Wednesday, March 26, 2009 1:36 AM
Persicco Café
Monday
After class, we headed to La Bamba, a popular drum concert. The lines to get in wrapped around multiple blocks, but we ended up getting in just fine. The music was very upbeat (no pun intended) and the crowd was dancing along the whole time. Later, we went to hang out with a group of twenty porteño girls at one of their apartments. I had to laugh at the greeting process between the seven of the Multisas and all the girls: 20 x7 = almost 150 kisses exchanged between all of us. Sometimes I don’t know how they do it, it was a bit exhausting. It was great to finally hang out with some locals, although it’s a shame that we are starting to make friends just as we are leaving Buenos Aires. My friends taught them to play beer pong, which is a popular drinking game in the United States.
It’s really interesting to note the difference between drinking cultures here. Of course the drinking age here is 18, and the rules seem more relaxed, so many of my friends have really enjoyed the freedom of drinking without the hassle of IDs or public open container laws. At the same time, they tend to be a lot more responsible with their alcohol intake. It surprises me how there seems to be alcohol everywhere (even in ice cream at heladerías), yet no one binges or gets too out-of-control drunk. It’s really just a part of life here, not a taboo thing. Though I don’t personally drink, I think the drinking culture here is preferable. Smoking, unfortunately, is also very popular here.
Tuesday
Today, I discovered the Pancho Factory, which I am in love with. And no, I am not referring to a weather impermeable; pancho means hot dog here. It was kinda of a Subway version of a hot dog stand where you got to select different toppings (boiled egg, tomato salad, chimichuri sauce, and potato straws is an amazing yet messy combination).
We didn’t have school because it was a national holiday. March 24th was the date of the military coup in 1976 and marks the beginning of the "Dirty War". The purpose of the holiday is to remember the victims of the atrocities comitted by the government. Kara and I headed down to Plaza de Mayo, where there was supposed to be a commemorative event for the date. Not really sure what to expect, we arrived a bit early to the Plaza as it started to fill with people. A large stage had been erected in the middle of the plaza and speakers took turns leading chants and reading commemorative stories. The most common one was “¡Trienta mil desaparecidos…presente! ¡Ahora…y siempre!" (“Thirty thousand disappeared..present! Now…and forever!”) Just as the plaza had become completely filled, a large parade of people and banners came through the center. They were all the friends and family of the desaparecidos and I was moved to tears as I saw the Madres de la Plaza del Mayo marching with their icongraphic head scarfs while supporting a banner dozens of meters long with pictures of the desaparecidos. It was really sad to imagine what the victims and the families went through here just three decades ago.
After meeting up with several other friends, we ended up going to the traditional Café Tortoni one more time (again, odd with the parallels to my first weeks here). Along the way, we were amazed by the thousands of people that were marching through the streets waving banners and flags for all their various causes. Many of the people were from unions or socialist parties or other interest groups and it was fascinating to witness such a wave of demonstrations from so many people. Even an hour or so later when we reemerged from the Café, the parade of people was still going strong.
I ate dinner at my friend Jessi’s house by invitation of Lucy, her 80-something year-old host mother. We ate several different types of empanadas, including indigenous ones made from corn and had a bit more spice to them. Jessi and I then headed to Persicco Café that night and I worked on my “5-10 page paper on Brazil during the last 10 years,” the main assignment for my Political class. It turns out after that first day (of 90 pages of articles) all our other readings didn’t match up with the syllabus and it was never really resolved - so we didn’t end up doing as much work as we should have. Nevertheless, I still have learned a lot, both inside and outside the classroom.
Wednesday
I had been a bit down about the progress of my Spanish lately, but today was a day of great conversations. Though I spent most of the day working on my paper, I ended having an impromptu conversation in the lobby with the doorman and another lady from my apartment building. We covered everything from politics to cultural differences and it was a great exchange between us, I was really happy with my ability to express myself. They were astonished to discover that there is poverty in the United States and were very interested, as a lot of Argentineans are, on our opinions of having a “presidente negro” ("black president"). Later that night at Persicco while finishing up my paper, we also had great conversations with several of the waiters, who are super nice and brought me another huge free ice cream. Again, it’s sad to be meeting so many people now that we are leaving.
Coli
Monday, April 27, 2009
Buenos Aires, Revisited
22:22 Sunday 22 March 2009
My House, Buenos Aires
Weekend recap!
Friday
We didn’t have class, so we had a big breakfast of the most rich and delectable pastries you’ve ever seen (all with dulce de leche, of course) at the ISA office to say goodbye to Coqui, our ISA tour guide. Some of us then left for Palermo, where we visited the Evita Perón Museum. She was the famous wife and vice-president of populist President Júan Peron during the 1950s. She is a very controversial figure, with some regarding her as an absolute saint and others viewing her in a less favorable light. The museum, a former shelter for her “descamisetas” or “shirt-less ones,” (so named because they were too poor to afford shirts) focused on her social work programs but grazed over the most personal or controversial aspects of her life. Though I wished the museum shed a bit more light on Evita, it definitely spurred my interest in finding out more about her life, especially why many opposed her. I still haven’t seen the movie Evita, so maybe I’ll start there (although I heard many Argentineans were upset with the film’s portrayal).
I had read about how Argentineans have a “cult of death,” that is, they celebrate and focus on death. If the elaborate tombs in Recoleta and the fact that most famous people are remembered on their day of death rather than day of birth is any indication, this is probably a decent conclusion. This was further demonstrated at the Museum. The first room was of her death mask and a film reel of her funeral procession (hundreds of thousands of people attended her funeral) and many of the other exhibits talked about her death and afterwards (including how her body was kidnapped by the military and hidden as María Maggi de Magistris in a cemetery in Italy for twenty years).
After the museum and a short nap in the nearby Botanical Garden, Kara and I went to the Microcentro to self-tour the National Legislature building. We also popped by the Buenos Aires Cultural Center and promenaded down Florida Ave, where I bought two Spanish books. I’ve already read several of the short stories from Horacio Quiroga and I can’t wait to start the famous gaucho poem Martin Fierro. I capped off my night at our second home, the Persicco café.
Saturday
Kara and I headed to La Boca Barrio in the early afternoon. We spent most of the time admiring the distinctly colorful buildings and enjoyed choripan (sausage sandwich, Argentine favorite) and milonesa (some sort of thin breaded beef like veal) with delicious chimichuri salsa (sauce) at one of the many cafes lining the streets. We also looked around for a bit at the fería (fair) and I bought a gorgeous painting of a couple dancing the tango, painted right on a collage of tango sheet music.
After we had our fill, we then decided to attend a Peace and Non-Violence Festival in a park because, who doesn’t love world peace? I’m actually so happy I went, it was a great experience. We just lay in the grass with the locals and listened to all the live music, which ranged from an awesome tango singer and dancers to an upbeat rock band. The grand finale was a large murga, although it was nothing like the murgas I saw in Uruguay - we shall dub the group "the ultimate marching band.” The group consisted of kids of all ages dancing these crazy moves that I would describe as mix of stereotypical Russian dancing (you know, where people bob up and down on their knees kicking out their legs), break dancing, salsa dancing, and powerful karate kicks. How they had the energy to do all that, I do not know. There was also a large percussion band and teens waving huge flags, and everyone had on really colorful band costumes that were each customized with sequined symbols (many pledging allegiance to their favorite fútbol team or cartoon character). Yay for peace. Our nighttime activity consisted of going to a late movie in Palermo with some other Multisas and my friend Amanda. We all settled into our comfy, semi-reclining (assigned, as usual) seats to watch “Simplemente no te quiere” or “He’s just not that into you.”
Sunday
I woke up early today to head to church, since my crazy traveling schedule had prevented it up to this point. I got off at the Facultad de Medicina (Faculty of Medicine) Subte stop, which I had never used previously, and admired the gorgeous architecture of the old university buildings on my walk to church. It was an incredible experience to attend Sunday School here, I was really quite proud of myself that I could read and discuss Bible verses and religious philosophy completely in Spanish. I also loved the sense of community, and I hope to start attending church earlier in my stay in Lima to have a chance to develop some relationships with locals.
After church, I went to meet up with some Multisas in San Telmo, another old barrio near the Microcentro. We meandered through the streets, trying food (choripan and pan relleno - baked bread stuffed with cheese, tomato, and basil) from street vendors and looking at the dozens of mats and tables with crafts and souvenirs. I don’t even know how far we walked down Defensa Ave, but we spent six hours there if that gives you a clue! On my way back home, I passed though the fería in Juramento near my house and laid in the grass while reading my Spanish novel and listening to a concert by a live singer and guitarist while the sun faded from the sky.
-----
It’s hard to comprehend that I have less than a week left in Buenos Aires before I’m off to Lima, Peru for two more months. The time here has flown by, just as I knew it would. I still can’t believe everything that I’ve done and experienced here during the past two months. I feel like I’ve been saying goodbye to the city this weekend as I went around and either visited new places that had been on my to-do list or re-visited some of my favorite haunts. In fact, I visited many of the areas, such as La Boca and San Telmo that I did on the city tour my second full day in Buenos Aires. To look back and see how much I’ve learned about the culture is amazing. For instance, passing the same balcony with seemingly random figures on a street in La Boca, I now recognize instantly as Eva Perón, Diego Maradonna (“best fútbol player to have ever existed,” although Brazil contests this title belongs to Pelé), and Carlos Gardel (the most famous tango singer, brought the music out from the slums and introduced it to larger society in the early 20th century). I look forward to the remainder of my time here in Argentina as I soak up as much culture as I can.
