Escaping Concrete Monster in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Concrete Monster named Buenos Aires roars so loudly that it frequently irritates porteños, stealing away hours of sleep, tranquility and patience.

Many times, I travel more than four hours to Pinamar (beach area in thesouthern part of Buenos Aires Province) looking for peace; a way to escape this stressful Concrete Monster that excites and accelerates me at times, and consumes me without previous notice at other times.

This weekend, I discovered I don’t have to travel so far to shelter myself from these deafening sounds; I can simply take a 50 minute train ride, or 30 minute car ride to San Isidro (Buenos Aires) where I can scroll down the artisans’ fair, walk around the quiet cobblestone streets with low houses and admire the sunset from the riverside to harmonize my senses with this soothing silence.

Interesting Info:
Founded in 1784 by Domingo de Acasusso
Population: 45.190 inhabitants Recycling process: "Recycle and Help San Isidro", a campaign used to acquire resources for Hospital Materno Infantil de San Isidro.

For more information visit: http://www.sanisidro.gov.ar/

Tourist Information Office:
Ituzaingo 608 (Esq. Av. del Libertador)
Phone: 4512-3209 / 3262Fax: 4512-3262
turismo@sanisidro.gov.ar

How to get there:

• Take bus “152” to Olivos, get down at the station of “Tren de la Costa”. Then take the train to station “San Isidro” (close to the Cathedral).
  
  
• Take the subway to “Congreso” station, and then take bus “168” to San Isidro’s Cathedral.
  
  
• Take train “Tigre” for Retiro Station and get down in the center of San Isidro.

Bus ride with Drugs and Phonebooks

Around 7 p.m. I hopped on bus “29” to go to my friend’s house. I got my ticket, paid, and walked towards to end of the bus, as I always do, hoping to find a free seat. But I had no luck and I had to stand for the rest of the trip.

About 20 minutes later a roving salesman got on the bus to sell magnetic phonebooks, a useful invention about 10 years ago, yet something unnecessary today when most people use their cell phone’s phonebook to keep track of their friends’ numbers.

“No, thank you. No, thank you.” You would hear over and over again as the salesman made his way around the bus offering his merchandise. There was no variance. The same phrase pronounced by him; the same phrase responded by the travelers….until he stood by my side, approached the rockers traveling next to me and asked them: “¿Paco, pasta base?” (drugs that resemble crack, and residues of cocaine preparation).

Astonished, the boys looked at him, and with them, the rest of the people on the bus. The salesman had spoken so loudly that we had all heard his offering.

Following the collective stare, the man calmly responded: “Hey… If I can’t made money with these phonebooks, I have to sell something to earn my bread right?”, and he got off the bus.

Now I wonder, is there so much impunity in this country that drugs are sold as if they were phonebooks? How is it possible that every 9.000 drug’s related arrests only 12 cases result in convictions? (data gathered from Special on drugs. Telefé. 24 July 2007. Argentina)

Italian Wedding in the Capital of Cuarteto

“Confites” (sugar and chocolate coated almonds) and cakes that last a year; essentials to maintain Italian traditions intact.

The city of Cordoba in Argentina, has a strong and unique identity renown worldwide; fernet with coke, cuarteto, humor and an accent so particular that every cordobes can proudly scream “I need no passport ‘cause I have the accent of Cordoba’s capital”, as cuartetero Rodrigo used to sing.

Despite this unique culture, there are people from Cordoba who still choose to maintain the traditions of their European ancestors, especially during holidays and wedding celebrations.

During this Italian wedding in Cordoba, the newly-weds gave out “confites” as a souvenir at the end of the party, following an Italian tradition known as “bomboniera”, born in the wedding of Vittorio Emanuele, prince of Naples and future King of Italy, and Elena de Montenegro, after they gave our this aristocratic sweet to all their guests.

In traditional weddings, Italians give out “confites” as a symbol of good fortune. Accoring to RZBomboniere “Almonds have a sweet-sour taste that represent life. Its sugar coating symbolizes hope for having a more sweet than sour union.” Tradition indicates that the newly-weds should offer five almonds to each guest for health, richness, happiness, fertility and longevity. However, there are times that they only give out three. They can choose to give as many as they’d like, but the number should be uneven to attract good fortune.

In addition to the “confites”, the bride and the women of both families cooked a rich nut wedding cake following an Italian recipe; following the tradition of their Italian ancestors, they then cut a large piece of cake, and put it away to enjoy it the following year during their first-year anniversary.

