cerveza and freakz

What’s a year abroad without an Oktoberfest weekend?!?  I mean, Villa General Belgrano IS the Munich of South America…

Side note: I have found out that it is indeed possible go from my house in Belgrano to the bus in Retiro in less than thirty minutes, even while stopping for some chori.  A little risqué perhaps, but definitely doable.

We got to VGB around 8am on Friday morning, a little groggy and disoriented after the 12-hour bus ride.  Once we were all together, we got on a bus to Los Reartes.  After unknowingly missing our stop, we were dropped off literally in the middle of nowhere, unsure as to where we were actually headed.  After a long, sleepy walk in the cordobés heat, we managed to make our way to Cabañas Dali Luma, complete with a parrilla and pileta.  We settled in, showered, and changed, and were on our way back to VGB. 

Is this not the most ultimate hitchhiking car?

Buses are few, so we resorted to the standard Latin American form of transportation: hacer dedo.  (Yes, I can finally cross that off my bucket list!) Santiago and José de Mendoza managed to shove five of us in the back seat of their 1980’s sedan, even though the weight of all of us resulted in the back bumper dragging on the ground.  Sorry, dudes.  After having lunch in VGB and seeing that the Oktoberfest activities hadn’t started yet, we got loaded up on asado essentials and headed back to Dali Luma.  We spent the rest of the beautiful day by the pool, saving up our energy for that night’s asado.

Four sliced fingers later, our asado was ready.  It was an asado completo, with a full ensalada, chori y bife.  I guess I was a little too excited to eat my chori, because I spent the rest of the night with excruciating heartburn.

The cabañas were right on the Río Los Reartes, so we spent that hot Saturday morning and early afternoon chilling by the river, getting ready for the locura of Oktoberfest al cordobés. 

VGB is a very interesting place, a lot like Epcot’s Munich.  After getting our steins, we went around to all of the stands, fully absorbing the pedo argentino.  There were plenty of crazy people dressed up wearing wigs made of questionable materials, dancing to weird German music, taking steins to the face.  After many hours immersing us into the so-called German culture, we headed back to Dali Luma for a late night asado.  Luckily, this round of chori nomming was heartburn free, and I was sure to make up for the chori I was not able to eat the night before! 

After a lot of indecisiveness on Sunday morning, we decided to spend the day in the city of Córdoba.  It was a long walk along the river, to the main street, then up the main street until we came across the bus stop.  We knew it would be a while before the bus would come, so we figured we might as well get comfortable.  There just happened to be an ice cream parlor across the street from the bus stop, so we loaded up on the best ice cream that I’ve had in Argentina.  (Which is saying a lot, since the ice cream in Argentina is AMAZING.)  What was even better about this ice cream was that a medium cone was only 12 pesos…take that Freddo!  We spent a solid two hours sitting on the side of the road, basically looking like vagos, waiting for the bus.  We got to Córdoba around 4pm, found lunch, and wandered around the city for the rest of the afternoon. There are lots of college students in Córdoba, with both Argentine and extranjeros, so it’s a very young city.  But it’s also a very small city and we did not need more than a half-day there.  I’m definitely glad I came to Buenos Aires to study; I can see myself getting bored in little Córdoba.

But I mean, there is nothing like the energía porteña.

We went to La Zete for dinner, a delicious Middle Eastern restaurant.   It was a pretty early dinner…for Argentine standards…around 8pm.)  The food was amazing, but unfortunately I had to dip out early to catch a bus that would get me back to BA in time for my 8am class…rough.

This weekend, I'm off to Montevideo with Lidi!  Not sure what to expect, other than ridiculousness and (possibly too much) pedo.

Chau,
audgentina.

la belleza de la lengua...y otras cosas

Esperanza, lluvia, estrella, sonrisa, caramelo.  Sarah, you’re right: some things are just better in Spanish.  Spanish has a wonderful way of making the most explicit of words incredibly sentimental and romantic, one of the shortcomings of the English language.  I’ve been able to pick up on an amazing amount of language, mannerisms, and taboos while living here, including that coger does NOT mean to take, but I have loved learning about all of the linguistic emotions.  By now, I am speaking solamente en castellano, and oftentimes I will just sit back and listen to my friends talk, relishing the passion and sentiment that is so easily expressed through everyday words and phrases.  That is how I would describe Argentina: romantic, emotional, and passionate.  The most stereotypical of all Argentine cultural elements, the Tango, captures Argentina’s fondness of romance and passion.  Overhyped, a little outdated, and uncomfortably romantic (it’s a little strange to be that close to someone I’m not romantically involved with), it is one of the many touchy-feely cultural divergences that we don’t find in the US.  Personal space doesn’t really exist among Argentines; meeting someone for the first time and embracing them a kiss on the cheek is perfectly normal.  In fact, it is considered rude not to do so.

Speaking of la lengua, I have been having exceptional difficulty nailing the Spanish “rr.”  I’ve never been able to roll my tongue, but on Sunday, Meli, Lidi, and Lale made it their mission to teach me how.  God bless their patience, this was much more grueling than my “speech therapy” with Anj.  Using ejercicios para pronunciar la RR as the teaching platform, we spent the entire afternoon repeating/screaming words such as forro and borracho over and over again. (I hope the neighbors don't have any young kids…) It became more trial-and-error than anything else, but with lots of práctica I will hopefully have it down by January.  Forrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrro.

I came across this article the other day, 20 awesomely untranslatable words from around the world, and it got me thinking about how—for lack of a better word—awesome the art of the language is, considering there are over 6 billion people speaking nearly 7,000 different languages.  Did you know that there are more Spanish-speakers in the world than English speakers?  Yet for some reason, I find that most Argentine’s knowledge of English is far more proficient than most American’s knowledge of any second language, let alone Spanish.  A little embarrassing, no?  Unfortunately, I know very few people who are proficient in a second language, and even fewer who are considered to be fluent.  This may have to do with the fact that so many aspects of American culture are incorporated into Argentine society.  At times, I forget exactly how far away I am from home, as I pass a Starbucks or McDonald’s on my walk home, or turn on the television and flip to Friends or Grey’s Anatomy in English, with subtitles.  But still, I do not find this to serve as much of an excuse, as we are just as capable of fluently speaking a second language as any European or Latin American (unless there is something in the water preventing us from doing so, which I doubt is the case).

