Early this morning I leapt up and into the shower to be ready for an early departure from Barriloche, Argentina, we did fine then oohed and aahhed and gasped as we drove over the Andes--did you hear that right? The Andes!!! ( We are really in South America!) Superb views of mountains and lakes, then foothills and finally it looked like the U.S. Midwest! (Even round, pastic-wrapped bales!) It is kind of confusing, really, to see what looks like home every time we get into the bus!
Leaving Argentina was a rather long process but not as long as entering Chile where we had to de-bus with paperwork our guides had already filled out for us (we only needed to check a box or two and sign), then line up, put our carryons all on a low table to be sniffed by a happy dog which also sniffed all our luggage outside (thank goodness my laundry was clean); then the stamping of the passport and a second form handed to another person, a toilet visit (yet another queue) and finally off. easily two to three hours at both borders. Tedious but not unbearable with the good company. And it was beautiful there.
Had fun getting a group photo, each with one foot in each country. Exciting to see the Chilean flag!
After the crossing, still on the bus, We learned about mate, a kind of tea, really, shared among friends from a special cup made from a gourd(!) and the tradition of the sharing, the close ties developed. Mate is the Argentine national drink, and we all shared it. It does enhance the closeness among people, even new friends.
After all that waiting we had a pleasant lunch and visited a Studebaker car museum--had you ever heard of such a thing? Every model made is there, pretty funny actually, then, driving down the freeway (!) I guess Peuerto Montt is a pretty big place though Puerto Varas is small and lovely, plus you can see Osorno from here--have I said it already? Osorno is Magnificent!!!
We shopped after arriving here, both of us buying lapis lazuli--lots of it around, then the sea bass for dinner--very good with some white wine. (BYW did I mention that I developing a taste for Malbec red wine? Oh, Jeff: pasta night next month--you make pasta, I'll make sauce, Kay will bring Malbec--who'll be on for dessert? Any takers?
As the title says, the day was wearying, but stunning. Chile (as Argentina before it) doesn't match any of the uninformed pictures we had in our heads. How could we imagine the unending loveliness we see all around us. We just keep looking and looking and looking. My brain is full of beauty, but there is always more, always.
Until tomorrow...
Friday, January 10, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
What are Mapuches, you ask? Read on---
Cristina is a lovely Mapuche lady--any idea yet? One of the indigenous population like our Native Americans, the Scandinavian Sami people, Australian aborigines or really, any native people. She spoke of their struggle to keep open isolated schools with small populations (instead of sending 6 year-olds to boarding schools), the lack of official deeds for lands since centuries-old paperwork doesn't seem to count, and providing upper grade and higher education as well as usable voc ed for students. Both inspirational and poignant. Then she sold us silver jewelry--actually there was much more to her talk than that, a lovely person. And yes!!! I was tall, quite tall, standing next to her! So there's that as well. I am rushing to get in my tale of the whole day, read on---
Having packed my backpack to almost bursting, I pulled out my waterproof pants, my rain jacket, an extra layer and climbed into a raft under cloudy skies. Fortunately a mist fell on us a couple times but that was all. We floated gently down the stream, no! I mean the Limay River! So peaceful was it there, willows on the banks, some special geese with immature children, not extremely young, columnar basalt, volcanic ash from a year or two ago, a kingfisher, and more naturalist information. The talk was informative, but the river is wonderful in its peace and calm with only the sound of the raft and the river, and, yes, of course, the wind for it was sometimes strong and the layers were needed, but we needed no more than we had. One fellow thought I'd have enjoyed the ride more if I had paddled, but I doubt it. I was in an almost meditative state, absorbing the ambience through my senses and my very pores. 'Peaceful' is the best word for it.