Coli
My House, Buenos Aires
Weekend recap!
Friday
We didn’t have class, so we had a big breakfast of the most rich and delectable pastries you’ve ever seen (all with dulce de leche, of course) at the ISA office to say goodbye to Coqui, our ISA tour guide. Some of us then left for Palermo, where we visited the Evita Perón Museum. She was the famous wife and vice-president of populist President Júan Peron during the 1950s. She is a very controversial figure, with some regarding her as an absolute saint and others viewing her in a less favorable light. The museum, a former shelter for her “descamisetas” or “shirt-less ones,” (so named because they were too poor to afford shirts) focused on her social work programs but grazed over the most personal or controversial aspects of her life. Though I wished the museum shed a bit more light on Evita, it definitely spurred my interest in finding out more about her life, especially why many opposed her. I still haven’t seen the movie Evita, so maybe I’ll start there (although I heard many Argentineans were upset with the film’s portrayal).
I had read about how Argentineans have a “cult of death,” that is, they celebrate and focus on death. If the elaborate tombs in Recoleta and the fact that most famous people are remembered on their day of death rather than day of birth is any indication, this is probably a decent conclusion. This was further demonstrated at the Museum. The first room was of her death mask and a film reel of her funeral procession (hundreds of thousands of people attended her funeral) and many of the other exhibits talked about her death and afterwards (including how her body was kidnapped by the military and hidden as María Maggi de Magistris in a cemetery in Italy for twenty years).
After the museum and a short nap in the nearby Botanical Garden, Kara and I went to the Microcentro to self-tour the National Legislature building. We also popped by the Buenos Aires Cultural Center and promenaded down Florida Ave, where I bought two Spanish books. I’ve already read several of the short stories from Horacio Quiroga and I can’t wait to start the famous gaucho poem Martin Fierro. I capped off my night at our second home, the Persicco café.
Saturday
Kara and I headed to La Boca Barrio in the early afternoon. We spent most of the time admiring the distinctly colorful buildings and enjoyed choripan (sausage sandwich, Argentine favorite) and milonesa (some sort of thin breaded beef like veal) with delicious chimichuri salsa (sauce) at one of the many cafes lining the streets. We also looked around for a bit at the fería (fair) and I bought a gorgeous painting of a couple dancing the tango, painted right on a collage of tango sheet music.
After we had our fill, we then decided to attend a Peace and Non-Violence Festival in a park because, who doesn’t love world peace? I’m actually so happy I went, it was a great experience. We just lay in the grass with the locals and listened to all the live music, which ranged from an awesome tango singer and dancers to an upbeat rock band. The grand finale was a large murga, although it was nothing like the murgas I saw in Uruguay - we shall dub the group "the ultimate marching band.” The group consisted of kids of all ages dancing these crazy moves that I would describe as mix of stereotypical Russian dancing (you know, where people bob up and down on their knees kicking out their legs), break dancing, salsa dancing, and powerful karate kicks. How they had the energy to do all that, I do not know. There was also a large percussion band and teens waving huge flags, and everyone had on really colorful band costumes that were each customized with sequined symbols (many pledging allegiance to their favorite fútbol team or cartoon character). Yay for peace. Our nighttime activity consisted of going to a late movie in Palermo with some other Multisas and my friend Amanda. We all settled into our comfy, semi-reclining (assigned, as usual) seats to watch “Simplemente no te quiere” or “He’s just not that into you.”
Sunday
I woke up early today to head to church, since my crazy traveling schedule had prevented it up to this point. I got off at the Facultad de Medicina (Faculty of Medicine) Subte stop, which I had never used previously, and admired the gorgeous architecture of the old university buildings on my walk to church. It was an incredible experience to attend Sunday School here, I was really quite proud of myself that I could read and discuss Bible verses and religious philosophy completely in Spanish. I also loved the sense of community, and I hope to start attending church earlier in my stay in Lima to have a chance to develop some relationships with locals.
After church, I went to meet up with some Multisas in San Telmo, another old barrio near the Microcentro. We meandered through the streets, trying food (choripan and pan relleno - baked bread stuffed with cheese, tomato, and basil) from street vendors and looking at the dozens of mats and tables with crafts and souvenirs. I don’t even know how far we walked down Defensa Ave, but we spent six hours there if that gives you a clue! On my way back home, I passed though the fería in Juramento near my house and laid in the grass while reading my Spanish novel and listening to a concert by a live singer and guitarist while the sun faded from the sky.
-----
It’s hard to comprehend that I have less than a week left in Buenos Aires before I’m off to Lima, Peru for two more months. The time here has flown by, just as I knew it would. I still can’t believe everything that I’ve done and experienced here during the past two months. I feel like I’ve been saying goodbye to the city this weekend as I went around and either visited new places that had been on my to-do list or re-visited some of my favorite haunts. In fact, I visited many of the areas, such as La Boca and San Telmo that I did on the city tour my second full day in Buenos Aires. To look back and see how much I’ve learned about the culture is amazing. For instance, passing the same balcony with seemingly random figures on a street in La Boca, I now recognize instantly as Eva Perón, Diego Maradonna (“best fútbol player to have ever existed,” although Brazil contests this title belongs to Pelé), and Carlos Gardel (the most famous tango singer, brought the music out from the slums and introduced it to larger society in the early 20th century). I look forward to the remainder of my time here in Argentina as I soak up as much culture as I can.
Coli
Thrill in Brazil
Sunday, March 15, 2009 19:03
Rio Uruguay bus to Buenos Aires
Kara and I woke up at what we thought was 7:30, but apparently Argentina had its daylight savings time change in the middle of the night so that it was an hour earlier. It turned out good for us, because we needed that extra hour for the crazy day that we had! We caught a bus from the train station to Foz de Iguaçu, the city in Brazil near the falls - you have to love paying three pesos to cross a border into another country.
First order of business was to search for a bank. Since it was Sunday, everything was closed - I don’t think I saw a single store open, not even the American fast food chains we saw. There was hardly a soul on the street either. We saw a nearby sign that pointed to a "Bianco" several hundred meters away, so we figured that might mean bank in Portuguese. After walking several blocks, we realized that we guessed wrongly and that it was actually some restaurant (that was closed). Luckily, we were able to find and converse with a local, who pointed us in the right direction. We were really fortunate that the two languages are related enough that if we spoke Spanish slowly and listened to their answer in Portuguese, everyone could get the gist of what was being said. The Portuguese that I heard was really interesting sounding, at times the intonation almost reminded me of a Dutch or Scandinavian language.
Anyway, it wasn't until our third ATM that our cards were accepted and we were able to successfully withdraw Brazilian reales but after that we were on the bus and on the way to the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu. Once inside the park, another bus took us to the main path, which, although crowded -making it hard to take pictures or commune with nature and whatnot - afforded some spectacular views. Since most of the falls are actually on the Argentine side, Brazil has all the great lookout spots. There were even more water falls than I had known existed! We continued to walk down the path, where we ended up at the Garganta del Diablo, this time with a stunning view head-on . We were misted by another large waterfall as we stood on the path that hung slightly over the edge of the waterfalls directly below us. Rainbows were abundant once again.
After we took a minute to say goodbye to the falls for the final time, Kara and I began what ended up being a long process to get back to Puerto Iguazú. We had some time before we needed to get back, so we used the last of our reales for a bus to Paraguay (completely in the opposite direction from Argentina). When we arrived at the border of Ciudad del Este, it was as if it was a whole different city than the day before. Paraguay must also observe the Sabbath day because it was a ghost town of the hustle and bustle from Saturday. To head back to Argentina, we sat on a curb near the bus stop and waited. And waited. After waiting an hour and a half for a bus that should have come every half hour, despite reassurance from the tourist police man (not Hernan, unfortunately) that the bus runs on Sundays, we were in slight panic mode to get back for our 5 o’clock bus back to Buenos Aires.
At last minute, we jumped back on the bus to Foz do Iguazu without a plan and without any guaranies or reales (we found out later that the bus we had needed does in fact run on Sundays but had broken down earlier). Since we had AR$80 between the two of us, and we weren’t sure if we could afford a taxi, it was our only option, even though we were charged a ridiculous amount for not having the proper currency. Our bus driver then dropped us off at a bus stop that should have taken us back to Argentina, but that bus wasn't coming either. In desperation to get back on time, we found a nearby taxi driver and he luckily agreed to take us back to Argentina even though we had way less than the usual fare. We got back to our hostel with just enough time to grab our bags and get to the bus station. So, 8 buses and 1 long taxi ride later, we had successfully seen the falls and were on the way back to Buenos Aires. Woo. That was definitely a memorable day.
Até daqui a pouco (Portuguese for "until later"), Coli
(AN: if you want bonus behind-the-scenes footage of my day in Brazil, email me nscholet@tampabay.rr.com and I'll send you a special edition!)
Rio Uruguay bus to Buenos Aires
Kara and I woke up at what we thought was 7:30, but apparently Argentina had its daylight savings time change in the middle of the night so that it was an hour earlier. It turned out good for us, because we needed that extra hour for the crazy day that we had! We caught a bus from the train station to Foz de Iguaçu, the city in Brazil near the falls - you have to love paying three pesos to cross a border into another country.
