Today we took the 2 hour drive to the small artisan and indigenous village of Otavalo, a popular day trip from travelers from Quito. Karina, a local musician picked us up at the Folklore Hotel in Quito. We stopped along the way to shoot some b-roll of the beautiful, mountainous surroundings.
Renzo, Karina and Myself on the way to Otavalo.
Our first stop was the famous market, which is usually in full swing on Saturdays. Even though we were a day early, most of the vendors were out and selling stuff pretty aggressively and as usual, I bought things I really didn’t have room for in my bag. But this is THE spot to go to stock up on any gifts or souvenirs you care to buy when in Ecuador. If you wait until you get to the airport you will likely pay 4 or 5 times as much for the very same merchandise.
The Market in Otavalo
I purchased some typical Ecuadorian pants and a small painting and anything else that caught my fancy and I thought I could stuff into my backpack.
Local Otavalo Lady
We then headed over to Nanda Manachi where Jose Luis and his family, which comprise the Andean musical group Los Hermanos Pichamba performed a typical Andean song for us.
Here is a little video preview of their performance for you to enjoy. Check out the cute little boy (we confirmed, he is indeed a little boy) singing his heart out!
Jose Luis then demonstrated how some of the instruments are made and he taught us a little bit about the history and heritage of the major instruments used in Andean music. We were joined by about 30 jet lagged but very friendly Australian tourists.
After the demonstrations and the Australian Tour Group went on their way, Jose Luis’s family prepared Cuy (Guinea Pig) for lunch.. a typical Andean delicacy. Jose Luise brought it to us whole, head, little teeth and all, and looked pretty scary but after they chopped it up and removed the head, it was very edible and I must admit, yep, it tasted like chicken.
I felt a little guilty because just the previous day I had made friends with a little baby guinea pig (I named him Snowball) just the day before at the Museum Intinan at the Mitad Del Mundo (Middle of the World). I sure hope they weren’t close relations.
With Jose Luis and our lunch.. Fried Cuy (Guinee Pig)
Some sections of the Cuy still had a little fur left on the skin and since I don’t eat skin anyway (that’s where most of the fat is on almost any animal), I gave it to our producer Renzo, who happily ate the skin, fur and all!
After all this we took a few pick up shots of Otavalo and then headed back to Quito where we caught a late bus for the 3 hour bus ride to Baños. We arrived around 1AM at our hostel La Casa Verde and proceeded to sleep like rocks. Dead tired. A good if tiresome day.
We began our 2nd day of shooting by visiting a small school in one of the poor barrios on the outskirts of Quito. The Fundacion Honor de la Vida (Foundation for the Honor of Life) School’s mission is to work with poor children from even more difficult backgrounds (an addicted parent, an abusive situation, etc.). The school is solely supported through private grants and donations and serves a few hundred poor and special needs children.
The Kids from The Foundation For The Honor of Life
Because school supplies are always in short supply, we brought along pencils, sharpeners and erasers, as well as Punk Outlaw and Afro Latino stickers which were a big hit. I spent about 30 minutes teaching them some basic English words and to my surprise, a couple of them actually knew some of the words already. To my further surprise, I really enjoyed teaching these kids. Though I come from a family of teachers, I’ve never considered the profession seriously myself (I hear you need something called “patience”), nonetheless we made it through 20 or so basic English words like “hello” “goodbye” mother, “Father” etc and the kids really seemed to comprehend.
Afterwards the kids were all over us, hugging us and hanging on to us as they asked us questions all at the same time, like how to translate their names into English, or the meaning of certain English words along with some pretty personal questions like our age, family status, etc. This was by far my most rewarding time in the trip so far.
Next, Bernardo, the owner of the Folklore Hotel where we were staying, picked us up and took us on a tour of Mitad del Mundo (or Middle of the World). Bernardo acted as our Driver/PR guide/Fixer and Guide and handily got our admission to almost all the area attractions waived. Gracias to Bernardo and the fine Folklore Hotel, a good budget accommodation in a great location in Quito that is a step above a hostel but not like staying at some multi national chain (we were not compensated in any way for that endorsement).
Mitad del Mundo
The very touristy Mitad Del Mundo is the one that you see in all the brochures and tour books. However, it is not the actual center of the world. Thanks to GPS technology, we now know the French, who first established this as the center of the world with a latitude of 0 x 0 degrees in the 1700s were off by a few meters. Still pretty impressive given their instrumentation back in the day and the site is still very much worth visiting, especially if you happen to hit it on the weekend when there is folkloric dancing and traditional musical entertainment.
But to me the most impressive was the much smaller but wildly popular museum just down the road, the Museum Intinan. Our guide, Javier, was a charming, English speaking young cat who also happened to play drums in a punk band so we hit it off immediately. Javier showed us how the water drains differently just a few feet each side of the equator. If I remember correctly, when to the north it drains clockwise, to the south counter clockwise and directly over it flows straight down. A truly a fascinating demonstration.
With Javier from the musuem
The museum also had an impressive collection of fake and actual shrunken heads that were fascinating. The practice of shrinking the heads of noteworthy enemies when they were killed and important members of the tribe after they died was outlawed just over 60 years ago in Ecuador.
Actual Shrunken Head - Over 200 years old
After the museum we hit up some pre-Inca ruins which were close by and afforded an incredible view of the valley below. I always get chills when I visit Indigenous ruins (even when it’s not windy and cold). I could just imagine the local indigenous tribe defending themselves against rival tribes who were foolish or brave enough to try and climb the hill to attack.
