A Weekend Escape to Tandil

I love city living, especially in such a vibrant city like Buenos Aires. I am never bored and I’m always busy. But, being a girl raised in the naturally abundant Western Cape of South Africa, with its mountains, beaches, vineyards, fynbos reserves and untouched nature, a life surrounded by concrete and buildings and neon lights can get a bit much. I get a bit of cabin fever if I go too long without seeing a mountain.

So when my lovely flatmate asked if I wanted to go home with her to Tandil, a city in Buenos Aires Province, I jumped at the opportunity. A long weekend outside of the city, and a bit closer to nature, was just what I needed to recharge my batteries.

Nature and mountains in Tandil

So we set off just after midnight on Friday to get the overnight bus to Tandil. Another reminder of just how good the bus system in Argentina is, as we managed to sleep on the properly reclining seats, arriving at our destination 6 hours later having managed to actually catch a few winks.

After heading back to bed for a few hours, the weekend started with the sun shining. Tandil is just the perfect size city for a getaway – big enough to have lots to do, with a bustling down-town area with a great vibe, but not the massive crowds of Buenos Aires. Plus it’s surrounded by hills, which are the closest I’ve come to mountains since San Rafael, so that made me pretty happy indeed.

Tandil’s Castle

After taking a brief walking tour of the city while collecting some last minute items for lunch, we tucked into a big meal with family friends, followed by a drive outside of town to see a bit of the surrounds and get an idea of the size of the city (around 200,000 strong). Capitalising on the beautiful weather, we went for a walk when we got back, up the hill to the Moorish Castle – a slightly out of place structure, built to celebrate Tandil’s centennial, but offering great panoramic views over the city. From there we meandered down to the man-made lake in town, built to provide the city’s inhabitants with a water feature. While not particularly swimmable, the lake is a good place for water sports, with many people out and about on kayaks, as well as fishing. But the greatest attraction is the surrounds of the lake, providing people with places to sit in the sun, a bar, a mini beach and more. Given the surprisingly warm weather, everyone was out in droves, either relaxing by the lake, drinking mate with friends, walking, running or cycling. Really an idyllic setting on a Saturday afternoon.

Looking out over Tandil

Afternoon stroll in Tandil

Making sure my weekend had a truly Argentine flair to it, we went to an asado on the Saturday night. It’s funny how the most Argentine thing, is also the most South African thing, as the group of girls enjoying a feat of an asado (or braai as I would call it, since the two are so similar), with an array of delicious side dishes and salads, reminded me of a typical evening with friends back home. Although the timing was different. We got to the asado at 10pm, headed to the previa – pre-party – at 1am, and the club at around 3:30am. Pre-party is a misnomer – this is where the party was at. Basically a whole bunch of people from various friendship circles turn up at a house, in this case one with a dedicated party room – asado, big table, bar, disco lights and sound system – which turns into a great party in itself. I finally learnt to appreciate (and, dare I say, even enjoy) fernet and coke – the local drink of choice here, a strong alcohol made from herbs and spices, very strong, slightly medicinal and quite bitter. It is also an digestif and supposedly does not give you a hangover.

The night was also a reminder that all Argentines can dance well (actually I retract that statement based on a number of partners at salsa and tango lessons. But most Argentines dance well). Clearly I need to go back to salsa lessons, and throw in some bachata too. When we eventually made it to the club, I was a bit taken aback. In my mind I was thinking small town partying, like the time we went to Sol’s grandmother’s town in Mexico. A bit of a silly comparison in retrospect, given the size of Tandil. But I digress. This club was pumping. It reminded me of Springboks in Stellenbosch on the night of Vensters (basically the biggest night of the year in my university town). It was packed out, and had all the vibes of a big city club. Admittedly we didn’t last long here thanks to the heaving crowds (reminiscent of the subte at peak times).

Crawling into bed around 4:30 / 5am, we slept late, getting up in time for Sunday lunch with family, and another beautiful day in Tandil. After a lazy day, the weekend was rounded off nicely with an evening craft beer at Antares – an artisanal beer company that is a favourite back in Buenos Aires.

What made the weekend special for me though was the simple moments – relaxing in a family atmosphere, sitting around the dinner table, watching the Great British Bake-Off while enjoying afternoon tea and cake and making a Tiramisu for dessert, lounging on the couch watching nature documentaries, playing with the cats (including a gorgeous black kitten that reminded me so much of my own little purr monster, Allie), taking an afternoon walk in clean fresh air, sleeping late on a Sunday, home-cooked meals (by parents – your own food is never the same) and being surrounded by Spanish for the whole weekend (as opposed to the expat community that marks most of my weekends in the city).

The fresh air and mountains (well, hills, but close enough), and laid-back pace did me a world of good. For a whole weekend I had no laptop, didn’t put my wifi on my phone, and was unconnected to the wider world and work. It was blissful, and since returning I have felt a renewed sense of calm and relaxation, and more motivation for work.

Luckily for me, my mom is arriving in Buenos Aires in 10 days, and I have taken 2 weeks off to travel with her, so I’ll be spending a bit more time in Argentina’s mountains very soon!