First order of business was to search for a bank. Since it was Sunday, everything was closed - I don’t think I saw a single store open, not even the American fast food chains we saw. There was hardly a soul on the street either. We saw a nearby sign that pointed to a "Bianco" several hundred meters away, so we figured that might mean bank in Portuguese. After walking several blocks, we realized that we guessed wrongly and that it was actually some restaurant (that was closed). Luckily, we were able to find and converse with a local, who pointed us in the right direction. We were really fortunate that the two languages are related enough that if we spoke Spanish slowly and listened to their answer in Portuguese, everyone could get the gist of what was being said. The Portuguese that I heard was really interesting sounding, at times the intonation almost reminded me of a Dutch or Scandinavian language.
Anyway, it wasn't until our third ATM that our cards were accepted and we were able to successfully withdraw Brazilian reales but after that we were on the bus and on the way to the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu. Once inside the park, another bus took us to the main path, which, although crowded -making it hard to take pictures or commune with nature and whatnot - afforded some spectacular views. Since most of the falls are actually on the Argentine side, Brazil has all the great lookout spots. There were even more water falls than I had known existed! We continued to walk down the path, where we ended up at the Garganta del Diablo, this time with a stunning view head-on . We were misted by another large waterfall as we stood on the path that hung slightly over the edge of the waterfalls directly below us. Rainbows were abundant once again.
After we took a minute to say goodbye to the falls for the final time, Kara and I began what ended up being a long process to get back to Puerto Iguazú. We had some time before we needed to get back, so we used the last of our reales for a bus to Paraguay (completely in the opposite direction from Argentina). When we arrived at the border of Ciudad del Este, it was as if it was a whole different city than the day before. Paraguay must also observe the Sabbath day because it was a ghost town of the hustle and bustle from Saturday. To head back to Argentina, we sat on a curb near the bus stop and waited. And waited. After waiting an hour and a half for a bus that should have come every half hour, despite reassurance from the tourist police man (not Hernan, unfortunately) that the bus runs on Sundays, we were in slight panic mode to get back for our 5 o’clock bus back to Buenos Aires.
At last minute, we jumped back on the bus to Foz do Iguazu without a plan and without any guaranies or reales (we found out later that the bus we had needed does in fact run on Sundays but had broken down earlier). Since we had AR$80 between the two of us, and we weren’t sure if we could afford a taxi, it was our only option, even though we were charged a ridiculous amount for not having the proper currency. Our bus driver then dropped us off at a bus stop that should have taken us back to Argentina, but that bus wasn't coming either. In desperation to get back on time, we found a nearby taxi driver and he luckily agreed to take us back to Argentina even though we had way less than the usual fare. We got back to our hostel with just enough time to grab our bags and get to the bus station. So, 8 buses and 1 long taxi ride later, we had successfully seen the falls and were on the way back to Buenos Aires. Woo. That was definitely a memorable day.
Até daqui a pouco (Portuguese for "until later"), Coli
(AN: if you want bonus behind-the-scenes footage of my day in Brazil, email me nscholet@tampabay.rr.com and I'll send you a special edition!)
Serendipity in a New City
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Hostel Sweet Hostel, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
Kara and I woke up around 7 am again to head to the bus station and catch a colectivo (bus) that made the hour's trip (for less than USD $1) to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. After accumulating a few more stamps in our passport, we were dropped off in the center of the city and my first impression was that it best reminded me of Tijuana, Mexico. Although it was only 7:30 AM there (for some reason, the time in Paraguay was two hours earlier than Argentina), the main street was bustling with hundreds of stands that lined every side of the streets and sidewalks. We walked around aimlessly soaking in all the overwhelming sights of people selling their wares which included unheard-of amounts of American brand sneakers, clothes, bootlegged CDs, fruit stands, etc. We then spoke to a "policia touristica" ("tourist policeman," since we didn't see a tourist center) who gave us a map and information about a city that we literally knew nothing about. We then spent a good while searching for a bank, but a guy with a huge bazooka-looking gun directed us inside a money exchange to convert our Argentine pesos to guaranies ($5000 guaranies = USD $1). After making our first purchase of the day (fresh herbs for tereré - mate that is served cold and is a popular drink in this region), I accidentally got us lost, marking the first of many random events that led us to have the amazing day that we did.
We ended up near a pretty park/lake that seemed worlds away from the part of the city we had previously occupied. We confirmed the two hour time difference with a old man sitting on a nearby park bench and then decided to ask him what we could visit nearby since we had so many hours left in Paraguay. With all us consulting the tourist map, we noticed a waterfall that seemed a little outside the city and asked him how we could get there. Although he explained to us how to take a bus to Salto Monday, we misunderstood where to wait, so he and his friends called us back. As they were re-explaining their directions, the bus that we needed started to pass two blocks down, so two of the gentlemen ran down the length of the street in order to flag the bus down and confirm that the bus driver would take care of us.
We enjoyed our drive through the city and neighboring towns until the bus driver told us to get off in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. We chatted with a Paraguayan couple as they walked with us along the cobblestone road and pointed us in the direction of our destination. The whole area was very quaint and quiet, and the colors of the countryside were so vibrant thanks to the fantastically green vegetation. We passed little children toddling around and playing together as their mothers washed laundry in the streams connecting to the river. We were finally greeted by a tranquil park that was in complete contrast to that of Iguazú falls. With hardly any other people or buildings, and certainly no metal pathways, we walked down a little path for a picnic of bread and fruit and close lookout of the top of Paraguay's largest waterfall. We then continued along the dirt path that paralleled the river until we followed an clearing in the trees that opened onto the water itself.
We were surprised that we were, in fact, standing on several flat rocks that sloped gently into the river, no more than 40 feet away from the waterfall's edge itself! We spent several hours laying on the rocks, enjoying nature while basking in the sun with our feet in the water. Once we woke up from a well-needed nap, we decided to explore closer to the edge to see over the falls and were shocked when we crossed through another opening - the rocks we were standing on were literally the edge of a 150 feet cascade of water. It was fascinating and so relaxing to sit there with our feet dangling over the edge in what felt like a pressurized water massage. We reluctantly left our peaceful santuary to make our way back to the main part of the city, thanks again to the help of a few people.
After a bit of shopping, our stomachs were demanding some typical Paraguayan food so we stopped to ask another tourist police where we could eat. It turned out it was the same guy from the morning, and Hernan then personally took us stall-to-stall in a collection of local food stands to find one that was open (everything was closing even though it was only 5 pm there). He proceeded to order us food, and sit with us as we ate - the kindness and helpfulness of people here blows me away.
Hernan was a great source of information and we learned a lot about Paraguay's culture during our absolutely delicious meal of noodles, meat with an indescribable sauce, and boiled yucca root. After our tummy-pleasing meal, which cost a total of USD $2 total for both our huge plates of food, we said goodbye to Hernan and wandered through the stalls to spend the last of our guaranies on exotic fruits and the like. Unsure where the bus back to Paraguay would pick us up, we sat near the street to watch for the bus. I guess Hernan noticed us from a distance, because he told us we were in the wrong spot and guided us to the stop about two minutes before the bus came. Kara and I contentedly rode back to Argentina after an amazing day in Paraguay full of serendipitous decisions and wonderful people.
On a side not, I was really proud that we spoke Spanish, even when we were by ourselves, the entire day. It was awesome knowing that we could communicate with the local people well enough to get around a city and country that we didn't know anything about. Speaking of the locals in Paraguay, we learned that a large majority of people speak Guaraní, the indigenous language. It made us feel better when we discovered the reason we couldn't understand a word that the men that helped us in the morning said amongst themselves.
At night back in Puerto Iguazú, most of us went to a huge club! When everyone else started showing up at 3 am, they opened all five rooms that each played different music. My favorite was an underground salsa club that looked like it was literally the a movie setting with it's vaulted brick ceilings and smooth-moving patrons. Cultural quip: We've grown so accustomed to guys grabbing our wrists to dance here that when a big beefy guy wouldn't let go of my friend as we walked into a new section, I grabbed their hands to pull them apart until he painfully grabbed onto my wrist to try and prevent me walking away. We realized a minute later that he was actually a bouncer and was trying stop us since we didn't have VIP bands. Oops. Kind of a funny demonstration on cultural miscommunication, you could say. At any rate, we called it quits at 5 am to catch a wink before our next big day in Brazil!
Coli
Hostel Sweet Hostel, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
Kara and I woke up around 7 am again to head to the bus station and catch a colectivo (bus) that made the hour's trip (for less than USD $1) to Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. After accumulating a few more stamps in our passport, we were dropped off in the center of the city and my first impression was that it best reminded me of Tijuana, Mexico. Although it was only 7:30 AM there (for some reason, the time in Paraguay was two hours earlier than Argentina), the main street was bustling with hundreds of stands that lined every side of the streets and sidewalks. We walked around aimlessly soaking in all the overwhelming sights of people selling their wares which included unheard-of amounts of American brand sneakers, clothes, bootlegged CDs, fruit stands, etc. We then spoke to a "policia touristica" ("tourist policeman," since we didn't see a tourist center) who gave us a map and information about a city that we literally knew nothing about. We then spent a good while searching for a bank, but a guy with a huge bazooka-looking gun directed us inside a money exchange to convert our Argentine pesos to guaranies ($5000 guaranies = USD $1). After making our first purchase of the day (fresh herbs for tereré - mate that is served cold and is a popular drink in this region), I accidentally got us lost, marking the first of many random events that led us to have the amazing day that we did.
