I have been back in the U.S. for nearly two weeks now. I am so glad to be home and certainly have a new outlook on where I am from. I hope to be going back to Buenos Aires very soon, as I made life long friends there and still have places I would like to visit.
I am currently in Jacksonville and preparing for the next phase, which may be the UCF graduate film program. James and Nicolas are continuing the adventure now from Australia, where they plan to be for the next six months or so.
You can visit their new blog about it here:
http://kangaroobarbeque.blogspot.com/
Thanks for reading the blog and supporting us in our adventures. To end,
TOP TEN THINGS I MISS ABOUT ARGENTINA (in no order):
1. Best steaks EVER
2. Best wine EVER
3. The candid nature of the people I met. Open and honest people who are generally not afraid to talk about their lives and life in general in a meaningful way. I never felt unwelcome or unloved in the company of an Argentine.
4. An amazing blend of cultures. Though I cannot testify to this being an exclusive characteristic of Argentina, I will miss the complex and beautiful meshing of cultures in Buenos Aires. Simultaneously European and South American, but something distinct and all its own.
5. Yerba Mate. I cannot find any here yet and I miss it. Not quite tea, not quite coffee. It was bitter but it made me feel great and always brought people together. Starbucks always talks about coffee bringing people together, but I didn't quite understand that idea until I had been introduced to the social institution of mate drinking.
6. Tango. As I am writing this, I am realizing that the things I miss are all the things that travel guides mention to sum up the country. As cliche as it may be, the Tango was something not to be missed. It is an amazing dance, but more than that, the music is beautiful. I will always think about the times I was in a cab where the driver was actually listening to Tango on the radio. Watching the city blur past me with Astor Piazzolla on the radio is something I will always miss.
7. Late nights in the city are a regular occurance. As a night person, this lifestyle suited me very well. Too bad nothing was open if you were awake before 10am. Too bad everything closes in Florida super early.
8. Futbol everywhere! I love watching the sport and it is never on television here in the U.S. But I suppose it's pretty huge everywhere else in the world too...
9. The Patagonian desert has something about it that I cannot describe. Being there and driving through was almost spiritual for me. The epic landscapes and wildlife and isolation really helped me to understand why they call Argentina the edge of the earth. It was literally the last place for humans to inhabit, the last frontier. That is not to say it was primitive, but somehow it really clarified my perspective of myself and the world I live in. It also gave me a sense of the frontiers of my own country, as they might have been long ago.
10. Finally, the pace of Argentina. This is something I missed the moment I stepped off the plane in Miami. Somehow Buenos Aires, and all of Argentina for that matter, can exist just like our country but exponentially more relaxed. The pace is slow, the mindset is tranquilo. The people of Argentina "go with the flow" in a way that defies logic. At times it was very frustrating, but overall I learned a great deal about living from Argentines. The know how to do it and do it well.
Thanks again for reading!
-Kate
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
It worked!
Because the internet in this house is clogged up by 12 or so people constantly, I haven't been able to upload videos. Suddenly it worked, so now I'll try uploading some old vids and photos of iguazu all while in the comfort of my shanty room on the roof listening to gay travel podcasts. Here's the Argentine flag.
Friday, March 13, 2009
And Now For Something Completely Different
My Uncles recently took a cruise from Santiago, Chile all the way around the Southern tip of South America and up to Buenos Aires to hang out with little ol' me. Here are pictures from the Tango dinner show we saw while they were here. Featured also are Francisco and Fionna as well as some friends from St. Louis and Minneapolis. We hand a blast while they were here, this show being one of the major highlights.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Real Argentina - safely from a car window
A couple of weeks ago Francisco, another St. Lunatic, Fionna and I rented a car and planned a trip to see some of the real Argentina. We decided to trace a similar route to the one Francisco and I had taken previously to Bariloche - stopping in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, and staying with Francisco's father in Villa la Angostura. When I made this trip before, I took overnight buses to each new region, so I missed all of the changing landscapes and whacky local gas stations. From Villa la Angostura, we drove south and east, through the real Patagonian desert. Once at the coast, we stopped at Puerto Madyrn and the Valdés Peninsula, which was home to some of Darwin's old stomping grounds. Below is a map Francisco was kind enough to make to show you the route we took. (As always - click on the map to make it bigger - same goes for all photos)
After La Pampa, we traveled South towards Bariloche. The endles stretches of cattle land and crops soon became the orchards of Neuquén. "Apples, Pears, Wine and Dinosaurs" - or some variation on that was the tourism slogan for Neuquén. The dinosaurs part is about all of the fossils found here. We stopped here for lunch, I believe, but had to press on to make Villa la Angostura by night.
