13:20 22/2 /09
Che Largarto Hostel, Montevideo, Uruguay
Well, I meant to sleep on the bus to Montevideo but was unsuccessful - partly because I talked with my friend Ashley as we sat in the front seat - with an unobstructed view through the huge dashboard - and partly because we were too frightened to sleep as we observed the bus driver’s maneuvering habits from said view. A couple times we gasped out loud as we came within inches of cars on the highway, basically running them off the road; the cars would literally pull off to the side to avoid an untimely death. I mean, I wanted to get to the capital of Uruguay as soon as possible, but it wasn’t necessary to play bumper cars in order to make the schedule.
Although Amanda and I had a hostel booked this time, we had no idea where to go once again. After asking around, we found a bus stop near the station and it was as easy as jumping on the first bus that happened to pass by (with the assistance of several Uruguayans; they are so helpful here). We are staying directly on the main Plaza Independencia at the Che Lagarto Hostel for $9 USD a night. Although we accidently booked a different hostel than the rest of the group, it ended up being a great mistake. Our hostel is huge, with a gorgeous historic structure yet a very colorful and modern decor. Clean bathrooms too! Amanda and I shared a room with a guy from Israel and one from BA - apparently you have to leave the country to make friends with porteños. When we first arrived, the party was in full swing with a large group dancing and having a jam session in the common room. I really like the hostel atmosphere, everyone is really friendly and welcoming.
We eventually headed out to meet up with the rest of our group, but when we couldn’t find them, we ended up walking through the old town of Montevideo (conveniently right off Plaza Independencia) looking for a dinner spot. We were miffed to find out a lot of places were already closed at 2 am on a Saturday night, so we continued to wander, eventually coming across a pizza place that we deemed satisfactory. Amazingly enough, I heard my name being called while walking in and looked up to discover our entire group sitting at a big table. Amanda and I split a pizza de atún (tuna) without cheese, and while everyone said it looked gross, we enjoyed our filling meal for $1 USD each.
Our group then migrated back to the old town since the first cross street contained a lot of boliches and pubs. We were drawn to a boliche with reggaton (Woo hoo! Something besides electronic music!) and to top off perfection, there was no cover charge – I seriously love Uruguay! Although I didn’t think I listened to that much reggaton, I was surprised to discover that I knew just about every song. They then started playing carnival music and it was great fun dancing to the upbeat rhythms of the drums.
We left around 4:30 because we were going crazy with heat and headed a couple blocks down to the water, where we sat on the edge of the holding wall and looked out at the spectacular view of the dark sky contrasting with the choppy waves that crashed against the rocks below us. As we sat enjoying the cold temperature, we played a couple games of Castellano telephone (where you whisper a sentence down a line of people to see how much the sentence changes by the end) and we are either really creative, or really bad at listening in Castellano.
We headed back to our hostels around five to get a few winks of sleep, but sadly haven’t been able to go out yet today since it’s been raining. Amanda and I passed the time hanging out with some porteños and practicing our Castellano, but hopefully we will head out soon.
Chau! Coli
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I´d Like to Own Ya, Colonia
21-2-09 19:24
Hostel en Colonia
After checking out this morning, Amanda and I left our bags at the hostel (so grateful they let you do that down here) and headed out to grab breakfast in the old part of town. We settled into a cute and colorful café with brick walls and lots of old windows looking out onto the plaza as we each feasted on four thick sandwiches smothered in cheese and other goodness (usually sandwiches here are tiny, thin, and crustless). During our gigantic meal, we were serenaded by the voice of Frank Sinatra, so, really, it couldn’t get any better than that. Well, besides the fact that they overcharged us with the exchange rate when we paid in Argentine pesos (they accept them everywhere in Colonia because the town is so dependent on porteño tourists – FYI, the Uruguayan peso is about 22.5 pesos to $1 USD).
Amanda and I then headed to a little beach to lie out and relax since we hadn’t slept much the night before. Although it was really cloudy out, we somehow got pretty burned (the sun down here is so crazy, at this rate I’m going to have to buy a darker shade of makeup foundation to balance spending so many hours outside every day)
After we rested up a bit, we decided to head back to the bus station to buy tickets to Montevideo to make sure they didn’t run out. On our way, we paused at the old wall that surrounded the original part of Colonia and were taking pictures of the original canons and the ocean when Amanda said, “Look at that group of people, they are so obviously American, that one guy is even wearing a neon ‘Party with [insert fraternity name here].” So, of course, I turn around and realize that I in fact knew the group evidently made up of Americans because they were all my friends on the ISA excursion to Colonia. After a quick reunion, the twelve of us that were going to continue on the Montevideo later that night headed to the bus station to discover they had exactly twelve tickets left (again, everything about Colonia was perfect).