Life Lessons Learnt from Argentines

Argentina may be full of problems, most notably the current economic turmoil, and spiral into a recession, but there is a lot the rest of the world could learn from the Argentine people.

1. Living in the moment.

Admittedly this is born out of the fact that Argentines are overly used to economic crises, and have learnt there’s not much point in planning too far ahead when the future is always uncertain, (and, as my students who work at a life insurance firm assure me, this has negative impacts on their debt, savings and long term money planning), but still, the principle of living life in the moment, and really enjoying the present is something we can all learn from.

After spending the last few years always stressing about what comes next, I’ve finally learnt to slow down and fully appreciate the moment I’m in. I stop, pretty much on a daily basis, and take stock of how beautiful life is right at this instant and how grateful I am. I’m aware of what I’m doing, and it feels like each day has meaning, rather than simply rushing through life, waiting for the next thing.

Of course, this means that I’ve also put off long term planning for a bit, as I currently have no idea when I’ll be returning home. But I’m enjoying the not knowing right now.

2. Passion

Passion is ingrained in Argentines, especially in its two most obvious and talked about activities: football and tango. I think my world cup posts conveyed Argentina’s passion for football, the one thing that can make grown men cry here. And tango is pretty self-explanatory for anyone who’s watched this intimate dance, dripping in passion and intensity. But Argentines are passionate people as a whole, in all aspects of their lives. Whether it’s construction workers conjuring up poems to women passing by, loud arguments between passengers and bus drivers, fighting lovers, or exuberant friends, people let it all out here.

Being surrounded by this constant show of passion and emotion has certainly taught me to be a bit more open as well as to really reflect on what exactly sparks my lust for life, what drives me and what stirs up a passionate response in me.

3. Appreciating communal and outdoor spaces

Every weekend the parks and central spaces are bursting at the seams with people – families, couples and groups of friends, sitting on the grass drinking mate together, running, cycling, rollerblading, slacklining, or just taking a stroll. I thought this was a city thing – since Capital Federal is phenomenal at organising free events and taking good care of public spaces – but I saw the same thing in Tandil. People truly make the most of the open spaces available to them, appreciating the time spent outdoors with loved ones.

I think this is something we don’t do enough of back home. We have so much beauty in Cape Town specifically, but people are more likely to head to the shopping malls than to go and enjoy the public spaces. And maybe that has to do with the close knit communities people weave here – both with their families and groups of friends. A park is surely a much better place to connect with the people you care about than a mall.

4. Slow meals

This one fits in neatly with the others. People here know how to enjoy a long meal. Maybe I am biased by the families that have kindly taken me in since I’ve been here, but people sit down and enjoy a meal and bonding together over it. Sure, we may only eat from 9pm onwards, but still. Although I come from a family that has always placed importance on sitting down together at meal times, it’s something that I have let go of at certain times in my life (like in Mexico when I seemed to forever be eating on the run). Here I sit down, chat with my flatmate or my friends and savour my food (perhaps too much, given my expanding waistline).

It’s the perfect expression of point 1, appreciating the moment and point 3, with the importance of communities – heck also of point 2, because Argentines are pretty passionate about food, particularly if it involves steak on a parrilla.

Porteño’s live good lives, in spite of the many difficulties life presents. I read a list ranking the happiest countries recently, which was dominated by the Latin American nations. There is evidently something in the Latin blood and culture that is to thank.

And I, for one, am so much better off for the time I have spent here.

Street Art of Buenos Aires

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I see a lot of people complaining in expat forums about graffiti in Buenos Aires, but when graffiti leads to incredible street art in unexpected places, I’m personally a big fan. This collection is taken from San Telmo, Palermo, Recoleta and Colegiales. They represent a tiny fraction of the number of photos I’ve collected of street art, and an even smaller fraction of the amount of artistic graffiti scattered around the city. They serve as a good reminder to always pay attention when walking the streets of Argentina’s capital, because there are unexpected gems everywhere, sometimes in the form of a massive mural that you can’t miss, and other times the smallest scribble on the wall proclaiming that “Mickey Mouse is dead”.

*This is admittedly a lazy post because I have much to write and very little time to commit those words to (digital) paper at the moment. A good sign, at least, that my life is currently (overly) full of exciting things!

Capturing the streets of Palermo

Palermo Street Scene

Recently I did a photography tour through Bsas4u, with an amazing company called Foto Ruta. I did the iPhone Tour (or iPhoneography as it has catchily been named) – seeing as iPhone photography has become a trendy thing thanks to the amazing advances in smartphone camera technology. I’ve seen a few tours like this pop up in South Africa already. This is the time to admit that I don’t actually own an iPhone but borrowed one from work, and took my normal camera along as well.

Mosaic details and reflections

Foto Ruta started in Buenos Aires, offering normal photography tours. Their flagship tour is called “Clue” – where you get a map and a set of clues as your inspiration, and then set off finding pictures to match the clues (this tour is definitely on my to-do-list while I’m here, I love the concept). They also offer a range of other tours, including the iPhoneography tour, food photography (actually this one sounds up my alley if it means I can eat the food too), tango tours and more. They’re an innovative company who run great tours that are professional and fun. I’d say they’re doing pretty well since they’ve expanded to include tours in Santiago, Chile, London, and Barcelona.