As the mountains began to appear...
This picture is of some cassette tapes we saw in a gas station. It reminded me of the rock tapes you see at truck stops in the U.S.
It is a dry time of year and an even dryer time for the climate in this region. Above is a dried up lake we saw - one of a great many. Below is a river that was almost gone.
We spent a few days in Bariloche and Villa, eating chocolate, climbing mountains and hanging out with Francisco's dad. At this point in the trip, we had planned to go back to Buenos Aires the same way we came. Thankfully, Mr. Fisher suggested an alternative route that would take us through the "real Patagonia" and up past the Valdéz Peninsula. It was an ambitious route, but the mystery of the Patagonian desert and beaches full of cute sea lion were too much to resist. In the photo above, you can see the gravel road that we encountered a few times in the middle of nowhere. When the highway turns to gravel, the next town becomes exponentially farther away. Below is an example of the landscape throughout Real Patagonia, which greatly resembled the wild wests of the U.S.
One thing that we had hoped to experience was the wild sage that grows all over the region. Apparently if you drive through areas with all this sage during the right time of year, it has turned a burnt red color and fills the air with a scent that makes you euphoric. We had also heard the sage could open your mind in ways you never thought possible. Obviously, the mystical sage alluded us, but there is always next time...
Above are some photographs of the sea lion on the Valdéz Peninsula. Around this time, my camera died, so hopefully I can get some photos from Fiona to complete this part of the trip. The peninsula was a large, gravel-roaded national park. People drive around the peninsula, getting out at certain points to few the various wildlife colonies. Penguins, sea lions, elephant seals, right whales, dolphin and orca are common at different points on the penisula. We did not see any orca, but think we saw some baby right whales underwater in an inlet. The peninsula is massive and largely not roped off from tourist invaders. Despite this, it remains well kept and respected - it must if the animals keep coming back. This was a great treat - someplace in the world that is pretty unique and has a lot of history behind it (the Darwin thing, remember?).
Overall, we traveled over 3000 kilometers (there are 2.2 kilometers in a mile). It was the best road trip I've been on yet and the highlight of my time here in Argentina. On top of that, I learned to drive a stick. Not many people can say they learned to drive a manual car in the Patagonian desert, but now I can. Hopefully, I will get some more pictures up.
-Kate
After La Pampa, we traveled South towards Bariloche. The endles stretches of cattle land and crops soon became the orchards of Neuquén. "Apples, Pears, Wine and Dinosaurs" - or some variation on that was the tourism slogan for Neuquén. The dinosaurs part is about all of the fossils found here. We stopped here for lunch, I believe, but had to press on to make Villa la Angostura by night.
As the mountains began to appear...
This picture is of some cassette tapes we saw in a gas station. It reminded me of the rock tapes you see at truck stops in the U.S.
It is a dry time of year and an even dryer time for the climate in this region. Above is a dried up lake we saw - one of a great many. Below is a river that was almost gone.
We spent a few days in Bariloche and Villa, eating chocolate, climbing mountains and hanging out with Francisco's dad. At this point in the trip, we had planned to go back to Buenos Aires the same way we came. Thankfully, Mr. Fisher suggested an alternative route that would take us through the "real Patagonia" and up past the Valdéz Peninsula. It was an ambitious route, but the mystery of the Patagonian desert and beaches full of cute sea lion were too much to resist. In the photo above, you can see the gravel road that we encountered a few times in the middle of nowhere. When the highway turns to gravel, the next town becomes exponentially farther away. Below is an example of the landscape throughout Real Patagonia, which greatly resembled the wild wests of the U.S.
One thing that we had hoped to experience was the wild sage that grows all over the region. Apparently if you drive through areas with all this sage during the right time of year, it has turned a burnt red color and fills the air with a scent that makes you euphoric. We had also heard the sage could open your mind in ways you never thought possible. Obviously, the mystical sage alluded us, but there is always next time...