We ended up near a pretty park/lake that seemed worlds away from the part of the city we had previously occupied. We confirmed the two hour time difference with a old man sitting on a nearby park bench and then decided to ask him what we could visit nearby since we had so many hours left in Paraguay. With all us consulting the tourist map, we noticed a waterfall that seemed a little outside the city and asked him how we could get there. Although he explained to us how to take a bus to Salto Monday, we misunderstood where to wait, so he and his friends called us back. As they were re-explaining their directions, the bus that we needed started to pass two blocks down, so two of the gentlemen ran down the length of the street in order to flag the bus down and confirm that the bus driver would take care of us.
We enjoyed our drive through the city and neighboring towns until the bus driver told us to get off in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. We chatted with a Paraguayan couple as they walked with us along the cobblestone road and pointed us in the direction of our destination. The whole area was very quaint and quiet, and the colors of the countryside were so vibrant thanks to the fantastically green vegetation. We passed little children toddling around and playing together as their mothers washed laundry in the streams connecting to the river. We were finally greeted by a tranquil park that was in complete contrast to that of Iguazú falls. With hardly any other people or buildings, and certainly no metal pathways, we walked down a little path for a picnic of bread and fruit and close lookout of the top of Paraguay's largest waterfall. We then continued along the dirt path that paralleled the river until we followed an clearing in the trees that opened onto the water itself.
We were surprised that we were, in fact, standing on several flat rocks that sloped gently into the river, no more than 40 feet away from the waterfall's edge itself! We spent several hours laying on the rocks, enjoying nature while basking in the sun with our feet in the water. Once we woke up from a well-needed nap, we decided to explore closer to the edge to see over the falls and were shocked when we crossed through another opening - the rocks we were standing on were literally the edge of a 150 feet cascade of water. It was fascinating and so relaxing to sit there with our feet dangling over the edge in what felt like a pressurized water massage. We reluctantly left our peaceful santuary to make our way back to the main part of the city, thanks again to the help of a few people.
After a bit of shopping, our stomachs were demanding some typical Paraguayan food so we stopped to ask another tourist police where we could eat. It turned out it was the same guy from the morning, and Hernan then personally took us stall-to-stall in a collection of local food stands to find one that was open (everything was closing even though it was only 5 pm there). He proceeded to order us food, and sit with us as we ate - the kindness and helpfulness of people here blows me away.
Hernan was a great source of information and we learned a lot about Paraguay's culture during our absolutely delicious meal of noodles, meat with an indescribable sauce, and boiled yucca root. After our tummy-pleasing meal, which cost a total of USD $2 total for both our huge plates of food, we said goodbye to Hernan and wandered through the stalls to spend the last of our guaranies on exotic fruits and the like. Unsure where the bus back to Paraguay would pick us up, we sat near the street to watch for the bus. I guess Hernan noticed us from a distance, because he told us we were in the wrong spot and guided us to the stop about two minutes before the bus came. Kara and I contentedly rode back to Argentina after an amazing day in Paraguay full of serendipitous decisions and wonderful people.
On a side not, I was really proud that we spoke Spanish, even when we were by ourselves, the entire day. It was awesome knowing that we could communicate with the local people well enough to get around a city and country that we didn't know anything about. Speaking of the locals in Paraguay, we learned that a large majority of people speak Guaraní, the indigenous language. It made us feel better when we discovered the reason we couldn't understand a word that the men that helped us in the morning said amongst themselves.
At night back in Puerto Iguazú, most of us went to a huge club! When everyone else started showing up at 3 am, they opened all five rooms that each played different music. My favorite was an underground salsa club that looked like it was literally the a movie setting with it's vaulted brick ceilings and smooth-moving patrons. Cultural quip: We've grown so accustomed to guys grabbing our wrists to dance here that when a big beefy guy wouldn't let go of my friend as we walked into a new section, I grabbed their hands to pull them apart until he painfully grabbed onto my wrist to try and prevent me walking away. We realized a minute later that he was actually a bouncer and was trying stop us since we didn't have VIP bands. Oops. Kind of a funny demonstration on cultural miscommunication, you could say. At any rate, we called it quits at 5 am to catch a wink before our next big day in Brazil!
Coli
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Woo Hoo, Iguazú!
21:41 Friday March 13, 2009
Hostel Sweet Hostel, Puerto Iguazú
Iguazú falls, finally! Kara and I got up around 7 to get a head start so we could fit in as much as possible and after a delicious breakfast at the hostel, we headed to the bus station to grab the local bus to the Iguazú National Park.
We experienced a little bit of viveza criolla (the Argentine way of getting ahead by cunning or cutting corners in a dubious manner) getting into the park, after which we headed straight to the train to the Garganta del Diablo, or “Devil’s throat,” for our first view of the cataratas (waterfalls). We were absolutely ecstatic the whole time we walked along the metal pathways raised right above the water. When we got to the end of the path, we were directly at the edge of the one of the world’s most impressive waterfalls – and do I mean right at the edge; the water plunged directly below our feet 82 meters (269 ft) to the bottom. It was really surprising that the current at the top of the falls was so tranquil and flowed very slowly, it seems impossible that it could make such a large and violent cascade once it reached the edge. We were mesmerized just standing there and observing the flow; the different patterns as the water fell, the destructive convergence of water as it splashed out from the rock, the mist that rose from the very base of the falls due to the impact of the thousands of tons of water falling per minute.
Though we didn’t want to leave such a breath-taking sight, we knew there were many other gorgeous views to be seen, so we were off to the other two main paths. Hoping to meet up with the rest of our group, we took the Paseo Inferior, which led us down more metal pathways to the very bottom of some of the 275 individual falls (saltos) in the park. Along the way, we saw inspiring views and enjoyed stopping and just appreciating the fact that we were in the presence of such an incredible place.
When we finally reached the bottom of our humid descent, we took a ferry over to San Martin Island, which is located right in between the Garganta del Diablo section of the falls and the other main section made up of individual falls. Once we got off the boat, we plunged our overheated bodies into the water and had the best swim of our lives about 100 meters away from the falls. We just lay in the water with the most amazing bathing view. I still can’t believe that we were allowed to swim so close, it was definitely a highlight for me. The rocks underneath us in the water we awesome, and I felt like we were panning for gold as we picked out unique stones for the rock collection that Kara and I started at the Glacier Moreno. Most of the rocks were geodes, so that if you broke it apart, it revealed colorful greens and purples.
As I floated in the cool, clear water that moments ago was plunging over the precipice of the falls, I could look to my left back at the island that belonged in a classic adventure book with its lush tropical jungle at the top of cliffs that were stained with yellows, reds, oranges, whites, blacks, and browns and lead down to the rocky shore specked with large dark boulders. If I turned my head around behind me, I could see more steep cliffs with vibrant green plants above the river that continued to move lazily after its unexpected and rough journey over the falls. To the right were more cliffs and the paths that we had taken to get down to the bottom.
And to top off one of the most amazing 360 views ever, the piece de résistance was directly in front of me: the falls that stretched the whole expanse of my peripheral vision, complete with bright green plants that somehow managed to cling to the cliff sides despite the resistance from the water. Orange butterflies danced above the water and plants while large birds circled the bright blue and white-clouded sky that was frequented by rainbows.
Lindsey and Henry then joined us on the beach and we had a picnic lunch strewn across the burning hot rocks. We continued splashing around in the water a little bit more when the rest of the group joined us and then some of us hiked up stone paths to the top of the island. We were so close to the falls that we were misted by the water spray. Another path took us to “Sendero Ventana” (Window Path), and we got an awesome view of the Garganta del Diablo though a natural “window” of rock. After circling back around to see a view of Garganta del Diablo from the bottom, we joined the rest of the group for the last ferry off the island.
We then made our way through the Paseo Superior, which gave us great views from the top of the falls. We were constantly evading the park officials that were trying to get us to leave, but we eventually made it through all the paths and lookout points from the top. At one point as I was looking out at the falls, I looked back to the path and saw my friend Amanda from USA/Buenos Aires barreling toward me! I didn’t even realize that she was going to Iguazú this weekend and here we were, so far away from any place that we knew each other. Small world!
Other memories: lots of rainbows, palm trees, colorful butterflies, large gila monster, lizards (one with a green head in the process of changing colors), and garani (jungle animals similar to raccoons in that they came after people with food).
It was so beautiful we didn’t want to leave and such an incredible sight that there aren’t enough adjectives to describe everything we saw without being constantly repetitive. We had a wonderful day and everything was so perfect. Right now we are hanging out here at the hostel, but we are off to find some food and possible a reggae bar. I’m ecstatic to head to Paraguay in the morning with Kara!
Until then, Coli
Hostel Sweet Hostel, Puerto Iguazú
Iguazú falls, finally! Kara and I got up around 7 to get a head start so we could fit in as much as possible and after a delicious breakfast at the hostel, we headed to the bus station to grab the local bus to the Iguazú National Park.
We experienced a little bit of viveza criolla (the Argentine way of getting ahead by cunning or cutting corners in a dubious manner) getting into the park, after which we headed straight to the train to the Garganta del Diablo, or “Devil’s throat,” for our first view of the cataratas (waterfalls). We were absolutely ecstatic the whole time we walked along the metal pathways raised right above the water. When we got to the end of the path, we were directly at the edge of the one of the world’s most impressive waterfalls – and do I mean right at the edge; the water plunged directly below our feet 82 meters (269 ft) to the bottom. It was really surprising that the current at the top of the falls was so tranquil and flowed very slowly, it seems impossible that it could make such a large and violent cascade once it reached the edge. We were mesmerized just standing there and observing the flow; the different patterns as the water fell, the destructive convergence of water as it splashed out from the rock, the mist that rose from the very base of the falls due to the impact of the thousands of tons of water falling per minute.
