Some Pictures of Buenos Aires

I am returning to the US. Some parting shots...



A Theater



Some Government Building



Another building



A lazy Sunday afternoon street scene



The Mosoleums at Ricoletta Cemetary

Life in the Good Air

Well, I've been remise in posting updates for the last few weeks. I have several excuses. They are as follows:

1. I've been having too much fun. Buenos Aires is a blast. One of my favorite, if not my favorite city in the world. In part because I'm getting to spend so much time here. Also in part because I've got a fun group of classmates to hang out with. But on top of all that, BsAs is spectacular. They call it the "Paris of South America" and I'd have to agree. The streets are all lined with big old colonials. There are beautiful little plazas and parks all over the city. The streets are busy with excitement - and often more busy at three in the morning then at seven. Cafes, restaurants, and stores line all the sidewalks - which are often dangerously narrow. There are a lot of cobblestoned streets, and most are narrow, one way routes. The major difference is that the streets here are pretty gridded, and so it's tough to get lost. Also, the prices here are considerably cheaper. One could certainyl live well on $500 a month. $1000 a month and you could really have a good time.

2. Too busy working / studying. Class is long and draining, but fortunately almost over. In the mornings we have practice teaching sessions - I teach an hour a day every other day, and observe the rest of the time. Preparing lesson plans is quite time consuming - it´s certainly given me a lot more respect for teachers (at least the ones who actually prepare lessons and don't just teach out of the book). In the afternoons we have classes where we learn the teaching techniques and other fun stuff. The last week has been spent learning grammar, which I thoroughly enjoyed (not). Of course, I'm now cursed to examine all my speech in fine detail - what tense is that? is that proper English? what's the difference between "despite", "although", and "even though"? And how do I explain it to someone? These are the things that now plague me. I also just finished a paper on "on, in, and at," trying to explain what the differences are. Try it and see how fun it is.

3. Nothing exciting going on. Except the everyday excitement of BsAs. For example, yesterday there was a massive anti-B#sh demonstration here that went down the street outside my window for over an hour. They blocked traffic on one of the widest streets in the world (14 lanes outside my window, with 6 lanes of side streets directly alongside) for the entire time, so I got a much more rousing after-class serrenade of car and truck horns then usual. Other then that my class keeps me busy during the week. On weekends our class often goes out to a club. Last weekend a friend from college was in town, and we took in a tango show, and several steak dinners. Also on the weekends, I like to wander around town checking out the sites - although I don't really get out as much as I'd like since I'm usually recovering from class and Friday night fun.

So anyways, that's my update from BsAs. Just 10 more days until I return to the US (unless I change my mind between now and then). My first stop is scheduled for Minneapolis right now, but I plan on trying to change that to Chicago - I have a connecting flight through there anyways.


chao

No mas violencia

That's the sign they paraded around the stadium before the Super Clasico - River Plate versus Boca Juniors. Rated as one of the greatest derbies in the world, the fans have a history of getting out of control. Which would explain the battalion of riot police, firemen, and leaf blowers.

I first heard about the big game last week while in Uruguay. When I arrived in Buenos Aires, the hostel had tickets (via the tourist bureau) for $AR180 (about $US60), which was a little pricey. After some consideration, I decided to head to the stadium and try my luck buying a ticket off the street. I took the the Subte (subway), and it was easy to follow the crowd making their way to the stadium. Getting closer, I could begin to hear the roar of the crowd (and this was still an hour a way from kickoff). As the stadium came into view, the streets became a maze, as the police were blocking off most of the routes. Eventually, I found my way into the shadow of the stadium and eye the scalper´s row. The first guy I make contact with has a ticket for $AR50. Weary about a fake ticket (they forge currency like crazy here), I was a little hesitent at first, but soon decided to buy it - bargaining and shopping around - or the failure to do so - has always been one of my downfalls (anyone interested in a Mao watch?). Not even sure where my seat was, I headed into the den.

Entering the stadium, I was faced with nearly full stands - and this is still almost one hour before the game. On the field are the youth teams playing. The stands are filled with River red - banners and signs lining the railings, and red bedecked fans all over. In the left endzone (okay, I'm not sure what it's called in football parlance - goalzones??) are most fervent River fans, with huge banners, flags, and the ceaseless songs and chants. To the right, in the upper deck endzone, covered in blue, are the Boca fans, literally caged in. They are surrounded by a 15 foot high fence, topped by barbed wire and ringer by police. On either side they've kept the seats completely empty, like a lion's cage at the zoo. These are the cheap seats, kind of like the bleacher's, where the most ardent fans (and most ardent hooligans) sit.