Shooting from the Inca Ruins
We made it to the La Virgen del Panecillo on Panecillo Hill just in time for sunset and to grab some pretty incredible pics and video of the towering statue, which can be spotted on the hill over the old city from miles around.
La Virgen del Panecillo
For dinner, we grabbed some local street food at one of the nearby parks, which judging by the crowd is a very popular spot for locals. I can understand why. The food was incredible. I tried Menudo (the soup, not the Puerto Rican boy band), Tripe (intestines) and a couple of other items full of mystery meats. My hat is off to anyone that can make intestines taste good enough for me to eat.
Later that night I had an interview with a local punk band El Junta at Plaza Foch. The guys were super cool and invited me to a punk show but I was exhausted and we had a big day trip planned to Otavalo the next day so I had to pass.
Ecuador's "El Junta"
Working with the poor school children in Quito was a great start to a great day. I have to admit, things in Quito seems to be looking up, but I’m looking forward to getting out of the big city to some of the more traditional small pueblos of Ecuador.
Ecuador got off to a somewhat rocky and inauspicious start when I was surrounded by 6 young hoods and accosted for my camera just hours after having arrived in Quito. The location was Plaza Foch which is packed with tourist and police, but evidently is one of the more dangerous areas you can wander around at night by yourself with a camera around your neck.
By yelling, screaming and simply refusing to give over my camera without a fight or a big scene, I was able to avoid anything more serious than a ripped jacket. I was also able to notify the police when I later spotted some of the main culprits walking around as if nothing happened just a few blocks away.
Santo Domingo in the Old City
Unfortunately, because they did not actually steal anything, I’m afraid the guys were most likely released from custody that very same night to continue their reign of bullying on unsuspecting travelers. Nonetheless I recognized my luck at having my Cannon still available for our first day of shooting the very next day and while I had an exciting story to tell I’ll be the first to admit I was a bit foolish in having my camera out at night in the first place.
But I must say I will probably do so again, when circumstances are similar and I want to get a good shot. I firmly believe you can’t spend your whole life with your camera packed safely away in your hotel or hidden away because someone might actually be willing to rob you for it.
At some point you have to live your life and enjoy your trip, but common sense must tell you have to weigh the risk vs. the reward and be prepared to lose your camera or worse. If you don’t risk anything you may as well stay at home and never go anywhere or do anything. But if your reading this and planning a trip to Quito, be very vigilant, especially at night around Plaza Foch and other areas.
Inside one of Quito's Lovely Old Cathedrals
We received what we thought to be a 2nd bad omen when early into our first day of shooting in the historic old city of Quito (at 52 blocks the largest preserved old city in South America), a bird, or a flock of birds more likely, did their business all over me, my shirt, my producers shirt and our camera bag. Normally I’d laugh this off but this stuff was the ugliest, foulest smelling bit of feces I’ve ever come in contact with (and I grew up on a farm). I didn’t have another shirt with me so we all had to wash in a nearby public restroom and I had to change into my previously ripped, hooded jacket and we carried on shooting, continuity be damned.
Quito's Bright Blue Sky
My producer, Renzo, is Colombian and he said that in Latin America a bird plopping crap on you was considered a sign of good things to come. I certainly did hope so because the last 24 hours had been tough.
Indeed, things did quickly get better. Our shoot in the rest of the Old City was wonderful as we shot such beautiful historic sites as Plaza Independencia, La Plaza Grande, The Government Palace Building and more. I took advantage of the situation and bought a hand woven replacement shirt at one of the stalls where they featured clothing made in nearby Otavalo, a city famous for its textiles, market and indigenous culture . We also met a lovely couple who were weavers and demonstrated how to hand weaving process works for our cameras.
The Art of Weaving With Luis and Preci Morales (local weavers)
Later we were joined by Cheo, a local, young communications student from the coastal city of Esmeraldas who had volunteered to help us out. We made our way to the Teleferiquo or the cable car which took us up for an incredible if chilly view of Quito high above one of the area mountains.
View of Quito from the top In La Calle Ronda
We made it to the back down to the old city and the lovely La Calle Ronda, an area of cobblestone streets, cafes and restaurants in time for dusk and we got some great shots off there before dark and then heading over to the more modern part of the city to shoot at the famous rock bar, “The Garage”. We were there to shoot my buddies from the local punk band DMTR (Demeter) who agreed to put on a special performance just four our cameras.
DMTR (Demeter) @ The Garage performing for our cameras
All in all it was a solid 1st day of shooting and given the way things had begun I had a feeling our luck was changing. I mean the camera wasn’t stolen, I ended up washing my shirt and getting a cool hand made replacement in the process. Maybe the old Latin American superstition about a bird doing its business on you was true after all? Only time would tell but so far, so good… I guess!??
Visiting Buenos Aires is an easy decision. But one of the toughest decisions when visiting Argentina is figuring out where to go when you are ready to venture outside of Buenos Aires and experience the rest of this fascinating country.
You can do as we did and take easy day trips to neighboring towns Tigre and San Antonio de Areco, but to really get a feel for this country, you need to travel further outside the capital city where nearly half of the country’s inhabitants live.