Above are some photographs of the sea lion on the Valdéz Peninsula. Around this time, my camera died, so hopefully I can get some photos from Fiona to complete this part of the trip. The peninsula was a large, gravel-roaded national park. People drive around the peninsula, getting out at certain points to few the various wildlife colonies. Penguins, sea lions, elephant seals, right whales, dolphin and orca are common at different points on the penisula. We did not see any orca, but think we saw some baby right whales underwater in an inlet. The peninsula is massive and largely not roped off from tourist invaders. Despite this, it remains well kept and respected - it must if the animals keep coming back. This was a great treat - someplace in the world that is pretty unique and has a lot of history behind it (the Darwin thing, remember?).Overall, we traveled over 3000 kilometers (there are 2.2 kilometers in a mile). It was the best road trip I've been on yet and the highlight of my time here in Argentina. On top of that, I learned to drive a stick. Not many people can say they learned to drive a manual car in the Patagonian desert, but now I can. Hopefully, I will get some more pictures up.
-Kate
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Casazul
James and I have neglected to take any photos of the house we have been living in since January. But since we both plan on spending the remainder of our time here in Buenos Aires in this house, called "Casazul," here are some images of our new home away from home.
This was James' room for the month of January. He has since moved to the roof, in the room seen below.
The roof with excellent view of the church across the street.
Our pool.
Some roommates on the roof kitchen (there are two kitchens total). In the center is the owner of the house, Fernando.
This is the living room connected to the kitchen on the roof. It's like a greenhouse, but inside is a kitchen and living room. This is, by far, the best room in the house.
These stairs are behind the roof kitchen. They lead to the bedrooms on the 460 Pasco side of the house. Let me explain. The layout is two, two-story houses connected by a roof. Both houses have courtyards open through both floors. On top of the roof are two other rooms, a large glass enclosure (the roof living room/kitchen) and two large patio areas. I live on the 454 Pasco side of the house, upstairs. James used to live on the 460 Pasco side, but now lives on the roof. Get it? It's bizarre. Below is me in my room. You can see behind me the open courtyard.
The stairs outside of my room that lead down to the door/ground floor. The ground floor of both sides of the house is not connected to the 2nd floor or the roof. So, there are essentially 4 front doors, depending on where you live in the house. Each floor has about 4 or 5 rooms, so we have a ton of roommates.
Below is James looking out the window to his room. Note Mitre, the white cat to the left. There is also a black cat that lives on the bottom floor.
In our kitchen, below the roof, we have a lot more room to cook than we did at the Lavalle apartment, which was more like a college dorm kitchen. Here are a couple of pictures from the night James led us in figuring out how to make our own empanadas.
Also, in order to leave our mark at Casazul, James and I commandeered a large, blank canvas in the roof living room. We are currently painting a large piece to hang in the living room. The painting will heavily feature pandas, as you can see.
Coming soon! Videos from James!
This was James' room for the month of January. He has since moved to the roof, in the room seen below.
The roof with excellent view of the church across the street.
Our pool.
Some roommates on the roof kitchen (there are two kitchens total). In the center is the owner of the house, Fernando.
This is the living room connected to the kitchen on the roof. It's like a greenhouse, but inside is a kitchen and living room. This is, by far, the best room in the house.
These stairs are behind the roof kitchen. They lead to the bedrooms on the 460 Pasco side of the house. Let me explain. The layout is two, two-story houses connected by a roof. Both houses have courtyards open through both floors. On top of the roof are two other rooms, a large glass enclosure (the roof living room/kitchen) and two large patio areas. I live on the 454 Pasco side of the house, upstairs. James used to live on the 460 Pasco side, but now lives on the roof. Get it? It's bizarre. Below is me in my room. You can see behind me the open courtyard.
The stairs outside of my room that lead down to the door/ground floor. The ground floor of both sides of the house is not connected to the 2nd floor or the roof. So, there are essentially 4 front doors, depending on where you live in the house. Each floor has about 4 or 5 rooms, so we have a ton of roommates.
Below is James looking out the window to his room. Note Mitre, the white cat to the left. There is also a black cat that lives on the bottom floor.
In our kitchen, below the roof, we have a lot more room to cook than we did at the Lavalle apartment, which was more like a college dorm kitchen. Here are a couple of pictures from the night James led us in figuring out how to make our own empanadas.
Also, in order to leave our mark at Casazul, James and I commandeered a large, blank canvas in the roof living room. We are currently painting a large piece to hang in the living room. The painting will heavily feature pandas, as you can see.
Coming soon! Videos from James!
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