We then headed back to the old town and Amanda and I toured to collection of small museums they had there. My favorites were a reproduction of a Portuguese home from the 18c and the old map collections they had in the Portuguese Museum. I still am amazed at how these ancient explorers could have such accurate maps as early as the 1500´s...they didn´t even have Google Maps to help them out. The superlative for most random museum goes to the Municipal Museum. After walking through a taxidermy room with tons of birds that looked ready to peck at my face and creepy looking bugs, we headed to a fossil room with large skeletons and shells of dinosaurs (Many dinosaur bones have been discovered recently in the River Plata area – that is, Argentina and Uruguay – recently), followed by old period-furniture from the 18c, followed by religious reliquaries…you get the idea. I also went up the old lighthouse and had a windy view of the city.
After grabbing my first chicken burger at a small stand with my last seven pesos (my poor empty wallet), we stopped by the hostel here to pick up our bags and now we are off to the bus station. Although I absolutely adored Colonia, I’m excited to head to Montevideo!
¡Hasta llego a la capital! (Until I arrive at the capital!)
Coli
Hostel en Colonia
After checking out this morning, Amanda and I left our bags at the hostel (so grateful they let you do that down here) and headed out to grab breakfast in the old part of town. We settled into a cute and colorful café with brick walls and lots of old windows looking out onto the plaza as we each feasted on four thick sandwiches smothered in cheese and other goodness (usually sandwiches here are tiny, thin, and crustless). During our gigantic meal, we were serenaded by the voice of Frank Sinatra, so, really, it couldn’t get any better than that. Well, besides the fact that they overcharged us with the exchange rate when we paid in Argentine pesos (they accept them everywhere in Colonia because the town is so dependent on porteño tourists – FYI, the Uruguayan peso is about 22.5 pesos to $1 USD).
Amanda and I then headed to a little beach to lie out and relax since we hadn’t slept much the night before. Although it was really cloudy out, we somehow got pretty burned (the sun down here is so crazy, at this rate I’m going to have to buy a darker shade of makeup foundation to balance spending so many hours outside every day)
After we rested up a bit, we decided to head back to the bus station to buy tickets to Montevideo to make sure they didn’t run out. On our way, we paused at the old wall that surrounded the original part of Colonia and were taking pictures of the original canons and the ocean when Amanda said, “Look at that group of people, they are so obviously American, that one guy is even wearing a neon ‘Party with [insert fraternity name here].” So, of course, I turn around and realize that I in fact knew the group evidently made up of Americans because they were all my friends on the ISA excursion to Colonia. After a quick reunion, the twelve of us that were going to continue on the Montevideo later that night headed to the bus station to discover they had exactly twelve tickets left (again, everything about Colonia was perfect).
We then headed back to the old town and Amanda and I toured to collection of small museums they had there. My favorites were a reproduction of a Portuguese home from the 18c and the old map collections they had in the Portuguese Museum. I still am amazed at how these ancient explorers could have such accurate maps as early as the 1500´s...they didn´t even have Google Maps to help them out. The superlative for most random museum goes to the Municipal Museum. After walking through a taxidermy room with tons of birds that looked ready to peck at my face and creepy looking bugs, we headed to a fossil room with large skeletons and shells of dinosaurs (Many dinosaur bones have been discovered recently in the River Plata area – that is, Argentina and Uruguay – recently), followed by old period-furniture from the 18c, followed by religious reliquaries…you get the idea. I also went up the old lighthouse and had a windy view of the city.
After grabbing my first chicken burger at a small stand with my last seven pesos (my poor empty wallet), we stopped by the hostel here to pick up our bags and now we are off to the bus station. Although I absolutely adored Colonia, I’m excited to head to Montevideo!
¡Hasta llego a la capital! (Until I arrive at the capital!)
Coli
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Hot Days, Colonia Nights
21-2-09 10:02
Hostel El Español en Colonia, Uruguay
Last night was probably one of the best nights of my life. Every moment about it was just perfect and Colonia is an absolutely gorgeous, quaint little town. It was also a great excuse to leave the heat of Buenos Aires, which reached over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Farhenheit) yesterday. I didn´t realize the temperature would be so much cooler in Uruguay, so we will see how my resfusal to bring any warm clothes plays out (AN: bad idea, it got so chilly!). When Amanda and I first got off the boat, we were excited to start a crazy adventure figuring out where to stay. However, the first thing we saw was a sign for the Hostelling International (HI) affiliate in Colonia (the chain has hostels all over the world, easy on the budget yet high on quality) declaring that the hostel was 600 meters (yes, they use metric here) away. So, we just followed the breadcrumb signs to the hostel, thinking that it was way too easy. Well, it turned out there was no vacancy, so we did manage to have a mini-adventure finding another hostel, El Español, a few blocks away. It gives off the feel of a very authentic Argentine home, and, for $8 a night, we shared a sparse but clean room to ourselves.
