latest activities
It hasn't felt like I've been up to very much, but when I try to write it all down, it looks like plenty. In reverse chronological order, to match my memory.
Thursday: Arrive in Iguazú. Go on rainforest exploration, including hiking, rappelling, and a zip-line ride. It didn't feel like that much of a rainforest--it seemed a lot like a northeast forest, save for the air plants, including some bromeliad-looking plants. You know, there were vines on the trees, and ferns on the ground, and a whole variety of trees, but I'm used to that. Apparently, though, it gets some 2m of rain per year. I also rearranged my plans for the next few days, so they no longer include Cordoba and now instead focus on the carpincho. I managed to call Caely, too. I've now been here more than a week! Lunch was beef ribs, cut cross-wise like Korean style. Dinner was in the fine foods area of Iguazú, with a meat-cheese-olive plate and two of those little stuffed pockets whose name I forget, not to mention a liter of Quilmes beer and 3 scoops of ice cream.
Wednesday: Last private tango & Spanish lessons. Walked through San Telmo, which has both large protests and fabulous hand-crafted goods even on weekdays, picked up laundry and repacked, and departed for Iguazú. The bus is amazing! Fancy reclining seats, dinner & breakfast, two movies, all for $50-75. Greyhound is no comparison. Near me was a Canadian woman who told me how terrible some things are in Argentina, particularly the bureaucracy in trying to obtain internet access to her apartment. We who are in microcentro, San Telmo, and Palermo are just living in a bubble, she says. Failure in calling Caely, though. Lunch was street food in San Telmo, just a sandwich, and dinner was a calzone and bus food.
Tuesday: Private tango lesson was moved to their other studio, so a free taxi ride. Went from there to a leather-store district my spanish tutor recommended, but they didn't have carpincho. I had lunch at a little indoor cafe; not very good. After Spanish lesson, went to order a carpincho jacket in the microcentro (downtown), then to Palermo for a group tango lesson, where I had it reinforced that rotations aren't done much in tango lessons. I was too tired to stay for the live band, which didn't start 'til 1am. Had a good dinner on the way home, including a cut of beef from the cow's diaphragm. Quite tasty, and I never would have known its origin. I successfully returned via a very late Subte.
Monday: Private tango lesson, followed immediately by the Spanish lesson. (Did I mention that she said most students don't want grammar lessons, but rather some sort of vocabulary and practice? I don't understand, since books are great for vocabulary and mediocre for grammar, but whatever.) I can't remember how I filled my afternoon. I think it was maybe organizational stuff, since I have faint memories of having booked my current tour. I know that such bookings were a great hassle at the time. Then dinner with Noel, a Ph.D. who previously worked with Ruth at UC Irvine, at a very nice inexpensive restaurant in Palermo. Then back and right to bed.
Sunday: All day in Colonia, Uruguay, a 1-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. The ferry was nice enough, and I talked to a helpful Portugese woman whose name I've forgotten. First a walking tour, then I wandered on my own, renting an unnecessary bike and having some hassles trying to obtain the $50 Uruguayan pesos needed for the museum. In one museum, I met Mauro, who was extremely helpful and happy to practice his English. I rode my bike down to a beach and tried to talk to some kids who caught a catfish, though all I managed to get was that the fish was spiny and not tasty, so they had to be careful in throwing it back. I bought some stuff at the market, though I can't remember exactly what. Lunch was the weirdest sort of thing: a ham and onion scramble mixed into french fries. I've got the name written down somewhere, but not immediately available. Dinner was back in Buenos Aires, but I can't remember what. Was this the fancy night with the live classical guitarist, whiskey, and milanesa? I think that was earlier. I'm not sure.
Earlier than this, it gets a bit hazy. I think Friday night was when I failed to dance at La Viruta, and Saturday was early because of the trip the next day. Saturday had my first Spanish lesson, and Friday was the first Argentinian World Cup game. One day, coming back from the port area, I saw a marching band playing in front of a building. They had a small crowd, maybe 50-100. I also saw a great rotating suspension drawbridge, but I didn't get to see it go. Did I mention the clouds in Buenos Aires are great? Lots of cumulus clouds, happy puffy things that catch the light much better than our San Franciscan fog.
Tomorow, Iguazú falls. It'll be good!