Nowadays with the existence of freezers it is possible to conserve the cake for such a long time, but I cannot think how they keep the cake intact for a year around 1800. When we are talking about traditions, Could we put our diet as an excuse for not trying the year-old cake or is there no valid excuse for following traditions?

Have you ever tried a year-old cake? Do Italians still keep maintaining this tradition?

Friendship Day: Another Argentinean Invention; A Perfect Excuse to Celebrate Friendship

The Argentinean dentist, musician, psychology and philosophy professor, and twice candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize Enrique Ernesto Febbraro, tried to unite the world one letter at a time; after viewing the arrival of the man to the moon July 20, 1969, he wrote more than 1,000 letters to addresses in more than 100 countries to promote the idea of celebrating friendship on this date.

Febbraro, from San Cristobal neighborhood, Argentina, received more than 700 replies to his letters. In 1972, he acquired the patent for the invention of this celebration, and with time people began to celebrate “Friendship Day.”


In Argentina, Friendship Day even has an official date after the Government of Buenos Aires approved an order in council Nº 235/79 that authorizes the celebration of this date giving it legal status.

Even though I might be hard to believe, Febbraro stated to La Voz del Interior that “I spent a lot, a lot of money to establish Friendship Day. The cost was tremendous. I have to deprive myself of various vacations, a car, and many other things, although I never lost any retribution for what I did.

Sometimes, we also sacrifice some things for our friends, but most of the time we gain more than what we loose with such deprivations.

For that reason I want to thank my friends for always being there for me, for celebrating my jokes (even when they are bad), for tolerating my craziness and mood swings, for accepting my unexpected hugs and sudden energy rushes, for having their doors open every time I decide to show up in their little corner of the world, for thinking about me and for showing so much love even though we spend more time away from each other than together.

Los quiero muchísimo and I wish you all the best. ¡Feliz Día del Amigo!

How did y’all celebrate this date?

Christmas All Year Round in Buenos Aires

Panettone is synonym for Christmas. Well, not always. In Buenos Aires, the bakery Plaza Mayor prepares and sells panettone all year round.

During the holidays, there are people who stand in line for hours to buy one of these and take it to their tables on Christmas Eve, so they can enjoy the nuts, almonds, caju nuts and dry fruits that you can taste in every bite.

Throughout the year the lines are shorter, but there are still people who visit Plaza Mayor at 1:30 a.m. to buy panettone. Are they addicted to this sweet bread of December or to the warm Christmas joy? I am not sure. But there is no doubt that in Buenos Aires, people gladly enjoy panettone every month of the year.

Buenos Aires' Planetarium, A Microphone out of Tune

Even though it is shaped like a microphone, it has been the Argentinean eye to the universe for the past 40 years (1967-2007).

The "Planetario de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires Galileo Galilei", with it sample and beautiful park, stage to thousand of open-air concerts, it is a nice place to spend weekend afternoons with family and friends.

I emphasize on the park because I found the show inside the Planetariumun unsatisfactory. Even though there has been important scientific and technological changes since I visited the place more than fourteen years ago, I though presentation "Birth and Death of the Sun" lacked depth andinteresting information.

I think, that if we want to continue to stimulate our culture it would be necessary to balance and tune in our microphones a little better.

How to get there:

Planetario de La Ciudad de Buenos Aires Galileo Galilei

Av. Sarmiento and Figueroa Alcorta

4771-9393

Show: Birth and Death of the Sun (Nacimiento y Muerte del Sol)

Tuesday and Friday: 13 y 17 hs.

Weekend: 17, 18 y 19 hs.

My Arak Beras was Mostly Appearance

I chose appearance over content when I bought my souvenir in Bali, Indonesia. I had no idea what Arak Beras could possibly be, the label only said "distilled from rice and sugar cane." But the bottle's design was so enigmatic and attractive that I could not leave the bottle on the shelf; I had to take it home.

As soon as I opened the container the strong smell of alcohol automatically pushed me about a meter away from the bottle; it was so intense that it made my eyes itchy. The first sip was even worse, and I sustained it while it descended down my throat as a lighted match.

Like many of the souvenirs we buy during our trips, the bottle of "Arak Beras" rested on one of my house's shelves for over a year before I ventured to reopen it.

After such a long time, the artisans' wine had settled and its smell was suave, sweet and liquorish. However, its taste was still strong; perfect to heat yourself up during a cold winter day, but not much else.

After opening it trying it, reopening and retrying it, I still choose the appearance of this souvenir over its content. From now on it will simply sit on my shelf next to other useless acquisitions.