Tomorrow morning I leave for my ten-day adventure in Bolivia.  I will try to periodically while I’m there, but cannot make any promises...

¡Hasta el 26 de septiembre!

Chau,
audgentina.

labios, manchados por las uvas

The over-consumption of vino…and carne (and then some more vino…) would perfectly describe our finde mendocino.

We got to Mendoza late on Thursday night, staying at Hostel Lao , apparently the number one hostel in Latin America. They provided us with comfortable beds, an all-hostel asado (with some of the best chorizo I have ever had), and actually SATISFYING desayunos…they even had FRUIT! (A true accomplishment in Argentina.) Oh, and FREE wine. Winnnnnn.

Friday morning we woke up to begin our wine bike tours in Luján, a locality outside of Mendoza. Dani, a friend that we met in the hostel, came along with us as well. She is from England but has spent the year studying in Santiago, so we were able to share many similar study abroad stories. We showed up at Baccus bike rentals and got our semi-functioning bikes, sin helmets or any other kind of precautionary measures, and soon embarked on our very long, struggling day of wine “sipping.”

We started at Cavas de Chacras, my favorite vineyard in Mendoza. There they offered us lunch where I nommed on the degustación de empanadas…amazing. Our first degustación de vino followed lunch, where our guía, Peter, left us sitting on the pond-side deck with an entire bottle of Merlot between the four of us girls. It was a beautiful fall day in Mendoza, with a cool breeze and vibrant foliage. Nothing could have made this visit more perfect. The next stop was Altavista, a larger bodega about a thirty-minute ride from Cavas de Chacras. Riding bikes, after drinking lots and lots of wine, is not the easiest task. Needless to say we showed up at the bodega a little loopy. We enjoyed our very complete degustación, which even included some Malbec Rosé, bringing me back to my freshman year days of Sutter Home White Zinfandel. (Shout out Reenz and Julz!) Ahhh, the memories.

Pulmary was our last stop, a small, family-owned, organic bodega in the center of Luján. By this point we were fairly…feliz…and came in probably not needing any more wine. But being the winos that we have become in Argentina, we came in ready to sip on some more delicious vino tinto. The owner of the bodega took us down to the cellar, where we tried some fresh port and tasted some Malbec and Merlot. Towards the end of our degustación we were left in the cellar, just us girls, with a bottle of vino. Twice in one day we were trusted with an unsupervised free bottle of wine…rookies. Luckily we did not have to ride our bikes back to the rental store; that would have been truly catastrophic. We managed to get a ride back to our hostel with one of the owners of the bodega, thus not having to worry about taking the wrong colectivo back to Mendoza. A few goofy phone conversations with guía Peter later, we were back at the hostel and attempting to get ready for dinner. We went out to Azafrán, a delicious parrilla in Mendoza. We are talking some serious carne business here, so I got bife de chorizo, enveloped in a flaky blue cheese puff pastry layer…so rare it practically came straight off the cow. I could not have been more satisfied; this was quite possibly the best steak I have had in Argentina. This was followed by dulce de leche crème brûlée…oooohhhh myyyy gooddddddd. Mendoza is a food (and wine!) haven.

On Saturday we struggled to pull ourselves out of bed at a reasonable hour for our day full of gaucho activity. (Too much vino the day before…) A few cups of maté cocido later, I had rallied and was ready for my alpargatas. Dani, Cassie, Paloma, and I took the colectivo to Maipú, where our gaucho friend Cisar met us and took us to the campo. Foliage-rich trees arching over the dirt roads, never-ending rows of Malbec uvas, and spectacular Andes in the background…it was the perfect setting to go horseback riding. Or so I thought. (I should have known what was coming next, given the fact that my caballo’s name was Tornado.)

Trotting through the vineyard, I was enjoying relaxing and soaking up the view. Dani began to gallop in front of me, and Tornado, being the alpha male that he is, decided to burst into a full-on gallop as well. Having no idea how on earth to ride/control/maintain balance on a sprinting horse, I grabbed on for dear life, pulling the reins as hard as I could. (This, however, did not stop Tornado, as he persisted on sprinting around sharp corners, heading towards God knows where.) When I lost the reins…and later the stirrups…I literally saw my life flash before my eyes. I honestly didn’t think I would EVER get off this speedy little demon. After what felt like a solid forty-five minutes of high-speed galloping, a gaucho on the side of the path came out and slowed the horse down just as I was starting to slip off the horse. Thank. God. For the rest of the day I refused to trust Tornado, and limited him to a very slow walk. (The little mischievous diablo didn’t even deserve to trot.)

Apart from this terrifying little joy ride I went on, the afternoon was great. The scenery was breathtaking, and I felt so removed from the city. I love Buenos Aires so much, but it is so nice to get away from the noise and hustle of the city. (I found out this weekend that Buenos Aires is the loudest city in Latin America, and fourth loudest in the world…not so shocking though!) When we got back to the hostel I immediately passed out (too much adrenaline for one afternoon), and woke up a few hours later to a delicious asado in the hostel. There honestly is nothing like waking up to the rich aromas of chorizo and bife de chorizo coming from downstairs. This was night two of stuffing my face with carne, accompanied by copious copas of vino; I love this Argentine life.

Sunday we slept in a little, finally recovering from the excess wine we had drank in the past two days. I woke up very much debilitated. (Turns out my little venture with Tornado took quite the toll on my body; arms, abs, back, and especially my groins were basically out of commission.) And on top of my wine-induced headache…ouch. After completely taking advantage of our free breakfast we spent a tranquila morning exploring Mendoza. We first head to the Mercado Central, a central market in the middle of Mendoza with lots of fresh meats, fruits, seafood, empanadas, parrilla, and more. Cassie eyed some paella, which we took para llevar and ate in Plaza Independencia. We spent the rest of the day perusing the artisan markets, where I found amazing earrings made from rice paper. Amazing. I seriously need to learn how to stay away from these dangerous mercados; this is where all my money is going. For dinner we went to Anna Bistro, definitely one of my favorite spots in Argentina. Walking down a stone path, there is a heated patio to the right, surrounded by fresco greenery and soft lights…so sexy and cool. The food was so amazing; Paloma and Cassie got an incredibly sauve pumpkin soup; the feuilletée de queso de cabra that I got was sin palabras.

