Day Sixty-Three: Back to BA

Due to the weather yesterday I didn’t go outside in the afternoon.  It’s cold today, but its partly sunny, so I take a kayak out and then go for a bike ride before heading to the airport.

Alanna’s friend Juan, reaches out to me when I arrive in BA.  He invites me to join him for his friend jule’s birthday tonight.  He comes by my hotel and we walk to the apartment together.

Fernando comes downstairs to let us in.  Apartments don’t have buzzers here, so when there is a party, the last person to get there goes downstairs to let the next person in.

In the apartment we are greeted by Jules, Manuel, Lola the dog and a few of their friends.  I sit down to join the conversation.  They are talking about something funny.  They are laughing, smiling, gesturing.  It’s a good time, but I can barely understand a word they are saying.  Juan tells me that they are talking about the wedding. Jules and Manuel just got married last week.

Juan explains that the girls are discussing what colors the women were wearing at the wedding.  Jules points to herself and says “blanco,” the girls laugh and say “claro, claro!”  I get it!

Then I realize that Juan is the only male in the room and he is surrounded by eight women, including myself. Twenty minutes later, he explains that they are still talking about the dresses.  He looks as confused as I am that this topic could go on for so long.  Then I notice that all of the other males are in the kitchen.  That’s odd.  Eight ladies and Juan.  I imagine that he’d be in the kitchen too if I weren’t here, but he is being a good host to me.

I watch Jules as she tells a story.  She is beaming.  A glowing bride, married a week ago, surrounded by her best friends.  I’m so happy for her.  It’s a pleasure to be around such happy people.

Manuel brings home made pizza into the living room and everyone grabs a slice before he brings in another pie and another one after that.  I realize and confirm with Juan that this is why Argentines go out so late.  They do this beforehand.  Good friends get together.  They aren’t in a rush to meet anyone at a bar.

Juan invites me to another one of these shindigs on Saturday for friends who just moved into a new house.  They are all in their late twenties or early thirties.  It seems like the natural age to get married and settle down with a dog in a house.

I thank Jules and Manuel, say goodbye and head to wherever bar to meet Laura.  I arrive before her and find her brother Sergio working in the DJ booth.  He works here four nights a week playing music for the place.

Sergio. CD is Oasis. It’s just a pub, but for this group of friends, it is their hang out.  Everyone I’ve spoken to about the bar notes that they play really great music, thanks to Sergio of course.  “I play whatever I want. No one tells me this band or this genre.  Someone at the bar might request the police.  I say ok!” Sergio tells me.  ”Roooxanne, you dont have to put on the red light,” he sings.

Laura arrives and we sit down and order something to eat.  Ezequiel comes by and joins us.

After we finish i find Kike at the bar.  He is a little sad tonight.  He just came from a tribute concert for Pappo, a legend here.  Pappo’s brother asked him to play a song at the show, so he performed.  After a beer and some laughs Kike’s spirits are lifted and he is dancing.

Kike

Kike and LauraHe has a peculiar way about him.  It’s not easy to describe.  He moves to his own rhythm.  “He has music in his body. He’s a rock star,” Laura says.

Kike, me and LauraShe explains that her brother Sergio is a rockstar too.  He is one year older than her and he was this way his whole life.  When they were growing up, he would play his guitar until five in the morning while she was trying to study or sleep.  She would complain and he’d say “I have to practice!”  I can appreciate the adolescent sibling rivalry.  Now he is a musician and she is a psychologist.

I persuade Laura to join me in Mendoza.  We are going to leave on Saturday.  I’m excited to have a travel buddy. 

Kike’s friend Maggie, his sister Rosario and a few other friends show up.  It’s an Argentine version of Cheers.  We head to Franks before I call it a night.

See more pictures.

Day Fifty-Six: What Brings You to BA?

Future soccer starsI take a long walk this afternoon, check out the MALBA museum and stroll through the parks. 

Lots of dogs in BA.Dogs appear to have a great life in BA.  I bet Lyla would love it.  I wonder what she is doing.  I picture her romping around in the countryside.  I miss her.