Imagine Buenos Aires Without Buses

Picture by Carlos Rodríguez: Colectivo en el estado Guarico, Venezuela, Hacienda de las Maravillas

Since I moved to Buenos Aires about nine months ago, I feel that my life takes place on a bus. I spend close to three hours of my daily life on abus going to and coming from work, traveling to visit my friends, go out todinner, go to my tango lessons, etc.

As it is common when you spend tooooooo much time with something, I have developed a love-hate relationship with box on wheels.

On one side it is convenient, I can take it anytime and anywhere to gowhenever I want, and I do not get stressed driving around Buenos Aires crowded streets. Yet, on the other side, I have to condense myself next to hundreds of passengers during rush hour, I have to go around asking for coins to be able to travel, and during winter, my hands freeze as I wait for the bus.

However, I cannot imagine living in Buenos Aires without buses. For that reason I have attached this picture that Carlos Rodriguez sent to me of an abandoned bus in Venezuela. When I first looked at it I felt sad.

How would my life be in this city if it ceases to take place on a bus?

Roses vs. Rosas in Buenos Aires’ Green Lungs

In 1975, Buenos Aires’ government transplanted Rosas for roses when it inaugurated El Rosedal de Palermo in the land that belonged Juan Manuel de Rosas.

As years passed by, Los Bosques de Parlemo, and specially El Rosedal, became one of porteños favorite place to spend the sunny weekends: walking along the park, running, playing soccer, skating, sitting down reading the paper or a good book, or simply drinking mate with pastries.

This park, also known as Parque 3 de Febrero was designed and inaugurated November 11, 1975 by the architect and landscaper Carlos Thays; the park carries its name in commemoration of Casero’s Battle of 1852, when the Ejercito Grande commanded by Justo Jose de Urquiza overthrowned Juan Manuel de Rosas and took his lands away from him. The government passed a decree that made the lands public domain, and transformed them into the beautiful green areas we can see and enjoy today. (Registro Oficial de la Provincia de Buenos Aires -Años 1831-1859 (Pag. 416). Decreto Nº 1.474/852. ) ”Declarando que todas las propiedades pertenecientes a D. Juan M. Rosas existentes en Buenos Aires son de pertenencia publica.” Buenos Aires, Febrero 16 de 1852.).

Personally, I find it curious that Rosas´ old residency is now well known for its labyrinths of roses that host up to 12.000 blossoming flowers in the Spring. Years ago, these lands were the scenery of heated conflicts, while today they are synonym of harmony, sweet smells and tranquility.

How to get there:

These 300 hectares of green parks are located between Av. Del Libertador, Salguero, Av. Rafael Obligado and Pampa.

Train: Station “3 de febrero”

Buses:

Av. Del Libertador and Dorrego: 10, 34, 36, 160, 166

Plaza Italia: 12, 15, 21, 29, 36, 37, 39, 41, 55, 57, 59, 60, 64, 67, 68, 93, 95, 11, 118, 128, 141, 152, 160, 161, 188, 194

Subway: Line D

Rosedal hours open to public:

Summer: 8.00 to 20.00 hrs.

Winter: 9.00 to 18.00 hrs.

Higuerote: Venezuelan Beaches, Honoring my Adoptive Home

Pictures by Carlos Rodríguez

Majagua, Higuerote, Estado Miranda, Venezuela

I owe a lot to Venezuela; practically half of my life, half of my friends, half of my party-time, half of my personality and the best memories of what it means to go to the beach.

However, since I haven’t been able to go back in many years, to my adptive home, I have dedicated little time and space to it in my blog. For this reason I have decided to share a little piece of Venezuelan beauty through the pictures of my friend Carlos Rodriguez.

Right now, I settle with the memory of these hidden beaches, although I hope some day I will be able to go back to feel the warm sand under my feet and the temperate marine breeze of beach days that taste like empanada, friend’s laughter, reggae, beer and salt.

Panoramic view, Chirimena, Higuerote, Estado Miranda, Venezuela

“The boat is in a river that flows out of the middle of the beach, fishermen keep their boats there, in the middle of the river, where pelicans are in charge of cleaning up everything that may be left behind after fishermen clean the fishing lines they’ve been collecting since 5 a.m. This beach is located in Estado Aragua, in the North, next to the tall coastal mountain range where you can see Puerto Cabello and Choroni (Estado Carabobo and Aragua, respectively).” – Carlos Rodriguez, Caracas, Venezuela.