Llama stare-down

El 20 de junio is el Día de la Bandera, so we got yet another day off school. We headed into Maipú for the day where we walked to the Trapiche bodega, one of the biggest wine companies in Argentina. I definitely like touring the small bodegas better, but it was interesting to see what one of the bigger companies looks like. They even have llamas on the grounds! Unreal. (Except while Cassie and Paloma and gawking at the cuteness of the llamas, all I could think of was the delicious llama that I munched on when I was in Jujuy and Salta…not sorry.) We met Mariela and Dani during the degustación, and the five of us decided to go to Beer Garden for lunch. We were almost positive that this was an inevitable tourist trap, but when we walked down a dirt road only to see a small little wooden building, surrounded by handpainted signs, we were pleasantly surprised. Beer Garden’s claim to fame is their artisan beer, which we ordered along with their homemade carne empanadas. ¡Qué ricoooooo!

Soon after lunch it was time for us to make our way back to BA. And by back to BA I mean flag down a colectivo on a deserted dirt road on the outskirts of Maipú, hoping that it was headed towards Mendoza…where we then would make our way back to the hostel…where we would then head to the airport, making our way back to BA. Las cenizas did not affect our journey whatsoever, however a snowstorm in Chile closed the border for a few days, forcing our fellow Chilean hostel-mates to fly back rather than take the bus. Ohhhh Chile. (One of the many reasons Argentina es mejor…hehe.)

I have less than a week left with Paloma and many of my other US friends in BA, which I am really dreading. We are going to Fuerzabruta on Friday night, which should be AMAZING.

As for school, I have two finals down, two more to go. (One due tomorrow, the last one in July.) I have all next week completely free to explore BA, which I am really looking forward to!

Next trip on the agenda: USA for a few weeks!

Chau,
audgentina.

argentina: mi amor, mi alma, mi vida

My life in the past four months, en fotos, videos y música.



Canción: "Ojalá Que Este Verano No Nos Maten!" by La Ola Que Quería Ser Chau

coca, consuela y chachi

Sometimes, things don’t exactly go as planned. In Argentina this happens a lot but I have learned to go with the flow, as long as my life is not put in danger.

On Tuesday Paloma and I left for a 6-day trip to northwestern Argentina, in the provincias of Salta and Jujuy. There was a little miscommunication and our flights were booked arriving and departing from opposite cities, but we quickly resolved this minor dilemma and thought that everything from that point forward would go smoothly.

Pero nos equivocamos.

Tuesday was a wet, rainy, windy, and all around gross day. I couldn’t even anticipate the turbulence that lay ahead, but my flight took off on time and besides the occasional bumps and drops, everything was going relatively smoothly.

An hour into the flight—just as we’re getting out of the intense turbulence zone—the captain announces that there is a gas leak in the plane and that we would be returning back to Buenos Aires. Yes, we were halfway to Jujuy so we could have just continued on to our final destination, furthermore there are several large cities in between Jujuy and Buenos Aires where we could have landed, but regardless the plane turned around and brought us back to the zone of deathly turbulence.

Gripping onto the side of my seat, palms sweating, heart racing, I was ready to just fast-forward to Jujuy. There was a plane crash in Patagonia less than a week beforehand, so that didn’t exactly help calm my nerves.

Coming in over the Costanera, the dirty Río de la Plata beneath us, passing the River Plate stadium, we were basically back at Jorge Newbery so I thought I was able to finally breathe. As we were coming in to land, just as the wheels are about to screech against the damp pavement of the runway, the plane starts to take off again. The pilot comes on the loudspeaker only to tell us that another plane was coming into land right behind us and that we had to loop around again to land. Sitting by the window, I curiously peer out the window to see if I could see the plane behind us. Not only could I SEE the plane, but it was just a few hundred feet behind the tail of our plane.

Hey Courtney, don’t you wish you had been on this flight?

Planes just don’t crash in the air…that is something that you can bet on NEVER happening. However, a lack of communication with the ATC tower may result otherwise. Seeing the nose of the other plane behind us, I was hit with a wave of nausea and felt like I was going to pass out. The woman next to me sees my panic and immediately takes my hand in an effort to calm me down.

Todo bien, todo bien.

And yes, everything was okay. I mean, the Jujuy airport was closed because of weather so we had to land in Salta and then be shuttled two hours in a combi to Jujuy, but I made it in one piece. (And only seven hours after I was supposed to arrive!)

Well, things can only get better from here!

Paloma and I went out to dinner at an empanadería with two French guys that we met in our hostel. I got empanadas de llama…¡increíbles! Northwest Argentina is known for their delicious regional food, such as tamales, humitas, sopa de maní, empanadas, llama, locro…and it actually comes picante!

The next day was May 25th, not only my beautiful mother’s birthday but also El Día de la Patria in Argentina. All stores were closed in the morning and the entire city of Jujuy assembled in the central plaza for a big desfile. We were in a sea of celeste and Soles de Mayo. Young school children, gauchos on caballo, members of the ejército, and veterans, among many others, filed down San Martín as they were presented to the observing jujeños. The sense of national pride, even in this city of less than 300,000, was tremendous and contagious. Instead of throwing candy to the spectators, alfajores and empanadas were handed out. The plaza was filled with pancho stands, mobile kioscos, and vendors selling Argentine flags, flag pins, flag ribbons…pretty much flag-anything. The marching band played some of Argentina’s national songs as the jujeños sang along. The orgullo argentino that was so simply and modestly revealed in the little city of San Salvador de Jujuy made me recognize my own orgullo argentino…I am an Argentine resident after all!

We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, wandering the street markets of pirated movies and imitation Nike products, trying new regional specialties, and munching on hojas de coca. Coca leaves are legal in the provincias of Jujuy and Salta, traditionally used for medical or religious purposes. I basically relied on coca leaves when I was in Peru in 2008, as they are very effective with fighting altitude sickness. Las hojas de coca saved me again this past week, as we were between 5,000-13,000 feet above sea level at different points throughout the week. The coca leaves also awesomely numb your mouth when you chew on them…which you know, is always fun.