Following lunch we drove to an estancia for horseback riding and a barbecue with a charming family
It took awhile to reach the place on a road rather rough for our bus; we even forded a small stream (I think the bridge wasn't strong enough!) Lovely, gentle, genuine people, pleased to share their life with us for an afternoon. Parents maybe late 50s, son in late 20s, daughter around 30 and her two children aged 8 and 4 (her husband has a different job and doesn't participate in this.) Let me tell you about the countryside there: it could be almost anywhere in the American West from western Nebraska to Montana to northern Nevada. Many other places as well: mountains on the horizon, foothills, more willows where there's water, ground cover and broad meadowlands--but is it still a meadow without lots of grass, because this had ground cover but not rich grass so they don't raise cattle. And like many beautiful places, they do many things to support themselves. The father planted from seed thirty thousand pine trees, a plantation which will be harvested in a few more years. (Actually he planted many more, that's how many are growing now.)
Although my steed was a little independent, I managed well and was entirely pleased to be out IN that comfortable landscape. The moon had risen over some mountains in the afternoon sky and watched over us all. I realize my vocabulary of the day is redundant, but it was truly lovely and, once again, peaceful, a genuine joy to be there.
Dinner was a feast as you can imagine! Grilled chorizo, lamb and, for the second round--beef! Many side dishes and garnishes(?) including chimmichurri and squash mayonnaise. For some reason they serve wine (delicious Malbec!) in a white pitcher in the shape of a penguin; when you finish one, you have 'killed' a penguin! Don't tell Greenpeace, but we killed a few! Malbec doesn't make me sneeze!
Driving back to the hotel, the sun set and again, it was beautiful--though it had been so even before that. Who knew all this beauty was down here in the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere? Who knew it looked so much like home? What a blessing this trip is.
Tomorrow over the Andes to Chile--really? That's surreal!! Jackie and Kay are going to Chile tomorrow!
Having packed my backpack to almost bursting, I pulled out my waterproof pants, my rain jacket, an extra layer and climbed into a raft under cloudy skies. Fortunately a mist fell on us a couple times but that was all. We floated gently down the stream, no! I mean the Limay River! So peaceful was it there, willows on the banks, some special geese with immature children, not extremely young, columnar basalt, volcanic ash from a year or two ago, a kingfisher, and more naturalist information. The talk was informative, but the river is wonderful in its peace and calm with only the sound of the raft and the river, and, yes, of course, the wind for it was sometimes strong and the layers were needed, but we needed no more than we had. One fellow thought I'd have enjoyed the ride more if I had paddled, but I doubt it. I was in an almost meditative state, absorbing the ambience through my senses and my very pores. 'Peaceful' is the best word for it.
Following lunch we drove to an estancia for horseback riding and a barbecue with a charming family
It took awhile to reach the place on a road rather rough for our bus; we even forded a small stream (I think the bridge wasn't strong enough!) Lovely, gentle, genuine people, pleased to share their life with us for an afternoon. Parents maybe late 50s, son in late 20s, daughter around 30 and her two children aged 8 and 4 (her husband has a different job and doesn't participate in this.) Let me tell you about the countryside there: it could be almost anywhere in the American West from western Nebraska to Montana to northern Nevada. Many other places as well: mountains on the horizon, foothills, more willows where there's water, ground cover and broad meadowlands--but is it still a meadow without lots of grass, because this had ground cover but not rich grass so they don't raise cattle. And like many beautiful places, they do many things to support themselves. The father planted from seed thirty thousand pine trees, a plantation which will be harvested in a few more years. (Actually he planted many more, that's how many are growing now.)
Although my steed was a little independent, I managed well and was entirely pleased to be out IN that comfortable landscape. The moon had risen over some mountains in the afternoon sky and watched over us all. I realize my vocabulary of the day is redundant, but it was truly lovely and, once again, peaceful, a genuine joy to be there.
Dinner was a feast as you can imagine! Grilled chorizo, lamb and, for the second round--beef! Many side dishes and garnishes(?) including chimmichurri and squash mayonnaise. For some reason they serve wine (delicious Malbec!) in a white pitcher in the shape of a penguin; when you finish one, you have 'killed' a penguin! Don't tell Greenpeace, but we killed a few! Malbec doesn't make me sneeze!
