Cold. COLD. And more C-O-L-D. I remember going to Ohio just this past January to play in snow…I was much warmer there in 5 degree weather than I am here in Buenos Aires! The humidity here in winter just bites your bones like a frosty 30 degree morning in Daytona Beach, Florida. We set a few records this week…coldest day of the year (in the twenties without windchill), one day it was warmer in Antarctica than in Buenos Aires and it snowed for the 3rd time in 100 years!
Sunday, in the cold and rain, we took a bus to the inner region of Argentina known as Las Pampas. Bundled up in practically everything I packed (equaling 4 layers of clothing), I was prepared for the “Estancia” experience. Think Texas cowboy or Wild West. I was told typical activities include riding horses, walking the camp trails, playing old fashioned games (like darts and skipping in circles) and, of course, eating a variety of meats from the “parilla” ALL outside. I cringed at this description; my bones already aching from the thought of getting frost bite by being outside five hours in 30-degree weather. I even at one point thought if there was a good excuse I could use to skip this day of “work”. Nevertheless, I sucked it up and went. I can’t pass on a cultural experience that is listed in the Top 10 of Buenos Aires.
Not complaining about getting up early the 7th day in a row for work, we traveled almost 2 hours to get to “La Mimosa: Estancia”. A surprise adventure- mud sliding on a non-road in a big grey gound. Would have been more fun if seatbelts existed. Arriving at the Estancia, they directed us towards the outhouses….yes away from the main building like back in the old days. Trying to tip toe through the mud, I never thought I would be praying for at least Chinese style toilets, when I expected Roman holes in the ground. I survived the bathroom experience and was glad to find out we would be spending all day INSIDE a barn, that nevertheless still lacked heating.
Today was a traditional Sunday afternoon, Argentina style, that started off with bread appetizers while watching folkloric dancing accompanied by a live band. One style of dancing had a couple dancing about 5 feet away from each other and waving around a handkerchief…must have been the old ways of seduction since they were clothed head to toe in 3 layers! By the time the Tango show started Malbec wine from Mendoza was being passed around. Then came the ‘meat with a side of meat’ meal….a vocabulary lesson for you all: vacio- steak, asado-ribs, chorrizo-sausage, morcillo-blood sausage and pollo-chicken (see pic). I tried everything, but I am definitely still signing up for the vegetarian diet when I return to the United States. After an hour of eating meat came more dancing! We had a lesson in “zapatilla” style…kind of like partners’ line dancing with a snap-your-fingers- gypsy-twist as your circle partner. Then a guy performed a “gaucho” (cowboy) show where he furiously flung his legs in every direction to spank the ground as hard as he could. We ended the day with an hour of merengue and cumbia dancing….i am sure we will end up on youtube somewhere. We met people from all over the world who wanted to video Americans (both white and black in our group) dancing next to them.
Some other noteworthy highlights of the city....I’m not sure if I ever mentioned that I read the newspaper every morning on the way to work. It’s a sure way to help with blending in.... except that I can’t help but laugh when I read about the Chinese Mafia here in Buenos Aires (it really exists). On a more serious note, the front page reminded us city folk that buses have the right of way- even if they spontaneously turn off route to avoid traffic and end up killing your 6 year old son, putting you in the hospital with a broken leg and you lose your pregnancy. Gay marriage was also approved this week by the President and Congress. No violent stories there. Argentina has a strict peaceful demonstration policy and the government will not physically retaliate and harm you. The downside to that is protesting all the time….flights, buses to nieghboring cities and main subte transportation (this definitely brings out their Italian ancestry as I remember the frequent train protests during my Europe trip).
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