Sitting on the balcony of my Buenos Aires apartment I am
reflecting on the past fortnight and embracing the last bit of hug
left in the waning winter sun. These little quiet moments have
become really important to me in such a frantic ruleless city. To
avoid sensory overload I space out the vibrations and ticklishly
new sensations.
With Indiana June I felt like I was skim-reading the world, now
I am reveling in all the itsy bitsy details.
I stare a little too long at the dog walkers, the street
sweepers and the old men marking time and territory, stooped on
their front steps.
I go to a cafe each morning before cycling to work through the
hub-bub-fuzz of Buenos Aires. The tradition here is to dip a
medialuna (imagine if a french croissant had a sweeter little
sister) in a big mug of cafe con leche and play the drip game,
trying not to wear the delicious mess on its way to your mouth.
Everything is new here. Every custom, every smell, even the
light is different. I take a moment to breathe in the aroma of a
meal before stabbing the unsuspecting milanesa with my
fork.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
Hello Argentina and all the delicious cows within it.
On May 25 we celebrated the same day in 1810, when Argentina's first independent government was
created. This national holiday is celebrated every year and
festivities are often accompanied by a large bowl of locro. No one
could really explain to me why, other than it is a dish that
originated from Argentina and is essentially a stew made with
whatever is lying around. Chick peas, corn, chorizo, bacon...
mmm.
But onto the non-meat related Argentinian experiences of the last
fortnight...
Tango lessons at la Catedral:
I went to a Tango lesson on Tuesday night at a down and dirty
place called La Catedral and drunk red wine, ate delicious
empanadas and scooted around the dancefloor. It was like being a
kid at the bumper cars with all the beginners only able to move in
one direction despite the collisions. There is a giant paper mache
heart that hangs like a morbid chandelier over the dancefloor and
lots of random art everywhere.
You can see in this pic: http://www.lacatedralclub.com/
At midnight they rolled out a grand piano and a full tango band
took to the floor with piano accordians and a 30 year old man who
had the incredible deep voice of a 60 year old. Sadly I had to call
it a night at 2 because I had a client pitch at 10am... this work
and life thing is hard to keep in balance!
---------------------------------------------------
Fortnightly Fernet Friday painting party:
We have started a fortnightly party tradition at our new Palermo
apartment called Fernet Friday. It's a sickly medicine tasting
liquer that is incredibly popular in Argentina. Normally drunk with
ice and Coca Cola we have made it compulsory to hold a paint brush
while you're drinking it. It has resulted in some great paintings
of fernet bottles on our apartment walls and the next one is this
Friday so if you're in the neighbourhood come join us!
---------------------------------------------------
Tango wine tasting in San Telmo:
I attended a wine tasting in San Telmo on Friday night where
between each wine, the shop owner belted out a tango solo. Despite
the whole thing being in Spanish I learned that Mendoza where all
the famous Malbec wines are produced is perfect grape-growing
territory. Apparently they get more sunshine than europe which
makes the grape skin thicker and bolder in taste. Their secret is
to flood the earth with water so that the roots go deeper,
accessing more minerals from the ground below. (Plus I learned they
all taste pretty darn good!)
---------------------------------------------------
Cycle trip around Reservas Ecologica:
Between downtown Buenos Aires and the water is the Reservas
Ecologica. With the wild natural reserve set against a highrise
skyline it felt almost apocolyptic. If humans were wiped out, I am
pretty sure this is what BA would look like in 30 years. My
housemate Max and I bumped through the tracks past people
picnicking on the waters edge. It was such a lovely relief to get a
nature fix so close to the city. Deep breath in, deep breath out, I
love the salty smell of the sea.
---------------------------------------------------
La Boca:
After the Reservas Ecologica we crossed the tracks to Boca,
where life changed instantly, hanging wires, abandoned buildings,
people in the street zombie-like, broken footpaths, dog bombs,
rubbish, police on every corner, looking for the colourful houses
I'd seen on postcards. We stopped 3 times to ask for directions,
and when we arrived we needn't have bothered, it was like Joseph
and his technicolour coat had wrapped himself up in the ramshackled
buildings. Meat everywhere, whether it is cooked on an asado or
flaunting itself hanging off a tango partner. It was tourist
overload, like Argentinian Disneyland for adults.
---------------------------------------------------
Moonlight yoga with Buena Onda: My voted activity this
week
Buena Onda translates as Good Vibes and there
were oodles of them at this special late night yoga, vegetarian
feast fest. We did 90 min of yoga in a relaxing studio accompanied
by musicians who played rhythms to accompany our movements. Then we
went downstairs and shared a 4 course vegetarian dinner and
interesting, inspired conversation. Not a bad way to spend a
chilled Saturday night in BA.
---------------------------------------------------
New job as a digital storyteller at Conrad
Caine:
I am growing so fast in my job that sometimes it hurts but it is
great to feel my brain being stretched in new directions. 3
different time zones with staff in Germany, Brazil and Argentina
and an office sooo digital that we don't even have a photocopier it
has been a steep but exhilerating learning curve. To quote
Einstein, there are times I feel like a goldfish trying to climb a
tree!
Now I am off to cycle with thousands of people for Critical Mass
around the city streets as the sun sets over gorgeous Buenos
Aires.
Is it just me or does this bridge look suspiciously
similar to the new one in Dublin, Ireland?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're a Buenos Aires fan you might also get a buzz out
of: