In Search of Chinatown Wednesday 8/15/07

Last night it poured rain and we thought we would have a limited chance to explore today, however the morning was clear and sunny and not very cold so we decided to see if we could find the small Chinatown in the barrio Belgrano. We decided to walk and explore yet another area of the city.

We took off northwest on Sante Fe Avenue and then followed the north leading street of Av. Luis MArie Campos as it meets Liberadore Ave. at a distance. During this walk we discovered more shops with more usual items and included a place to buy bulk provoletta cheese. It sells for about 20 pesos/kilo and I had the man weigh it and it was close to 4.5 kilos or 90 pesos. I didn't want to carry it so I told him I would return in about 5 days to retrieve it.

We then passed places with interesting architecture mixed in with square concrete and brick buildings. There are several magnificant government buildings along the path we chose and one was the military school of war. When we reached the junction of Liberadore Avenue, we found the street called Juramento and turned right for one block, crossing the train tracks. If you now turn left on Arribenos, you are in a several block region of the Buenos Aires China Town. It is not very impressive but does have the requisite chicken feet and gizzards and dried mushrooms and strange medicine shops. None of the restaurants even remotely looked like they serve hot and spicy foods.

I bought Earline some essential oils for 2 pesos each and an electronic sparker to light gas grills. I have not seen one of these in the USA and they are superior to the dollar store butane lighters which break after 10 clicks. Interesting is that the stores sell imported Chinese goods at prices higher than we can buy the same stuff for in the USA.

We walked up Juramento and found the D subte line and took it back home for an afternoon nap. Chinatown is not one of those "must-see" tourist stops in Buenos Aires. :)

Wool Buying and Lunch at Dante's Monday 8/14/07

Dante called and invited Dave and me to a home cooked lunch. Because we walked a long distance yesterday, Dante gave us walking instructions and a time of 1:30 pm to show for a "Dante Cooked Meal." He was going to show us how to cook Chinese. This was a once in a lifetime chance to see the domisticated side of Dante, so we accepted and took off walking about 10 am.

I took the opportunity to buy Earline's wool as we were passing by the shops at Scalibrini Ortiz and Cordoba. I purchased a variety of wools with different colors and textures and ran up a bill of about $50 US for about 3 kilos of wool. Now I had to lug it with me.

We had time to kill so we walked along Ave. Corrientes, the one that runs to the Obilisk, and browsed the shops. We then found the Plaza Almagro which borders Dante's place. It was still too early to show for lunch, so we decided to sample artesinal ice cream at a corner shop. I was disappointed with the last ice cream I tried as it seems to be a mixture of sweet gummy stuff which I suspect is dulce de leche, and our ice cream. This sample came closer to what we Americans consider ice cream but still, it seems more gummy. I am uncertain how they can mess up cream, sugar, flavorings and freezing it, but they do.

We knocked on Dante's door which is located at SArmiento 3815 PB

#c. We were greeted and led through a long corridor to the back of the house. Dante lives in a humble place with two bedrooms, a small kitchen and living room/dining room combo and two enclosed garden areas that give a cozy feel to the place. He has a little dog called Munica (little doll in Spanish) that is just great. We were treated to appetizers and wine while Dante continued to prepare his beef, onion, curried rice dish. It was delicious and we consumed more rice.

Later in the afternoon, Dante, his friend Janet, Dave and I took the bus for the first time back to our place. It was slower than the subte but not at all uncomfprtable. The cost is 80 centivos for the ticket. You put coins in the ticket machine and it will give you change and a ticket. We got off at Plaza Italia and walked home while Dante and Janet went to another store to buy bungee cords to hold the luggage of three women arriving in the morning. He came to our place without the cords and I have yet to discover if he was able to transport the women and their stuff in his small transport car.

MONDAY AUGUST 13, 2007

Today's weather was quite Spring-like. Sunny aand warm. Dave and I decided we will check our the Palermo Zoological Gardens because we are bored and looking for things to do. Fortunately, it was closed on Mondays!