On Thursday we went on an excursion to Las Salinas Grandes. I visited some salt flats in Córdoba, but the ones in Jujuy (and Salta) are known for being pure salitre that extend for miles and miles, so we decided to check them out. Our guide first took us through some small indigenous villages (one of the villages only had one telephone for the entire community!), up through the autopista panamericana, and into Purmamarca where we hiked in the Quebrada de Humahuaca through the Cerro de los Siete Colores. The different colors on the mountain are a result of different sediments, each color signifying a different time period. The air was thin, we were huffin’ and puffin’, but it was such an extraordinary view that our inability to breathe seemed trivial. The reds, oranges, purples, and greens of the mountains were so unlike anything I had ever seen before, and I can’t even illustrate the radiance of the quebrada in words nor in photos.

While some of us grabbed lunch at a deli in Purmamarca (this means jamón crudo!), others opted to have a more regional dish in a small village on the way to the salt flats. After trying two closed restaurants, we arrived at one that had lunch but only for three people. Some had to ration, but we left with panzas llenas. After lunch we went up to Las Salinas Grandes…sunglasses necessary. We spent an hour roaming around the infinite flats, taking pictures of ourselves in the palm of someone’s hand, standing on people’s shoulders, ninja-fighting, eating our mini-friends, and with our dancing Bolivian people. The blinding reflection from the purely white salt left us sunburned, tired, dehydrated, and partially blind (for those without sunglasses), but we all still had smiles on our faces. Before heading back to Jujuy we stopped back at the Purmamarca market where we all loaded up on llama sweaters, scarves, and other cosas artesenales. Jujeños are predominantly indigenous with dark complexions, so they are immediately drawn to my light green eyes. ¡Qué bellos ojos! I may or may not have used this to my advantage when it came to haggling prices. Winnnnn.

Paloma and I went to Tilcara on Friday, a small town nestled in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, about an hour and a half from Jujuy. We got there in the early afternoon and had a long (two hours!) lunch at a cute little restaurant, where we stuffed ourselves with empanadas, chorizo, and morcilla. We were seated in front of the window…ultimate people watching. A woman walked by selling indigenous dolls made out of seeds in a colorful dress…so naturally we both had to run out and get one for ourselves. We named hers Chachi and mine Consuela…and they are our new best friends. (Peep them lovin' each other to the left.) After lunch we began wandering the streets of Tilcara, hoping to make our way to the ruins or Garganta del Diablo. Well, we got sidetracked at the market (again, using my ojos verdes to my advantage), and ended up buying some pretty badass converse, woven with colorful, indigenous cloth. Don’t know how well these shoes will be accepted in the US, but I’m in Argentina for over six more months, and I plan on getting as much use out of them as possible. We headed back to Jujuy, stopped at our hostel, then went back to the bus station and hopped onto our bus to Salta. Paloma and I arrived around 10:30, and although we had a long day, we were still ready to hit up a peña. We got to La Vieja Estación around 11:30 (acceptable time for dinner in Argentina), getting one of the last seats in the house. Lots of folklore music, empanadas, tamales, and vino…buena onda.

The peña at La Vieja Estación in Salta

On Saturday we woke up early and got on a bus to Cafayate, about four hours south of Salta. Sara and Devon met us at the bus station and we immediately began our wine-tasting adventures. We started at Bodega Nanni, an organic, family-run vineyard. We were introduced to Torrontés, a dry white wine and Cafayate’s claim to fame. At Bodega Nanni we started talking to our tour guide who is actually from Boston. She was telling us about how she moved to Argentina for sustainable development in La Plata and then wound up working at this vineyard in Cafayate. She didn’t care that she was earning Argentine wages because she was so happy where she was. Talking with her really inspired me to do what I love. Right now, owning and running a vineyard seems to be my calling, but I’m still working out all the details. Walking around Cafayate, I fell in love. It is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, a similar landscape to Tilcara but much more green. The pink mountains in the distance make the beauty of Cafayate so incredibly unique. We went to three other vineyards, but I enjoyed the wines at Bodega Nanni more. They were much smoother than the others (especially Bodega Vasija Secreta, whose wine was a little too bitter for my liking), plus they’re all organic! After we vino-ed our way through Cafayate we wound up at an ice cream parlor that has Torrontés and Cabernet Sauvignon flavored ice cream…MAJOR win. Cabernet was my favorite, but they were both delicious. I mean…it’s WINE ice cream. A pretty ultimate fusion of life’s essentials, if you ask me.

Paloma left early Sunday morning so I spent the day with Mya and Kirsten. We had awesome luck with the weather all week; every day was sunny without a cloud in the sky. But on Sunday it was a bit gloomy, so we went to the supermercado, got some Malbec, cheese, crackers, and chocolate, and had a huge snuggle session in the hostel. LOTS of laughing, obvio, and before I knew it I was headed back to BA.

I’m off to Mendoza next! Bike-wine tours…here I come! (Watch out pedestrians.)

Chau,
audgentina.

dos besos en las mejillas

This past weekend I went on my first ISA excursion to Puerto Iguazú. I had been avoiding excursions with ISA because I hate traveling in big groups, but I couldn't turn down this already-paid-for excursion to Iguazú...especially since everyone had been raving about this AMAZING asado. Thursday after school we boarded a cochecama omnibus and embarked on a twelve hour ride to Posadas, in the provincia of Misiones. We arrived early the next morning and transferred onto a smaller bus where we drove forty minutes to the small pueblo of San Ignacio. We arrived at Las Ruinas de San Ignacio sleepy, but ready to take on the busy day ahead of us. With the red clay contrasting with the bright blue (cloudless!) sky and luminously green flora, these Jesuit missions reminded me a little bit of the Mayan ruins I have seen in Yucatán, Mexico. After wandering around las ruinas for a while, we went into the centro of San Ignacio to the mercado de artesanía. The roads in San Ignacio were pure tierra colorada, giving this pueblito a very unique onda.

Our next stop was Estancia La Chaca, another forty-minute ride from San Ignacio. This estancia was so relaxing; when we arrived we were able to swim in the pool, lie on the hammocks, or play soccer, volleyball, tennis, or ping-pong. But when the food was brought out, everyone dropped whatever it was that they were doing, as this estancia is famous for having the best parrilla. The most delicious empanadas I have had in Argentina (which belive me, is a LOT) was at this estancia. They were so sweetly juicy with a perfect consistency. I dream about having these empanadas again. Then they brought out the choripan, probably my favorite thing about Argentina. Obviously, I had two. They had this pico de gallo-esque sauce to put on it, which gave it even more flavor. Finally was the delicious parrilla, complete with bife de chorizo, vacío, tira de asado, and everything else in between.

