[Narrated in the voice of David Attenborough] Buenos Aires believes it is a European city. Despite this fact, its close neighbors are Montevideo, Uruguay, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The “porteños” who make their homes here in Buenos Aires belong to an Argentinian clade that identifies more with Italians than South Americans. Italian restaurants packed with pasta and pizza comprise traditional food here, along with generous portions of beef. Wine is also enjoyed on any occasion. When visiting Buenos Aires, one might wonder whether I am in Europe or Argentina. [end voice of David Attenborough]. It’s always a noticeable transition to Buenos Aires from the other places I visit in South America owing to the local Argentine Spanish accent, the distinct style of the neighborhoods I walk through, the delicious food, and the vast amounts of dog shit on the sidewalks. Every city has such similar, if distinct, charms. Among them, increasingly for me, is Argentina’s president Javier Milei, who embodies the persona of a black sheep political outsider and libertarian. His presidency is still in its infancy, but his changes are bombastic, controversial, and seemingly intelligent. Following his career and legacy will be interesting as he aims to revert the […]
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Mendoza was a great place to spend an extended holiday weekend drinking wine and eating too much steak. It’s a one-hour flight from Santiago and 1.5 from Buenos Aires. There are over 300 wineries around Mendoza which afford plenty of opportunities to visit, taste, and eat. I cashed in some travel credits I had accrued and splurged on a luxury boutique hotel. The room had a sauna, steam room, outdoor hot tub, and full kitchen. I don’t often travel like this, but when I do I really relish the experience. The hotel was a perfect accompaniment to a lazy weekend spent enjoying perfect weather (sunny and warm) and wine, I spent three days here resting and decompressing. I visited four different wineries during the stay, and each was beautiful, historic, and fun. It’s easy to find convenient, private, packaged excursions online that will pick you up from your hotel and chauffeur you to any number of bodegas, removing the obligation of a rental car and self-navigating. This is the best way to do wine tours in Mendoza and allows you to just enjoy the experience. The last time I was in Mendoza was eight years ago and I knew right […]
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I should spend more time in Argentina, I thought to myself as I perused a map of South America. I was in Mexico City trying to decide where I should travel next. Why don’t I spend more time in Argentina? I thoughtfully considered. Was there a reason I didn’t travel to Argentina regularly? My gaze left Google Maps and drifted dreamily into the distance — a congested sidestreet where traffic honked and pedestrians scampered (probably — or maybe; I don’t really know this is a fictitious recollection for dramatic effect). Had I been avoiding Argentina? Hm, no not particularly. But the question was interesting – as much as I am working to improve my Spanish, and as much as I have enjoyed the places I have visited in Argentina, Cordoba, Mendoza, and Buenos Aires — it didn’t really make sense that I didn’t spend more of my time there. I should spend more time in Argentina. Well, I thought, what better time to visit than now? It was autumn in Argentina and apparently a really nice time to visit. I tucked the thought into my mind and continued on with other tasks. That afternoon I was walking through La Condesa, […]
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Ahh Mendoza. Malbec, steak, olive oil and endless, rolling hills of scenic views of the Andes. I wouldn’t know — I spend 5 days in Mendoza city which is, let me tell you, not nearly as cool as the surrounding countryside, villas, estancias or wineries. Such is the price I choose to pay while working during my travelling (instead of travelling to be on vacation). That being said I still had a really fun, adventurous time looking at stuff. My typical modus operandi when landing in a new place involves “hey I wonder what thing on the map is. I better go look at it.” I’ll get side tracked four or five times, probably lost and hungry. Eventually I’ll get to the destination either to be underwhelmed or excited about something else to venture to. I also end up discovering and solving a lot of micro mysteries. I think of them as micro mysteries because they are insignificant and only really mysteries to someone such as myself who has no idea what is going on or why something is happening. Para exemplo : “Why is there a line 100 people long outside of this store that looks sort of like a tiny […]
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I visited Córdoba because I had no idea what I would find there. Places like this are my favorite (cp Bucharest, Belgrade, Ljulbljana). I spend four days over a weekend here in Argentina’s second largest city after Buenos Aires, exploring and conceptualizing. I found something a little different from other destinations I’ve so far cataloged across Europe and Asia. As in Buenos Aires the spaces, blocks and buildings are broad instead of tall (ancho, no alto) but less so pronounced in Cordoba than in BA. Since the largest universities in Argentina are in Córdoba, you see a lot of young people when walking through town. This gives it an energetic, diverse personality. On a stroll through a park I witnessed a rock climbing class, runners, BMX mountain bikers, Crossfitters and even a guy doing some pretty advanced static jumps with his mountain bike. Crazy! So much for my previous inclination that Argentinians have a predisposition to be lazy. Just as in Buenos Aires, Córdoba has great night life, restaurants and venues on par with any cool neighborhood in the United States. Also as in Palermo it is easy to forget you are not in the United States at times. Especially with being able to speak Spanish, the […]
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South American summer has been a welcome change from 4 months in Asia. Ubiquitous beef has been an appreciated perk and during the month of February I’ve managed to average over one steak a day. My favorite cut is the bief de chorizo aka sirloin. An under appreciated cut in my opinion overshadowed by the more celebrated tenderloin, filet mignon or ribeye. Cheaper, with more fat and flavor (even if less tender) — a cheaper to boot. What’s not to love? Along with the beef I did my best to savor Malbec at every opportunity and did a 4 day trip to Mendoza to find it at its most authentic, local origin (and also McDonald’s). I spent most of the month of February living in Palermo, Buenos Aires, a posh neighborhood with restaurants, cafes and gringo tourists. There is a lot of graffiti and ‘street art’ and it’s not always entirely clear which is which. I started learning Spanish for the first time in my life. Five friends and I were together in a class with our sexy Argentinian teacher, Mariela, with classes twice a week. Surprisingly I love learning Spanish and hope to continue my learning during the next four months here in […]
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