We took off on Sarmiento Avenue towards Liberatore Avenue in search of adventure. Really, we wanted to find the tulip sculpture that opens and follows the sun. We hoofed it around Parque Feb 3 and passed the Japonese Gardens again. Crossing the street towards LIberatore, we came across an upscale shopping center containing what appears to be a super Walmart type store. It was called the Plaza Cheeky. They had the best foods that I have seen to date in BA. Produce was fresh, meat was plentiful and gorgeous, and the wine selection was huge. I tried to take a few pictures but was told to stop. Maybe they were afraid that clients would be photographed?

We then were still looking for the tulip, so we walked toward the dock area and ended up in a section of town that I would not recommend. It was an area where ships are unloaded with their containers and contained a "technical park" that appeared to be rather non-technical. However, we did find a par three executive golf course during our tour. We then back tracked to Liberatore avenue, walked towards downtown looking for the tulip. After about ten miles, we decided to get on the subte and call it a day. It turns out that we missed the damned tulip by a block. It is located on Liberatore Avenue across from the Japonese Gardens. We happened to turn the wrong direction. However, it was still and interesting day.

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Sunday August 12,2007 Tourism Day

Dante called and wanted to take his friend sight-seeing. Because we had nothing better to do, and because my brother has not been to some of the tourist areas, we decided to tag along.

The first area we toured was the Puerto Madero area which I wrote about earlier. We saw a bit more of the area by auto than on foot but basically it is a new and prosperous area of developing high-rise properties and costly restaurants. It is considered the safest area of the city as there are closed circuit TV's on the street corners.

We then progressed to the real tourist trap, called La Bocca (the mouth) and this refers to the mouth of the original harbor area of Buenos Aires. There are colorful houses of corregated steel that were painted with left over paint from ships in the older days. Now on Sunday, there are tango dancers, tango art, trinkets, etc. everywhere. Everyone has their hand out for a small charge to have a picture taken, etc. I was happy to leave the area.

We next went to a more colorful local faire called Mataderos. Here, the locals watch and participate in local dances and listen to traditional music and eat local foods. There are booths selling honey, olive oils, and a variety of artesinal crafts at prices better than in BA. Dante wanted to eat parilla from the street but after my tourista bout, I settle to consume only beer.

We ended the day at about 8pm.

Saturday - Aug 11, 2007 Wool Hunting Day

Today was the day I was supposed to check out buying wool for my wife, Earline. The bulk wool stores are located approximately at the corner of Scalabrini Ortiz and Cordoba and are on Scalabrini Ortiz. Saturday is not the best day to do this as you must take a number and fight a lot of women for a place in line to buy wool.

The stores are typical wool stores except that the prices are in kilogram of wool. A typical price might be 45-60 pesos per

kilogram of wool. To see if this is a good deal, you would have to know how much wool it takes to make a particular item and then compare it to the USA prices. I then wrote to Earline who weighed some recent scarves she made. They weigh 12-20 grams and take about 3 small skeins or one large skein to make. That would come to about $6 US. Thus you could make perhaps 50 scarves from a kilo of wool at a BA cost of $15-$20 US dollars. This is a good deal.

I will now have to return to purchase some bulk wools. They sell cashmier and mohair among other speciality wools.

BA Social System

During our Spanish lessons, we had the chance to speak in depth with Diego about the social system of Argentina. Although a much poorer country than the USA, they are able to provide free college education for all and free healthcare for all. The physicians must all work free for part of their time in the public hospitals before attending at the University or private practice. Even the president's physician must take his turn providing free care.

The colleges offer the opportunity of a free education to all who wish to go. Of course, they must pass the tests on the subjects but there is no entrance examination except in Medicine. There is a problem with lower education as there is in the United States. The level of education varies depending on if it is given in the capital or in the provinces. Those from the provinces with less money definitely get an inferior education.