Though we didn’t want to leave such a breath-taking sight, we knew there were many other gorgeous views to be seen, so we were off to the other two main paths. Hoping to meet up with the rest of our group, we took the Paseo Inferior, which led us down more metal pathways to the very bottom of some of the 275 individual falls (saltos) in the park. Along the way, we saw inspiring views and enjoyed stopping and just appreciating the fact that we were in the presence of such an incredible place.
When we finally reached the bottom of our humid descent, we took a ferry over to San Martin Island, which is located right in between the Garganta del Diablo section of the falls and the other main section made up of individual falls. Once we got off the boat, we plunged our overheated bodies into the water and had the best swim of our lives about 100 meters away from the falls. We just lay in the water with the most amazing bathing view. I still can’t believe that we were allowed to swim so close, it was definitely a highlight for me. The rocks underneath us in the water we awesome, and I felt like we were panning for gold as we picked out unique stones for the rock collection that Kara and I started at the Glacier Moreno. Most of the rocks were geodes, so that if you broke it apart, it revealed colorful greens and purples.
As I floated in the cool, clear water that moments ago was plunging over the precipice of the falls, I could look to my left back at the island that belonged in a classic adventure book with its lush tropical jungle at the top of cliffs that were stained with yellows, reds, oranges, whites, blacks, and browns and lead down to the rocky shore specked with large dark boulders. If I turned my head around behind me, I could see more steep cliffs with vibrant green plants above the river that continued to move lazily after its unexpected and rough journey over the falls. To the right were more cliffs and the paths that we had taken to get down to the bottom.
And to top off one of the most amazing 360 views ever, the piece de résistance was directly in front of me: the falls that stretched the whole expanse of my peripheral vision, complete with bright green plants that somehow managed to cling to the cliff sides despite the resistance from the water. Orange butterflies danced above the water and plants while large birds circled the bright blue and white-clouded sky that was frequented by rainbows.
Lindsey and Henry then joined us on the beach and we had a picnic lunch strewn across the burning hot rocks. We continued splashing around in the water a little bit more when the rest of the group joined us and then some of us hiked up stone paths to the top of the island. We were so close to the falls that we were misted by the water spray. Another path took us to “Sendero Ventana” (Window Path), and we got an awesome view of the Garganta del Diablo though a natural “window” of rock. After circling back around to see a view of Garganta del Diablo from the bottom, we joined the rest of the group for the last ferry off the island.
We then made our way through the Paseo Superior, which gave us great views from the top of the falls. We were constantly evading the park officials that were trying to get us to leave, but we eventually made it through all the paths and lookout points from the top. At one point as I was looking out at the falls, I looked back to the path and saw my friend Amanda from USA/Buenos Aires barreling toward me! I didn’t even realize that she was going to Iguazú this weekend and here we were, so far away from any place that we knew each other. Small world!
Other memories: lots of rainbows, palm trees, colorful butterflies, large gila monster, lizards (one with a green head in the process of changing colors), and garani (jungle animals similar to raccoons in that they came after people with food).
It was so beautiful we didn’t want to leave and such an incredible sight that there aren’t enough adjectives to describe everything we saw without being constantly repetitive. We had a wonderful day and everything was so perfect. Right now we are hanging out here at the hostel, but we are off to find some food and possible a reggae bar. I’m ecstatic to head to Paraguay in the morning with Kara!
Until then, Coli
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Zipline through the Tree Line
2: 49 Friday, March 13, 2009
Bunk beds in our room in Hostel Sweet Hostel, Puerto Iguazú
We are currently in Puerto Iguazú, right near the famous Iguazú Falls! I didn’t think I was going to make it here since it wasn’t included as an ISA excursion, but the Multisas decided to come here on our own and I’m so excited! We survived the 16.5 hour Rio Uruguay bus ride, which was actually rather enjoyable. There were only five other people on the top floor of the double-decker bus so it felt like a big slumber party again. The plush and comfy “semi-cama” or “semi-bed” seats extended far back and included a reclining board for our feet, not to mention pillows and blanket! It was awesome sitting in the ejecutivo (executive) class; they just kept bringing us everything imaginable - candies, soda, meal tray (with spinach tarta, tostadas, roll, cheese, ham, and pastry), hot milanesa-like chicken parmesan with egg or potato topping, after-dinner pastry, even champagne for those who wanted it!
We passed the time watching music videos and a couple of movies, including one about a plane crash (maybe they were sending not-so-subtle messages that we should continue to ride buses). The window provided an amazing view of a beautiful sunset and, later, a full moon that was bright enough to light up the whole landscape. I could make out shapes of barns and the infrequent tree, though most of what we passed appeared to be flat grazing land. I then slept soundly, briefly waking up for breakfast at 6:30.
It was already very hot and humid when we arrived in the early afternoon to Puerto Iguazú, making me feel at home. We arrived at Hostel Sweet Hostel, which is very cool: the common areas are outside, including a pool, pool table, and kitchen. It’s very tropical with lime green walls and wooden beams everywhere. After throwing our stuff in the room all ten of us are sharing, we headed off for our jungle adventure! Accompanied by a guide, we hiked through the jungle, learning about Guaraní (local indigenous tribe) animal traps and medicinal herbs along the way (We even ate stinging nettle!). We then rock-climbed up to the jungle canopy and zip-lined through the tree tops that overlooked the river. After climbing up a swaying wooden tree ladder and zip lining back through the picturesque landscape, we rappelled down the rock face and hopped into a boat to take us down the river. Our little cruise took us to where two major rivers converge, with Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil all standing in their respective corners. It was awesome to be so close to the shorelines of all three countries at once, and I’m praying (though chances are slim) to visit Paraguay and Brazil while I’m here.
The rest of our night consisted of grocery shopping, a big homemade dinner (so lucky to have great cooks in our group!), swimming, ice cream, and getting ready for tomorrow all day at the falls!
Iguazú, here I come!
Coli
Bunk beds in our room in Hostel Sweet Hostel, Puerto Iguazú
We are currently in Puerto Iguazú, right near the famous Iguazú Falls! I didn’t think I was going to make it here since it wasn’t included as an ISA excursion, but the Multisas decided to come here on our own and I’m so excited! We survived the 16.5 hour Rio Uruguay bus ride, which was actually rather enjoyable. There were only five other people on the top floor of the double-decker bus so it felt like a big slumber party again. The plush and comfy “semi-cama” or “semi-bed” seats extended far back and included a reclining board for our feet, not to mention pillows and blanket! It was awesome sitting in the ejecutivo (executive) class; they just kept bringing us everything imaginable - candies, soda, meal tray (with spinach tarta, tostadas, roll, cheese, ham, and pastry), hot milanesa-like chicken parmesan with egg or potato topping, after-dinner pastry, even champagne for those who wanted it!
We passed the time watching music videos and a couple of movies, including one about a plane crash (maybe they were sending not-so-subtle messages that we should continue to ride buses). The window provided an amazing view of a beautiful sunset and, later, a full moon that was bright enough to light up the whole landscape. I could make out shapes of barns and the infrequent tree, though most of what we passed appeared to be flat grazing land. I then slept soundly, briefly waking up for breakfast at 6:30.
It was already very hot and humid when we arrived in the early afternoon to Puerto Iguazú, making me feel at home. We arrived at Hostel Sweet Hostel, which is very cool: the common areas are outside, including a pool, pool table, and kitchen. It’s very tropical with lime green walls and wooden beams everywhere. After throwing our stuff in the room all ten of us are sharing, we headed off for our jungle adventure! Accompanied by a guide, we hiked through the jungle, learning about Guaraní (local indigenous tribe) animal traps and medicinal herbs along the way (We even ate stinging nettle!). We then rock-climbed up to the jungle canopy and zip-lined through the tree tops that overlooked the river. After climbing up a swaying wooden tree ladder and zip lining back through the picturesque landscape, we rappelled down the rock face and hopped into a boat to take us down the river. Our little cruise took us to where two major rivers converge, with Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil all standing in their respective corners. It was awesome to be so close to the shorelines of all three countries at once, and I’m praying (though chances are slim) to visit Paraguay and Brazil while I’m here.
The rest of our night consisted of grocery shopping, a big homemade dinner (so lucky to have great cooks in our group!), swimming, ice cream, and getting ready for tomorrow all day at the falls!
Iguazú, here I come!
Coli
Monday, April 13, 2009
Why, Yes, I Do Attend Class
23:43 Monday March 9, 2009
My House in Buenos Aires
Well, I was very excited to start my new class today, Sistemas Politicos Latinoamericanos Comparativos (Comparative Latin American Political Systems), which is taught completely in Spanish. I took a similar class in English in the United States last semester, so I’m really interested in seeing how the perspective differs down here from what I learned already. The class itself is made up of seven of my fellow Multisas and is also at the University of Belgrano. We will be attending class Monday through Thursday from 13:00 until 17:00 for the next three weeks, so it’s a really intensely taught course. We met one of our three professors (kind of confusing, I guess they each teach on different days despite the brevity of the class) and he started right off the bat going over a brief course overview for the whole day.