As the game approached kick off, the fans started getting louder and louder. When they began announcing the teams, streams of toilet paper and an onslaught of confetti came raining down out of the sky (bring on the army of leaf blowers). River unfurled a gigantic banner across the upper deck - it most have been about 100 by 150 feet. A few firecrackers popped off, but I didn't see any fires or very many flares. The fans got louder and louder, with all the River fans around me chanting at the Boca fans. The Boca fans - more renowned for their violence, where definitely the more fervent, nearly holding their own vocally while being out numbered probably 10 to 1. The game itself (almost a side show to the activities in the stands) was back and forth, with not very many good shots on goal the first half.

At half time, they had a demonstration of blind soccer. Which, would tend to require some peace and quiet. Which they got, from everyone but the Boca fans. They kept up with the pep band, the singing, and chanting all throughout. I don't think the upper crust River fans appreciated that, and I don't think the working class Boca fans cared. If there was going to be violence today, this could be the tipping point. But we escapted unscathed.

The second half saw a little more pressing from both sides, but neither squad was able to push the ball into the net. The last 5-10 minutes saw River getting quite lazy, and they were probably lucky to escape with the point against the division leading Boca team. At the end of the game, All the River fans had to stay in stands until the Boca fans cleared out of the stadium and got a head start out of the neighborhood (I'm not sure if this was for the protection of the Boca fans or the River fans). This took about 20 minutes as the Boca fans kept up their cheers and songs and had to be goaded out of the stadium by the police.

I think I'm beginning to become to addicted to football games. I've now seen a club game in Uzbekistan, a Uruguay-Argentina World Cup qualifying game in Montevideo, and River-Boca. I'm almost ready to start planning trips around football games - so when's the next Celtic-Rangers game anyways?

The Sierras

I figure it's time for another update. Although it's been a pretty sedate week or so. I arrived in Cordoba and headed straight up to La Cumbre. Supposedly it´s one of the best places to paraglide (they hosted the World Paragliding Championships several years ago). Unfortunately, the winds were not in my favor and I was unable to jump off of any more mountains. In lieu of that, I went on a brief horse back ride. Not having been on a horse in over 20 years, brief was good enough. Two hours of horse back riding = two days of pain. The town of La Cumbre itself was nice, although it definitely seems like more of an Argentinian tourist destination then a spot on the backpacker's trail. There are about 45 hotels in town - with a population of about 7500 - but no hostels. I did find a very nice B&B type place that was pretty cheap though. Being the off season for Argentinians to travel, it seemed rather empty. But I did find some of the nicest steak I've ever had - 2" thick sirloins at a restaurant there that were simply amazing.

Moving on from La Cumbre, I headed back to Cordoba, the main stop in the Sierras. It's the second biggest city in Argentina, with a large college population. I spent most of my time there relaxing and taking in some of the sights - a few museums, and a very lovely pedestrian center in the middle of town.

One of my side trips from Cordoba was to Villa General Belgrano, where they have an annual Oktoberfest. It was a rousing time, even though it rained a little - the first I've seen since Iguazu almost a month ago. Kinda expensive as well, with liters of beer running 12 Pesos ($4US, to compar a liter bottle in the grocery store runs about 2 Pesos) but it was good artesenal, i.e. microbrew, beer.

After Oktoberfest I returned to Cordoba for a few days and then began my adventure to my present locale. Which would be Santa Fe. I kinda got stuck here, as my original destination was Rosario. But from Cordoba to Rosario all the buses ran late in the evening, so I looked into other options. One was Santa Fe, which is just a couple hours from Rosario. I finally found a company with a bus at 1pm - this was at about 12:30 - so I booked that. As soon as I got the ticket though, she told me it was leaving at 2:30. So I had to wait an extra hour and a half, which gave me time to grab some lunch. When I got to Santa Fe, at about 8 pm, my choices were to try and get a bus to Rosario, a bus to Montevideo, Uruguay, or stay the night. I decided to look for a Montevideo bus, but none were running that day. Or the next day. Meanwhile they're telling me which day the bus runs, but I can't figure it out, not because I can't understand the day (it's close enough to the French to figure out) but because I don't know what the present day is. I have a basic idea, but I'm not that sure. Anyways, I manage to go back to the bus station yesterday and buy a ticket for manana, tomorrow (which would be today) to Montevideo. In the meantime, I stayed at this pretty beat hotel across from the bus station - foam mattress and pillows, window facing the bus station, peeling wallpaper, the works. In the meantime, I´m trying to pass the next 11 hours before I go to catch the bus.

