Ok, so I´m in Bariloche, a picturesque town situated on the edge of a lake and surrounded by mountains. I feel quite at home here. It´s also nice to have FRESH air, and not have quite so much pollution fill my lungs. The bus trip to Bariloche was just incredible. It was a 20 hour journey which I was dreading, but my expectations were far far surpassed, being fed quite delicious food and being shown three movies (one of which was ¨Changeling¨ and was very good.
But what I want to talk about is the last few days in Buenos Aires. Firstly, I did the tourist thing, and went to a tourist Estancia, Don Silvano (www.donsilvano.com) The beginning of it was a little twee with them giving us horse rides, and rides on a horse and cart. But once we went into the large room for lunch, and the music and dancing started, it was wonderful. They played lots of folk music, and there was a part where they played a song from every country. They didn´t know any from New Zealand, and so somehow I was convinced to go up and sing something from my country. I did, but it was very short. I got a photo of it though, as the girl I had met, Erica, took one for me. The highlight for me though was the part where they were dancing, kind of tap style with these stones on a string. Take a look. I found a video of exactly what i saw. I´m not sure if there is music in this as I can´t hear any, but it is amazing (especially from aboiut half way through)!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rapQZ2m7Kgs
After the dance we went out and watched them do horsey/gaucho things. They are VERY talented! The day was good, and the food, a traditional asado (kind of like a BBQ) was wonerful. Something that I don´t think I could see in any other country and although quite touristy, was lots of fun.
The following day, me and my friend Monica went out to this nearby town for her friend´s birthday. Now this was the real deal. Think country estate, with 7 dogs, chickens and cats running freely. Fabio (whose brithday it was) lives with this older guy who can only be discussed as an aging artistic eccentric antique collecting sculptor named Carlos. I really enjoyed his company and that of the others (although with most of them there was the language barrier, although Carlos spoke English). We started the day with mate, and pastries, and then empananadas, and then asado (I am eating so much meat here in Argentina that I think my stomach is in shock!) and then dessert. All washed down with Argentinian wine. It was great, although I could have done with slightly fewer dogs. But it was real Argentinian life, and I couldn´t have asked for more.
The following day it was over to Tigre to a holiday home with a difference. I was staying with Monica, and her sister Patricia, and we went to hang out with the other sister and her husband. It was great. We had to take a boat to get there, as the house is on an island, and guess what we had for lunch? That´s right. Asado! I am getting a little sick of them after my binge over the weekend, but it is a wonderful variation on our BBQ, and Argentinians have Asado very frequently when they get together with friends. They are big on savouring their meals, and unlike New Zealanders use wine as part of a meal, rather than something done separately. I may not get everything in this culture but I get the idea of hospitality and sharing moments with friends and family, and taking your time. I was so lucky that Monica and her sister let me stay with them for just under a week, as I was privy to places, events and foods that as a tourist I would never see otherwise. It was nice having a friend to ¨couchsurf¨with, as I met Monica in London when we worked together, and I hope she (or anyone in her family) knows they they are more than welome at my place if they ever come to New Zealand.
Right, speaking of couch surfers, I´m off to meet mine.
Until next time, when I´ll probably be in Chile...