Exploring the streets of Buenos Aires (and learning how use editing apps!)

I can definitely see why it is a successful model. I’m no stranger to the streets of Palermo Soho, but seeing it through the creative eyes of my camera lens, I noticed so many more details than ever before, it was like walking through a new neighbourhood. Most of the other ladies on the tour with me were also expats living here for varying lengths of time, and we all had the same comment that the tour gave us new eyes with which to look at the city.

The best was having a professional photographer as a guide. The lovely Bereissa gave us a tutorial to begin with and guidance throughout. I walked away having felt like I’d actually learnt something, and I’ll definitely be using the tips I learnt in the future. I was really impressed with my pictures at the end of the day, and had a really hard time choosing my favourites, so here is my lengthy selection (although I have a whole album dedicated just to graffiti, which I will post at a later stage).

My full review of the tour will be on the Bsas4u blog soon! In the mean time, I wrote a guest post on Foto Ruta’s blog. Their blog is well worth perusing for great photography tips, travel info and just beautiful photography. Plus, if you’re passing through any of the cities they offer tours, I really recommend doing one!

*Some of the photos were taken with my Panasonic Lumix, as I switched between this and the iPhone.

A Moody Morning in Colonia

A few weekends ago, a friend and I popped over the river again to Colonia to spend a moody winter’s day in Uruguay. After walking around the picturesque old town once again, we found shelter from the brisk wind and the incoming rain clouds in a beautiful restaurant on the water’s edge, where we whittled away our time eating a delicious breakfast, unwinding in the tranquil atmosphere of Colonia del Sacramento.

This town is without a doubt a go-to when I need to get out of the city and recharge. As a friend remarked, it is chicken soup for the soul. Considering it is a mere 1 hour from Buenos Aires by ferry, the change in pace, atmosphere, architecture and size couldn’t be more stark. I definitely want to spend more time travelling here – preferably in warmer weather – to explore the countryside and coast.

A Taste of Armenia

There are times in life where no matter how tired you are, you just don’t turn down a dinner invitation. Walking into my house at 19:30 in the evening last saturday, tired, hungry and looking for dinner ideas, I was overjoyed when I saw a message from a friend saying she had a booking at the Armenian cultural centre for dinner.

U.G.A.B Cena de Los Viernes is run by an Armenian school here in Buenos Aires. To raise funds for the trip the kids take at the end of their last year of the school, they host dinners every Friday and Saturday in the Armenian Cultural Centre. Walking into a non-descript building, you go downstairs into, essentially, the basement, where its kind of like walking into a wedding reception. It is a huge set-up with tables filling the massive hall.

Adding to the charm is the fact that the food is cooked by the mothers of the students. It really doesn’t get more authentic than home-cooked food prepared with love. The students then wait the tables, and perform a traditional dance half-way through the meal.

I was definitely not disappointed with the food. The menu looked so enticing. It was a good thing we were a fairly large group of people, so we could order a bit of everything for the table to share. Starters and mains came out quickly, with amazing hummus and smokey baba ganoush with pita bread, dolmas, kebabs, byorek (phyllo pastry with cheese), moussaka and much more. The food was absolutely delicious (I’m still dreaming of how good the hummus in particular was), and the atmosphere just made it even better. Plus the sharing of food around a round table of friends, the wonderfully friendly students serving, and the homely atmosphere made the evening that much more enjoyable.

Of course, no one could resist dessert, even though at that point everyone was stuffed. It didn’t help that the previous night had been spent at a parrilla for a friend’s birthday, where massive bife de chorizos (steaks) were consumed with an unlimited salad bar, chips and copious amounts of wine. But I’m a sucker for mediterranean sweets. All the desserts were laid out buffet style. After oohing and aahing over the selection of baklava, harisah, and various other amazing looking treats, we ended up getting one assorted plate to share between everyone. It turned out to be just the perfect thing to end the meal, with everyone getting a bite of each treat, which was just about all I could manage at the point. That was washed down with Turkish coffee (followed by a hilarious impromptu coffee reading by a friend). I pretty much rolled out of the hall at the end, after a marathon eating session lasting from 20:30 – 12:30.

I can’t rate this place highly enough, and will definitely be going back. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the extremely good value for money, with the whole meal, with starters, mains, dessert, beer and coffee coming out at 150 pesos per person.

Armenian Cultural Centre

A taste of Armenia

Incidentally, I came across the following article this week about an initiative in Sweden to use dinners as a way of crossing cultural barriers.This dinner was a good reminder of that, as I got a bit more insight into Armenian culture as well as Argentina’s immigrant history and culture. I think food truly is one of the best ways to get to know a culture, as well as to connect people over the act of sharing a meal together. The article is definitely food for thought (pun intended) for how we can tackle intolerance and ignorance of others cultures.

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U.G.A.B Cena de los Viernes is on Armenia 1322, Palermo Soho. Bookings can be made by phoning: 4773-2820. Website: http://www.ugab.org.ar