Anyways, that's been my less then overly exciting week. One more week of travel before I return to Buenos Aires. As I stated, I'm headed to Montevideo, Uruguay. From there I'll hit Colonia before crossing the river back to BsAs. I've got my apartment lined up, right smack in the middle of downtown BsAs, and classes start in just over a week. As an added bonus, I´ll be meeting up with a friend from college, and another friend of a friend who lives there.

Mendoza Flyin'

Well, last we left off I was on my way to Mendoza, heart of the Argentinian wine industry. My first activity there was what they call parapenting. In English, paragliding or parasailing. Basically, we drove up to the top of a mountain and jumped off (with a parachute). The ride up was actually the scariest part, as our little 4x4 wound its way up a narrow dirt road to the top. Some of the hairpin turns could not be made without backing up, leaving the rear of the vehicle perched on the edge of a death defying dropoff. At the top, there was a large gathering of school children - and I have no idea how they got there. There were people trekking up and down the mountain, but I cannot imagine getting all those little kids to hike that far. And the road would be impossible to negotiate with a bus. Nevertheless, there they were to watch us fly. After some brief instructions (run that way) I was strapped into to a chair, which was then attached to my operator´s seat (it was a tandem flight, of course). Next thing I know, whoosh, we were flying down the valley, back up, and overhead the takeoff site. It was a pretty amazing experience. You just float there and fly over the landscape below. You can feel the wind rushing past you and the occasional pull when making turns. But otherwise it is just like sitting in a chair hundreds of feet up in the air. After 15-20 minutes, we started heading towards the landing site. Coming down, he did a few acrobatics - I am sure it was nothing spectacular, but you could defiinitely feel the g-forces as he spun back and forth.

Next, I headed to Los Penitentes. This is a ski area a few hours west of Mendoza, just before the Chiliean border. I spent three days there skiing (which was probably one day too many - the boots ended up hobbling me for a couple days, and I´m still shedding my ski sun burn). It´s near the end of the season, so the snow wasn´t great. But they had three decent runs which they kept groomed. I also ran into some people I had met before - a South African couple that I first met in Salta, and saw again at the hostel in Mendoza, and a couple of guys from Australia. So I was able to hang out with some English speakers for one night - otherwise everyone at my hostel was Argentian and spoke mainly Spanish.

Back to Mendoza I went - and this may have been the best part of the trip. The road hugs a narrow shelf between the mountains and a canyon carved out by the river. The Andes are spectacular (I iterate, or possibly reiterate). The Argentina side is quite dry, so there´s rarely any vegetation. Thus the mountains are striped bare, with their inner being exposed to the world. All the different minerals and layers of silt offer an insiders view of the earth. It almost seems that every mountain is a completely different entity then the one next to, there´s that much variety in their appearances.

Arriving in Mendoza, I returned to my hostel and spent a couple days recooperating. Currently, I am in La Cumbre, which is near Cordoba, in northish-central Argentina. The Sierras loom just outside of town, and there are a variety of outdoor pursuits to explore (wait for the next update to see what I did). After a couple days here, it´s back to Cordoba (I just passed through the bus station this morning). And a definite must see - Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano.

Salta the Earth

After a few brief stops in Posadas, Corrientes (very brief), and Resistiance (all fine little cities, but not much to do besides sitting out on the plaza watching people go by), I arrived in Salta. Resistiance has a large number of sculptures scattered around town, but not a many that I found to be interesting. At most, it´s a rest stop between Puerto Iguazu and Salta (which is otherwise a 27 hour bus ride).

That brings me to Salta. A much more interesting town, in a number of ways. First, it is located in northwest Argentina, on the edge of the Andes. It´s also the closest big city to Bolivia. So that makes it a big stopping point for backpackers (and other travelers, but I try to avoid them) on the way to and fro. Whereas the other cities have no hostels to stay at, Salta has numerous. So my accomodation cost is more then halved. Plus, the hostel where I am staying (Terra Oculta) has a decent kitchen, tvs with cable, and a bar.

Its been a busy week here, with lots of sight seeing and activities. On Monday afternoon, a group from the hostel took an excursion to the local futbol (that´s soccer to people in the US) pitch (more of a basketball court sized, carpeted park) for some game. There were about 20 people who showed up to play, with 6 on 6 games going for a couple of hours. Almost everyone else was European, with a few Argentinians mixed in. They were all impressively good. I pretty much covered my ineptitude by playing goal.

On Tuesday, I took a tour down to Cafayate. Somehow, I got stuck on the seniors tour. Wow, was that exciting. Almost as much fun (or frustrating, depending on your mindset at the time) as going to see the Great Wall with a Chinese tour group (during which time, I saw people get insanely excited over Jade, dried food, traditional Chinese medicine, a Wild West Town, and what other tourist traps Í´ve erased from my mind). But the secenary was magnificant. The 190km (each way) route passes through an amazing canyon with the jagged Andes on either side. Colored stratas of silt deposits zig and zag at odd angles, looking like they just emerged from the earth. Sand stone monuments carved away by wind and water look like they´re ready to crumble down upon you. It was a great tour, although I would have preferred to go with some people from the hostel who rented cars for a two-day trip down there. Unfortunately, I didn´t find out about it until I was already paid up and waiting for my van Tuesday morning. Oddly enough, I ran into them at a road side look out point / handicraft stall on the way back from Cafayate in the afternoon.

I spent Wednesday recovering from the 12 hour tour, and taking in the sites around town. We also had a barbecue at the hostel that night. On Thursday, I had another tour, this time to the north and Humahuaca. Again, alot of gourgeous scenary, and a more anglophile group - an Australian couple and an Argentinian-American. The best was saved for last though, as we wound our way over the mountains returning to Salta. Unlike most of the other areas around here, it received enough percipitation to support a sub-tropical forest. The trees (not sure what kind) were covered with mosses, vines, and orchids. From across the valley, they looked like a musty old carpet, the vines drapping and sagging from tree to tree. Quite remarkable.

Friday night was another adventure. This time white water rafting. After a couple hour bus ride (I´ve spent more time on buses here then in my entire life) we arrived at the rafting center at around 9:30. Following a brief training session, we headed out to the launch and floated down the river for a couple of hours, transversing some Class III rapids. The clouds covered up the full moon, but there was still plenty of light to see. We were surrounded by mountains, which could be seen in silhoutte. This was followed by a barbecue (they love barbecues here), and of course, another two hour bus ride home.

So that leaves me ready to escape Salta and move on. I have a bus this afternoon going to Mendoza - 16 hours. I´hope to spend a week or so there with more rafting, maybe some trekking, wine tasting, and of course barbecue. There are some ski slopes around there as well, but they may closed. Hopefully I can get a day of skiing in though.

Pictures from around Salta

View of Salta from the nearby mountain



Vineyards to the south of Salta



Cemetary in the mountains



Mountains near Cafayette



Stratified mountain in Humahuaca

Water Whirl

Water never waits. It changes shape and flows around things, and finds the secret paths no one else has thought about - the tiny hole through the roof or the bottom of a box. There´s no doubt it´s the most versatile of the five elements. It can wash away earth; it can put out fire; it can wear a piece of metal down and sweep it away. Even wood, which is its natural complement, can´t survive without being nurtured by water.

-- Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

After one week, I´ve taken a real liking to this place. Traveling in Argentina combines the best of several worlds. One, it´s relatively cheap. Not as cheap as say, Southeast Asia, but still quite manageable. And the people are not in the throes of poverty, as in SE Asia. Since the currency crisis several years ago, I´m sure they´re less well off then they used to be, but they still maintain a high standard of living. There are certainly a lot more amenities and services here then you´d find in many places. The population is also heavily European in nature. I´ve yet to be harassed by any vendors, beggars, or taxi drivers. Most people speak Spanish to me, or they´ll ask me if I speak English. Not to mention the fine weather we´ve been having - a little on the chilly side at times, but it is the end of winter. Can´t complain too much about that.

