Remember when you could work all day, go out all night and not get home until the sun was coming up....yup, it’s common here.
Woke up at 7am for work at the winery and had a great day....especially since it included an asado (BBQ) for some clients/prospects for lunch. Sparkling wine, grilled pork, Torrontes wine, steak, Malbec wine, chicken, veggies, guacamole, wine, dessert, more wine and more wine. Then a short horseback ride among the vineyards. Yes, I was ready for a nap.
A little bit more work, then back to the Posada del Jamon for a quick rest before going to an asado fiesta for 2 guys from Louisiana. They picked me and one other gal up around 9pm, then we went into the little town of Vista Flores to buy massive amounts of meat and other stuff for the asado...then we drove about 15-20 minutes to La Consulta, a slightly larger town. There we pick up another person (5 of us in a compact car) and drive to the asado, where there will be about 15 of us.
We’re in a park-ish setting and we gather in an area that has a cement floor with a thached bamboo roof and some picnic tables, and a place for a BBQ nearby. No gas BBQs here - wood or charcoal. Did anybody bring paper to help start the fire - NO. We ask a group of guys nearby for paper (YES, they have extra), but they see us struggling, so they bring hot coals over for us (YAY - that saved us about an hour). Finally, our fire gets roaring, it turns into embers, and we put the meat on the BBQ. It’s about 11pm.
What about cups - OOPS, nobody thought about that. What size are the beer bottles here - one litre. Yes, we “pass the bottle” of 1 litre beer or 1 gallon jugs of wine around and each take turns with a sip or two, while we watch the meat cook.
Plates...oops, only brought a half dozen of those, along with forks & knives. Doesn’t matter - they slice the meat as it comes off the BBQ and you eat it as it’s sliced. If you have a fork, great...if not, use your fingers to get a piece. Salad is tossed in a huge Rubbermaid bin - I’ve yet to see dressing in the store - only oil & vinegar. Bread is on the table....more meat comes off the BBQ...eventually a whole grilled chicken, and of course more beer & wine are passed. Did I mention that we started eating just after midnight???
I think we finally finished eating around 1:30 or 2am...then the impromptu dancing starts and it’s a blast. I don’t know what style they’re dancing, but they’re good...not salsa, not tango, but something that looks way better than what I can do. No matter the style, we all have fun.
But wait, the dancing isn’t over....it’s about 3am, if not later and some of us head to the local nightclub. Yes, the beers here are also 1 litre, so we continue to pass a large bottle around to each other. Dancing, more beers, dancing, more beers. The crowd slowly thins and we leave some time after 6am....get home just as the sun is coming up, and crawl into bed.
I definitely remember the days in college where staying up this late was a common activity during the week and on the weekend....it’s so much tougher on the body now....Oh to be 21 again.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES
Yes, they have them in Argentina. Do they work....well, not always. So far on this trip:
1. A PLANE delay, but the good news is they gave me a free lunch and a credit to my credit card. The lunch was a very dried out beef milenesa. Even with a real metal fork & knife (in the airport), I couldn’t cut through the dried out meat without shaking the beer out of my glass. And the credit...well, still waiting for it to appear on my credit card.
2. A TRAIN that caught on fire. On the way home from a day trip to Tigre’, 30km N of Buenos Aires, the train caught on fire. I kept wondering what that burning rubber smell was.
3. A BUS that never arrived. No wonder some people are out so late in the evening...the bus never comes, at least not the one you want. Ok, ok, so I didn’t leave the bar until 1:30 or 2am, which is really early for Buenos Aires, but after 30 minutes of waiting the bus never came...and the metro stopped at 10:30pm. I think I finally got home around 3am....again, still early for here!
4. A TAXI that ran out of gas. Decided to catch a taxi after the bus never came, and half-way to my B&B the driver said “finito”. I’m thinking, no, we’re not there yet. He puts the car in neutral and coasts to the curb. Oh, I get it...no mas petrol. So, that night, in order to get home, I took a bus that never came and a taxi with no gas. Better to rely on my feet than on their transport system.
BTW, pics of Puerto Iguazu (waterfalls) have been added to my photo site.