After I overstuffed myself (as I tend to do at parrillas), we were taken on a maté tour near the estancia. We were shown the difference between yerba maté leaves and regular tealeaves; las hojas de yerba maté tend to be a lighter green. We walked to the maté factory, where we saw the maté leaves being harvested and processed. During the processing of the yerba they are baked in this room where the leaves are directly exposed to heat, in an effort to destroy the ferments and avoid oxidation. Needless to say, we were only in this small room for a short period of time, as we overheated within seconds. In the next room there were piles and piles of Costco-size bags of yerba maté…¡mi sueño! We headed back to the estancia and had postre and cold maté, something I had never tried before; once with cold water, once with jugo de limón (¡BUENÍSIMO!). After we finished with the maté, we got back on the bus and drove four hours to our hotel in Puerto Iguazú, where we were greeted with fresh licuados, followed by an all you can eat buffet (including a fresh parrilla station, with lots of chorizo and morcilla…yum!).

We woke up early the next day to a complete breakfast buffet (just think: endless medialunas and dulce de leche), and left for the Parque Nacional Iguazú around 8:30hs. When we got to the park we took a train to the beginning of the paseo to Garganta del Diablo and walked across many, many puentes to the big waterfall. All I can say is OH. MY. GOD. I was sin palabras when we got to this magnificent sight. Thick mist and water everywhere, we were inevitably drenched at the top of the waterfall, but couldn’t even notice because it was just that spectacular. Everyone who had been to Iguazú before me had told me how powerful, emotional, and energizing the falls actually are, but I thought they were all full of it. I just couldn’t fathom the vivacity of the falls. But it is so true. Everyone was so energized. I don’t even know how to describe how I felt. It was so powerful and peaceful; I simply felt that it was just the falls and me. The exuberance I felt was real, and unlike anything I had ever felt before.

The park persisted to amaze me as we continued walking through the jungle, with endless waterfalls in sight. There are over 250 waterfalls in the park, but it feels like so much more than that. Basically, Niagra Falls is an embarrassment compared to Iguazú. We then went on a speedboat that took us underneath the falls. Yes, we knew about the speedboat the crashed a few months ago…but we were willing to take the risk. In our trajes de baño ready to get soaked, the boat would circle around a waterfall a few times, each time inching closer to the base. It was absolutely thrilling, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t screaming like a little girl.

Mid-afternoon we headed to Tres Fronteras: the point at which Río Paraguay and Río Paraná come together, creating the borders between Argentina, Brasil, and Paraguay (Paraguay on the left, Brasil on the right). It was pretty neat being only a few kilometers away from these two countries, both of which I hope to visit. We were there as the sun was setting, and while a group of Guaraní children sang some of their traditional songs it created the most perfect, relaxing end to an amazing day.

The next day we visited a Guaraní village. We boarded an open-air truck, which took us from our hotel to the pueblito. We wandered through the selva with our Guaraní guide, Luis, who taught us about their language, culture, and even hunting tactics. We then came across a group of Guaraní people, who sang us a few of their traditional canciones (much like the ones we heard the day prior at Tres Fronteras). I find Guaraní songs to be very melodic and soothing, so I bought a CD in hopes of using it for relaxation. Here’s a video that I took of one of the songs they sang to us (peep the kid swinging from the roof in the background):

They held a small market for us afterwards, selling their sacred virgin beads, rosaries, and other Guaraní artisan crafts. Once we finished browsing through the mercado, we headed back to the hotel (inadvertently tracking mud throughout the lobby…oops!). An asado was obviously my choice for lunch, and after quickly nomming we were off to the airport, headed back to BA. Being in the northeast part of Argentina for the weekend, we missed the sudden change in clima in BA and were in for quite a shock when we arrived and it was 12ºC. I have definitely developed a tolerancia porteña to the cold; it has been ranging in the teens (55ºF-65ºF) this week, and I have whipped out my faithful Barbour (who gets me through the hostile winters in Vermont).

Traveling with ISA was nice, considering it was already paid for and I could let someone else worry about the logistics and planning, but I definitely prefer traveling on my own in a smaller group. There’s just no way to travel efficiently when there is nearly fifty students. Plus, I found the program's excursion regulations to hinder on my characteristic independent spirit...sorry I'm not sorry.

Next adventure on the agenda is an indigenous journey to the provincias of Jujuy and Salta (including Quebrada de Humahuaca!) in northwestern Argentina at the end of the month. Just booked my plane tickets today! Until then, I will be hacking away at my extensive bucket list, studying for my parciales, and getting ready for the Superclásico next weekend (River Plate vs. Boca Juniors…said to be one of the greatest sport rivalries in the world)!

Chau,
audgentina.

la vida vale más que el oro

I just got back from an amazing week in Bariloche. However, before I was able to witness the serenity of Argentine Patagonia, I had to spend nearly an entire day on a bus…alone. I can sum up my twenty-two hours of solitude with: four runs of Madonna’s concert video (each time more unpleasant than the last), an almost drug bust, lots of melatonina, swollen ankles, and some re rico ravioli. Upon arriving in Bariloche, I may or may not have misunderstood where the bus station was in relation to the central part of town, thus walking nearly five kilometers with all of my stuff, wind in my face, sun destroying my retinas. But at least I ended up getting some exercise after legitimately not moving my cuerpo for almost an entire day. (Seriously, too much melotonina. Didn’t even get up out of my seat ONCE. Fail.) Staying at a beautiful hostel right on Lake Nahuel Huapi, I couldn’t have been more relieved when I finally arrived. (Seriously…backyard is the lago. Unreal.) It always surprises me how easy it is to meet people in hostels. I spent most of that night in the kitchen making dinner (homemade macaroni and cheese OBVIOUSLY. Which also lasted me three days. So frugalicious.), and met so many people from all over the world, some of which I ended up hiking with the next day.

I woke up early the next morning to hike through Cerro Otto and Cerro Chico. Two completely different hikes, both so beautiful, and both so full of FOLIAGE! April falls right in the middle of otoño in the Southern Hemisphere, so I definitely came at the right time. Being from New England, I’m a sucker for foliage, so I felt right at home in Bariloche. From Cerro Otto you are able to see all of Bariloche, the lake, the islands, the mountains…everything! It was incredible and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t spend a solid hour at the top absorbing the vista. Cerro Chico had the most surreal, serene vistas…I honestly felt like I was dreaming.