Iguazu

My first stop outside of BsAs (Buenos Aires) was Puerto Iguazu. This involved a 16 hour bus ride, which was actually quite comfortable. Double decker bus, three seats across the width of the coach. Reclining. Akin to business class seats on a plane. I arrived on Friday afternoon, and just relaxed in town the rest of the day. On Saturday morning, I set out for Iguazu Falls, located on the Argentina - Brazil border. It´s quite the site, with falls stretching out over a couple kilometers. From the Argentina side, it´s not possible to see all of the falls at one time. Just sections of them. But you can get quite close to them - there are several paths with walkways that extend out to the edge of the falls - both on the lower portions and upper portions. At several points you stand directly over roaring cascades of water rushing headlong into the abyss. At other points, you´re awash in the spray of the thunderous conclusion. There was also a hike into the jungle to see a hidden waterfall. At any other time, this hidden waterfall would have been impressive, but after seeing the rest of them it was rather insipid. Still, the hike through the forest was pleasent. Seeing the density of the rainforest is amazing, as well as the wide variety of vegetations - everything from the occasional orange tree, to bamboo, palm trees, and varacious vines swallowing everything in reach. And after being given a pamphlet about what to do in case of a ¨big cat¨encounter, the rustlings and noises from within kept me attentive.

The next day, I managed to negotiate multiple bus connections to reach the Brazilian side of the falls. No visa is needed for this day trip, and I even managed to get two more stamps in my passport (which is already over half full after just a year and a half). From here, you get a much wider prospective of the falls. There is only one path to take, but it leads along the bluff over the river where you can take in the full breadth of the falls.

The town of Puerto Iguazu itself (about 15 km south west) is a pleasent little village. Definitely lots of tourists, with everything from hostels to 4-star hotels. El Centro is filled with handicraft shops, restaurants, and internet cafes. It´s certainly a much different feel then BsAs.



A section of Izuazu Falls



A section of Iguazu Falls


Getting up close and personal with the falls


Iguazu from Brazil

San Ignacio

So the next day after that, I hopped on a bus from Puerto Iguazu to San Ignacio. San Ignacio is the home of one of the better preserved Jesuit missions from the 17th century. It was interesting, although not overly impressive. Especially compared to say, Angkor Wat. Although that´s probably an unfair comparison. Still, I probably wouldn´t suggest it as an overnight trip. It´s a quick jaunt from Posadas, which is much more lively. And the Casa de Horacio Quiroga (Argentian poet, writer) isn´t worth the trouble. Trust me.



Posadas

And finally, I have now traveled to Posadas. There´s not a whole lot of things to do in town, but it is a nice and relaxing stop over. I´m staying near the main plaza, and the streets are filled with pedestrians. Lots of small shops, bars, and cafes. Walking around last night, I realized how late I need to go out to hit the dining crowd - after 9pm is when they seem to start filling the restaurants.

That´s all for now. Chao.

Buenos Aires

(For those who missed out the the preceeding four months, I just hung out in the US waiting for a new Peace Corps assignment. When that fell through, I decided to take a TEFL certification class in Buenos Aires, Argentina, do some traveling about Argentina, and then get a job teaching English in South Korea)

Hola. This will be a quick update, as I am pretty much just passing though Buenos Aires. I arrived yesterday morning, and will be taking a bus this evening up to Puerto Iguazu - 16 hours, but they are nice buses (reclining seats, movies, meal service, and WC). My quick take on Buenos Aires is favorable - very European in flavor. Lots of old colonial style buildings, along very narrow (often cobblestoned) streets. Plenty of cafes, and bars, most of which have fabulous wood work and a wide array of antiquities scattered around. There is a strong Italian influence as well - with pizza and pasta places abounding. They even say ciao (spelled chao down here).

I will be back here for a month to take my TEFL certification class, so I am not getting too deep into things. Just walking aound to get my legs broken in and a grasp of the language (I still have the habit of spouting out things in Russian). But for now, I will be spending 6 weeks touring around Argentina. First, as I said, will be Puerto Iguazu. After that I will be working my around before coming back to Buenos Aires in mid-October.

And yes, it is winter here. Not too cold, but a little chilly. Highs in the 50s.