Ciao!
1. A PLANE delay, but the good news is they gave me a free lunch and a credit to my credit card. The lunch was a very dried out beef milenesa. Even with a real metal fork & knife (in the airport), I couldn’t cut through the dried out meat without shaking the beer out of my glass. And the credit...well, still waiting for it to appear on my credit card.
2. A TRAIN that caught on fire. On the way home from a day trip to Tigre’, 30km N of Buenos Aires, the train caught on fire. I kept wondering what that burning rubber smell was.
3. A BUS that never arrived. No wonder some people are out so late in the evening...the bus never comes, at least not the one you want. Ok, ok, so I didn’t leave the bar until 1:30 or 2am, which is really early for Buenos Aires, but after 30 minutes of waiting the bus never came...and the metro stopped at 10:30pm. I think I finally got home around 3am....again, still early for here!
4. A TAXI that ran out of gas. Decided to catch a taxi after the bus never came, and half-way to my B&B the driver said “finito”. I’m thinking, no, we’re not there yet. He puts the car in neutral and coasts to the curb. Oh, I get it...no mas petrol. So, that night, in order to get home, I took a bus that never came and a taxi with no gas. Better to rely on my feet than on their transport system.
BTW, pics of Puerto Iguazu (waterfalls) have been added to my photo site.
Ciao!
Monday, March 12, 2012
WHEN IN ROME.....
My most authentic experience so far was a day trip from Buenos Aires to Tigre’ (30km N of Buenos Aires). It’s along the Parana Delta and the locals flock there during the summer for vacation, a weekend getaway, or even a day trip.
I went with Kelly from Vancouver, who I met at my B&B in Santiago. We met up again in Buenos Aires and hung together for a few days.
Although not far away, it took 3 modes of transportation to finally get to a little island (there are many in Tigre). Metro to train station, then train to Tigre (50 minute ride), then wait for a ferry to go to one of the many islands in Tigre. Doesn’t sound like a long trip, but from the time we got on the metro to the time we stepped foot on an island, a bit over 3 hours had passed. WHEW.
We randomly picked Tres Bocas, an island that has restaurants. There’s one path around the island, so when you land, you can either go right or left. There’s a canal-ish, brown body of water that we’re walking along (actually the whole delta is brownish). It’s very tropical - ginger plants, palms, insects, but also things I haven’t seen in a tropical environment - pine trees and hydrangeas.
It’s after 1pm, it’s hot, it’s humid, I’m sweating like a pig, and I’m thirsty. After walking 10-15 minutes, there’s a sign for canoe rentals at what looks like somebody’s house. There’s a dog on the dock, which I stop to pet, and a woman appears from the front yard. I say hola and look towards the house...wondering if they sell any drinks. I ask if they have beer and she says yes...don’t need to twist my arm - we’re stopping here.
Well.....4 hours later, we’re still there. Turns out they (Ines and Julian) built a summer house and also have 2 small cabanas for rent or you can pitch a tent in the yard. And they rent canoes. Ines invites us in, gives us a tour of her house and studio (she paints) and makes us feel very welcome.
We drink a huge beer (1 liter), then another, then she invites us to stay for an asado. There’s a HUGE pile of meat ready to be put on the grill. We meet others who are staying there; have stopped by for the day; or are friends of theirs.
A couple hours later and more huge beers, then one of the guests carves one of the massive pieces of meat and is placing a piece on everybody’s plate. As soon as we finish that piece, he moves onto cutting the next piece and serves us more, and this keeps going until all of the meat is gone. There’s ONE bell pepper (they don’t eat many veggies here) and some potatoes. A basic salad, some bread, cheese...and more beer.
It was a day of hanging out with the locals. It was like hanging out with friends at the river. Ines in her black bikini and Julian in his swim trunks all day - you can see them in my Tigre’ pics.
The journey home wasn’t as pleasant. The train was packed and the number of people waiting for the next train was massive, so we decided to wait for a few more trains to pass. Ok, another beer and papas fritas.
