3.19.2004
i found that essence rare
Dear Kids,
I´m back in Buenos Aires after a good fun week of hanging out with my super-duper-extended family in the town of Vista Allegre. Think of being on a house down-home in West Virginia with dogs and chickens in the back and having to heat your own water and 12 people sharing beds, some of whom are getting up at 5 am to pick apples for a living, and then take this thing and set it all in the middle of a place not unlike Wyoming or even moreso, the Dakotas, and you´ve got the picture. Met up with a wonderful aunt, a wise uncle, and their nine hilarious children. I felt like I was in a fairy tale, only set in the grimy and windy Patagonia region instead of some Austrian woods.
Now I´m back in Buenos Aires, rocking the DSL connection and updating all of this in short order, mostly because I don´t want to be hanging out in the basement of a musty building clacking away while a huge, hot city eats, grows, breathes and pulses traffic and nicotine. Not everyone smokes here, but the drivers in BsAs will kill you. I crossed a street and very nearly had my right heel taken off.
Today I walked once again on la calle Florida, which is what they call a ´peatonal´, a street where people walk and shop and eat and so forth. I´ve seen it enough times on this street that I´m a bit tired of it. It´s lovely, but rather touristy. There are a lot more interesting things around here than watching people shop. It seems to be the wrong place to talk or interact with anyone around here--it´s such a hurlyburly with people hustling and crossing streets with little or no regard for themselves or the alleged laws of traffic. I miss Neuquen already: such a funky little town with great scenery and the sophistication of BsAs without the racket, culturally nestled between the old Patagonia of ranchers and indians and the New World, whatever the hell that old dog of a term really means.
Keep in mind that it´s about 70 degrees. I´m not missing Cleveland too much. I did, however, check the Free Times and/or the Scene and found a decent New Lou Reeds review.
Let me tell you right now, I will NOT be looking forward to coming back. I´m gonna be grumpy!
I´m back in Buenos Aires after a good fun week of hanging out with my super-duper-extended family in the town of Vista Allegre. Think of being on a house down-home in West Virginia with dogs and chickens in the back and having to heat your own water and 12 people sharing beds, some of whom are getting up at 5 am to pick apples for a living, and then take this thing and set it all in the middle of a place not unlike Wyoming or even moreso, the Dakotas, and you´ve got the picture. Met up with a wonderful aunt, a wise uncle, and their nine hilarious children. I felt like I was in a fairy tale, only set in the grimy and windy Patagonia region instead of some Austrian woods.
Now I´m back in Buenos Aires, rocking the DSL connection and updating all of this in short order, mostly because I don´t want to be hanging out in the basement of a musty building clacking away while a huge, hot city eats, grows, breathes and pulses traffic and nicotine. Not everyone smokes here, but the drivers in BsAs will kill you. I crossed a street and very nearly had my right heel taken off.
Today I walked once again on la calle Florida, which is what they call a ´peatonal´, a street where people walk and shop and eat and so forth. I´ve seen it enough times on this street that I´m a bit tired of it. It´s lovely, but rather touristy. There are a lot more interesting things around here than watching people shop. It seems to be the wrong place to talk or interact with anyone around here--it´s such a hurlyburly with people hustling and crossing streets with little or no regard for themselves or the alleged laws of traffic. I miss Neuquen already: such a funky little town with great scenery and the sophistication of BsAs without the racket, culturally nestled between the old Patagonia of ranchers and indians and the New World, whatever the hell that old dog of a term really means.
Keep in mind that it´s about 70 degrees. I´m not missing Cleveland too much. I did, however, check the Free Times and/or the Scene and found a decent New Lou Reeds review.
Let me tell you right now, I will NOT be looking forward to coming back. I´m gonna be grumpy!
3.16.2004
argentina 2004, continued
the link above shows where i am. i´m in the city of neuquen, which is quite lovely. it´s busy, cosmopolitan, but not too fast-paced like buenos aires.
here´s a link to an aerial pic of the city:
http://www.samct.com.ar/filiales/comahue/neuquen.jpg
and here´s another map:
http://www.turismo.gov.ar/images/Mapas/PROVINCIAS/Neuquen.jpg
right now, the kid at the counter at this *locutorio* (a place where you can make phone calls and use the web) is rockin´some early Radiohead, i.e. "Creep" which actually has me pining a bit for the sounds of the Perfect Guy. Of course, these kids have no idea what Thom Yorke is singing about, but since he sounds so sincere and passionate, they go for it.
I´m not staying here, just visiting. The folks are out and about with my cousin, the lovely Alexandra, and her baby Tommy. Curiously enough, she happens to look like a dark-skinned PJ Harvey.
I don´t know what´s on the docket for my travels, but I suppose when I´m close to another locutorio, I´ll tell you. We shall see. Right now I´m hungry for some empanadas and to buy some nice Argentine shoes, which costs about 100 pesos, i.e. roughly $30 american bucks.
Later,
Ed
here´s a link to an aerial pic of the city:
http://www.samct.com.ar/filiales/comahue/neuquen.jpg
and here´s another map:
http://www.turismo.gov.ar/images/Mapas/PROVINCIAS/Neuquen.jpg
right now, the kid at the counter at this *locutorio* (a place where you can make phone calls and use the web) is rockin´some early Radiohead, i.e. "Creep" which actually has me pining a bit for the sounds of the Perfect Guy. Of course, these kids have no idea what Thom Yorke is singing about, but since he sounds so sincere and passionate, they go for it.
I´m not staying here, just visiting. The folks are out and about with my cousin, the lovely Alexandra, and her baby Tommy. Curiously enough, she happens to look like a dark-skinned PJ Harvey.
I don´t know what´s on the docket for my travels, but I suppose when I´m close to another locutorio, I´ll tell you. We shall see. Right now I´m hungry for some empanadas and to buy some nice Argentine shoes, which costs about 100 pesos, i.e. roughly $30 american bucks.
Later,
Ed