We then took to walking around Colonia and exclaiming how cute or amazing everything was. The town was so quiet, with very few people out, and we just felt extremely happy and excited walking through the cobblestone streets flanked by sycamore trees and old-fashioned street lamps. We also prattled on about the vintage cars from the 1930s and 1940s that we saw everywhere. Uruguay experienced an economic boom during this period and imported a lot of American and European cars, but when the economy declined during the subsequent decades, they couldn’t afford to import new cars and had to make do with repairing the Model T’s they already had. As a result, antique car dealers are going crazy at present and buying up these vintage cars. I hope they all don’t disappear, because they add great character to the town.
We managed to catch the sunset on the pier, all the while just appreciating the moment and feeling completely at peace with the world. It just felt great to be living. Once the sun had gone down, we headed to an outdoor café for a delicious dinner and had an ‘It’s a small world moment’ when we ran into a woman that Amanda had met in her hostel in BA at the restaurant…after seeing her at the HI hostel as well.
As we sat at our umbrella-covered table looking out over the main cobble-stoned road, we continued to marvel at the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. There wasn’t a single traffic light, but all cars stopped for pedestrians, a world of a difference from BA. Once we had eaten out fill of our huge chivitos (Uruguayan sandwich of thin flank steak) with egg, cheese, bacon, etc, we hit the streets. As we approached one restaurant, our ears were treated to the sounds of a murga, so we popped in for a bit to enjoy this unique aspect of the Uruguayan carnival. Murgas are music theatre groups that perform original songs during Carnival, generally consisting of a small percussion band containing a bombo (bass drum), redoblante (snare drum), and platillos (cymbals), as well as about fifteen singers (usually male) who wear really fun, colorful costumes and face paint. It’s a great, energetic atmosphere.
Amanda and I then continued to wander, and we weaved our way through the center of the old town as we made our way to the water’s edge. After enjoying the sight of the moon and the dark waves crashing against the breaking wall, we let our ears lead us again to a live band playing outside a cafe and we joined the locals sitting on the nearby grass. When the band finished playing, we followed the crowd as it migrated to the cafe next door and discovered...KARAOKE! Of course, we couldn’t turn down spontaneously singing in front of a group that certainly did not include any Americans. So what other song would we sing but ‘Living La Vida Loca’ by Ricky Martin? This was in part due to the fact that we were, in fact, living la vida loca and also that there were very few songs that both Amanda and I knew well enough to sing. Although I joked with the crowd about us singing such a cliché song, they were very encouraging and cheered us on the whole time. It was very memorable and gave us quite the adrenaline rush.
After we made our grand exit off the stage, we resumed our habit of walking and headed to the club to which our hostel had given us free tickets. However, it was only one am when we arrived, so the club wasn’t even open. Colonia had a habit of “ask and ye shall receive.” When in need of both something to drink and something to do, we looked across the street and found both a kiosco and a park with a playground and carnival rides. We whittled away the time playing on monkey bars and sitting with some locals as we watched the end of King Kong on a little TV on the kiosco counter.
Finally, the club tr3s cu4rto opened and we headed to the outside lounge in to get a good spot to watch the murga that was performing there that night. They began their performance around 3 am, parading in with costumes that were even more elaborate than the first group we saw. The music was a blast to listen to, like a very upbeat music theater, and it was overall an incredible and unique experience. The premise of the performance was of a man who was down on his luck, but aided by “Suerte” (“Luck,” a man complete with a cape and S on the chest), he was able to turn it around for him and his son. Although all the songs are original, sometimes the murga would take popular songs and make their own lyrics to fit the song, many which were very catchy. They even played the Barney song at one point!
When the murga finished, we headed back to the club area and were ecstatic to discover a club that played reggaton and other non-techno music, and was populated not only by people our age, but also by guys that did not act like those in BA (ie, aggressive and touchy-feely, see previous post)! So although we were very tired, we swayed our hips to the music for a bit before retiring to our hostel around 5. And now after a few hours sleep, we are off for another beautiful day in Colonia! Can’t wait to see what’s in store!
Coli
Hostel El Español en Colonia, Uruguay
Last night was probably one of the best nights of my life. Every moment about it was just perfect and Colonia is an absolutely gorgeous, quaint little town. It was also a great excuse to leave the heat of Buenos Aires, which reached over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Farhenheit) yesterday. I didn´t realize the temperature would be so much cooler in Uruguay, so we will see how my resfusal to bring any warm clothes plays out (AN: bad idea, it got so chilly!). When Amanda and I first got off the boat, we were excited to start a crazy adventure figuring out where to stay. However, the first thing we saw was a sign for the Hostelling International (HI) affiliate in Colonia (the chain has hostels all over the world, easy on the budget yet high on quality) declaring that the hostel was 600 meters (yes, they use metric here) away. So, we just followed the breadcrumb signs to the hostel, thinking that it was way too easy. Well, it turned out there was no vacancy, so we did manage to have a mini-adventure finding another hostel, El Español, a few blocks away. It gives off the feel of a very authentic Argentine home, and, for $8 a night, we shared a sparse but clean room to ourselves.