Of interest to me was the absence of the people's love for their country. They love their culture and their fellow Argentine's but because of past abuses by the government, they don't trust the government and therefore separate their identities from a government identity. They must carry a government ID card with them at all times and it is mandatory to vote in elections. Their ID booklet is stamped with proof of voting. If you don't vote, you are are risk of forfiting government services.

The Argentine's do not have an anti-imigrant attitude. They do not discriminate against those from Chili, Peru, or Brazil, etc. They do make kind of snide remarks about the other countries such as Paraguay or Uraguay. It seems to be rather good natured such as calling those from Paraguay the word Paraguas, the word for umbrella. They particularly don't like the Spanish, probably because of the past history of Spanish colonialization.

There is a lot of poverty in certain areas of the city but very little violent crime. Guns are almost non-existent and while an occasional person gets shot, it is nothing like in the United States. The children are not treated with drugs for ADD but rather have patient teachers in special schools. The teachers for regular students, have a different relationship with the students than in the USA. Rather than an authoritarian profile, they are more of a colleague in learning for the students, even in college.

Business lunches are often 1.5 hours long and are more social events than in the USA where you gulp down the food in order to return to work. This slower pace seems to create a less aggressive and predatory climate.

There are four major ways to travel around the city of Buenoa Aires. The cheapest and most common method is that of buses called collectivos. They have numbers and you need a booklet with maps to correlate the number of the bus with the place you want to travel. You queue up at the end of the line and must raise your hand when the proper numbered bus comes or it won't stop. More than one numbered bus will service a particular stop (parada). You must have coins to ride the bus as there is no change. You pay your money, get a ticket and when your stop comes, you signal with a button or bar that you want to get off.

The subway (subte) is the next cheapest method of moving people. There are five color-coded lines A,B,C,D,E and they interconnect at the main station called Avenida 9 de Julio. They are really packed at peak hours and you have to plan ahead to squeeze to a door to get off at your stop. It costs 7o centavos to ride one way. It is best to get a 10 ticket pass for 7 pesos and use this.

Trains service more distant barrios or provinces with the city. The main station is in the barrio Retiro but I have yet to try using the train. I don't know their cost and I am certain it varies but should not be too expensive.

Taxis seem to be everywhere and fill in the gaps. The radio taxi is a black and yellow car with alight on the right front side of the driver. When lit, it indicates the cab is vacant. You hale the cab as you do in the USA. Check the price to you destination to be certain he is not taking you on a round about excursion. There is a meter that indicates the fare on time and distance. To travel from the downtown to Palermo was about 12 pesos.

The Dreaded "Tourista" - Wednesday 8/8/07

I haven't posted on the blog for a few days because I was sick with the dreaded "tourista" or traveller's diarrhea. It is unclear how I became ill with this as I am usually careful of things that I eat and generally wash my hands before dining. It is possible that it was part of a respiratory illness that I contracted several days after arrival, but no matter the cause, the consequence is rapid and profound. One gets a colon prep for an imaginary colonoscopy for about 24 hours. On Sunday, I had shaking chills, abdominal cramps and right lower quadrant pain making me wonder if I was getting a perforated appendix. Next began frequent trips to the bathroom for a colon cleansing experience that some would pay money for in Santa Cruz. :)

On return to language school on Monday, I was anorexic and hadn't eaten anything in 36 hours but was at least hydrating. If that was not possible, one could see how you could get into trouble rapidly with such a problem. Cholera is a bacterial infection that gives a toxing to the water transport cells of the intesting preventing reabsorption of water and salt. The rapid dehydrating effect of this is the reason there are so many deaths in third world countries from this disease. Traveller's diarrhea is most commonly caused by a toxin in E. Coli and resolves within 1-2 days.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/travelersdiarrhea_g.htm#who

Fortunately, life has once again improved and my desire to consume nutrition has returned. Tonight we will even plan to go toa milonga for a few hours. Hopefully, some things of interest will be posted soon.