Finally got on a train around 9:30pm and if it weren’t for the family with strollers in front of us, I’m pretty sure my face would be smashed into somebody’s armpit...or pretty close to it. So yes, standing the whole way back. More than half way home and we smell burning rubber....and smell it, and smell it. We’re saying that it would be horrible to live in whatever city we were in and that smell couldn’t be good for the people.
We’re approaching a train station, the doors open and EVERYBODY EXITS THE TRAIN. Not in a casual way either - like a mass exodus. THE TRAIN IS ON FIRE. No wonder it smelled! So, more waiting for another train.
By the time we get to Buenos Aires, it’s 10:31...how do I know that - because the subway stops running at 10:30pm. Really, in a city that doesn’t start eating dinner until 10 or 11, the subway stops at 10:30. Geez. Ok, gotta figure out which bus will get us close to home. Finally got to my B&B at 11pm.
CRAZY ending to a really FUN day.
I went with Kelly from Vancouver, who I met at my B&B in Santiago. We met up again in Buenos Aires and hung together for a few days.
Although not far away, it took 3 modes of transportation to finally get to a little island (there are many in Tigre). Metro to train station, then train to Tigre (50 minute ride), then wait for a ferry to go to one of the many islands in Tigre. Doesn’t sound like a long trip, but from the time we got on the metro to the time we stepped foot on an island, a bit over 3 hours had passed. WHEW.
We randomly picked Tres Bocas, an island that has restaurants. There’s one path around the island, so when you land, you can either go right or left. There’s a canal-ish, brown body of water that we’re walking along (actually the whole delta is brownish). It’s very tropical - ginger plants, palms, insects, but also things I haven’t seen in a tropical environment - pine trees and hydrangeas.
It’s after 1pm, it’s hot, it’s humid, I’m sweating like a pig, and I’m thirsty. After walking 10-15 minutes, there’s a sign for canoe rentals at what looks like somebody’s house. There’s a dog on the dock, which I stop to pet, and a woman appears from the front yard. I say hola and look towards the house...wondering if they sell any drinks. I ask if they have beer and she says yes...don’t need to twist my arm - we’re stopping here.
Well.....4 hours later, we’re still there. Turns out they (Ines and Julian) built a summer house and also have 2 small cabanas for rent or you can pitch a tent in the yard. And they rent canoes. Ines invites us in, gives us a tour of her house and studio (she paints) and makes us feel very welcome.
We drink a huge beer (1 liter), then another, then she invites us to stay for an asado. There’s a HUGE pile of meat ready to be put on the grill. We meet others who are staying there; have stopped by for the day; or are friends of theirs.
A couple hours later and more huge beers, then one of the guests carves one of the massive pieces of meat and is placing a piece on everybody’s plate. As soon as we finish that piece, he moves onto cutting the next piece and serves us more, and this keeps going until all of the meat is gone. There’s ONE bell pepper (they don’t eat many veggies here) and some potatoes. A basic salad, some bread, cheese...and more beer.
It was a day of hanging out with the locals. It was like hanging out with friends at the river. Ines in her black bikini and Julian in his swim trunks all day - you can see them in my Tigre’ pics.
The journey home wasn’t as pleasant. The train was packed and the number of people waiting for the next train was massive, so we decided to wait for a few more trains to pass. Ok, another beer and papas fritas.
Finally got on a train around 9:30pm and if it weren’t for the family with strollers in front of us, I’m pretty sure my face would be smashed into somebody’s armpit...or pretty close to it. So yes, standing the whole way back. More than half way home and we smell burning rubber....and smell it, and smell it. We’re saying that it would be horrible to live in whatever city we were in and that smell couldn’t be good for the people.
We’re approaching a train station, the doors open and EVERYBODY EXITS THE TRAIN. Not in a casual way either - like a mass exodus. THE TRAIN IS ON FIRE. No wonder it smelled! So, more waiting for another train.
By the time we get to Buenos Aires, it’s 10:31...how do I know that - because the subway stops running at 10:30pm. Really, in a city that doesn’t start eating dinner until 10 or 11, the subway stops at 10:30. Geez. Ok, gotta figure out which bus will get us close to home. Finally got to my B&B at 11pm.
CRAZY ending to a really FUN day.
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