There are so many choices. You can head to the edge of the Amazon to take in the incredible Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil; Or take in the beautiful lakes and natural wonders of San Carlos de Bariloche; or head down to the end of the world to the incredible Patagonia region; or if you are craving to soak up some vitamin D and it’s summer, how about the beaches of nearby Mar Del Plata? Don’t forget the wine region of Mendoza! Unless you are visiting for 3 months or longer, you’ll have to make some hard choices.
On the way from Salta to Cafayate
Even if you have a 6 to 8 weeks, you can probably get to most of these wonderful spots without feeling like you are rushing through them.
But alas, like most people, we were on a bit tighter schedule (10 days) and an even tighter budget. So little time, so many places. We had to pick one destination, so we turned to our trusty friend, part time resident and Argentina travel expert and writer, Michael Luongo. Michael admitted these were all tough choices but recommended the Salta Province.
Historic Churches in Salta
We took Michael’s advice and man are we glad we did. By traveling to the Salta Province we got a more indigenous take on Argentina. The city of Salta itself is beautiful with historical buildings and beautiful old churches and the pace of the city is worlds apart from bustling Buenos Aires. You can get a great view of the city really quickly by taking a ride on the city’s metro cable overlooking the surrounding area.
We arrived around 4 in the afternoon which was siesta time. We were amazed at the quietness and tranquility in the streets. But that all changed when the sun began to set, the city began to cool down and people came out to resume their day/evening. Historic downtown Salta suddenly became a beehive of bustling activity.
We were there during Carnival month so we were able to take in some indigenous dancing on the main square each night, a type of dancing that you may have a tough time finding in Buenos Aires with all the Tango parlors and modern discos pumping salsa and electronica music.
The other great thing about Salta is you can take a very scenic and easy drive to wine country Cafayate, which is just a few hours away by car and most importantly, has some of the most stunning desert landscapes known to man. If you make the drive you want to definitely schedule some time to stop along the way and take photographs. The scenery is absolutely stunning and the traffic when we went at least, was very, very light on the winding roads.
Grapes of Bodega El Esteco
When we arrived, our first clue that this was probably the tranquil little town that had been described in the guidebooks, was when we spotted a donkey roaming the streets.
The altitude in the Calchaquí Valley mixed with the desert weather helps this region grow some of the best grapes for wine in the world. So after spending the night in Cafayate, we visited one of the many wineries around town, Bodega El Esteco.
El Esteco was founded in 1892 and distributes millions of bottles of wines a year. Andres Hoy from El Esteco toured us through the winery and took us through the process of growing the grapes all the way to bottling. After the tour we did the customary wine tasting. My favorite was the organic white wine but it turns out even non organic Argentine wine is the closest thing to “organic” in the world, with very little pesticide spraying going on compared to other wine producing nations like the U.S. or France.
Carnival Time in Salta
Also, since the weather is very consistent, almost any year is as good as the next. This is is very different from wines grown in the U.S. or Europe, which may have one outstanding year out of five or ten years, so you need to really know your stuff when ordering those wines.
Wide Open Spaces on the Way to Quilmes
Just a short drive out from Cafayate are the fascinating Quilmes Ruins, where the Diaguita people lived between 800 and 1665 AD. At one time over 6,000 people from the tribe of Quilmes lived in this stunning city on a hill, now know as Quilmes. The ruins were discovered in the early 1900s and restored in the late 1970s.
Quilmes Ruins
The Quilmes Ruins are the only remaining, fully restored ruins in all of Argentina today. The descendents from these original settlers still live in the city today and if you go, you’ll find them selling their crafts and conducting tours a to the smattering of off the beaten path daily travelers. While Quilmes is indeed slightly off the beaten path it’s well worth the relatively short drive from Cafayate in my opinion.
If you have the time, take the drive north of Salta towards the town of San Salvador de Jujuy. On the drive there it’s the direct opposite of Cafayate’s desert climate, with lush, green hills and chilled, mountain air. We were limited on time, so essentially we made it to San Salvador de Jujuy for lunch and had to turn around and head back to Salta to get ready for our trip home, but not before witnessing a very cool little Carnival street parade which resulted in the crew getting doused with flour, which is evidently part of the tradition and definitely part of the fun.
Carnival Procession in San Salvador de Jujuy
Salta Province was a good call. We were able to experience a different side of Argentina that you could easily miss if you remained in the more populated areas surrounding Buenos Aires. Most people don’t realize the influence the indigenous people have had and are still having on the culture of Argentina. Salta is a good place to visit to gain a perspective often given short shrift in some guidebooks and many travel blogs.
Buenos Aires is one of those cities where you can spend a week, a month or several weeks and never get bored. But like most metropolitan areas, after a few days of hectic city life, you may find yourself itching for more leisurely and tranquil pursuits.
Some Entertainment in Tigre
Now if you’re like me on many of my trips and don’t plan ahead, it’s really not a problem. You can simply take the train or bus on a plethora of day trips or weekend getaways. But be forewarned, many Porteños (the nickname of Buenos Aires’ residents, which roughly translated means “from the port”) may have the same idea, especially during their summer vacation months of January and February.
We decided to head to the town of Tigre, which sits on network of river streams and deltas just an hour or so away from Buenos Aires by train. When we arrived to the train station, there were rows of TV cameras, police and throngs of people milling about outside of the train station. Turns out our luck had taken a turn for the worse and our flexible nature was to be challenged when we learned that the train workers were on strike and the station closed for the day.