Saturday August 4, 2007 Tigre

The weather got better today and Dante thought it would be a good day to go to Tigre which is a province of Buenos Aires and located on the delta of the Rio del Plata (River of Silver). It takes about 35 minutes by auto to get there and when we arrived about noon, we toured the town which has a mixture of upscale houses and lower class houses.

We took a catamaran tour of the delta for 20 pesos (about $7.00 US) and it lasts about 1.5 hours. There are beautiful houses on delta land but you have to access them by boat, either private or public, like a taxi. In town is where you have to get your supplies. There were a number of properties for sale but the prices are unknown. They are on stilts so there must be a water level problem at times. Danta says it was in the past and they corrected it but I am not certain how you fix a delta. :)

After the cruise, we walked the streets and looked at typical tourist goods. I bought two mate cups and bombillas for gifts. I'll write more of the custom of mate drinking on another entry.

We returned to BA and then walked around Palermo SOHO (South of Hollywood) to signify an upscale area with clothing, jewlry, etc. AFter a cappichino that took forever to receive, we went back to apartment and Dante went home to prepare for airport transfers tomorrow.

Thursday August 2, 2007

Nothing to report yesterday, only language school. Today was much the same. I set off this morning to find Earline's skein's of wool on Scalibrini Ortiz but apparently did not walk far enough. One needs to cross a street called Cordoba before coming to the wool places. I'll tray again at another time.

We had a kick of cafe chico before boarding the subway for school. This was our fourth day of school and things are difficult be slowly progressing. It is clear that one needs a prolonged time to learn Spanish but at least I can form simple sentences.

We have figured out the subway at rush hour. If we get on the first stop (Ave. Cathedral) next to Plaza de Mayo, we can get a place before the people crush in. Then, all we need to do is wait to get off. I nearly got stranded for an extra stop when the doors closed on me after David got off. Fortunately, the door operator opened them again for me.

We bought 9 pastries on our way home for 5.4 pesos ( approximately $1.80). We ate one to taste and washed it down with dark beer at 2.8 pesos per liter. This held us until 9:30 when we decided to try a Mexican restaurant in Palermo. Thi restaurant called Restaurante Mexico, is located on Thames and I think Ave. Santiago. I'll have to look on a map to find the correct name. The food is certainly different than any mexican food I have ever eaten. I had a chili releno and it came in a deep dish like soup with some type of sauce and ground beef. Dave had tacos dorados which had an odd golden sauce. It was good food and the restaurant was packed with a waiting line.

Time for TV and bed at about 11:00 pm.

Tuesday July 31, 2007

Up by 8 am and feeling a bit better. I wonder if I got a cold on the airplane or on the packed subways? Who can know? We walked around the area this morning looking for Av. Scalabrini where the wool is supposed to be located. However, we walked the wrong direction as my map reading skills sucked this morning. No matter, we found a great breakfast place for an American breakfast at 14.5 pesos. This included cafe con leche, scrambled eggs and ham, orange juice, toast and marmalade. For two this is about $10 total.

We went downtown about 12:30 pm and explored around the region of the language school. Before class we tanked up on high test coffee. I had a double espresso with cream...what a buzz.

Language school was fun for the second day. I hope after two weeks I'll be able to converse adequately. I may be expecting too much. I'll do my "homework" in the morning.

Dave and I walked to the obalisk to kill time because it is impossible to get on the subway. He already had a pickpocket steal his new digital camera. They unzipped his fanny pack and took it without him feeling it. I will need to be totally vigalent from now on. We at fugazetta pizza and beer at a great place called the Valerio Cafe on the corner of Esmeralda and Lavalle. We are finally decoding the pizza. Fugazza is just onions and olive oil on pizza crust. Fugazza con queso adds cheese. Fugazetta is a pocketed pizza filled with cheese and onios and spices. They really load you up on the cheese. They do not skimp like USA pizzas. However, we tried to get just a tomato sauce and cheese pizza but have not yet hit the formulas. We tried a pizza nopliatano but this has cheese and tomato slices and olive oil and garlic. It seems you need to order a mozerella pizza to get what we have been seeking. Time to move onto different foods! :)

We got on the subway about 7:30 pm but they are still packed and it is Winter Holiday. When they all return to work, I wonder how packed they will all be?