Today was the first day of classes for everyone (summer vacation just ended here) so there were a lot of porteños at the school and many little kids in school uniforms on the streets today. I can already tell the difference between summer and school time because the streets are noticeably more crowded with cars and people. While I was looking forward to the class, I was not quite expecting the workload- after class we had to go to the copy center to purchase the readings to complete for tomorrow and discovered it was 90 pages of reading. If you can imagine an extremely dry, wordy, Political Science Journal article…then in a completely different language…due tomorrow…well, that’s my homework. So, after class Corey and I sat in the park by my house to picnic and make a dent in the readings. Before classes, however, ten of us purchased our tickets for Iguazú Falls this weekend (and had another picnic lunch, of course). Woo hoo! I’m so ecstatic for that! Well, back to the readings as my bedtime story.
AN: Sorry if I put too many random details in my blog - since I don’t have time to also keep a journal, I slip in some memories for myself. By the way, I love getting comments and messages from you all, please keep them coming. Anything you want to hear more about? Suggestions? I’m all ears! I’m really working on being up to date with my entries, but with all the stuff I’ve been doing, can you really blame me? Don’t worry, I’ll keep them coming slowly but surely.
Besos, Coli
My House in Buenos Aires
Well, I was very excited to start my new class today, Sistemas Politicos Latinoamericanos Comparativos (Comparative Latin American Political Systems), which is taught completely in Spanish. I took a similar class in English in the United States last semester, so I’m really interested in seeing how the perspective differs down here from what I learned already. The class itself is made up of seven of my fellow Multisas and is also at the University of Belgrano. We will be attending class Monday through Thursday from 13:00 until 17:00 for the next three weeks, so it’s a really intensely taught course. We met one of our three professors (kind of confusing, I guess they each teach on different days despite the brevity of the class) and he started right off the bat going over a brief course overview for the whole day.
Today was the first day of classes for everyone (summer vacation just ended here) so there were a lot of porteños at the school and many little kids in school uniforms on the streets today. I can already tell the difference between summer and school time because the streets are noticeably more crowded with cars and people. While I was looking forward to the class, I was not quite expecting the workload- after class we had to go to the copy center to purchase the readings to complete for tomorrow and discovered it was 90 pages of reading. If you can imagine an extremely dry, wordy, Political Science Journal article…then in a completely different language…due tomorrow…well, that’s my homework. So, after class Corey and I sat in the park by my house to picnic and make a dent in the readings. Before classes, however, ten of us purchased our tickets for Iguazú Falls this weekend (and had another picnic lunch, of course). Woo hoo! I’m so ecstatic for that! Well, back to the readings as my bedtime story.
AN: Sorry if I put too many random details in my blog - since I don’t have time to also keep a journal, I slip in some memories for myself. By the way, I love getting comments and messages from you all, please keep them coming. Anything you want to hear more about? Suggestions? I’m all ears! I’m really working on being up to date with my entries, but with all the stuff I’ve been doing, can you really blame me? Don’t worry, I’ll keep them coming slowly but surely.
Besos, Coli
¡Gooolll! ¡Es la Bandera de River Plate!
2:47 AM Sunday March 3, 2009
My house
Yesterday, I had a pizza picnic lunch with Liz in the park close to my house before heading to a nearby feria. I ended up buying a wallet made of real Argentine leather to replace the one that was stolen, so at least I have a good souvenir. The rest of the day was spent at our favorite café, Persicco. The waiters know us by this point and I’ve even started to memorize the café soundtrack (you know it’s bad when…).
Today was a very memorable experience as we headed to the River Plate stadium for a game of fútbol (soccer to all you Americans). Besides La Boca Juniors, River Plate is the biggest and most popular team in Argentina, and one of the most well known in South America, so the fans are even more rabid than those at regular fútbol matches.
As we approached the River Plate stadium, security was out in full force, and we went through several rounds of very through body checks. Once we walked past the SWAT team-equivalent force posted against the wall, we stepped out into the stadium and felt that instant pre-game excitement. I couldn’t believe I was really going to see such a major team play fútbol! We got to our section (general admission) quite early and unknowingly took seats in what was soon to become the craziest section in the stadium.
Institutionalized rowdiness. That is the best way I can describe the experience. Apparently, everyone knows these crazy rituals and fully accepted the orders of their fellow CARP (Club Atlético de River Plate) supporters to move this way or hold that banner. Before we knew it, our once-peaceful section was filled with hundreds of men draping dozens of long banner sheets across the whole upper stand, as they constantly pushed us further to the side. Then, they forced us to move up several rows to make a large clearing for the unofficial (maybe official?) band to parade past us, flying their batons inches from my face before beating back down deafeningly on their stretched animal skins.
Sometimes it was easy to forget a fútbol match was going on with all the craziness in the stands. Anywhere a banner could be hung, it was. Dozens of men stood straddling the railing, with only their balance to prevent them from plunging dozens of meters below to the lower sections. The percussion band played without stop the entire game, and everyone sang along to the songs they would play. They really were quite catchy, I’ve still been singing them all day (“Vamos, Vamos, Vamos River Plate” and “Es La Bandera de River Plate” are my favorites). Everyone (men made up the majority of spectators) stood the entire game, jumping up and down and either clapping their hands or waving their arms to the drum beats. Everyone was clad in red, black, and white, and those who weren’t wearing their jerseys were waving them in the air and sporting their River Plate tattoos on their backs or arms. It often got really crazy and people would start pushing, giving off a mosh-pit vibe.
We ended up winning 3-1. The team was awesome to watch, they definitely knew what they were doing. It would be an understatement to say they have really loyal and passionate fans- when the other team scored first on a penalty kick, instead of becoming dispirited, the band played and the fans screamed with twice as much force as before. Though it got pretty crazy at times, I sang along and jumped with the best of them. For AR$30 (US$8.5), I have been converted into a gallina (Argentine slang for aficionado, or fútbol fan; literally translates to chicken).
¡Vamos, Vamos, Vamos River Plate! (Let's Go River Plate!)
Coli
(AN: along with the Carnaval songs, we have the River Plate songs so engrained in our minds that we still constantly sing them among ourselves)
My house
Yesterday, I had a pizza picnic lunch with Liz in the park close to my house before heading to a nearby feria. I ended up buying a wallet made of real Argentine leather to replace the one that was stolen, so at least I have a good souvenir. The rest of the day was spent at our favorite café, Persicco. The waiters know us by this point and I’ve even started to memorize the café soundtrack (you know it’s bad when…).
Today was a very memorable experience as we headed to the River Plate stadium for a game of fútbol (soccer to all you Americans). Besides La Boca Juniors, River Plate is the biggest and most popular team in Argentina, and one of the most well known in South America, so the fans are even more rabid than those at regular fútbol matches.
As we approached the River Plate stadium, security was out in full force, and we went through several rounds of very through body checks. Once we walked past the SWAT team-equivalent force posted against the wall, we stepped out into the stadium and felt that instant pre-game excitement. I couldn’t believe I was really going to see such a major team play fútbol! We got to our section (general admission) quite early and unknowingly took seats in what was soon to become the craziest section in the stadium.
Institutionalized rowdiness. That is the best way I can describe the experience. Apparently, everyone knows these crazy rituals and fully accepted the orders of their fellow CARP (Club Atlético de River Plate) supporters to move this way or hold that banner. Before we knew it, our once-peaceful section was filled with hundreds of men draping dozens of long banner sheets across the whole upper stand, as they constantly pushed us further to the side. Then, they forced us to move up several rows to make a large clearing for the unofficial (maybe official?) band to parade past us, flying their batons inches from my face before beating back down deafeningly on their stretched animal skins.
Sometimes it was easy to forget a fútbol match was going on with all the craziness in the stands. Anywhere a banner could be hung, it was. Dozens of men stood straddling the railing, with only their balance to prevent them from plunging dozens of meters below to the lower sections. The percussion band played without stop the entire game, and everyone sang along to the songs they would play. They really were quite catchy, I’ve still been singing them all day (“Vamos, Vamos, Vamos River Plate” and “Es La Bandera de River Plate” are my favorites). Everyone (men made up the majority of spectators) stood the entire game, jumping up and down and either clapping their hands or waving their arms to the drum beats. Everyone was clad in red, black, and white, and those who weren’t wearing their jerseys were waving them in the air and sporting their River Plate tattoos on their backs or arms. It often got really crazy and people would start pushing, giving off a mosh-pit vibe.
We ended up winning 3-1. The team was awesome to watch, they definitely knew what they were doing. It would be an understatement to say they have really loyal and passionate fans- when the other team scored first on a penalty kick, instead of becoming dispirited, the band played and the fans screamed with twice as much force as before. Though it got pretty crazy at times, I sang along and jumped with the best of them. For AR$30 (US$8.5), I have been converted into a gallina (Argentine slang for aficionado, or fútbol fan; literally translates to chicken).
¡Vamos, Vamos, Vamos River Plate! (Let's Go River Plate!)
Coli
(AN: along with the Carnaval songs, we have the River Plate songs so engrained in our minds that we still constantly sing them among ourselves)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
To the End of the World and Back
Friday 6-03-09 14:56
Ushuaia Airport
I’m back in Ushuaia! Yesterday consisted of much cooking/eating at the hostel and walking around shopping or relaxing. We also tried Calafate berry ice cream, which was delicious. Definitely needs to be introduced to Ben and Jerry’s or someone. At night, we went out to the indoor lounge of Librobar (the restaurant that we went to the first night) and it had a very chill atmosphere with really awesome music. We then checked out a boliche but in the end decided to head home. We really are a close group – last night it was literal as ten of us slept on two beds together.