There, a nice long update at last. Enjoy, folks--what I've written here is likely most of what I'll remember, so now you've got as clear an idea of my travels as I have.
Thursday: Arrive in Iguazú. Go on rainforest exploration, including hiking, rappelling, and a zip-line ride. It didn't feel like that much of a rainforest--it seemed a lot like a northeast forest, save for the air plants, including some bromeliad-looking plants. You know, there were vines on the trees, and ferns on the ground, and a whole variety of trees, but I'm used to that. Apparently, though, it gets some 2m of rain per year. I also rearranged my plans for the next few days, so they no longer include Cordoba and now instead focus on the carpincho. I managed to call Caely, too. I've now been here more than a week! Lunch was beef ribs, cut cross-wise like Korean style. Dinner was in the fine foods area of Iguazú, with a meat-cheese-olive plate and two of those little stuffed pockets whose name I forget, not to mention a liter of Quilmes beer and 3 scoops of ice cream.
Wednesday: Last private tango & Spanish lessons. Walked through San Telmo, which has both large protests and fabulous hand-crafted goods even on weekdays, picked up laundry and repacked, and departed for Iguazú. The bus is amazing! Fancy reclining seats, dinner & breakfast, two movies, all for $50-75. Greyhound is no comparison. Near me was a Canadian woman who told me how terrible some things are in Argentina, particularly the bureaucracy in trying to obtain internet access to her apartment. We who are in microcentro, San Telmo, and Palermo are just living in a bubble, she says. Failure in calling Caely, though. Lunch was street food in San Telmo, just a sandwich, and dinner was a calzone and bus food.
Tuesday: Private tango lesson was moved to their other studio, so a free taxi ride. Went from there to a leather-store district my spanish tutor recommended, but they didn't have carpincho. I had lunch at a little indoor cafe; not very good. After Spanish lesson, went to order a carpincho jacket in the microcentro (downtown), then to Palermo for a group tango lesson, where I had it reinforced that rotations aren't done much in tango lessons. I was too tired to stay for the live band, which didn't start 'til 1am. Had a good dinner on the way home, including a cut of beef from the cow's diaphragm. Quite tasty, and I never would have known its origin. I successfully returned via a very late Subte.
Monday: Private tango lesson, followed immediately by the Spanish lesson. (Did I mention that she said most students don't want grammar lessons, but rather some sort of vocabulary and practice? I don't understand, since books are great for vocabulary and mediocre for grammar, but whatever.) I can't remember how I filled my afternoon. I think it was maybe organizational stuff, since I have faint memories of having booked my current tour. I know that such bookings were a great hassle at the time. Then dinner with Noel, a Ph.D. who previously worked with Ruth at UC Irvine, at a very nice inexpensive restaurant in Palermo. Then back and right to bed.
Sunday: All day in Colonia, Uruguay, a 1-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. The ferry was nice enough, and I talked to a helpful Portugese woman whose name I've forgotten. First a walking tour, then I wandered on my own, renting an unnecessary bike and having some hassles trying to obtain the $50 Uruguayan pesos needed for the museum. In one museum, I met Mauro, who was extremely helpful and happy to practice his English. I rode my bike down to a beach and tried to talk to some kids who caught a catfish, though all I managed to get was that the fish was spiny and not tasty, so they had to be careful in throwing it back. I bought some stuff at the market, though I can't remember exactly what. Lunch was the weirdest sort of thing: a ham and onion scramble mixed into french fries. I've got the name written down somewhere, but not immediately available. Dinner was back in Buenos Aires, but I can't remember what. Was this the fancy night with the live classical guitarist, whiskey, and milanesa? I think that was earlier. I'm not sure.
Earlier than this, it gets a bit hazy. I think Friday night was when I failed to dance at La Viruta, and Saturday was early because of the trip the next day. Saturday had my first Spanish lesson, and Friday was the first Argentinian World Cup game. One day, coming back from the port area, I saw a marching band playing in front of a building. They had a small crowd, maybe 50-100. I also saw a great rotating suspension drawbridge, but I didn't get to see it go. Did I mention the clouds in Buenos Aires are great? Lots of cumulus clouds, happy puffy things that catch the light much better than our San Franciscan fog.
Tomorow, Iguazú falls. It'll be good!
There, a nice long update at last. Enjoy, folks--what I've written here is likely most of what I'll remember, so now you've got as clear an idea of my travels as I have.