We then took to walking around Colonia and exclaiming how cute or amazing everything was. The town was so quiet, with very few people out, and we just felt extremely happy and excited walking through the cobblestone streets flanked by sycamore trees and old-fashioned street lamps. We also prattled on about the vintage cars from the 1930s and 1940s that we saw everywhere. Uruguay experienced an economic boom during this period and imported a lot of American and European cars, but when the economy declined during the subsequent decades, they couldn’t afford to import new cars and had to make do with repairing the Model T’s they already had. As a result, antique car dealers are going crazy at present and buying up these vintage cars. I hope they all don’t disappear, because they add great character to the town.
We managed to catch the sunset on the pier, all the while just appreciating the moment and feeling completely at peace with the world. It just felt great to be living. Once the sun had gone down, we headed to an outdoor café for a delicious dinner and had an ‘It’s a small world moment’ when we ran into a woman that Amanda had met in her hostel in BA at the restaurant…after seeing her at the HI hostel as well.
As we sat at our umbrella-covered table looking out over the main cobble-stoned road, we continued to marvel at the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. There wasn’t a single traffic light, but all cars stopped for pedestrians, a world of a difference from BA. Once we had eaten out fill of our huge chivitos (Uruguayan sandwich of thin flank steak) with egg, cheese, bacon, etc, we hit the streets. As we approached one restaurant, our ears were treated to the sounds of a murga, so we popped in for a bit to enjoy this unique aspect of the Uruguayan carnival. Murgas are music theatre groups that perform original songs during Carnival, generally consisting of a small percussion band containing a bombo (bass drum), redoblante (snare drum), and platillos (cymbals), as well as about fifteen singers (usually male) who wear really fun, colorful costumes and face paint. It’s a great, energetic atmosphere.
Amanda and I then continued to wander, and we weaved our way through the center of the old town as we made our way to the water’s edge. After enjoying the sight of the moon and the dark waves crashing against the breaking wall, we let our ears lead us again to a live band playing outside a cafe and we joined the locals sitting on the nearby grass. When the band finished playing, we followed the crowd as it migrated to the cafe next door and discovered...KARAOKE! Of course, we couldn’t turn down spontaneously singing in front of a group that certainly did not include any Americans. So what other song would we sing but ‘Living La Vida Loca’ by Ricky Martin? This was in part due to the fact that we were, in fact, living la vida loca and also that there were very few songs that both Amanda and I knew well enough to sing. Although I joked with the crowd about us singing such a cliché song, they were very encouraging and cheered us on the whole time. It was very memorable and gave us quite the adrenaline rush.
After we made our grand exit off the stage, we resumed our habit of walking and headed to the club to which our hostel had given us free tickets. However, it was only one am when we arrived, so the club wasn’t even open. Colonia had a habit of “ask and ye shall receive.” When in need of both something to drink and something to do, we looked across the street and found both a kiosco and a park with a playground and carnival rides. We whittled away the time playing on monkey bars and sitting with some locals as we watched the end of King Kong on a little TV on the kiosco counter.
Finally, the club tr3s cu4rto opened and we headed to the outside lounge in to get a good spot to watch the murga that was performing there that night. They began their performance around 3 am, parading in with costumes that were even more elaborate than the first group we saw. The music was a blast to listen to, like a very upbeat music theater, and it was overall an incredible and unique experience. The premise of the performance was of a man who was down on his luck, but aided by “Suerte” (“Luck,” a man complete with a cape and S on the chest), he was able to turn it around for him and his son. Although all the songs are original, sometimes the murga would take popular songs and make their own lyrics to fit the song, many which were very catchy. They even played the Barney song at one point!
When the murga finished, we headed back to the club area and were ecstatic to discover a club that played reggaton and other non-techno music, and was populated not only by people our age, but also by guys that did not act like those in BA (ie, aggressive and touchy-feely, see previous post)! So although we were very tired, we swayed our hips to the music for a bit before retiring to our hostel around 5. And now after a few hours sleep, we are off for another beautiful day in Colonia! Can’t wait to see what’s in store!
Coli
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Luna de Miel
20-2-09 18:15
Buquebus!
Right now I’m with Amanda on the Buquebus boat to Uruguay to begin what we refer to as our Luna de Miel (honeymoon). It’s so crazy that we are heading to another country! I’m loving this huge boat, it’s almost like being on a plane, except it’s very spacious, has a snack bar, and the seats are super comfortable (although the bathrooms are about the same as an airplane's). After making it through customs in 3 minutes, we got on the boat about thirty seconds before it departed and now we’re off to our destination!
In about an hour we will be landing in Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest city in Uruguay. We have no idea where we are staying or what we are doing but it will be a spontaneous adventure. We are considering renting a cabana on the beach that we read about somewhere, but currently the only info we have on it is the address: “near the beach, Uruguay.” Thank you, helpful internet sites and tour books.
And I can’t wait to head to Montevideo to participate in the huge Carnival they have on Monday (the biggest day of the celebration, what perfect timing!) Well, I’m going to snooze since I doubt I’ll sleep much this weekend! (AN: this was a correct assumption)
Besos!