Today has consisted of many planes. On the first flight here, I sat next to a guy from Israel who lived in Tampa for 3 months and had been to Thailand and all these places I had been to as well, so we had a great conversation the whole time. Talk about small world. Our next flight is to Comodoro Riviera.
Random observation about El Calafate/El Chaltén: Many buildings, especially hostels, had a strange affinity with playing reggae music. Maybe it was an attempt to trick tourists into picturing the warm Caribbean and forget about the freezing cold outside.
Later (much, much later), back in BA…
Well, it was certainly an interesting process getting home. We were unexpectedly forced off the plane once we landed in Comordoro Riviera. After a confusing set of rumors, we discovered that our flight was cancelled because of a storm in the Mar de Plata. We sat in the airport for hours so I grabbed a sandwich since we had only eaten alfahores all day. I have to say, olive oil and vinegar is a condiment combo that is really growing on me.
Since we were riding LADE, we were told our next flight wasn’t going to be until Monday morning. I don’t know how, but Coqui (our ISA travel guide) finally worked it out for us to take a flight to Bariloche, a western city known for its natural beauty (too bad we couldn’t have spent some time there during the day). From there, we caught our fourth and final flight to Buenos Aires, arriving at four in the morning, a good 17 hours after we left El Calafate. For a map of our crazy travel route, see exhibit A.
Home again, home again, jigidy jig.
Coli
A Hike To Remember
5-03-09 11:03
El Calafate Hostel, El Calafate
Well, time to write down some memories about an amazing day before I fall asleep from exhaustion. Picking up from my last entry, the bus dropped us off right at our hostel when we arrived to El Chaltén. The town was actually founded in 1985 to beat Chile to a land claim and, with a population of 600, it lacks many basic services, including ATMs. The night consisted of wandering around trying to find dinner (unsuccessfully, due to the late hour) and going to sleep around 1. We woke up at 6:30 to get an early start, and after scrounging around for breakfast, we headed toward the Laguna de los Tres Lagos (Lagoon of the Three Lakes) trail.
I’ll try to use the best of my descriptive ability here: we headed west from the town, following a trail that was often rutted wide enough for only one person to pass through at a time. It was amazing how the terrain and views changed so drastically every few meters. I was breathing a little hard from the steep ascent through the forest but the trail leveled out as we emerged into a huge clearing that sloped down to a large river valley surrounded by jagged mountains. I wanted to take a nap in the inclined field until I realized that what appeared to be grass were actually large thorny shrubs. We kept catching glimpses of our destination glacier as we wound through ñire forests with pale, twisted trees, hopped through boggy paths, crossed precarious bridges made out of a log or two, and trekked through more river valleys, We even passed terrains that resembled the beach and the Serengeti plains. I also saw the most spectacular double rainbow of my life - the main one shone so strongly that I could actually see both ends of the rainbow as they descended into the water of the lake and framed the mountain behind it perfectly.
Most of the path was quite enjoyable, and after about 3 hours we arrived at the sign marking the beginning of the steep ascent up the mountain. It warned that it was only meant for experienced climbers with hiking boots and metal poles, but, of course, we weren’t going to turn back. After refilling our water from a stream, we were off. All the water was potable (and cold and delicious) because everything was so pristine – no trash cans, no bathrooms, no hotels, nothing. Everyone also made it a point to not leave anything behind, down to every last spilt corn flake.
After an hour or so spent clambering up rocks, we finally reached the summit and took in the incredible view. Looking behind me to see how far we had hiked and beyond me to see another rainbow over the Laguna Sucia lapping at a large glacier, I felt like I had really accomplished something. Unfortunately, it was very misty and overcast so, although we could see several mountains in the distance, the famous Cerro Fitz Roy (mountain of 3405 m) was merely a silhouette. We decided to hike down the mountainside to the blue glacier lake itself (ironic that the name mean dirty lagoon) and touch the water, although the temperature didn’t feel too much different from the air. I pocketed a couple of the striking red pebbles from the water to join my informal South American rock collection. We then traipsed around the lake to get an even more gorgeous view of another glacier across a very low valley in the distance. From the ledge that was above thousands of meters of nothing, we could even peer to the right and catch a glimpse of the waterfall rushing down the cliff side (very scary viewpoint by the way, especially with the infamous Patagonian wind wiping about). To get an idea of the temperature, I was wearing a shirt, three jackets, and my large colorful scarf wrapped around my head so that only my eyes peaked out, earning me the nickname of ‘little Turkish woman.’
Right as we were deciding to begin our descent (I think my whole body was purple-red from the cold), it started to whip hail and sleet on us - definitely a sign that it was time to go. As we precariously made our way down the mountain, the hail turned into a light rain, which stayed with us for pretty much the rest of the journey. Once we made it down most of the mountain, we sought shelter in the one wooden structure we saw on the whole trail and had a short lunch before continuing our descent. In total, we walked 8.5 hours, and our legs were definitely sore from all the uneven terrain and steep climbs by the time we all collapsed around a table in the hostel’s heavenly warmth. Needless to say, we all slept soundly on the bus back to El Calafate despite being damp from the rain. We arrived at nighttime and Kara and I both groggily awoke to exclaim that we must be in a large city. Quite ironic considering when we first arrived to El Calafate, we couldn’t get over how small it was, especially compared to BA. However, staying in El Chaltén for 24 hours was enough to make this tourist town seem like a suburb of the Capital Federal (another name for the city of BA).
As we hobbled off the bus and headed down the wooded path back to the hostel, I glanced up to the sky and saw the bright half moon framed by a tall silhouette of trees, and I had another ‘life is unbelievable’ moment. After being frustrated with the costly excursions, I had the most amazing 24 hours for only 150 pesos, less than 50 dollars. I am definitely happy that I decided to make that spontaneous decision.
Other random hike details:
There was hardly any wildlife - only a few caterpillars in the forest and a bird or two. We tried making puma sounds so that they would come out and join us, but it was to no avail. However, a fellow hiker did point out a condor up on a cliff out towards the end of our hike.
We kept up morale by signing random songs at the top of our lungs and even playing a rap freestyle game, although I was more focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Apparently I lack coordination here because I had many spectacular falls. The highlights included an attempted race that resulted in me sprawled in the dirt, slipping into a muddy steam while hopping from bank to bank, falling on a sharp rock while coming down the mountain, and getting a face-full of thorny plant in an attempt to stop running and pick up my fallen camera.
Back in El Calafate…
The rest of my night consisted of reuniting with the rest of our group (it’s funny how we miss each other when we are apart - we really all spend so much time together and are such a family), eating some leftover home-cooked food, and heading to a restaurant next door where I tried choripan sandwich, a type of argentine sausage, with this really tasty spicy sauce called chimichuri. We then came back to the hostel and pushed the beds together to watch movies. It was so fantastic to be warm and snuggly after so many hours of being cold.
I ended up falling asleep during a movie around 3:30 but left the hostel at 5 am to pile into a rented car with Lindsay, Henry, and Liz to make the 1.5 hour drive back to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. We sped through pitch blackness on a mission to capture the sunrise over the Perito Moreno Glacier, when the ice is supposed to turn pink. Sadly, it was overcast as we huddled together at the scenic overlook under blankets stolen from the hostel, so the sun decided not to emerge from behind the mist (despite all the songs we sang containing the word sun or sunshine). It was cold enough that all the surrounding mountains had snowy peaks not present the other day, creating another beautiful landscape. We also saw a bit more ice calving. And although we were unable to see the sunrise over the glacier, it did decide to make a special guest appearance as we drove back to El Calafate and we caught some spectacular views over the lakes and mountains as we sped along the empty road.
Whew! That’s all for now,
Coli
El Calafate Hostel, El Calafate
Well, time to write down some memories about an amazing day before I fall asleep from exhaustion. Picking up from my last entry, the bus dropped us off right at our hostel when we arrived to El Chaltén. The town was actually founded in 1985 to beat Chile to a land claim and, with a population of 600, it lacks many basic services, including ATMs. The night consisted of wandering around trying to find dinner (unsuccessfully, due to the late hour) and going to sleep around 1. We woke up at 6:30 to get an early start, and after scrounging around for breakfast, we headed toward the Laguna de los Tres Lagos (Lagoon of the Three Lakes) trail.
I’ll try to use the best of my descriptive ability here: we headed west from the town, following a trail that was often rutted wide enough for only one person to pass through at a time. It was amazing how the terrain and views changed so drastically every few meters. I was breathing a little hard from the steep ascent through the forest but the trail leveled out as we emerged into a huge clearing that sloped down to a large river valley surrounded by jagged mountains. I wanted to take a nap in the inclined field until I realized that what appeared to be grass were actually large thorny shrubs. We kept catching glimpses of our destination glacier as we wound through ñire forests with pale, twisted trees, hopped through boggy paths, crossed precarious bridges made out of a log or two, and trekked through more river valleys, We even passed terrains that resembled the beach and the Serengeti plains. I also saw the most spectacular double rainbow of my life - the main one shone so strongly that I could actually see both ends of the rainbow as they descended into the water of the lake and framed the mountain behind it perfectly.
Most of the path was quite enjoyable, and after about 3 hours we arrived at the sign marking the beginning of the steep ascent up the mountain. It warned that it was only meant for experienced climbers with hiking boots and metal poles, but, of course, we weren’t going to turn back. After refilling our water from a stream, we were off. All the water was potable (and cold and delicious) because everything was so pristine – no trash cans, no bathrooms, no hotels, nothing. Everyone also made it a point to not leave anything behind, down to every last spilt corn flake.