Driving back to the hotel, the sun set and again, it was beautiful--though it had been so even before that. Who knew all this beauty was down here in the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere? Who knew it looked so much like home? What a blessing this trip is.
Tomorrow over the Andes to Chile--really? That's surreal!! Jackie and Kay are going to Chile tomorrow!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Lago Nahuel Huapi--ever heard of such a place? You have now!!!!
Buenos dias to all you people out there! Kay and I had no pictures of this place in our heads before we got up this morning, but WOW! It is amazingly wonderful!! (The perfect weather didn't hurt either.) First thing we took a chairlift up Campanario Hill. Until then Bariloche seemed a very pretty place, but after riding above the trees, the world opened up magnificently! You know the color of Tahoe? Same brilliant blue but more of it with more mountains, more rugged, peninsulas here and there! Well we are in the foothills of the Andes for goodness sake! Just stunning, magnificent, incredible!!! Finished off the visit in the cafe with a cup of--recommended by our well-traveled guide: chocognac! Wow! I know, I know, I'm saying 'Wow!' quite a lot, but Wow! That's a drink to remember!
After a short drive we followed local guide Marta on a nature walk about local trees, birds--heard a few bird calls, some people saw one, but I caught sight of only the movement. Amazing bamboo-like plants that have now completed their seventy-year cycle, now all gray, but lovely lines and sections. Unlike bamboo, however, it is not hollow but solid! Most of the lagos around there were formed by glaciers, but a smaller one here was formed by a spring and is smaller than the others, warmer to swim in too, Marta says (she swims in the cold ones.)
That was the preparatory walk, the real trek was rather steep (though not as bad as we'd been told, I think to winnow the herd). Took us 55-60 minutes to climb (yes, huffing and puffing) to the viewpoint, much shorter time to get back again.
But what vistas! We were in part of the landscape we had seen Campanario Hill, on a promontory peninsula between two arms of the huge lake. Huger mountains arose beyond--some quiet cones, other extremely rugged, like teeth. Far in the distance, snow covered peaks in Chile --we'll go that way day after tomorrow. A truly magnificent sightseeing experience.
Lunch at a local brewery--as much beer as we wanted! Aren't you jealous? The brown ale was quite good and didn't make me sneeze!
The final experience of the day out was a talk wandering through the German/Argentinean neighborhood of Bariloche learning the history of that ethnic group as related to the Nazis. Peron liked Mussolini and Franco, not Hitler so much--too extreme, but Peron did allow/invite? Nazi war criminals into Argentina following the war. Before he was executed Eichmann praised Germany, Austria and Argentina! But a Nazi was an active citizen in Bariloche for years and years as president of the local German school, ran a deli, active in social affairs-had his picture taken with everyone! Our speaker is a local German/Argentinean whose father was active in the community as well and who has, as an anthropologist, a history teacher and a journalist, investigated the community (and the country, to some degree) about the period following WWII. The local Nazi had been involved in a massacre in Rome during the war and was eventually recognized by Sam Donaldson when he was tracking down someone else! He was tried and lived the rest of his life under house arrest in Rome until his death. Locals were stunned by the revelation and chagrined by the photos taken of him with the Nazi. Fascinating, and, as always when hearing of the Holocaust, horrified and terribly saddened.
Now, we have had a lovely few hours relaxing and putting our feet up. You can recognize by the length of this post that I have had time to write. Still unable to upload pix except a couple onto Facebook. As I said before, Buenos Aires was a lovely city, but this is what we came for--it is well worth the effort!
After a short drive we followed local guide Marta on a nature walk about local trees, birds--heard a few bird calls, some people saw one, but I caught sight of only the movement. Amazing bamboo-like plants that have now completed their seventy-year cycle, now all gray, but lovely lines and sections. Unlike bamboo, however, it is not hollow but solid! Most of the lagos around there were formed by glaciers, but a smaller one here was formed by a spring and is smaller than the others, warmer to swim in too, Marta says (she swims in the cold ones.)