Coli
Buquebus!
Right now I’m with Amanda on the Buquebus boat to Uruguay to begin what we refer to as our Luna de Miel (honeymoon). It’s so crazy that we are heading to another country! I’m loving this huge boat, it’s almost like being on a plane, except it’s very spacious, has a snack bar, and the seats are super comfortable (although the bathrooms are about the same as an airplane's). After making it through customs in 3 minutes, we got on the boat about thirty seconds before it departed and now we’re off to our destination!
In about an hour we will be landing in Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest city in Uruguay. We have no idea where we are staying or what we are doing but it will be a spontaneous adventure. We are considering renting a cabana on the beach that we read about somewhere, but currently the only info we have on it is the address: “near the beach, Uruguay.” Thank you, helpful internet sites and tour books.
And I can’t wait to head to Montevideo to participate in the huge Carnival they have on Monday (the biggest day of the celebration, what perfect timing!) Well, I’m going to snooze since I doubt I’ll sleep much this weekend! (AN: this was a correct assumption)
Besos!
Coli
Cafés y Bailes
19-02-09 23:46
At a Café
(AN: Due to lack of internet, I’m a bit behind on publishing my posts. Don’t worry, I’ve still been jotting everything down, so please just have a little patience as I try to get everything up on the internet. I promise I’ve been writing way too much and you’ll get to read it all soon!)
Before I start recounting my week, a little side note: I forgot to mention that I went to the Botanical Gardens and the huge Parque de Tres de Febrero (also known as the Bosque de Palermo, or ‘Forest of Palermo’) Friday afternoon after class with my friends Kara and Jessi, and Jessi’s “host cousin.” It was really pretty and seemed to be a hotspot for cats because they were everywhere.
Sunday
I met up with my friend Amanda in the Recoleta barrio during the afternoon, which we spent walking around the feria admiring all the paintings and homemade crafts. We then grabbed lunch in a cute little café nearby, followed by settling into a ritzy movie theatre to see “¿Quién ser un millonario?” or “Slumdog Millionaire” Although I had already seen it in the United States, I was more than happy to see it again because it is one of the best movies I’ve seen in years. Plus, it was really interesting to listen to the parts that were in Indian with Spanish subtitles.
Monday
While some people might go bar hopping, my friends and I prefer to go on café crawls in order to find internet. On this day, we visited three different cafes (great excuse to get ice cream or empanadas) and finally found our late-night hang out spot at Persicco, the café on Aveneda Juramento that we have frequented in the past. Free internet + late hours + fantastic ice cream = our kind of place.
Tuesday
ISA arranged for an Intercambio, or exchange, for us to meet local porteños at a mate bar in Palermo. It was my first time trying mate, an extremely popular drink in this region. I would compare it to tea, except that it’s bitterer and contains a lot more caffeine to give these sleep-deprived porteños energy. Drinking mate is a social ceremony: after filing the mate (the hollowed-out gourd from which you drink, confusingly sharing the same name with the drink itself) with the mate herbs (and sugar or flavorings, if you so desire), near-boiling water is poured from a thermos and passed to the person next to you. Each person is supposed to drink from the gourd until the water is gone, and then refill it for the next person. Since I’m not a big drinker of coffee or tea, I was not a fan of the bitter mate so I just chowed down on tostadas (toasted breads) with dulce de leche and butter while conversing at a table with several porteños and estadounidenses (people from the US – after all, we aren’t the only Americans). We exchanged contact info, so I hope we have the chance to hang out with them again to spend to time with more locals.
Thursday
We all got out of class early because of a bomb threat to the school. Apparently this is a very rare occurrence, because my teacher said she had never experienced that during the 3 years she had worked there. Luckily, nothing happened, although we had to leave all our books and stuff behind since we were at lunch when we were told to evacuate. The highlight of the day was heading to the tango class again, this time as part of an ISA excursion, so the whole gang was there. After learning some new steps, we stayed for the salsa class as well, which was a blast, especially the warm-up song where we all sort of line-danced salsa moves.
Well, that was my week, and I'm looking forward to my weekend!
Coli
At a Café
(AN: Due to lack of internet, I’m a bit behind on publishing my posts. Don’t worry, I’ve still been jotting everything down, so please just have a little patience as I try to get everything up on the internet. I promise I’ve been writing way too much and you’ll get to read it all soon!)
Before I start recounting my week, a little side note: I forgot to mention that I went to the Botanical Gardens and the huge Parque de Tres de Febrero (also known as the Bosque de Palermo, or ‘Forest of Palermo’) Friday afternoon after class with my friends Kara and Jessi, and Jessi’s “host cousin.” It was really pretty and seemed to be a hotspot for cats because they were everywhere.