Fernando emailed me on ASW and invited me to a dinner with other ASW people at La Fonda Del Polo in Las Canitas tonight.  He is a polo instructor and I am taking a lesson with him tomorrow.

A Small World is a great network to plug into for traveling.  You meet all kinds of people from different places.  At dinner I sit across from Michael.  He is a journalist currently producing a pilot for show about ex-pats in BA and other cities around the world.  I tell him about where I am staying and suggest that he check it out.  It is the perfect place to find a few interviews.

Denidsia and Desislava are sitting across from me.  They are from Bulgaria and played polo at Fernando’s farm this afternoon.  Desislava tells me that in Bulgaria you need to pick your major before you finish high school.  She studied business administration and then realized she hated it, but she was stuck.  “What do I do with it now?” she asks of her degree.  She wanted to travel and she saw the Emirates was hiring so she became a flight attendant.

Denidsia and DesislavaAfter dinner I meet Kike and pals at Wherever, Kike’s friend’s bar in Palermo.  I meet Consuelo.  She is 26.  She married when she was 22 and is now divorced and lives with her parents 50km outside the city.  Consuelo is one of many twenty-something Argentines who lives at home.  Pato also lives with his family about 30km outside the city.  For Argentines, everything revolves around family.  You live at home until you get married.  In Consuelo’s case, you move back home when it doesn’t work.

Pato, Kike and Consuelo and WhereverKike tells me about his band, Misticos (see website).  He is from another time and place.  London in the sixties.  The Beatles or the Ramones. 

KikeWe head to Franks, Kike’s new favorite spot. 

The telephone booth to get into FranksI am talking to Consuelo and Pato and somehow we get onto the subject of Ninja Turtles.  They are my age and grew up with the same cartoons as me.  He-man, Ninja Turtles, Thundercats.  It’s surprising.  They grew up a world away but we watched the same television.

Sergio’s sister, Laura, helps me with my Spanish.  She uses Italian as a bridge and it’s really helpful, although I start to confuse the languages.

I’ve met so many people in BA from all over the world.  Everyone has an interesting story about how they ended up here.  It’s a diverse city.  I’m really excited to see what the weekend has in store.  See more pictures.

Day Fifty-Three: My Move To Palermo Soho

After two nights in the center of the city, I feel it’s time to move to Palermo on the recommendation of my cousin Ali, who lived here for her semester abroad. She sent me pages of tips and recommendations I plan to use.

Urban art in Palermo

I am on my way to check into the Palermo soho clubhouse. Palermo is about a fifteen minute drive from the center of the city. It is green and residential. It’s also a chic part of town, with cute boutiques and good restaurants.

Palermo SohoI arrive at the address I was given. it wasn’t posted on the internet. I find an unassuming facade. I must be in the wrong place. I call before leaving the taxi. This is it. I’m not optimistic.

Behind the unassuming facade is a chic lobby and pool. The hotel pool is a members club, similar to the Soho House in New York. They don’t have a sign. It’s hidden. I found it in Time Out. It is a property managed by Oasis BA, a company that rents out luxury apartments in the city. It was advertised as a place to lounge by the pool, but the article said they had rooms. I thought it looked like a cool place to stay, so I inquired this morning and here I am.

There are three rooms and I am the only guest staying here. It is open Tuesday through Sunday so it’s empty today, Monday. But the staff is very nice and helpful.

I can’t check into my room until two so I spend some time wandering around my new hood. There are lots of boutiques and trendy restaurants. I settle at Mama Racha for lunch. I order a caiparinha and wow, it is strong. Maybe it’s just me this afternoon, but i am afraid if I finish it I will be out of commission for the next few hours. It starts to rain so I pay the check and head back to the hotel.

When I return to the hotel I am offered at 25% discount because the tv doesn’t work. I am the first guest to stay here. It just opened as a member club two months ago. This place is unbelievable. I have my own sauna, bath tub, two showers and a terrace. Yes, my own sauna, in the bathroom. Most importantly, Emily, who works here, is so sweet and helpful. She is so accommodating. “You are our first guest, we are so excited to have you!” she tells me. 