The next day was the end of the world. Actually. Torrential downpours, high-speed winds…if my vacation hadn’t been so short I probably would have spent the entire day seeking refuge in a cellar with canned food and bottled water. However since that wasn’t the case, I decided to risk my life and explore El Bolsón, a hippie town two hours south of Bariloche. When you get into El Bolsón you see a sign that says la vida vale más que el oro, a true testament to their hippie status. There is a big, nice market with the usual food, clothes, jewelry, and it even withstood despite the rain. People were running through the streets, loving the rain. Being surrounded by so many people loving life had really surprising effect on me, and left me really contemplating la vida as I pulled away from El Bolsón. Deep stuff, I know. Sarah, Valentín, and Kelsey had rented a cabaña in Bariloche for the week, so when I got back from my hippie experience I went straight to their lugar for lots of music, leftover macaroni and cheese, Pisco, Fernet, and Malbec.

The next day was COLD. I’m not talking I’ve-been-in-BA-for-three-months-and-now-I-have-no-tolerance-for-cold cold, I’m talking Vermont-in-late-fall cold. The winds were only getting stronger and it was so cloudy that it would not have been worth taking the well-anticipated Tronador hike. (¡Qué lástima!) I met up with Sarah, Valentín, and Kelsey for some late-morning helado at Jauja, which apparently has the best ice cream in Bariloche. I went for the dulce de leche bañado en chocolate…sinful. Because the weather was so awful, we decided to rent a car for the day. It wound up being $53AR apiece, INCLUDING gas for 200 kilometers…an INCREDIBLE deal. (…albeit two of the doors didn’t open and the car really struggled up/down hills…) We drove around the Bariloche area, exploring what we wanted to explore without freezing to our very cores. Hotel Llao Llao (PS Mom and Dad…we are staying there.), a puerto near Isla Victoria, Lago Escondido...¡a todos lados! I came back to the hostel for a maté sesh with some of my hostel friends, then made a big couscous mezcla for dinner (obviously accompanied by some Malbec). Actually, in Bariloche I discovered a Malbec that might just rival my usual fav (Santa Julia). Terruño Andino: FIFTEEN PESOS, and so, so smooth. I will obviously need to hold an official taste test…hopefully I can find Terruño in BA!

Sarah and I spent Saturday exploring Bariloche since the weather unfortunately didn’t allow us to hike. We wandered through a few artisan markets, finding a huge one inside (where we were able to seek refuge from the blustery conditions outside). After getting little artisan leather wallets, we headed back to my hostel and ended up drinking maté for two hours, sitting by the window in the lounge that looks right onto the lake. Drinking maté for such a long time, we both for the first time felt the REAL effects this mysterious yerba has on people. It was such an amazing, natural feeling. We now know why Argentines love maté so much...

Bariloche is the chocolate capital of Argentina, so we’d be silly not to indulge. After our extended maté sesh, we wandered back into town for some Malbec and chocolate. We went to Mamuschka, which allegedy has the best chocolate in all of Bariloche. Walking into the store there are tons and tons of glass cases filled with all different kinds of chocolate. Obviously I didn’t resist my urge to buy EVERYTHING I wanted, and it only came out to $35AR. Incredible. My favorite chocolates were the banana and dulce de leche covered in milk chocolate, and the cashew and dulce de leche covered in white chocolate. Okay fine you caught me…I’m OBSESSED with the dulce.

It wouldn’t be a vacation in Argentina without a massive feast at a parrilla, so we met up with Kelsey’s host brother Agustín and his friend (who is from Bariloche), and the six of us made our way to El Boliche de Alberto, a famous restaurant in town. We started off with some chorizo y morcilla (both SO AMAZING! I’m addicted to morcilla), then we had some bife de chorizo, vacío, and tira de asado. So much delicious meat, I was stuffed for a solid 24 hours. The whole meal, including vino (and lots of it…), came down to $73AR a piece…less than $20USD! The meat here is so delicious and flavorful, I almost feel guilty paying so little.

I woke up early the next day for my bus back to BA. Yes, I spent all of Easter on an omnibus. The bus rides really weren’t that bad. By no means am I saying that I recommend wasting an entire day sitting in a moving metal box, but it could have been much worse. Argentine bus companies actually are legit: seats recline pretty far back, pillow and blanket included, decent food, and …variable…movies. If you are going to subject yourself to a bus ride over six hours, you have to be comfortable doing it. Plus, because it was Easter, everyone got huevos de Pascua when we boarded the bus! Sweeeeeet.

It’s safe to say that I’m in love with Patagonia. Everything is so serene and simple; I can seriously see myself going back down there for an extended period of time while I attempt to avoid the real world.

Off to las Cataratas del Iguazú tomorrow!

Chau,
audgentina.

las sierras chicas

I spent this past four-day weekend in Córdoba, a provincia northwest of Buenos Aires. We left Retiro around 10pm Thursday night and embarked on our twelve-hour bus ride to Capilla del Monte, a small town about two hours from the city of Córdoba. Arriving on a cold and rainy Friday morning, we hopped on a van that took us forty-five minutes to our estancia. Estancia Ongamira is owned by an Australian/Argentine family, and it has been in the family for six generations (…and counting!). Some of the buildings on the estancia were built as early as 1597! It was pretty neat. We were the only people staying at Estancia Ongamira; it was very relaxing and tranquil. Upon our arrival, we were presented with a big and delicious breakfast of Bircher Muesli (a mixture of yogurt, rolled oats, fruit juice, nuts, honey and fresh fruit—SO good!), tostadas with dulce de leche and jams, and of course café and té.

After breakfast we began our hike on Cerro Colchiqui. Our hiking guide, Domingo, brought us on this five-hour hike that took us through the cool and misty mountains of the area surrounding our estancia. Even though it was really cloudy we were still able to see some incredible views from the mountaintops. We had packed a lunch—milanesa, tomato, and lettuce sandwich and an apple fresh from the estancia’s orchard—and ate it at the top of the mountain while Juan (our trip guide) told us some story about supposed UFO sightings at the top of said mountain…

We were welcomed back from the hike with a big merienda of té, café, deliciously fudgy brownies, mini lemon pancakes, and lots of dulce de leche and jams to smother on the pancakes. Inevitably we devoured ALL of the food. I took the most amazing shower (water is fresh from the spring, so amazing water quality and pressure…plus the towels were so soft I thought I was in heaven.) and immediately fell into a severe food coma. I woke up a few hours later only to eat MORE.