A Summer House in Tigre
As much as this interrupted our plans, I tried to imagine what it was like for average Argentines who rely on train transportation to commute to their jobs, for those fortunate enough to be gainfully employed. Since the days of the Military Rule in the 1980s when dissent carried a much heavier price, strikes and protests have been a big part of Argentine culture.
We quickly changed our shooting strategy and decided to shoot some of the other sites around Buenos Aires. We headed over to the modern barrio of Puerto Madero which is full of upscale apartments and hotels, restaurants, bars and museums. Later we traveled to the outskirts to visit the city’s China Town and Jewish section to get an idea of Buenos Aires’ diversity.
The Delta River Town of Tigre
The next day our trip to Tigre was back on and this time the trains worked like a charm. The train ride was lovely and we were entertained by an elderly harp player on the ride over. Tigre lies on an island created by several rivers and is a popular spot for locals. Some have lovely summer homes on the river while others rent places for a night or two if they need a quick weekend away from the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. Others, like us, are simply day trippers.
Tigre is also a town where people work and live and carry on with their daily lives (they have a decent soccer team). There is a pretty good downtown where you’ll find an amusement park, a fruit market that seems to sell everything but fruit, and several other things to do. My favorite was the Yerba Mate Museum which was small but very cool and helped me understand why sipping Mate tea is such an important part of the culture for people in this part of the world.
Yerba Mate Museum - a must see in Tigre
You can travel up and down and around Tigre by boat and the river is a lot like a freeway, with row boats, motorized speed boats and bigger boat taxis like the one we took, all vying for space as they travel up and down the river picking up passengers and dropping them off at various points along the way.
Glass Enclosed House on the Banks of Tigre
After hitting the Mate museum and a few other popular spots we called it a day. We were due to take another day trip to San Antonio de Areco the following day so we took a late afternoon train back to Buenos Aires where we arrived in time for dinner (which in Buenos Aires can be 10 or 11 pm).
The beautiful square in downtown San Antonio de Areco
The next day it was up early to catch the bus to the town of San Antonio de Areco, a small and lovely little gaucho (Argentine Cowboy) town a couple of hours by bus from Buenos Aires. After the bus company inexplicably and unceremoniously dropped me and the crew off at the outskirts of town, we took the long, hot dusty walk to the center of town where the town square and church are located. From here you get a sense of the draw for travelers as San Antonio is a quaint and tranquil little town popular with tourists and locals alike.
There is a gaucho museum on the outskirts of town and in the center of town within spitting distance of the square is the Draghi Silversmith Museum which is not to be missed. Juan José Draghi was a master Silversmith who founded the shop which later became a museum and features incredible pieces of his family’s work. These days his son and daughter keep the Juan Jose’s legacy alive.
They have produced customized silver pieces for many famous people the world over including former President, George H. Bush. They toured us around and showed us how they are keeping their father’s legacy alive by continuing to create incredible works of art using his time honored techniques.
The Draghi Silversmith Museum
If you decide to stay in San Antonio over night, the Draghis also have a beautiful little bed and breakfast just behind the shop and museum. It looks like a lovely place to stay the night and experience the tranquility of San Antonio.
But most people visit San Antonio to ultimately visit one of the many Estancias or ranches that still operate in the region. We decided to visit El Cencerro, a lovely working estancia about 30 minutes away by taxi from San Antonio. El Cencerro is owned by a friendly couple Eduardo and Liliana Herbstein who personally host travelers during the busy summer months and on weekends.
Taping the local critters at El Cencerro
The ranch takes it’s name, Cencerro, from the bell that is used by Gauchos to tame horses. El Cencerro was recommended to me by Frommer’s Buenos Aires guidebook writer, Michael Luongo who had helped us plan our itinerary. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had briefly known Eduardo and Liliana’s son, Leondro, who lived in New York City and once handled publicity for the boutique world music label “Putamayo Records”. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been traveling and when I tell someone I’m from New York City, we were able to piece together a connection in a similar fashion (thought usually not so direct). I’m not sure why, but for me it truly makes the world seem like a smaller and somehow friendlier place.
However, for Eduardo and Liliana, no connection is really needed. They could not have been nicer to us or their guests. They arranged for us to have lunch with them and a visiting U.S. family from Miami. The lunch was a typical Argentine meat lovers delight and a menu of what one would expect at a working cattle ranch, plenty of delicious barbeque meat, so vegans beware. There was also some excellent Argentine wine of course!
In full "Gaucho" mode with the crew of El Cencerro
Maybe it was the wine, but after lunch I succumbed to the urgings of the crew and the Herbsteins and dressed up like a typical gaucho. Then I was recruited by the real gauchos who live and work on site to help corral some cattle. I even tried my hand riding a horse and roping a cow. My Tennessee farm boy background didn’t really help. Too many years of city life had made me soft I suppose.
Later Eduardo took us on a short tour of the nearby town of Capilla del Señor, one of the oldest towns in all of Argentina. From there we saw a couple of big hot air passenger balloons floating in the distance giving some lucky travelers a birds eye view of gaucho territory.
El Cencerro's pony is for kids... and greenhorns like me!
Back at El Cencerro, sipping Yerba Mate at the end of the day with the our new friends from El Cencerro and watching an incredible sunset against the backdrop of cows, horses and windmills gave me an incredible feeling of tranquility and wishing we could stay longer. But alas, we had to say our goodbyes and we took a late night shuttle taxi back to Buenos Aires where we were to regroup before heading out to the lovely Salta Province.
