Oct 18 - 24: Mendoza, Argentina
Oct 25 - Nov 1: Santiago, Chile
Nov 2 - Nov 14: Temuco, Chile
Nov 17 - Dec 3: Buenos Aires
Dec 3 - early Jan: Quito, Ecuador
Early Jan to late April: Take buses from Quito to Cuzco, Peru, spending a lot of time on the coast Late April to May 24: Cuzco, Inca Trail, Titicaca
May 24: Fly back to NYC
If anyone plans on doing some of their own adventure travel, I highly recommend visiting http://www.onebag.com/. This site saved me countless hours. The content and organization are both very high quality.
We have now trekked much of Buenos Aires - at least the part that appears on most tourist maps, which excludes the outer residential areas.
We took in more great Tango. A couple Saturdays ago, we went to a locals hangout called Guayana. It was a sort of "open mike" night where audience members, almost always male and at least 50, took their turn crooning and belting two or three Tango songs, accompanied by live musicians. A kind fellow attempted to educate me on how to critique Tango vocals. Lots of hand gestures were involved. I gathered, at least, that range is very important. The mood reminded me of Flamenco joints in Madrid. I love the broad participation that seems inherent to folk music. I cringe when I think of current pop music in comparison to folk music of previous generations. Of course, every once in a while, we do have a modern day masterpiece like that Umbrella song - "Eh! Eh! Eh!"
That Saturday we were attempting to party like regular porteños (BsAs locals). We took naps after dinner, and didn´t arrive at Guayana until after 1am. At around 3am we arrived at Muséum, a disco that was lamentable for the lack of dancing happening -- not recommended. Still, it was fun being out late and seeing the sunrise from our apartment.That afternoon we took in some free Tango dancing in Plaza Dorrego, a few blocks from our apartment. We had a great view so I took video which I will eventually post on YouTube (my first attempt posting through blogspot was a failure).
This past Saturday we went to an art showing put on in a home to contribute to Help BsAs (Buenos Aires). The host and artist who invited us, Aidana, makes very cool, even chic, funiture, accessories and clothing out of garbage. The picture to the left is of purses and clothing (hot!) she makes from innertubes.It´s nice to finally be meeting some people - not that we don`t enjoy each other`s nearly exclusive company 24 hours a day. (Case in point: we actually just argued over the right way to express the sentiment "24 hours per day and 7 days per week" - all those for 24x7? 24/7? :-))
Sunday we went to our Spanish teacher´s apartment and discussed the tragic state of Western medicine (drugs, drugs, drugs), the grandeur of the Teatro Colon (which is closed for renovations! :-( ), and the extraordinary reproductive practices of the Emperor Penguin (after watching March of the Penguins). We were very lucky to find a teacher who is quite spirited and opinionated while at the same time wonderfully bright, well-organized and all around excellent at her job. She was successful at cramming our heads full of grammar - now all we need to do is learn more than the 50 or so Spanish words we currently know...
We made our first visit to the Recoleta Cemetery (pictures above). I know it won´t be our last because we were rushed and didn´t even have time to find Evita´s tomb. The mausoleums are impressive in detail and size, and there are miles of well organized pathways. Being there feels as if you have entered Buenos Aires´ neighborhood for the dead elite.
We were happy to escape some of the hustle and bustle of the city when we spent an afternoon walking around Palermo - still a part of Buenos Aires but a 20 or 30 minute subte (subway) ride outside of the center. We picnicked in a gorgeous and huge park (complete with paddleboats and rollerbladers) and basked in the beauty of a Japanese Garden.Perhaps most important, however, is that we saw Juegos Prohibidos, or "Alpha Dog" as it is known in the states. This gratuitous, slick and seemingly artificial recounting of a real murder story was disturbing and even disorienting. A word to the wise - if you find yourself travelling and home sick for some modern americana, don´t see this movie! You`d be better off popping into a McDonald´s and grabbing something off the 3 pesos menu - not that we`ve done that or anything...
We also took a Tango class. Aidana told us it would take a year of practice to get good and after spending 10 minutes merely walking to the beat of the music we believe her - yikes...
We are off to a "tenedor libre" parilla (all you can eat grill). I know, I know - try not to envy us too much!!
Hasta Luego,
xoM+A