Sunday
I met up with my friend Amanda in the Recoleta barrio during the afternoon, which we spent walking around the feria admiring all the paintings and homemade crafts. We then grabbed lunch in a cute little café nearby, followed by settling into a ritzy movie theatre to see “¿Quién ser un millonario?” or “Slumdog Millionaire” Although I had already seen it in the United States, I was more than happy to see it again because it is one of the best movies I’ve seen in years. Plus, it was really interesting to listen to the parts that were in Indian with Spanish subtitles.
Monday
While some people might go bar hopping, my friends and I prefer to go on café crawls in order to find internet. On this day, we visited three different cafes (great excuse to get ice cream or empanadas) and finally found our late-night hang out spot at Persicco, the café on Aveneda Juramento that we have frequented in the past. Free internet + late hours + fantastic ice cream = our kind of place.
Tuesday
ISA arranged for an Intercambio, or exchange, for us to meet local porteños at a mate bar in Palermo. It was my first time trying mate, an extremely popular drink in this region. I would compare it to tea, except that it’s bitterer and contains a lot more caffeine to give these sleep-deprived porteños energy. Drinking mate is a social ceremony: after filing the mate (the hollowed-out gourd from which you drink, confusingly sharing the same name with the drink itself) with the mate herbs (and sugar or flavorings, if you so desire), near-boiling water is poured from a thermos and passed to the person next to you. Each person is supposed to drink from the gourd until the water is gone, and then refill it for the next person. Since I’m not a big drinker of coffee or tea, I was not a fan of the bitter mate so I just chowed down on tostadas (toasted breads) with dulce de leche and butter while conversing at a table with several porteños and estadounidenses (people from the US – after all, we aren’t the only Americans). We exchanged contact info, so I hope we have the chance to hang out with them again to spend to time with more locals.
Thursday
We all got out of class early because of a bomb threat to the school. Apparently this is a very rare occurrence, because my teacher said she had never experienced that during the 3 years she had worked there. Luckily, nothing happened, although we had to leave all our books and stuff behind since we were at lunch when we were told to evacuate. The highlight of the day was heading to the tango class again, this time as part of an ISA excursion, so the whole gang was there. After learning some new steps, we stayed for the salsa class as well, which was a blast, especially the warm-up song where we all sort of line-danced salsa moves.
Well, that was my week, and I'm looking forward to my weekend!
Coli
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
El Día del Campo en el Día de San Valentín
14-2-09 23:26
Mi casa
¡Feliz Día de San Valentín! My Valentine’s Day was wonderful, yet instead of conversation hearts and chocolate, there were lots of dulce de leche and cow intestines! Not convinced that this equals the best way to spend the day of love? Well gauchos need love too, and today, I became a real live gaucho - the iconic Argentine cowboys who wandered through the pampas (fertile plains, the breadbasket of Argentina) on their horses while herding animals. So, it was time to strap on my bootstraps and saddle up...well, not quite, but I did ride a horse!
As an excursion for ISA, we went outside the city about an hour to an estancia, which are the old country estates in Argentina. It was so picturesque, with lots of open fields and big trees everywhere that provided wonderful shade. After we got off the bus, we had breakfast on long tables underneath said shade. Most of the other groups there were older, but they were all Argentinean so it wasn’t really touristy. Our ‘traditional Argentine breakfast’ consisted of café con leche (I discovered that if I filled half of my coffee cup with milk, added a ton of sugar and stirred in some dulce de leche, I was actually able to finish a cup of coffee for the first time in my life) and biscuits with jam and dulce de leche (what else).
After breakfast, we had a horse-riding lesson (as if the inner-gaucho in me needed it) and we all got to ride the horses for a bit. I also scrambled part-way up a rock climbing wall and watched the asadores prepare our asado lunch. One of the funniest moments of the day was watching these older people have contests such as who could put on the fake-nipple/fake-butt-with-thong combo on the fastest. I have to say, it was very entertaining to see them shake and grab these graphic plastic body parts. Somehow I got roped into it, and sadly, there is picture proof of this. I still can’t decide whether it should be up on the internet or not. I then had to spray silly string all over the old man who lost to me.
Lunch was absolutely ridiculous. It was all you could eat at this salad bar (very different items than would be on one in the US), grilled veggies, and all kinds of cooked meat, chicken, and fish. We also ate sugary grilled apples, thinking that was dessert, but no - they brought out panqueque con dulce de leche, which translates to “death-by–caramel” in English. Imagine a crepe filled with a three-inch thick layer of dulce de leche coated with powdered sugar. Needless to say, none of us could move after this, and we sort of floated our bloated bodies in the pool to cool off. Of course, it was only a short time later that they were calling us back to the table for a merienda (snack) of apple cobbler. Sadly, we had to waddle to the bus after that and say goodbye to the campo. At least now I can consider myself a regular Martin Fierro (literary gaucho reference, look it up). And that was the Día del Campo on the Día de san Valentin.