Of additional interest is the availability of pressurized bottles of water to make your own seltzer water. The taste is refreshing and while we can buy sparkling water in the USA, I have never seen this product which is superior. Probably the lawyers prevent this being available as they would sue the manufacturers and store should one explode and scare or injure a person. We are clearly over-regulated.

Start of Language School 7/30/07

Today was our first experience with the language school. Our teacher is a college literature professor named Diego and is a good teacher and very patient. We started from essentially no knowledge and progressed rapidly to essentially no knowledge plus a little. :)

School ends at the rush hour commute and we tried to get on the subway but this prooved to be impossible. The cars were totally full and when the doors open, more people try to get in. There were people partially hanging out when the train (el tren) started to roll. Dave and I just turned around and left to walk ( al piedra) towards the monument at Av. 9 de Julio and Av. Corrientes.

It was pretty early to eat and the major restaurants were closed still. We wallked up Corrientes towards Montevideo where Earline and I stayed last year and found a restaurant in a small court where I had spinache ravioli and Dave tried a club sandwich. Washed down with a very expensive Modelo Negro imported beer that cost 10 pesos each. You can buy a whole liter of Quillmes beer in the supermarket for about 3.5 pesos.

We walked over to the D subway line, encountered a street demonstration concerning children and came back to the apartment. On the way, we tried to buy a take out pizza with tomato sauce and cheese. We ordered Pizza Napolitano thinking this was the one but it came with garlic, olive oil, tomato slices and cheese. It is tough to figure the correct pizza here.

Interesting Foreign Food

I think the marketers might want to rethink the name of this food item for the American market should they wish to expand there.

-Lee

SUnday 7/29/07 - San Telmo Faire

Sunday is the day of the large antique and crafts faire in San Telmo. It is supposed to start at 10 am but it really doesn't get going until after lunch. The morning is too cold for the venders to be out on the streets. We had a local breakfast of cafe con leche with three media lunas at the local pizza place for 4.5 pesos each. We discovered how to ride the subway from Plaza Italia to Independencia where we were able to walk a few blocks to the faire which is on Defensa Street.

There are the usual assortment of tango dancers, mimes, crafts people and many antiques. We browsed for a bit and bought a few trinkets but there was nothing of particular interest. It is a great place to buy tourist gifts for the people back home if you are so inclined.

During my honeymoon last year (luna de miel), Earline and I ate lunch in a little place at 475 Humberto Primo where a great tango singer/guitarist was performing. I found on the internet that Ezequiel Camacho was playing there again. Dave and I made a point to see him perform again during lunch. I bought another CD from him as he is an exceptional singer.

If ever you had a need for an antique seltzer bottle, this faire is the place to buy it. Other things of interest might be a custom fillette sign painted while you wait or jewelry made of the national stone called Rodochrosite. http://www.capecodrocks.com/rhodochrosite.htm

Back at the apartment by 4 pm for a nap. We old farts need these things. No plans to go out later this evening. Tomorrow is the first day of language school.

Saturday July 28, 2007

We got up at 8am. We decided to walk to the Japonese Gardens today (Jadins Japonica). On the way, we had a tasty breakfast at a corner cafe called Cafe de Botanico on the corner of Santa Fe and the street at the end of the botanical gardens. (3797 Ave. Sante Fe) The breakfast consisted of coffee con leche, orange juice, media lunas with melted ham and cheese inside and a small pastry filled with dulce de leche.

We then walked Ave. Liberatore, which has great apartments, many next the the large park called Parque 3 Februaro. They seem to name these things after big land take overs. This was the date they over threw the big land barron who owned a large ranch (estancia) that made up what is now the largest barrio in BA, Palermo. Part of that land became the park. The Japonese Gardens were quite beautiful and cost 5 pesos admission. It was a tribute to the Japonese who came to Buenos Aires.