That was the preparatory walk, the real trek was rather steep (though not as bad as we'd been told, I think to winnow the herd). Took us 55-60 minutes to climb (yes, huffing and puffing) to the viewpoint, much shorter time to get back again.
But what vistas! We were in part of the landscape we had seen Campanario Hill, on a promontory peninsula between two arms of the huge lake. Huger mountains arose beyond--some quiet cones, other extremely rugged, like teeth. Far in the distance, snow covered peaks in Chile --we'll go that way day after tomorrow. A truly magnificent sightseeing experience.
Lunch at a local brewery--as much beer as we wanted! Aren't you jealous? The brown ale was quite good and didn't make me sneeze!
The final experience of the day out was a talk wandering through the German/Argentinean neighborhood of Bariloche learning the history of that ethnic group as related to the Nazis. Peron liked Mussolini and Franco, not Hitler so much--too extreme, but Peron did allow/invite? Nazi war criminals into Argentina following the war. Before he was executed Eichmann praised Germany, Austria and Argentina! But a Nazi was an active citizen in Bariloche for years and years as president of the local German school, ran a deli, active in social affairs-had his picture taken with everyone! Our speaker is a local German/Argentinean whose father was active in the community as well and who has, as an anthropologist, a history teacher and a journalist, investigated the community (and the country, to some degree) about the period following WWII. The local Nazi had been involved in a massacre in Rome during the war and was eventually recognized by Sam Donaldson when he was tracking down someone else! He was tried and lived the rest of his life under house arrest in Rome until his death. Locals were stunned by the revelation and chagrined by the photos taken of him with the Nazi. Fascinating, and, as always when hearing of the Holocaust, horrified and terribly saddened.
Now, we have had a lovely few hours relaxing and putting our feet up. You can recognize by the length of this post that I have had time to write. Still unable to upload pix except a couple onto Facebook. As I said before, Buenos Aires was a lovely city, but this is what we came for--it is well worth the effort!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Hola from Barriloche-it looks like home here!
And so, my friends, we are now in the far west of Argentina and south of Buenos Aires. I hadn't realized that my breathing was constricted in the city, but it felt SO good to see mountains and wide open country!Chaotic domestic airport, bumpy ride and all, we made it and are about to begin our outdoor adventures. But first, let's learn about yesterday. We toured many neighborhoods or barrios of Buenos Aires including a very colorful one called Caminito where poorer families used to live. Unable to afford paint, they frequently visited the port and brought home remnants of paints, so their houses were many colors. It is a vibrant tourist area now, though we had strict orders not to wander even a little off the tourist path.
I must tell you that it seems there will be no photos in the blog at least for the present. I had difficulty getting online with the mini in BA and learned that is a frequent problem with ipads. After talking with a couple in our group, I think that something is blocking the mini from locating the photos and I'm too tired to spend a lot of time attempting to solve the difficulty. If it isn't solved before, there will be a photo blog when I return home.
Now--on with yesterda! The central political center (May-something plaza) is where the demonstrations take place, and Argentineans are great demonstrators. We learned while there about the grandmother who protested when their children were among those who simply disappeared and then for their grandchildren who were also taken or born in prisons, The majority have never been located, too sad to contemplate.
Afternoon had us dancing tango at our lesson. Mostly Kay and I were a couple though we both seemed to want to lead even when in the role of 'follower.' The teachers were excellent and we both did much better with them, so we felt some success. Evening took us to the tango stage show--Wow! Amazing! About ten couples danced several times some elegantly and some torridly! The live orchestra was marvelous; dinner ok.
I'm certain that I've skipped some interesting happenings waiting for the photo problem to be resolved, but now I'll simply blog on every day. I apologize for the lack of visual interest, but alas, there is no recourse at this time. I'll attempt to be clever and descriptive with language, so you must imagine the pictures in your cabeza instead.