My bathroomIt’s three o’clock and I’m still slightly tipsy from my super strong caiparinha. But I decide to take a little jog. I am heading to the recoleta cemetery on Emily’s suggestion. I run through park after park after park and in about ten circles before I get there an hour and a half later. I must look a little silly running with a map in front of me.

On my runI walk into the cemetery. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a little town of homes for graves. Small alleyways, ornate little buildings, each with their own character, trying their best to outdo their neighbors, like the houses on ocean drive in palm beach. Some of them are at least three stories high. I wonder if they have air rights and what the market is like for one of these places. It’s amazing what people do for their dead bodies to be remembered. I think about the pyramids.

I am an organ donor. When I’m gone, I’m gone. I don’t want a shrine to be remembered.  I don’t have a view on the afterlife because anything I could come up with would only be speculation. Life is too short to spend it preparing for when you die. Heaven, purgatory, reincarnation, endless sleep or maybe something we haven’t even considered yet.  Sure, you can hedge yourself, but it seems pretty silly to me.  You should live your life so you feel good about yourself and the decisions you make along the way. Whatever that may mean to you. And doing so shouldn’t harm others. Treat people with respect, no matter their walk in life.  I’m pretty sure I’ve found my heaven on earth.  I’m not perfect of course, but I love my life. I do realize how fortunate I am though. I cant fully understand but i do appreciate that many, if not most, people in this world are born into hard situations and believing in the afterlife is all they have to get them through the day. I don’t doubt that we are all connected, I am just not sure what it is and I choose not to guess.

Recoleta Cemetery

This cemetery is a pretty creepy place. I wander through endless rows and find myself alone at the dead end of a long corridor. I get the heebie jeebies and decide it’s time to go. I walk around recoleta. My cousin Ali likened it to the upper east side of BA. I can see that. It’s not quite as pretentious however, just really nice.

In RecoletaThe buildings are much bigger than in Palermo, about 10 to 15 stories. After about 15 minutes I find myself back at the cemetery. I am really not very good at following this map. I try again. Twenty minutes later, another large circle back to the cemetery and I decide to wave down a radio taxi to take me back. The driver is friendly and teaches me some new words. Mujer Bonita. Muy Bonita. He is harmless though.

I shower and head out for a bite to eat. First I catch up with Catherine and Emily. They tell me about a chef coming to teach a cooking class with members and guests on Wednesday. Sign me up! They are so accommodating. It’s fun to be the only guest. They stack the fridge with yogurt and the cabinets with cereal and snacks. It’s not a mini bar. I can help myself. “Please make yourself comfortable and at home,” Emily tells me. I love this place.

I also love this neighborhood, Palermo Soho.  I wander around for about an hour before I settle down at Minga where I enjoy a delicious Argentinian steak.  I am not coming back from here skinny.  So much for all of that yoga.  I did run About 12 miles today though.

In PalermoFinally I hear from Inez.  She is in Cordoba.  I am relieved to hear she is ok.  I need to figure out my plan. Perhaps we will meet in Bariloche or Mendoza.

I meet Kike, Max’s friend, at Franks in Palermo Hollywood.  He is with his sister Rosario.  Kike is a musician. Franks is a lounge.  You walk in the door and type number into a telephone booth to get in the door, similar to PDT in New York except that there is a sign outside and you don’t need a reservation.  It appears that the place is trying to be exclusive, but it isn’t.  It’s a cool place though.  Good drinks and good music.  A few of Kike’s friends wander in, mostly musicians, all from different bands.  They all meet backstage and become friends.

Sergio, Ezequiel and me at Franks

After a few drinks I call it a night around three in the morning when Kike and pals head to a club.  My room is dreadfully hot and I can’t sleep.  I go to the room upstairs.  The door is unlocked and the air is on.  Like goldilocks, I’ve tested the options and this room is just right.  See more pictures