After touring this park, we walked back to our apartment but stopped for a late lunch at Comodines, located at Guemes 4400 (Tel 4832 8282). We had a brochette of lomo (beef), papas fritas, a submarino which did not come with coffee. I think you have to order a coffee submarino if you want the experience of expresso with a chocolate bar submerged in it. It is also nice to order agua con gas (sparkling water) to finish the meal. Cost, about $10/person.

After a nap to recharge the batteries, Dante came over to learn about the Apple laptop I brought for him. We then ventured out at 11 pm for a local pizza in Palermo. The streets were alive with people at that time of the evening.

Friday July 27, 2007 - Puerto Madero

After getting home from the Nino Bien milonga at 3:30 am this morning, the old body could not arise until 10 am. Dave and I decided to get breakfast downtown rather than eat locally. Besides, we needed to go visit the Acadamie of Buenos Aires to arrange a start of our language school on Monday.

We ate breakfast at the Poker Cafe located at 111 Pelligrini which is found by walking from the main subte station (Carlos Pelligrini) and heading to Plaza de Mayo. We ordered an Americano breakfast for 16 pesos and this included eggs, ham, toast, fruit, coffee con leche, cookies and various breads.

The language school was located at Hipolito Yurigoyen 571 4th floor. We met the secretary, Sylviana, who showed us the classrooms and answered questions until the owner, Utz Federico Hoeser came in. We paid $640 US for the two of us to receive lessons 4 hrs daily, five days a week for two weeks. It turns out that there will probably only be the two of us in the class so it is like having private lessons.

We then decided to explore the Puerto Madero area. This was an area where there are a series of docks (diques) that had large cranes to unload ships. This has turned into a tourist area now and old wharehouses are now condos, office buildings and restaurants. High rise condos and hotels are being built in the area that is booming.

I looked at a condo building that I visited last August called Chateau, and prices for a two bedroom unit with maid quarters of 153 meters squared (1377 sq ft) run $465k plus $25k for a parking place and 9 pesos/meter squared/month for facility fees ($1377/mo)that include spas, tennis courts, pools, etc. You have a private elevator and entry lobby. Very nice on paper but one wonders about the government stability. Taxes are roughly 1% per year.

Dave and I then decided to check out the building next door. I gasped when told the units START at $2 million US dollars. We fled from there and decided to take the subte back to Palermo where we grabbed a late lunch at "El Galeon" on 4002 Sante Fe Ave. The food was great and reasonably priced.

Nap time until 7 pm and then our friend Dante Proano, the airport taxi guy came over for a computer lesson. I brought him my old Mac G3 Powerbook so he could view his emails and website without going to the local locatorios where internet access can be had for 1.5 pesos/hr.

Bedtime 12:35 am. Tomorrow we plan to explore the gardens in Palermo. More later.

July 26, 2007

This is our second day in BA and I am still out of whack with the time change being five hours earlier than California time. I got up at 8 am and we left the apartment at about 10 am to enjoy a traditional breakfast of cafe con leche (coffee and milk) and three media luna pastries. This was sufficient to allow us to get on the subte (subway) to travel downtown to the Carlos Pelligrini stop at the world's widest street, Avenue 9 de Julio.

We walked around to find an old classical tango placed called the Confiteria Ideal where I collected a tango map. We then walked the entire length of Florida Street that represents where the wealth and tourists shop. At the Galleria Galacia, we enjoyed a submarino which is a coffee with a submerged chocolate bar. Yummy!

We walked throught the PLaza San Martin, who represents what George Washing does to our country. From there we hoofed it to the cemetary at Recolleta. This is a huge collection of mausoleums of the rich and famous and includes the grave of Eva Peron who is laid to rest in a non descript tomb under her family name of Duarte. The grave was covered with flowers which demonstrates how much she is still loved by the people of Argentina.