The chefs at the estancia had prepared an asado de bienvenida for us: first bringing out some blood sausage (MUCH better than it sounds, I promise) and chorizo, then a salad full of fresh and delicious vegetables (the tomatoes in Argentina are so jugosos), then another platter of lamb and tons of bife. I ate until I nearly exploded! Painfully full, but it was all so good I just couldn’t bring myself to stop eating. However, that was not all. They then brought out an apple and vanilla cake in a grape sauce (apples and grapes fresh from the estancia) with homemade cream garnished with fresh mint; if I could eat that dish every day for the rest of my life I would be the happiest person alive. After dinner—as if all that food simply was not enough—Alex, Vicki, Brandon and I walked through the estancia together to eat fresh grapes (off the vine!) and fresh walnuts in the greenhouse. The sky finally cleared up at night: there were so many stars! We all had a guiarreada outside. Juan is a guitarist in an Argentine band, so it was a really good time, especially under the stars. At one point we saw a bright orange “star” which we at first assumed to be either Jupiter or Mars, but then later found out that it actually was the light of a radio tower on top of a mountain…¡qué lastima!

The next day we woke up to another delicious breakfast of Bircher Muesli, tostadas with dulce de leche and jams, and café and té. We had the morning libre so Vicki, Brandon, Alex and I walked to Las Cuevas de Ongamira. A three-kilometer (I hate the metric system…) walk down the road from the estancia, we paid ten pesos to enter this entire canyon of caves and cliffs. We walked through the whole thing, including an ascenso that looked over the entire valley. The view was incredible. Being the only people there, we were able to take in the beauty of everything around us. It was SO WINDY (at some points I actually felt like I was going to fly off the cliff) but it was such a liberating feeling. After spending a solid thirty minutes soaking in the endless panorama at the top, we hiked back down to see the cuevas, which ended up less of a cave and more of a big curved rock surrounded by an arroyo—still so cool. The trail then led us to a pasture where there were some wild stallions. We played in the pasture for a little bit (like children) and then walked back to the estancia. The view of the mountains walking back was absolutely breathtaking; it just was not real life.

We came back to a delicious lunch: a wonderfully cheesy and meaty lasagna and for dessert a baked apple covered in a sweet dulce de leche sauce, filled with more dulce de leche, topped with fresh walnuts. After stuffing our faces for a solid hour and a half, we left for Las Salinas Grandes, about a three-hour van ride from the estancia. We got there right before sunset; the clouds in the sky were so trippy. I was in disbelief of how vast Las Salinas Grandes actually were; they seemed to continue forever. It really messed with your depth perception. There was a huge body of water (that actually looked more like a mirage at first) that didn’t appear to be that far away, but we were walking for a solid hour before we finally reached it. There were old, abandoned train tracks and mining equipment from when salt used to be mined at the flats. Las Salinas Grandes were super soft and mushy (from just having rained the week before), and when we took our shoes off to walk around it felt just like a spa treatment. Amazing. We roamed around the flats until it was completely dark outside. We had set up camp at the flats and enjoyed a merienda of brownies and yellow cake made by Juan. We relaxed by the campfire until dinner, when Juan made us a delicious stew of rice, bife, carrots, onions, potatoes, and more delicious vegetables. We stayed at Las Salinas Grandes until about 1:30am (not returning to the estancia until close to 5am), soaking in the stars and having another guiarreada.

On Sunday we were sad to wake up only to realize that this would be our last delicious breakfast of Bircher Muesli and its accompaniments. (I managed to get the Bircher Muesli recipe, and plan on making it often when I return home.) After breakfast, John (one of the owners of the estancia) gave us a ride on the back of his pickup truck to a trailhead where we started our horseback ride through the mountains. My horse was named Gringo (of course) and he sure was a strong-headed guy! We rode up to the base of the mountain and hiked up. The view was UNREAL; I felt like it was a green screen. We had some mountaintop maté while Juan told us some stories about the aborigines. It was so amazing and peaceful at the top, and we ended up hanging out at the top of the mountain for a few hours.

When we returned to the estancia, the chefs had prepared an early dinner of homemade pizzas for us. I don’t even want to know how much I ate, but it was easily more than a full pizza. They had prepared such an amazing variety for us: margherita, smoked goat cheese and caramelized onions, Hawaiian, and a lactose-free one with chorizo, tomatoes, peppers, and olives…among MANY others. We were all so sad to say goodbye to Juan and the staff; they were all SO amazing and the food was unbelievably delicious. Juan told us about some other tours he leads including a backpacking trip that goes through indigenous villages in northern Argentina, which particularly interested me. Before leaving the estancia I went to the grape vines and snagged some of the delicious uvas jugosas for a merienda on the way back to BA, but obviously finished them before we even got on the bus.

Buses in Argentina are really the way to travel. All of the seats recline almost all the way back—if not full cama—and they provide you with a pillow and a blanket. The seats aren’t all that uncomfortable, and it was very easy to fall asleep on both rides. The meals are just decent, but they are free and edible! Each bus has two levels, and the front row on the second level looks straight out in front of the bus, as from the same perspective as the bus driver. On the way back to BA I was lucky enough to get one of these golden seats, and watch the sunset over the mountains as we drove away from Capilla del Monte.

What an amazing weekend! Fresh air, lots of sun, and being away from the bustling life of BA was really what I needed. I’m off to Santiago on Friday for Lollapalooza…let’s just say that it will probably be a little different than my relaxing, outdoorsy weekend in Córdoba.

Chau,
audgentina.

panchos are the bomb-a

It has been a while…I KNOW. I was traveling all weekend and have been so busy with finals this week but I have finally found a moment to update all my fervent followers on my crazy life in the Southern Hemisphere! But never fear, this post will be worth the long anticipated wait.

Well…let’s just say La Bomba was the BOMB-a. After getting off the Subte a LITTLE too early

and thus having to walk through Almagro—also known as the shadiest part of BA that I’ve seen thus far (mi culpa, mi culpa)—we made it to La Bomba on time and alive. Before the concert started, everyone was gathered outside of the venue, enjoying a few drinks and whatnot. Because La Bomba shows every Monday, the audience mainly consisted of foreigners, a lot of them being UB students. The energy of the concert was really something!