If you are ever in Buenos Aires for more than 3 days at a time, I highly recommend taking a day trip, either to Tigre or to El Cencerro just outside of San Antonio de Areco. It’s a fairly quick, easy and inexpensive way to get a taste of life for the other half of Argentina’s inhabitants who prefer the rural life and the simpler pleasures of life outside the bustling capital city.
Day 2 in Buenos Aires. The rain has cleared and it’s a beautiful, sunny summer day. We were scheduled to spend the first part of the day with the fine folks at Voluntario Global, the non profit organization that for the past several years has helped connect scores of volunteer travelers who wish to give back to some of the most vulnerable and poor in the greater Buenos Aires area.
Volunteers from Voluntario Global
Helping the poor in Buenos Aires is a daunting task. Argentina was once one of the world’s top economies. But having barely survived multiple financial crises, a military dictatorship and a war in the last few decades, it’s estimated that there are over 4 million people or almost 1/3 of Buenos Aires’ population living in poverty with over 1 million completely indigent and unable to purchase basic food needs.
We’re not talking the kind of poverty where Mommy or Daddy can’t afford a new X-box for little Jane or Johnny for Christmas kind of poor. We’re talking the bitter, devastating kind found throughout the better part of the third world kind; the kind where you regularly see young kids as young as 3 or 4 years old, juggling, playing music, or performing acrobatics or just plain begging at stop lights for spare change so their family can eat.
The Argentine government is unable (some say unwilling) to help all the poor, many of them recent immigrants from surrounding countries such as Peru, Ecuador or Paraguay or indigenous people from rural Argentina who make their way to the capital for a better opportunity and find it lacking.
That is where Voluntario Global comes in. They work with volunteer travelers from all over the world and help them connect with different organizations in Buenos Aires to make a difference. We interviewed the organization’s founder Valeria who gave us some insight on how the program works.
Voluntario Global Volunteer Signs The Wall
Voluntario Global offers many different packages that not only provide volunteer placement but can combine the traveler’s volunteer experience with long term accommodations, tango, salsa or Spanish classes, so it’s not all dreary work all the time if you don’t want it to be. I was really impressed with Voluntario Global’s mission but more importantly their enthusiasm and commitment to their mission. Their accommodations, reserved solely for volunteers, did create a bit of envy from our production crew as we had rented an apartment in the Micro Center that was in dire need of remodeling.
They invited us to see some of the volunteers in action, so we headed off to one of Buenos Aires’ biggest psychiatric hospitals, where we met up with volunteer travelers from the U.S. who were helping the patients with creating a garden. Simple, relaxing tasks such as gardening can offer valuable therapy to patients as they begin to transition leaving the hospital to return to the outside world.
Next we made it over to one of the community food kitchens and computer training centers in the colorful but impoverished La Boca neighborhood. There volunteers can help in the kitchen or in the computer training center helping to train people with little access to technology.
Voluntario Global Volunteers Working the Kitchen
For travelers who’ve never visited Buenos Aires or for travelers seeking a new kind of experience when traveling, then Voluntario Global is really a valuable asset, not to mention the lifesaving services they are giving to help the many poor in Argentina, who’d have little to no hope otherwise. If you don’t find your way to Argentina but would still like to help out, Voluntario Global has fundraising opportunities as well. Visit their SITE to find out more.
One of the Many Tango Shows Along El Caminito
After we left the fine folks at Voluntario Global we continued our tour around the colorful, touristy but edgy neighborhood of La Boca. I say edgy because almost every travel guide out there and especially the locals will advise you against stumbling around La Boca at night. However, during the day, there is plenty to do and it’s full of tourists and police so you can walk along and find it as fun and inviting as anywhere in Buenos Aries, especially along the colorful if touristy El Caminito.
Demonstrating My Tango Moves in El Caminito
Caminito is a street with a long strip of restaurants and bars teeming with Tango Acts, performance artists and people hawking souvenirs. La Boca (the mouth) gets it’s name from the fact that it’s a port town. At the turn of the last century this is where many of the Italian immigrants ended up. The neighborhood was even more poor and hardscrabble during these times and the large barges and ships that came through would give or trade their excess paint to the locals, who used it to pain their “mostly” tin houses, the result is one of the most visually colorful spots in all of South America.
"Eva" and "Che" in El Caminito
Also La Boca is home to the legendary soccer team the “Boca Juniors” where the great (love him or hate him) soccer player Diego Maradona used to play. Now if you’re not there on game day, no worries, then you can still check out the incredible museum and even walk out onto the legendary “La Bombonera” field to get some kind of feel for the craziness that is futbol (soccer) in Argentina.
Diego Maradona Mural in La Boca
But if you really want to get a feel for how crazy soccer is in Buenos Aires, hit up a game. Since we weren’t in La Boca on game day, I went to see the the Boca Junior’s chief rivals, “Club Atletico River Plate” play on the other side of town a few days later. Just remember not to wear your Boca Juniors souvenir shirt to a River Plate soccer game. You literally could get killed for this seemingly innocent mistake. We’re not talking “Jets vs. Giants” type of rivalry here. In Argentina, soccer is a akin to religion and it can get taken to a level that we in the U.S. see as insane.