Besos y abrazos a todo mis amores (Kisses and hugs to all my loves),
Coli
Mi casa
¡Feliz Día de San Valentín! My Valentine’s Day was wonderful, yet instead of conversation hearts and chocolate, there were lots of dulce de leche and cow intestines! Not convinced that this equals the best way to spend the day of love? Well gauchos need love too, and today, I became a real live gaucho - the iconic Argentine cowboys who wandered through the pampas (fertile plains, the breadbasket of Argentina) on their horses while herding animals. So, it was time to strap on my bootstraps and saddle up...well, not quite, but I did ride a horse!
As an excursion for ISA, we went outside the city about an hour to an estancia, which are the old country estates in Argentina. It was so picturesque, with lots of open fields and big trees everywhere that provided wonderful shade. After we got off the bus, we had breakfast on long tables underneath said shade. Most of the other groups there were older, but they were all Argentinean so it wasn’t really touristy. Our ‘traditional Argentine breakfast’ consisted of café con leche (I discovered that if I filled half of my coffee cup with milk, added a ton of sugar and stirred in some dulce de leche, I was actually able to finish a cup of coffee for the first time in my life) and biscuits with jam and dulce de leche (what else).
After breakfast, we had a horse-riding lesson (as if the inner-gaucho in me needed it) and we all got to ride the horses for a bit. I also scrambled part-way up a rock climbing wall and watched the asadores prepare our asado lunch. One of the funniest moments of the day was watching these older people have contests such as who could put on the fake-nipple/fake-butt-with-thong combo on the fastest. I have to say, it was very entertaining to see them shake and grab these graphic plastic body parts. Somehow I got roped into it, and sadly, there is picture proof of this. I still can’t decide whether it should be up on the internet or not. I then had to spray silly string all over the old man who lost to me.
Lunch was absolutely ridiculous. It was all you could eat at this salad bar (very different items than would be on one in the US), grilled veggies, and all kinds of cooked meat, chicken, and fish. We also ate sugary grilled apples, thinking that was dessert, but no - they brought out panqueque con dulce de leche, which translates to “death-by–caramel” in English. Imagine a crepe filled with a three-inch thick layer of dulce de leche coated with powdered sugar. Needless to say, none of us could move after this, and we sort of floated our bloated bodies in the pool to cool off. Of course, it was only a short time later that they were calling us back to the table for a merienda (snack) of apple cobbler. Sadly, we had to waddle to the bus after that and say goodbye to the campo. At least now I can consider myself a regular Martin Fierro (literary gaucho reference, look it up). And that was the Día del Campo on the Día de san Valentin.
Besos y abrazos a todo mis amores (Kisses and hugs to all my loves),
Coli
Los Desaparecidos y el Tango
18:07 el 13 de febrero de 2009
Mi casa
Thursday
Right after class almost our entire Multisa group headed downtown on the Subte in order to see the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo march. These women have been gathering there every Thursday since the 1970s, when they originally met to demand information on the whereabouts of their kidnapped sons and daughters. The military dictatorship at the time took and tortured approximately 300,000 of these “desaparecidos” (so-called because they were “disappeared” – to this day, no one knows what really happened to them), often without great reason. Although it is clear today that most of the desaparecidos are dead, the Madres still gather as a symbolic protest to the government, which has yet to fully punish those guilty of these crimes or reveal more information about the desaparecidos. The Madres also have branched out into other forms of social justice and continue to look for the children that were taken from incarcerated mothers and adopted by government supporters.
Although I had carefully planned out our whole afternoon in true tour guide fashion, false information that I been given caused us to reroute our plans. We headed to the Catedral Metropolitania, a gorgeous church from the 1580s that housed the tomb of the famous South American liberator, Jose San Martin. We continued our way onto Café Tortoni, whose old-fashioned food and décor (it just celebrated its 150th anniversary) has attracted many famous patrons throughout the years. It was nice, but a bit overpriced for what we received.
Some of us then continued on to Florida Ave, a huge pedestrian shopping street. Proud moment of the day: while in one store, I actually was able to translate for a lady who was selling jewelry to an American couple. I feel good knowing that that the woman will have extra diñero in her pocket and the couple will have more jewelry in their lives. It was quite the accomplishment. And I almost gave directions to a porteño! (I knew where she wanted to go but didn’t know what street we were on at the time).
After strolling and shopping, we took the Subte back for dinner and then met up later to go to a café to do homework and get internet access (Hallelujah!), I got also got to talk to one of my best friends on Skype (a free way to see and talk with me - you should get it too!) so it was a very good night.
As you can probably tell, we are all growing very close as a group. I talk at least once a day about how grateful I am for all the Multisas because they are all so wonderful. I think the physical part of this closeness is due to the fact that we steadily ignore each other’s personal space in true Argentine fashion, and usually plant hello and goodbye smooches on each other. This is what all Argentineans do, including men with other men (well, I guess the guys in our group haven’t gotten that close yet). I really like this aspect of the culture; it feels so welcoming and friendly.
TIP OF THE DAY
Remember that you always kiss the person’s right cheek – and if either you or the other person goes for the wrong cheek, don’t try to correct it halfway; otherwise, you both might end up getting some accidental lip contact in there instead.
