on a bed of polenta.  Dessert was a turnover with quince paste.  Then we had a cup of  sweetened herb tea, and left their home at 1 am.  Their website is www.casafelix.com with beautiful photos taken by Sanra.

200 Years Since Argentina Sorta Declared Independence

The celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the "Revolución de Mayo" are going strong.  Boulevards closed.  Parades clog up traffic.  Lots of special events, including the opening of the Teatro Colon after a lengthy renovation.  So its a good occasion for a history lesson.


Saturday we got going early to hear a young Argentinian explain what all the fuss is about.  In 1810, the Spanish colony was called the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata, which contained all of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.  The land was technically the property of the King of Spain.  Napoleon replaced the King of Spain with his brother, Jose Bonaparte.  In response, the Portenos, looking for an excuse to escape the Spanish monopoly on trade, decided to form an independent government, arguing that they were actually preserving the rights of their ruler, the legitimate Spanish Crown.  The "Revolución de Mayo", was a completely peaceful event -- no revolution nor riot nor war nor killing.  And the motivation was purely economic.  All the trade in the Viceroyalty passed through Buenos Aires, and as an independent state the city could impose tariffs on goods going to and coming from Europe.

A Congress/Cabildo was called, and the city elected a board of directors, called the Primera Junta.  A couple of days earlier they had picked the existing Viceroy as the "new" governor, then had second thoughts and replaced him with the Primera Junta.  So in May 1810, the city did not declare independence from Spain, but rather simply decided to form an interim independent government until the Crown was restored. (Because of Napoleon's strength, probably no one really believed that the Spanish Crown would be restored.)

The Revolución de Mayo only applied to Buenos Aires, although other cities in the Viceroyalty followed suit with similar declarations of independent governments.  The country of Argentina, with Buenos Aires as its capital, was not formed for another 70 years.  But 1810 is considered the first step towards an independent Argentina.  And it's time to party in Argentina.

Here are the girls in the middle of Avenue 9th of July, the major boulevard in the city.  Stevie and Laura are good friends from Panama days.  Both are now living in the States, but they are taking advantage of our extra beds in Buenos Aires.
In the center of the boulevard, the government put up temporary exhibition spaces for each of the provinces in Argentina and many of the Latin American countries (including Panama).

The traffic in the city is almost at a complete stop for the four day celebration.  But we think many have escaped to the country.

Last night's cultural event was a remarkable ballet performance of Carmina Burana at the Teatro San Martin.  Again, Marta, J's Spanish teacher, was responsible for recommending the event to us.

Birthday, Circus, Books, Museo y Mas!

Dee is a very special woman we met in BA and we were among the many who celebrated her birthday at the home of her long-time friends. Beautifully set tables and a great mix of folks from all over the world made for one great evening!  She will return to the states in a couple of weeks and everyone will sure miss her!

Here's the party group for Dee's Birthday.  Maybe 1/2 Argentine and the rest from wherever.  The Argentine hostess, Sophia, is sitting on the floor and Don, her NYC husband, is in the first row at the far left.  Gretchen's hairdresser, Ryan from Canada, is directly behind the woman with silver hair.

Even though we were out until 3am, the next day we managed to get to the afternoon circus to see a trio from Switzerland do some amazing dance, acrobatics, juggling etc. to the sounds of a  a string base on wheels and a drum hung from the ceiling.   You had to be there....  This was the last day of a week-long circus festival in Buenos Aires.  Performers were from around the world, appearing in four venues in the city with five or six events each day.  We went with Cathy, Dee, Nancy, Jamye and Dave....

A huge International Book Fair was winding down at the Convention Center Rural and we managed to take that in one day with Cathy....by golly,  PANAMA was even represented in a booth!  We loitered there waiting for the man to get off his cell phone so we could visit with him about the books, most of which we had never seen.  Meanwhile a group of junior high-aged kids came along and wanted to know if Jon was a writer, since there were many writers appearing at the fair....they got to practice some English with us at least!  The man was still chatting away so we finally gave up and left...

Here's Jon busy with his guitar teacher, Maria Luisa....

And then there is wonderful Marta, Jon's Spanish teacher and extraordinary source for cultural events in the city.  For years she lived in NYC with her American husband, Mickey.  He's a professional jazz singer and wine importer/exporter.  What a great combo????

We joined a group of expats for a guided tour of the Museo de Arte Popular Jose Hernandez, located in a beautiful home.  The museum was started in the 30's to preserve and popularize Argentina handcrafts.  They regularly invite artists to work in the museum, sharing their craft with the visitors.

This artist, Nora Jaikin, traveled to the northern provinces and was struck by the indigenous peoples who struggle to carry on in the rugged mountains between Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.  She portrays these people in figures using wire, resin and fabric.

Here a teacher supports the Argentine flag in front of children emerging from the earth and rock while begging for food and knowledge..

The images below are first of a mother and child and then of a grandmother teaching songs to her grandchildren to pass down the cultural history.  The artist told us she created it from a polaroid photo.

Tonight we joined a group to enjoy dinner and concert with María Volonté, voice and guitar, and  Kevin Carrel Footer, armónica, from California.  It was a very intimate venue called La Biblioteca Cafe just a 10 minute walk from home. Beautiful soft jazz.  As is typical of Argentina, we just returned home -- a little past 2 am.  Goodnite!

Cataratas del Iguazú

This week we traveled north to the intersection of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay to visit the Cataratas del Iguazú, known to the English speaking world as Iguazu Falls.  We had delayed going -- perhaps a sense of "Why travel so far for simply a waterfall?"  Was that ever a mistaken thought!

From the airport in Argentina we hired a car to take us across to the Brazilian National Park.  The driver waited while we spent three hours walking a trail along the Iguazu River, looking across at Argentina and the majority of the falls.  We returned to Argentina to its National Park and spent two nights at the Sheraton Hotel, which is the only hotel in the park.

The Iguazu River broadens into a wide delta (1500 meters wide) just above the falls which extend for 2-1/2 kilometers. The number of waterfalls varies from 160 to 270 depending on the volume of water in the river.  The largest, is the Devil's Throat, more than 250 feet high.  Erosion is making the falls constantly recede upriver.

There is no possibility of describing the experience.  Pictures don't start to capture the extent of the waterfalls, the sensation of the volume of falling water and the roar of the river.  Well-maintained trails and bridges let you stand below, beside and above these monstrous torrents of cascading water while being soaked with the cloud's mist.  Standing so close to such force and power is unbelievable.  It is truly a unique wonder of the natural world.

The falls are in a sub-tropical rain forest, filled with wildlife -- birds, animals, butterflies.  The sign by the sliding glass door in our hotel room said to keep the door closed to avoid a visit by a monkey -- but we didn't see any.  G had a great time photographing birds and Coati (a little raccoon-like animal that were everywhere). 

The second day while hiking the trails on the Argentine side, J spotted a familiar college logo.  Emily, a junior at Occidental College, was visiting Iguazu with her father.  For a semester, she is studying politics and economics at the University of Buenos Aires.  Emily plans to go to law school when she graduates.  We shared a very typical parilla lunch and had a great time trading stories of our experiences at Oxy.