Settling Into Our Seats Before The Game @ River Plate Stadium
The night I went with my buddy Humberto who organizes tour packages to the games for travelers. River Plate was playing one of the other many soccer clubs in the Buenos Aires area. Let me tell you the atmosphere was out of this world, people singing, chanting, laughing, having a good time. Due to problems and extreme violence in the past, they no longer sell or allow alcohol at these events and the visiting team fans are required to enter the stadium from a completely different area of town under heavy, heavy police escort.
As the game wore on and River Plate, which was in a slump, seemed destined to lose. The crowd went from joyous to downright surly. Before the game began, when I had my video camera out, fans were clowning around, trying to get in the shot and welcoming me to the game, but now they were giving me a vibe of “get that camera out of my face” and I did so.
Futbol (Soccer) Is BIG in Argentina
River Plate lost, didn’t even score a goal and Humberto apologized on behalf of the team, saying it was one of the worst soccer games he’d seen in a while. For me, a very casual futbol fan, I had a great time taking in the atmosphere of a professional soccer match in Buenos Aires.
When the game was over we, the home fans, were required to stay in the stadium for a good half hour to 45 minutes more as the visiting fans were allowed a generous head start to leave the stadium safely (once again under police escort). The visiting fans, knowing the home fans can’t leave until well after they do, often take their time leaving, sticking around to chant songs and taunt the home fans (especially after a visiting victory).
I can’t imagine a sport, any sport, being taken to these extremes but there is a ton of history and rivalry between clubs in Buenos Aires. When you think about the insane amount of money and respect paid to athletes in the U.S. these days well…I’m not sure which is the bigger fallacy.
The Sunday Crowd @ San Telmo Flea Market
The next day was a Sunday and I wanted to hit up the big antique flea market in the historic neighborhood of San Telmo. San Telmo is one of Buenos Aires’ oldest neighborhoods and it is really quiet a charming area of town. It has a bit more of a gritty feel to it than the upscale neighborhoods of Palermo or Recoleta, but it also has more of a neighborhood feel to it as well.
San Telmo - The Oldest Barrio in Buenos Aires
San Telmo is within walking distance of major tourist sites and has a lovely section of restaurants and bars at Plaza Dorrego which set along cobblestone streets. The flea market is huge stretching along block after block and attracting locals and tourist alike each and every weekend. There are probably at least a dozen or so hostels and hotels in the neighborhood of San Telmo that attract a more alternative, indie budget traveler. So if you decide to break with the crowd and stay in San Telmo rather than the other more upscale areas of Buenos Aires, you’ll be in good company.
NEXT UP: We get outside of the city and get an amazing change of atmosphere with some common day trips.
Today we took the Buque Busor ferry boat from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The trip is short and pleasant and if you buy the ticket ahead of time, inexpensive. It’s one of those trips that where you arrive earlier than when you left due to time zone difference. As for the crew, we’re thankful for the extra hour of sleep Buenos Aires will provide (though we are still much farther ahead than NYC or the crew’s home base of Bogota).
At the Obelisco
It was raining when we arrived but when the skies cleared we set out to take a few shots of the this amazing city.
We visited Casa Rosada (Pink House) in Plaza Mayor, which is sort of like the U.S. White House. If you go on the weekend you can usually get a free tour that is pretty fascinating. If you do the tour be sure and get a photo from the famous balcony where the leader Evita Peron addressed her mostly adoring throngs.
From Casa Rosada, we took the metro (subway) to meet up with Michael Luongo, a North American travel writer and expert on all things Buenos Aires who had graciously agreed to show us around his adopted city. If you take the A Line, many of the trains are the old school wooden cars like they had when the metro first debuted as the first subway in Latin America around the turn of the last century; complete with a car attendant to open and shut the doors manually.
We met Michael at the famous Buenos Aires landmark the Obelisco. We then headed to Calle Florida, the equally famed pedestrian street packed with, you guessed it, pedestrians. Calle Florida is indeed crowded and chaotic but it’s a great place to people watch and catch some interesting street performers ranging from jugglers, tango dancers and musicians to just about anything you can think of. Just remember to watch your belongings as a tourist carelessly flaunting cameras or a backpack would make an easy target in the crowd.
Cemetario de Recoleta
After Calle Florida, we visited the memorial to the Falklands War with Britain, which took place in the early 1980s. Several hundred Argentines died in that crazy war for the Falkland Islands and the memorial’s flames burn 24/7 as a constant reminder of those killed and wounded in action.
Next we made our way to the famed Cemeterio de la Recoleta where the aforementioned former leader Evita and several other rich and famous Argentines are buried. The hundreds of tombs are incredible works of art and despite the throngs of tourists, it’s still a very active cemetery.
Robert with travel writer Michael Luongo @ Cemetario de la Recoleta
After saying our adieu to Michael we headed over to Galeria Bond Street, which is a very interesting little shopping center that caters to underground sub cultures. There are cool tattoo parlors and clothing stores for the punk, rockabilly, goth crowd of Buenos Aires.
We stopped by this cool little store called “Faith” owned by a really nice cat named Sebastian. Sebastian says he designs everything himself and I really fell in love with some of the clothes, so despite not having much room in my luggage, I bought some cool shirts and a pair of shorts which you’ll see me sport in the show. If you’re into punk or rockabilly or tattoo culture, you need to seek out Galleria Bond Street and if you do, stop by Faith and say hello to our good buddy Sebastian, the clothes were really outstanding.