Friday
Several Multisas and I headed to a milonga, or a tango bar, to take tango lessons. We all split up into different levels of experience, but I didn’t realize until after the lessons that I was NOT in the beginner class as I thought (when I noticed everyone else I came with was in other group, I just assumed that it was the English-speaking group). However, I was actually happy that I made that mistake because everyone in my group was local and the class moved at a faster pace. Luckily, the guys I danced with were patient as I first learned and I had the opportunity to practice my castellano with them. It is definitely a small world: the first man I danced with has a daughter in Tampa that teaches tango classes in Ybor City…anyone up to join me when we go back? So, my first tango experience was lots of fun.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too crowded to move much on the dance floor, so everyone decided they wanted to go to a boliche. However, moving in big groups in unfamiliar areas is a recipe for disaster because we ended up walking around for 3 hours (and I was wearing some pretty killer heels to embody the tango dancer image) without actually deciding to go in any boliche that we passed. Finally around 3 am, I decided to grab a taxi/colectivo combo back home to get a few hours of sleep before my excursion to “El Día del Campo” – look forward to my next update!
Hasta entonces (until then),
Coli
PS- ¡Feliz Cumpleaños a mi mama!
Mi casa
Thursday
Right after class almost our entire Multisa group headed downtown on the Subte in order to see the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo march. These women have been gathering there every Thursday since the 1970s, when they originally met to demand information on the whereabouts of their kidnapped sons and daughters. The military dictatorship at the time took and tortured approximately 300,000 of these “desaparecidos” (so-called because they were “disappeared” – to this day, no one knows what really happened to them), often without great reason. Although it is clear today that most of the desaparecidos are dead, the Madres still gather as a symbolic protest to the government, which has yet to fully punish those guilty of these crimes or reveal more information about the desaparecidos. The Madres also have branched out into other forms of social justice and continue to look for the children that were taken from incarcerated mothers and adopted by government supporters.
Although I had carefully planned out our whole afternoon in true tour guide fashion, false information that I been given caused us to reroute our plans. We headed to the Catedral Metropolitania, a gorgeous church from the 1580s that housed the tomb of the famous South American liberator, Jose San Martin. We continued our way onto Café Tortoni, whose old-fashioned food and décor (it just celebrated its 150th anniversary) has attracted many famous patrons throughout the years. It was nice, but a bit overpriced for what we received.
Some of us then continued on to Florida Ave, a huge pedestrian shopping street. Proud moment of the day: while in one store, I actually was able to translate for a lady who was selling jewelry to an American couple. I feel good knowing that that the woman will have extra diñero in her pocket and the couple will have more jewelry in their lives. It was quite the accomplishment. And I almost gave directions to a porteño! (I knew where she wanted to go but didn’t know what street we were on at the time).
After strolling and shopping, we took the Subte back for dinner and then met up later to go to a café to do homework and get internet access (Hallelujah!), I got also got to talk to one of my best friends on Skype (a free way to see and talk with me - you should get it too!) so it was a very good night.
As you can probably tell, we are all growing very close as a group. I talk at least once a day about how grateful I am for all the Multisas because they are all so wonderful. I think the physical part of this closeness is due to the fact that we steadily ignore each other’s personal space in true Argentine fashion, and usually plant hello and goodbye smooches on each other. This is what all Argentineans do, including men with other men (well, I guess the guys in our group haven’t gotten that close yet). I really like this aspect of the culture; it feels so welcoming and friendly.
TIP OF THE DAY
Remember that you always kiss the person’s right cheek – and if either you or the other person goes for the wrong cheek, don’t try to correct it halfway; otherwise, you both might end up getting some accidental lip contact in there instead.
Friday
Several Multisas and I headed to a milonga, or a tango bar, to take tango lessons. We all split up into different levels of experience, but I didn’t realize until after the lessons that I was NOT in the beginner class as I thought (when I noticed everyone else I came with was in other group, I just assumed that it was the English-speaking group). However, I was actually happy that I made that mistake because everyone in my group was local and the class moved at a faster pace. Luckily, the guys I danced with were patient as I first learned and I had the opportunity to practice my castellano with them. It is definitely a small world: the first man I danced with has a daughter in Tampa that teaches tango classes in Ybor City…anyone up to join me when we go back? So, my first tango experience was lots of fun.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too crowded to move much on the dance floor, so everyone decided they wanted to go to a boliche. However, moving in big groups in unfamiliar areas is a recipe for disaster because we ended up walking around for 3 hours (and I was wearing some pretty killer heels to embody the tango dancer image) without actually deciding to go in any boliche that we passed. Finally around 3 am, I decided to grab a taxi/colectivo combo back home to get a few hours of sleep before my excursion to “El Día del Campo” – look forward to my next update!
Hasta entonces (until then),
Coli
PS- ¡Feliz Cumpleaños a mi mama!
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