Argentina, Uruguay, Oct. 2011

Back to the land of Tango, and the Come el Fait tango shoes. They are amazing looking, wish I could wear them. Met Katie and Lavinia, mates from the Bolivia trip some years ago. We went to an Estancia to check it out for Katie and Eze's wedding in Oct. 2012. One comment I heard was, "My wine is hot", I thought she meant it was tart, but no, she meant put some ice in it, RED wine? My former life as an ala carte waitress shuddered. Oh well.
Then the fun began. The gaucho show, billed as 'Indio", that meant men with bare chests and a wig trying to look like an Apache. The real challenge for Argentine gauchos is trying to put a pencil like stick thru a ring suspended from an goal post apparatus. Now, the famous man did tricks with his horse. How to describe it, like he made love to the horse. All the women in the audience were spellbound. He slowly caressed the horse, making it lay down on its back, then he did a handstand on the horse's chest, put its legs and hooves over his shoulders. Kept on caressing it and got it back on its legs. Lady gauchos wear culottes with braid at the waist and down the side seam, pleats at he hip and sewn down for a bit. The men have bloussant pants, going into a cuff at the ankle like a dress shirt. Their hat is beret shaped only very big and floppy.
We went to the famous Cafe Tortoni, had medialunas, like a croissant crossed with brioche. A submarino is chocolate bar or a flake bar in hot milk. A chop is a glass of beer. Figs stuffed with caramel, after all, Argentina is the home to dulce de leche. My absolute favorite sweet.
Local bus's in town are individually owned, not city.
The sidewalks in Buenos Aires are the most broken I have seen in the Western world and absolutely full of dog excrement. The architecture is mixed Art Nouveau mixed with box style buildings.
Went to the dentist, again. last time I was in BA, I had a tooth extracted and, voila, this time too. last time with Dr., Casanova was so easy, this time, horrendous. Got a new crown to replace the one that broke on the road in Africa.
In BA, there are many people called: pickers. They are the scavengers of the city. There is a huge bag on a cart being pulled like a donkey, only by a man or young boys. Going down one main street there are street fixtures shaped like plant pots, 2 1/2 feet tall, plants growing in them and the bottoms are lit with different colors. As the pots are a bit translucent, they glow in the night. Very Palm Springs. Sex Shop are called, Buttman. Many buildings have pointed domes, maybe from the moors. Gas is $6.05 a liter. The Post Offices are so busy, the wait is up to an hour. .
Oct. 19th, got on the ferry to Uruguay with Lavinia so she could see it and we met Ariel for lunch. Learned about Spanish Moss. Called Old Man's Beard or Beard Of Christ. Story is: the indigenous Cherokee killed some Spanish pioneers, cut off the red hair of one. hung it in a tree as a warning. It jumped from tree to tree, now is hanging all over. When you strip the outer cover, it is a red hair like the maiden. The bull ring in Colonia is only used less than 10 times before bull fighting was banned. and, it is a good thing as it is not constructed well. Too much money to fix it.
Katie and I went to Bogota for her to renew her visa For Argentina. I had not been, so, off we flew. Gas is $4.75 gallon. Bogota is in the mountains, so, it seems as if all the sidewalks head up. Motorcycles have license plate # on the back in reflective fabric on fluorescent vests. Taxi's have a meter that ticks off a number for distance, than use a chart to figure the fare. Took the funicular to the top of Monterassat mountain, quite a view over the city, it spreads in front of the mountain. We took a taxi for the day to Zipaquina Salt Mine. The word salary comes from the time salt was used as money. It was more valuable than gold, as gold can only decorate, not eaten or preserve food. On to Villa de Layva, where John Paul II said mass. Very beautiful church in this small village.
Amazing Zenu canals are south of Cartehena. We saw them in a museum. They had total control of the water for fields and flood prevention. Why can't we do it now?
Speaking of gold. The gold museum has the most gold ever. The Mayans even had gold palettes and little spoons to snort something fun. Used the lost wax technique to make intricate jewelry and keepsakes. One item is made with half balls glued together then granulated, some the size of a pea. Good eyes. Post card cost 4200n peso or $2.37, ouch. The streets are numbered in increasing value going north, called, CALLE. These streets are perpendicular to the mountain. The streets parallel to mountain increase in value going west away from the mountain. Our hotel Casa Deco was at calle 12c 2-16. It was on second street, cross street is 16, going west and 16 is building number.
The Edificio Barolo is a sister building to the famous Palacio Salvo in Montevideo, a similar building by the same architect which also has a bulbous stone tower.
- Tallest building in Argentina from 1923 until 1935, when it was surpassed by the Edificio Kavanagh.
- The height of the building was determined by building one meter for each of the 100 cantos in the Divine Comedy.
- Each floor of the building has a unique design and ornamentation.
- The lighthouse beacon on top represents the nine choirs of angels, and is topped by a small spire with an ornament depicting the Southern Cross constellation.
- Topped by a revolving light, which can be seen from the shore of Uruguay.
- The architect Palanti was a fanatic of Dante's Divine Comedy, and the building is divided into 3 zones with corresponding ornament: Paradise for the tower and upper floors; Purgatory in the middle; and Inferno at the bottom.
- A high vaulted shopping gallery crosses the building at street level."architecture in South America series"
architect: Mario Palant
We climbed to the top in a decreasing stairwell and then had to sit on a ledge with only glass and air under our bums. Fascinating building.
I actually went to a Milonga, where one has a Tango lesson and stays for dancing. My two left feet were present. Katie does Tango and Lavinia got asked to dance. Guess the men thought I was too much to 'dip'.
Crepes with dulce de Leche stuffing is heaven, I will end on that note.