Street Artist @ Calle Florida
After Galeria Bond Street we headed back to the apartment for a short rest before heading to Complejo Tango (Complex Tango), one of the many tango schools and shows in Buenos Aires. Michael had recommended Complejo Tango as one of the finest in the city where you can not only take in a first class tango show and dinner, but if you so desire, you can learn to tango yourself. Michael was right, Complejo Tango was first rate. I heartily recommend visitors interested in learning a few tango steps to sign up for the complimentary lessons before the dinner and show. I did it and I’m happy to say, though I have two left feet, I was able to showcase a couple of major moves for the camera.
After the delicious dinner at Complejo Tango we headed off the beaten path a little to Mundo Bizarro (Bizarre World) one of my favorite bars in all of Buenos Aires. Walking into Mundo Bizarro is like walking into another world. It’s got red tinged lighting all over the place that gives it this dreamlike quality (especially after a drink or two). There are rockabilly memorabilia and posters on the wall and you could easily forget your in South America. Pignatta (pronounced “piñata” like the birthday toy), the manager, is as cool as they come and can mix a mean martini. People come from all over the world to sample Pignatta’s world famous martinis and listen to some rockabilly tunes.
Mundo Bizarro - Pignatta mixing his famous martini
Continuing our underground subculture theme, we headed over to another famous music spot called Salon Pueyrredon, where you can catch some good live punk, alternative or rock music and rub elbows with some of Buenos Aires’ underground artists. If the music is too loud, then no worries, there is a cool little patio/porch like area where people sit by the open air window chill and socialize.
Salon Pueyrredon
What a day? We had been in two countries and combined visiting the touristy sites with more of the underground nightspots of Buenos Aires. Argentina is one of my favorite places on the planet. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Today packed up to make our way over to Colonia Del Sacramento by bus (2.5 hours from Montevideo).
But first we took the morning to wind up with a few last shots of Montevideo. We really wanted to shoot this lovely, antique bandoneón store in Cuidad Vieja. We had seen it on multiple occasions but it had always been closed.
This morning we were in luck. The store was open! Mario, the proprietor has been refurbishing musical instruments for decades, since he was a child. His father began the store in another location a few blocks away.
Mario was very gracious and gentle older gentleman who patiently told us about the history of Tango and the relationship with the bandoneón. The store had some beautiful, refurbished bandoneóns, some worth over $5,000, as well as accordions, mandolins and other musical instruments. But all were old and refurbished and the store resembled a museum more than a place of business.
Mario allowed me to “play” a bandoneón. It was very difficult with a lot of hand/eye coordination going on. After this weak showing I decided to let the experts take over, so Mario and a client who happened to be there demonstrated for our cameras how a bandoneón can and should be played. Best part of the trip so far.
Carnival was in full swing in Uruguay where we were there and it’s a very unique celebration compared to other carnival hotspots like Brazil and Trinidad, so we hit the Carnival museum as well. Then we headed to the hotel to check out and taxi over to the bus station to catch our bus to Colonia Del Sacramento as we wanted to get there with enough daylight to shoot.
Colonia Del Sacramento has lots of cool antique cars
We had about 10 minutes to choke down a quick lunch at the bus station before our bus left. This bus ride was one of the worst I’ve ever taken and I was not expecting it given the general good infrastructure of Uruguay. .
The bus ride was a non air conditioned, unventilated, stop and go hell ride that made a direct 2 ½ hour trip turn into 3 and ½ hours thanks to so many unscheduled stops and pickups.
Colonia Del Sacramento
This was such the opposite of my ride over from Buenos Aires a few days earlier on the Buque Bus. The Buque Bus had Air Conditioning, lots of leg room and even wi-fi on the bus. Most importantly it didn’t make any stops. Next time it’s Buque Bus all the way for me.
Colonia Del Sacramento is a small but beautiful and very historic town with cobblestone streets, old forts and an interesting if bloody history as the Spanish, English and Portuguese wrestled for control of this little town by the Rio Plata. It was so very tranquil and relaxing with the river beaches and an incredible sunset that it was hard to believe so much blood had been shed here.
You get an idea how life is here when the cars actually come to a full stop for pedestrians in the middle of the street, allowing them to cross first before they carry on their way. Such an incredible contrast with 99% of Latin America (or for that matter the U.S.), it really was shocking at first. We walked our way around town but if you’re tired, in a hurry (why would you be?) or just a little lazy, well then you can rent little golf carts to tool around town and see what you need to see
Later that night I ran along the beachfront road which is really the Plata River, not the ocean and then off to bed fairly early because we had to catch the ferry (45 minutes) to Buenos Aires the next day with a full day of shooting.
Colonia Del Sacramento
Colonial Del Sacramento is a day trip for many people traveling between Buenos Aires and Montevideo but I really recommend you consider staying one or even two nights, so you can really appreciate the beauty of this tiny little gem.
For more pics of Colonia Del Sacramento, visit our FLIKR PAGE.
Today was the official first day of our 2nd episode featuring Uruguay and Argentina. We start things off in Montevideo, Uruguay where Renzo (Supervising Producer) and I (Executive Producer/Host) have been pre producing for a couple of days now.
Moses (Cameraman/Editor) arrived around 6AM Montevideo time after an all night flight from Bogota. I’m sure he’s exhausted so we arranged for him to crash at the hostel in an unused room where, selfishly, he wouldn’t disturb mine or Renzo’s beauty sleep!