We wandered through a small artesan gathering and then hunger drove up to a small pizza place called Puerto Montt located on San Vincinte Lopez near the cemetary wall. Great food with unusual pizza. It had hearts of palm, olives, hard boiled eggs, carrots, ham, tomatoes, cheese and ranch dressing. We washed this down with a great dark beer by Eisenbeck.

We then treked to the D subte line to return to our apartment for a nap to prepare for the evening milonga at Nino Bien which starts near midnight. How these people do this, amazes me.

Tomorrow, we will seek out the location of the language school.

Arrival in BA

We arrived to a cold BA about 9:30 am. Dante Proano picked us up at the airport and we v entured to the apartmena t at 2310 THames #15. This is pronounced Thomas rather than "tames". The apartment is on the top flood and has one small space heater for the living room area.

We spent quite some time trying to get on the internet and I finally was partially successful but Dave still canb't power up his computer. Tomorrow, we will need to look for a three wire adapter to see if that will work for him. The only email I can connect with is the ldgriff@earthlink.net

I sent two notes to my wife, Earline but don't know if she received them yet. I didn't want her to worry. Dave was unsuccessful in using his cell phone even though he was told by his provider that it would work.

We ate at a great parilla restaurant in Palermo SOHO called La Escondida, located at Costa Rica 4464. A great bottle of wine, salads and bifi de lomo and provaletta was had from less than $40 for three people.

Time for bed.

Day Minus One and Counting

Here I am 24 hours from flight time out of SFO airport. I have packed two suitcases, one carry on and a portable laptop for Dante, my Argentine friend. Last minute things to attend to yet are buying a new pair of comfortable walking shoes as Dave and I plan a lot of hoofing around the city. I have my iPOD, PDA, snacks, voltage convertor (if it works), and keys to the rented apartment. I am certain I will have forgotten many things but with the wired world, I can continue to "take care of business."

Trip Background

Because Earline (my wife) and I enjoyed Buenos Aires (BA) so much when we went there for two weeks last August on our honneymoon, I wanted to return again this Summer to see if it still held the same magic as it did the first time. There are really several reasons for this trip at this time. First, I want to see if the magic is the same before considering any investment in property for future part-time residence there. Second, if Earline and I really want to live there then one of us really needs to learn to speak more than pidgeon Spanish. (Engspan more than Spanglish). Thus I want to attend language school in BA for intensive learning for at least a few weeks to get a good start. I never took Spanish in High School and my German does not serve me well. Surprisingly, my Latin studies do provide some basis for learning the language. The problem is when you get older, the brain has a more difficult time in retaining new information. Thirdly, I want to study some more tango to add to my existing knowledge of the dance.

Unfortunately, Earline cannot go with me in the Summertime as she must work. I on the other hand, act as "Mr. Mom" to her 15 year old son, Stephen, and can only travel in the Summer. Becasue I was not keen on travelling alone, I asked, begged, and prodded my brother Dave to accompany me. He finally got permission from his wife and thus the kernel of a plan was formed.

After buying airtickets that were not refundable, the die was cast, so to speak. Rapidly following, was the r ental of a two bedroom apartment in the Palermo area of BA and arrangements with a language school (info@academiabuenosaires.com). I corresponded with two students who appeared to enjoy their training at the school. In addition, this particular school also provides training in tango if desired. The school is also an easy communte via the subway (subte) from Palermo.

Dave and I leave on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 and will leave BA on August 21, 2007. Since David lives in Florida, we plan to meet in Houston on the evening of July 24 to start our adventure.

Earline is requesting that I return with a provoletta, some special provolone cheese and some colored wool skeins at the minimum. A provoletta is a cast iron flat griddle with handle that you place on a ba rbeque to grill provolone cheese. During our honeymoon trip, we attended a cooking class to learn to be an Asador (grill chef). This grilled provolone was one of the dishes prepared. The cheese is dipped in special Argentine sauces and is delicious.

-Lee