I must tell you that it seems there will be no photos in the blog at least for the present. I had difficulty getting online with the mini in BA and learned that is a frequent problem with ipads. After talking with a couple in our group, I think that something is blocking the mini from locating the photos and I'm too tired to spend a lot of time attempting to solve the difficulty. If it isn't solved before, there will be a photo blog when I return home.
Now--on with yesterda! The central political center (May-something plaza) is where the demonstrations take place, and Argentineans are great demonstrators. We learned while there about the grandmother who protested when their children were among those who simply disappeared and then for their grandchildren who were also taken or born in prisons, The majority have never been located, too sad to contemplate.
Afternoon had us dancing tango at our lesson. Mostly Kay and I were a couple though we both seemed to want to lead even when in the role of 'follower.' The teachers were excellent and we both did much better with them, so we felt some success. Evening took us to the tango stage show--Wow! Amazing! About ten couples danced several times some elegantly and some torridly! The live orchestra was marvelous; dinner ok.
I'm certain that I've skipped some interesting happenings waiting for the photo problem to be resolved, but now I'll simply blog on every day. I apologize for the lack of visual interest, but alas, there is no recourse at this time. I'll attempt to be clever and descriptive with language, so you must imagine the pictures in your cabeza instead.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Buenos dias, compadres, from Argentina! Still no photos today, it's Sunday and the Apple store isn't open, plus the adaptor didn't charge this mini, so brief and to the point. Yesterday at the Galleria, we saw children lined up for photos not with Santa, but with the three kings! Someday I'll be able to post the photo--fascinating. We shopped and walked, no purchases but a lot of walking and people-watching. Wandered across the street from our hotel for dinner at a charming Italian cafe-excellent food; there's a lot of Italian influence here. Our guide Andrea said we must have pizza before we leave . An orientation walk this morning got us to the shopping area in less than half the time and distance we went yesterday--what a delight to have a guide! In the afternoon we went to an outdoor market and visited an art museum where we saw European as well as Argentinean art--outstanding! Dinner with the group tonight--hopefully a good piece of beef; the guide book says that beef is not a passion in Argentina, it's an obsession, so we'll check that out! More tomorrow, hopefully with pix. Adios!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Aqui en Buenos Aires--did I get that right?
Lots of time in DFW yesterday--yes! Yesterday! for we are indeed here in BA now--but yesterday we walked and walked and walked , even through a musical labyrinth, fun!
Now it appears that I am unable to locate that photo, and I do want to inform you all that we are indeed walking the streets of Buenos Aires--does that sound right? Arrived on time, passed through Customs/Immigration, car was waiting, arrived at hotel and took a delightful nap, stretching out full length--no comments please. Now we've spent hours walking and shopping--great handbags her, lots of leather. No cycling jerseys though, alas. Soccer is huge here though.
Now it appears that I am unable to locate that photo, and I do want to inform you all that we are indeed walking the streets of Buenos Aires--does that sound right? Arrived on time, passed through Customs/Immigration, car was waiting, arrived at hotel and took a delightful nap, stretching out full length--no comments please. Now we've spent hours walking and shopping--great handbags her, lots of leather. No cycling jerseys though, alas. Soccer is huge here though.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Now it begins....
Well before the sun's rays touched the frost on the roof at Talus Way, I was up and at 'em. Showering, drying my hair, getting dressed in the clothes I'd laid out so I didn't forget any detail, making the bed, putting dry dishes away... then Jennifer arrived and whisked me off to the airport where I met my friend Kay to begin our journey to another continent!! We left Reno (where this picture was taken) still before sunrise (admittedly the days are very short this time of year) and flew three hours to Dallas, good old DFW. We've walked and walked and had a late lunch, now Kay is writing Christmas thank-you notes, and I'm writing to you! Still more than three hours to wait because we were cautious about winter weather in April when we planned this trip. By the way, the sun did finally come up, but who knows where we were when that happened!
Tomorrow we'll be in Buenos Aires! Can small town girls really go to Buenos Aires? Quite a world we live in, quite a world. So many wonders to see! We'll share them with you, stay tuned....
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