The Famous Parilla Restaurants @ Puerto Marqueta
Still, at 9AM Montevideo time (6AM NYC time) it’s a pretty early wakeup call and Renzo and I head out the few blocks down from our hotel, the Posada Al Sur, to shoot at the famous Puerto Marqueta. We quickly spotted the incredible Parilla restaurants that have been featured in every travel show I’ve ever seen on Uruguay.
Alas, we won’t win any awards on originality on this one, as we too will be shooting me stuffing my face with all different types of meat at the famous Parilla. After the BBQ last night at Peyo’s (Rudos Wild) house and the gigantic parilla lunch today, I vowed once again that I’m going vegan just as soon as I get out of Uruguay/Argentina!
Plaza Independencia & Palacio Salvos
We headed back to the hotel to grab Moses and to meet my friend Camilo from Rudos Wild who had graciously agreed to show us around El Ciudad Vieja (the old city) a bit.
We hit all the hot spots of Ciudad Vieja. In addition to Puerto Marqueta, we shot Plaza Independencia, Palacia Salvos and a few artisan shops . We learned about Mate From some of the local vendors, the ubiquitous tea everyone in Uruguay seems to be drinking, brewing or carrying around.
Radical Vegans in Montevideo!
We had some technical issues with the audio on the camera in downtown Montevideo and I think it was a result of the signals in the air down there being scrambled because this particular issue didn’t pop up again the entire trip.
Nonetheless it forced us to cut our shoot short so we bid adieu to Camilo and headed to one of the city beaches to get some B-roll (footage) of me soaking up some rays and ingesting some much needed Vitamin D! I’m telling you, this hosting stuff is really hard work!
Not your typical Uruguayans but these Vietnemese enjoy a nice picnic in Plaza Independencia
Then it was off to rehearsal for Rudos Wild where we interviewed the guys and helped them shoot a music video for “No Toleramos” (We Won’t Tolerate”), one of their best known songs and one of my favorites of all time. Luckily I didn’t have to hold the camera steady and could rock out right along with the guys.
Rudos Wild Video Shoot
As a matter of fact, I did, this time I had the words to Social D’s “Cold Feelings” printed out, so no forgetting the words this time. We had a little extra time so we did a version of “Don’t Drag Me Down”.
Hard to believe but I sound worse than I look!
It’s late when we finished and we had another early start so we headed back to hotel for a quick bite to eat. We stopped off along the way to pick up a big old drum Renzo had specially made by a local, world famous percussionist. How the hell is that going on the trip with us I’m not sure.
Local Kids of Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja
The next day we were scheduled to shoot some more Montevideo footage and then catch a bus to the lovely and historic town of Colonia del Sacramento but I took the camera and shot a few stills of some of the kids hanging out in front of our hotel in Ciudad Vieja. I’m pretty sure they do this every night!
I arrived in Uruguay by boat (approx. 45 minutes to Colonia del Sacramento) from Buenos Aires and immediately hopped in a bus (2.5 hours) to Montevideo.
I arrived a couple of days early to do some pre-production for the Uruguay/Argentina episode. My buddies from the band Rudos Wild were having a concert the night of my arrival. I decided it would be cool to go see it since I hadn’t seen them in over a year.
Renzo (Supervising Producer) was already here as well. He had been in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay for almost a month when I arrived.
Posada Al Sure in Ciudad Vieja
I checked into the lovely Posado Al Sur in Ciudad Vieja (the old city) which specializes in alternative and sustainable tourism in Uruguay. It was already late afternoon so I grabbed a quick bite (or what constitutes a quick bite in Latin America) and then went for a run along the Rambla just as the sun was setting.
La Rambla in Montevideo
It was a beautiful way to start the trip.
Renzo was staying in the Posada Al Sur as well but his room was an apartment on the roof with a beautiful terrace overlooking the old city. He must be living right!
Fishing in La Rambla
Later that night I hooked up with my amigos from Rudos Wild for the big punk concert which was in downtown Montevideo and thankfully not far from my hotel. The concert got going late (around 11PM) with an excellent surf-punk band kicking things off. Rudos Wild was up next and they are a bit more raucous with a punk-rockabilly sound (dare I say punkabilly?).
Wearing my "Rudos Wild" T ShirtMontevideo Punks Befor the Show
The boys invited me up on stage to sing Social Distortion’s “Cold Feelings”. I tried to get out of it, but they wouldn’t hear of it so I relented. About 1/2 way through I got a little lost and forgot the lyrics and just started mumbling and humming but no one seemed to notice. It was my first time singing on stage in front of a crowd and I must admit it was a blast.
Rudos Wild Concert
I couldn’t find a taxi so I walked home at about 4AM and got lost in downtown Ciudad Vieja. I don’t recommend you try that. Luckily I made it home safely but I was definitely testing fate with my expensive camera in the backpack wandering around dark side streets at that time of night.
The next day I hit the beach to try and tan my pale skin and then scouted some locations to shoot. I mean I am supposed to be working after all!
Peyo manning the BBQ
Later that night we had a BBQ over at Peyo’s (Lead Vocals for Rudos Wild) house. It was a blast.
When Uruguayan’s have a BBQ watch out, lots and lots of meat involved. I found out Leo 666 (bass/vocals for Rudos Wild) is a vegetarian and I was amazed at his will power to resist the grill full of meat from seemingly all parts of the cow, pig, etc.
Rob & Pey @ the BBQ
Ah but I was out way too late again and our first day of shooting is tomorrow.