I wish I could upload some of the videos I took at La Bomba because the YouTube video I posted last week really does not do it justice. The musicians really feed off of the audience’s vibe, and during a few numbers they use the audience’s cheers and shouts as part of the song. It was so amazing, and I definitely plan on going back!

The gatitos were born last Wednesday! Three little nubs…they are so precious. Except not really because they can’t walk/open their eyes yet so they kind of just sit there. Lame. But they will walk soon I guess? I don’t know. But I am anticipating extreme cuteness when they can walk and I can squeeze the life out of their cute little selves! Once they are cute and actually start doing things I promise to post pictures of them! They will stay at home until mid-April when they will be given to their respective owners…on which day I will cry myself to sleep.

Last Wednesday night I went to an LCD Soundsystem concert with some friends. It was such a great show and it was so fun to see them here in BA…who knew! I am surprised by all the great shows that tour here; I (ignorantly) assumed that since Argentina is so far away from, well, MY life, that we would get the shaft on touring bands. However, pretty legit groups have come/are coming including Sublime, Tiësto, Backstreet Boys (yeah I said it.), and…let’s just say my hips don’t lie. Yes, I am going to see Shakira TOMORROW! (Pop Festival 2011…with Ziggy Marley as one of the opening acts…chyyyyeeaaah) I AM SO EXCITED! My cousin/bff Shans said, “You’re seeing Shakira in Argentina? That’s like eating pasta in Italy”…well said Cuz, well said.

On Thursday night Paloma and I decided to get a group together to go down to Mar del Plata for the weekend. A five-hour bus ride away, it felt like the perfect opportunity to get away from the chaos of the city. It ended up being a group of five of us—Allegra, Jake, and Alex joined us—and the spontaneity of the whole trip made the weekend even better. We got in late on Friday night and got to explore the nightlife of Mar del Plata before hitting the beach first thing Saturday morning.

Marde—as Argentines call it—is notorious for having overcrowded beaches, but the guy at our hostel told us of some less crowded beaches just outside of the city. We hopped on a Colectivo and rode out to Arena Beach, about thirty minutes from our hostel. The beach was perfect and there actually was not a single cloud in the sky. As the day went on naturally more people started to show up, but it wasn’t the towel-on-top-of-towel crowd that it is at Playa Grande. Argentines who come to Marde for the weekend will come to Arena Beach with their 4x4 vehicle and essentially tailgate all day on the beach. (Driving their cars as close as 20 feet from the water!) They blast music from their cars and chill all day. It is amazing, and made me miss the Meadows a little bit (shout out to my CT chongz!). We befriended the owner of the beach bar, who made us the most delicious strawberry daiquiris and introduced us to panchos.

Panchos are the single greatest nomz in the WORLD. It is actually impossible to capture the delicious essence of panchos without actually tasting it, but I will try. Take a hot dog; douse it in mustard, Parmesan cheese sauce (Yes…cheese sauce...they have this in Argentina! SO delishie), and whatever other condiments of your choice; then top it with crunchy little chip fries. SO SO SO GOOD. I don’t even love hot dogs, but these are simply irresistible. And naturally, being at the beach for seven hours, I had three of them, as did Paloma and Allegra. We also befriended two cordobeses (Argentines from the province of Córdoba), Carlos and Marcelo, who proceeded to comment on how much we girls eat. Cool.

But Carlos and Marcelo did end up being a lot of fun. They had brought their car and invited us to their “lot” to chill with them. It was great hanging out with them, because they would not tolerate us speaking in English. Seriously, every time we started speaking a little English to each other they would start yelling "CHUT UP CHUT UP CHUT UP!" (one of the only English phrases they knew). It really forced us to practice our Spanish in a more informal setting. We were at the beach until probably 7PM (the sun was still out when we left…I love summer), and Carlos and Marcelo gave us a ride back to our hostel. When we got back, we showered, slept, ate, and rallied for another night out in Marde. We strategically had booked our bus back to BA on Sunday at 6PM in order to get maximum beach time, so we spent all day Sunday at Arena Beach as well. It was a more relaxing day, to say the least, but nonetheless a very good time. All around, a fantastic weekend.

On Tuesday night I was invited to a cocktail/dinner party, hosted by Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave is an old Westpoint classmate of my grandfather’s, and I met him for the first time this night. We have been in touch via e-mail since I arrived in BA, and he was very eager to meet me and introduce me to his porteño friends. The cocktail party started in his apartment, where I met what felt like hundreds of people. Not as many viejos as I had originally thought! I met some very nice girls, who are the daughters of one of his good friends. I’m really excited to meet more porteños (outside of the boliches, that is…), and hopefully this is where I’ll start! We then went to a restaurant across the street called El Pájaro que Comió. The rooftop was rented out for the party, and although a little windy, it was a perfect night. I am no longer an Argentine steak virgin! I had my first carne, and let me just say that Argentine steak is NOT overrated. If anything it is underrated. I have never before tasted such a juicy, rich, tasty steak in my life. And after having given up meat for the past two years, this was the most ultimate reintroduction to the meat eater’s world. The mozos kept bringing over more, and more (and MORE!) vino, and for dessert we had the fudgiest brownies with helado de crema americana. So. Delishie. I went to bed VERY satisfied.

As of today, my intensive month of Spanish is officially OVER! GRACIAS A DIOS I survived it. Never, ever, EVER will I again commit myself to 25 hours of Spanish grammar a week. And I strongly urge ANYONE reading this to avoid such a hellish commitment. Tonight will definitely be spent celebrating LIBERTAD with my classmates: it’s officially SPRING BREAK! But wait…it’s not spring. Oh well. I leave for Uruguay on Sunday night and will be there until the following Sunday. I can’t wait! We will be in La Paloma and Punta del Este. Feel free to Google these destinations and be jealous. However, the forecast right now is showing for a few more rainy days than I would like…but I’m hoping that it’s lying.

I’m really feeling good about life in BA. Everything is starting to fall into a routine, and I love every moment of it. I no longer feel like I stick out like a sore thumb and not only have people started asking me for directions, but I can respond without stuttering like an idiot and muttering something along the lines of yo no sé, while running away crying. I now have my favorite cafés and stores, where the owners know me by name…or in the case of the health food store around the corner from my house, where the owner knows me as la chica de los pistachios.

Chau,
audgentina.