After an hour or so spent clambering up rocks, we finally reached the summit and took in the incredible view. Looking behind me to see how far we had hiked and beyond me to see another rainbow over the Laguna Sucia lapping at a large glacier, I felt like I had really accomplished something. Unfortunately, it was very misty and overcast so, although we could see several mountains in the distance, the famous Cerro Fitz Roy (mountain of 3405 m) was merely a silhouette. We decided to hike down the mountainside to the blue glacier lake itself (ironic that the name mean dirty lagoon) and touch the water, although the temperature didn’t feel too much different from the air. I pocketed a couple of the striking red pebbles from the water to join my informal South American rock collection. We then traipsed around the lake to get an even more gorgeous view of another glacier across a very low valley in the distance. From the ledge that was above thousands of meters of nothing, we could even peer to the right and catch a glimpse of the waterfall rushing down the cliff side (very scary viewpoint by the way, especially with the infamous Patagonian wind wiping about). To get an idea of the temperature, I was wearing a shirt, three jackets, and my large colorful scarf wrapped around my head so that only my eyes peaked out, earning me the nickname of ‘little Turkish woman.’
Right as we were deciding to begin our descent (I think my whole body was purple-red from the cold), it started to whip hail and sleet on us - definitely a sign that it was time to go. As we precariously made our way down the mountain, the hail turned into a light rain, which stayed with us for pretty much the rest of the journey. Once we made it down most of the mountain, we sought shelter in the one wooden structure we saw on the whole trail and had a short lunch before continuing our descent. In total, we walked 8.5 hours, and our legs were definitely sore from all the uneven terrain and steep climbs by the time we all collapsed around a table in the hostel’s heavenly warmth. Needless to say, we all slept soundly on the bus back to El Calafate despite being damp from the rain. We arrived at nighttime and Kara and I both groggily awoke to exclaim that we must be in a large city. Quite ironic considering when we first arrived to El Calafate, we couldn’t get over how small it was, especially compared to BA. However, staying in El Chaltén for 24 hours was enough to make this tourist town seem like a suburb of the Capital Federal (another name for the city of BA).
As we hobbled off the bus and headed down the wooded path back to the hostel, I glanced up to the sky and saw the bright half moon framed by a tall silhouette of trees, and I had another ‘life is unbelievable’ moment. After being frustrated with the costly excursions, I had the most amazing 24 hours for only 150 pesos, less than 50 dollars. I am definitely happy that I decided to make that spontaneous decision.
Other random hike details:
There was hardly any wildlife - only a few caterpillars in the forest and a bird or two. We tried making puma sounds so that they would come out and join us, but it was to no avail. However, a fellow hiker did point out a condor up on a cliff out towards the end of our hike.
We kept up morale by signing random songs at the top of our lungs and even playing a rap freestyle game, although I was more focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Apparently I lack coordination here because I had many spectacular falls. The highlights included an attempted race that resulted in me sprawled in the dirt, slipping into a muddy steam while hopping from bank to bank, falling on a sharp rock while coming down the mountain, and getting a face-full of thorny plant in an attempt to stop running and pick up my fallen camera.
Back in El Calafate…
The rest of my night consisted of reuniting with the rest of our group (it’s funny how we miss each other when we are apart - we really all spend so much time together and are such a family), eating some leftover home-cooked food, and heading to a restaurant next door where I tried choripan sandwich, a type of argentine sausage, with this really tasty spicy sauce called chimichuri. We then came back to the hostel and pushed the beds together to watch movies. It was so fantastic to be warm and snuggly after so many hours of being cold.
I ended up falling asleep during a movie around 3:30 but left the hostel at 5 am to pile into a rented car with Lindsay, Henry, and Liz to make the 1.5 hour drive back to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. We sped through pitch blackness on a mission to capture the sunrise over the Perito Moreno Glacier, when the ice is supposed to turn pink. Sadly, it was overcast as we huddled together at the scenic overlook under blankets stolen from the hostel, so the sun decided not to emerge from behind the mist (despite all the songs we sang containing the word sun or sunshine). It was cold enough that all the surrounding mountains had snowy peaks not present the other day, creating another beautiful landscape. We also saw a bit more ice calving. And although we were unable to see the sunrise over the glacier, it did decide to make a special guest appearance as we drove back to El Calafate and we caught some spectacular views over the lakes and mountains as we sped along the empty road.
Whew! That’s all for now,
Coli
Monday, April 6, 2009
Landscape or Escape? (with Paco the Guanaco!)
3-03-09 20:14
Bus en route to El Chaltén
We awoke bright and early to take a tour bus for the hour and a half trip from El Calafate to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, appropriately named for the 356 glaciers within the park´s boundaries. After a few scenic stops, we finally had the chance to get up close and personal (yet far enough away to avoid possible ice chunks falling on us) with the Glaciar Perito Moreno on a boat tour. To add perspective of how large this glacier is: its landmass is great than that of Buenos Aires (more than 5 kilometers in length and 70 meters in height, according to Wikipedia). We then had 3 hours of free time in the park so I hiked down a path with Henry and Lindsey to the lowest viewpoint, where we witnessed pieces of ice, probably as large as houses, calving as we sat and ate a picnic. I even caught a few ice falls on video! It was such a gorgeous sight, neither my words nor pictures could do it justice. I was content to stay there for several hours and observe nature in action. We then happily climbed back on the bus to return to El Calafate and decide what we wanted to do for the remainder of our free days.
Although we were a bit disheartened with the exorbitant costs of all the excursions, we discovered the cheapest option by far - transportation to the tiny town of El Chaltén, “backpacking capital of Patagonia.” Seven of us made a spur-of-the-moment decision to catch a bus within the hour to in order to hike there the following morning. We then scurried around booking our hostel for that night, paying for our bus tickets, and passing by the grocery store. We almost missed the 6:30 bus, but we are accounted for now and enjoying the most incredible views of the countryside.
I wish I could show you exactly what I see from the window now as I sit on the bus. It’s just sunset, no people, buildings, or trees in sight. From the road stretched out before us, there is a wide, flat expanse covered with shrub that colors the land sage green. The large lake beyond that is liquid mercury tinted with deep purples, blues, and melted creamsicle reflected from the sky. The sun itself is hidden behind the various clouds – an upper-layer of wispy sheets and others that appear as solid objects, heavy and immovable as the mountains in the distance. With the soundtrack of a soulful Argentine singer in my ear, the setting is complete and I can’t stop marveling at the landscape.
Our bus stopped partway through its journey at the estancia Hotel Leona, where we had the chance to use the clean restrooms and look out at the neighboring river that was moving at a surprisingly swift pace. The hotel is in the absolute middle of nowhere, without a single trace of humans in any direction, but it has its claim of fame as the hideout of Buth Cassidy and the Sundance kid in 1905. We even made friends with Paco the Guanaco (animal sort of like a llama but smaller), although our friendship waned after he started biting and chewing on my hair.
Until El Chaltén!
Coli
Bus en route to El Chaltén
We awoke bright and early to take a tour bus for the hour and a half trip from El Calafate to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, appropriately named for the 356 glaciers within the park´s boundaries. After a few scenic stops, we finally had the chance to get up close and personal (yet far enough away to avoid possible ice chunks falling on us) with the Glaciar Perito Moreno on a boat tour. To add perspective of how large this glacier is: its landmass is great than that of Buenos Aires (more than 5 kilometers in length and 70 meters in height, according to Wikipedia). We then had 3 hours of free time in the park so I hiked down a path with Henry and Lindsey to the lowest viewpoint, where we witnessed pieces of ice, probably as large as houses, calving as we sat and ate a picnic. I even caught a few ice falls on video! It was such a gorgeous sight, neither my words nor pictures could do it justice. I was content to stay there for several hours and observe nature in action. We then happily climbed back on the bus to return to El Calafate and decide what we wanted to do for the remainder of our free days.
Although we were a bit disheartened with the exorbitant costs of all the excursions, we discovered the cheapest option by far - transportation to the tiny town of El Chaltén, “backpacking capital of Patagonia.” Seven of us made a spur-of-the-moment decision to catch a bus within the hour to in order to hike there the following morning. We then scurried around booking our hostel for that night, paying for our bus tickets, and passing by the grocery store. We almost missed the 6:30 bus, but we are accounted for now and enjoying the most incredible views of the countryside.
I wish I could show you exactly what I see from the window now as I sit on the bus. It’s just sunset, no people, buildings, or trees in sight. From the road stretched out before us, there is a wide, flat expanse covered with shrub that colors the land sage green. The large lake beyond that is liquid mercury tinted with deep purples, blues, and melted creamsicle reflected from the sky. The sun itself is hidden behind the various clouds – an upper-layer of wispy sheets and others that appear as solid objects, heavy and immovable as the mountains in the distance. With the soundtrack of a soulful Argentine singer in my ear, the setting is complete and I can’t stop marveling at the landscape.
Our bus stopped partway through its journey at the estancia Hotel Leona, where we had the chance to use the clean restrooms and look out at the neighboring river that was moving at a surprisingly swift pace. The hotel is in the absolute middle of nowhere, without a single trace of humans in any direction, but it has its claim of fame as the hideout of Buth Cassidy and the Sundance kid in 1905. We even made friends with Paco the Guanaco (animal sort of like a llama but smaller), although our friendship waned after he started biting and chewing on my hair.
Until El Chaltén!
Coli
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