Argentina

We landed at a military base. The pilot, laughingly, states that the plane's flight computer has stopped working and needs to be rebooted. This means shutting the plane down and then repowering, which will hopefully do the trick. There won't be any ventilation, so the doors of the plane will be opened. We would notice armed military personnel surrounding the plane. And we were cautioned that if anyone walked near any of the open doors, they would be shot. The plane was shut down, the computer successfully rebooted, and refueled we flew back to Chile, to circle yet again.

The plane had been scheduled to land at 7 am. We landed at 3 pm. Chile was playing in its first World Cup match in years, suspended due to a goalie knifing the player of an opposing team. It didn't matter that we were late.

http://www.skyebox.com/online_store/store/images/goosegc.jpg

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/photo/gwynn/gwynn05_85.jpg

The reason I ask is, see, I'm thinking about a 13-day honeymoon in Patagonia next year. This trip, specifically.

((Also, I live in a city that was once known as "Argenta". Close enough, eh?))

http://www.winsphoto.com/New~category~page/Sports/Sport-ImageT.00027.jpeg

Four of us fled the mountain after 2 weeks and went travelling instead -- we went back to Mendoza (fortunately no experiences like Jaq's) to shower for the first time in said 2 weeks (and eat something besides crackers and polenta and noodles), then hopped a bus to Santiago -- that was terrifying but amazing, winding down through the mountain passes. Then we spent the next fortnight zigzagging down between Argentina and Chile. We didn't get as far down as you want to go, Ath, but we did spend a few days in Bariloche, which was brilliant and absurdly Swiss, with loads of ski chalets and St Bernards and chocolate shops.

I'd go back in a second. I thought the people were fantastic (and all those Argentinean boys -- phwoaar!), and they seemed to find it amusing rather than irritating that I could scrape together a question in Spanish and then not understand their answers, i.e. they were very patient. The food was unbelievable, and the music everywhere, and the dulce de leche (caramel stuff, if you don't know it)... mmm.... although a couple of containers exploded inside our backpacks when the mules decided to have a roll on the grass, proving that dulce de leche is as sticky as one might expect. Slocki's pics brought back good memories -- the STEAK!! (gibber) The pizza with an olive on every slice! (Out of 10 of us, only 2 of us liked olives -- score). "Cyberborges" made me giggle.

So anyway! Yes, go, go on your honeymoon! A couple of my friends went to Patagonia (twice) and thought it was fantastic -- the pictures are beautiful, especially the Moreno Glacier: they snapped an ice chunk about the size of a small building in mid-tumble.

Crap, I'm jealous now.

those cockfarmers are obviously adapting well to civilian rule.

I have just finished a course on Latin America, so now I am interested in going there. I was thinking of flying to Buenos Aires and then travelling to Patagonia and then acrosss to South Chile and up to Santiago.

I gather that while we think of Patagonia as exciting and exotic, Argentines see it as a bit of a dump. Although that might change now that their President used to be governor down there.

Thank you Daniel Giraffe. Wait, is your real last name actually Giraffe? I give you Tim Flannery, who, instead of eyes, God granted very small emeralds.

http://images.google.com/url?q=http://www.4sd.com/team/images/tim_lg.jpg

http://supahz.250x.com/baseballr/garvey.jpg

I was there because when I was 18, a really kind great aunt gave me £1000, and I decided that I wanted to use it go to Bs As on my own and study Spanish on one of these programs where you stay with a family.

I studied Spanish in the mornings, wandered around the city in the afternoons, and in the evenings either stayed in reading the New York Trilogy or went out with the son of the family, who was really nice. He took me to a goth club that played three New Order songs, one night, and a gig another night. I tried foul Argentinian whisky and raw meat, and became attached to the two noisy dogs that the family owned, and I walked all over the city, and got a bus out to La Boca, and did other touristy things.

Whodo I get for that?

I was there because when I was 18, a really kind great aunt gave me £1000, and I decided that I wanted to use it go to Bs As on my own and study Spanish on one of these programs where you stay with a family.

I studied Spanish in the mornings, wandered around the city in the afternoons, and in the evenings either stayed in reading the New York Trilogy or went out with the son of the family, who was really nice. He took me to a goth club that played three New Order songs, one night, and a gig another night. I tried foul Argentinian whisky and raw meat, and became attached to the two noisy dogs that the family owned, and I walked all over the city, and got a bus out to La Boca, and did other touristy things.

Who do I get for that?

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/bip_roberts_autograph.jpg http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/bip_roberts_autograph.jpg

We hitched part of the way on a Chilean patrol boat through the fjords, stayed with some people in the Welsh villages, met some people who Bruce Chatwin had written about and followed the ghosts of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

It all went a bit sour in Buenos Aires with a rusty kitchen knife held to my throat buying football tickets in La Boca.

What do I get for that?

Cathy's story made me happy.

xpost: Holy shit, Mikey!

http://www.homeruncards.com/imagesrc/santiagobdon.jpg

I think I'm just gonna mind my own business in Buenos Aires, maybe have a steak and then retire back to the hotel early with a bottle of wine, maybe a little Connect Four and then watch Access Hollywood en espanol.

It would be great if Mr T became the Mayor of Buenos Aires, and the town changed its name to Bad Attitude.

Wait, is your real last name actually Giraffe?

No but I am half-giraffe, hence the nickname.

As for Goose Gossage, does he have brothers and sisters named Duck, Otter etc?

http://www.badosa.com/ebooks/n145/

I only mention this because:

a) I want a baseball player, preferably hittting a homer or sliding in to third base in a cloud of dust.

b) It mentions a very nice lake which might be worth visiting. The leading lady takes some of her clothes off there, revealing her small but perfect breasts.

I was going to say it is a bad translation of a bad book, but I see it has good reviews, so perhaps I am wrong.

The abbreviation of Buenos Aires is Bs As which I find cute.

Steaks here are ridiculous - not so much in diameter, since they rarely overhang the plate by more than an inch or two - but in thickness, having roughly the proportions of an American canned ham. But what the Argentines have really mastered is flavor. Strange cuts of meat that would be ground into flavorless paste up north come to your table here infused with a delicious texture and flavor, provided they are cooked right. And they are invariably cooked right. The waiters are solicitous about asking (in English) how you want your meat done, but if you let them make the call, you get a two-inch thick of meat that transitions seamlessly from carbon to bright pink and back.

http://www.idlewords.com/images/choripan.jpg

I'm seriously considering finding some teaching work in BA and living there for 6 months to a year. I have never been to Latin America before.

It's meant to be very nice, though not so sure it is easy to find work there.

I am going there on Thursday. As yet, I know nothing about the place.

I have a CELTA so I'm hoping that will make it easier to find work.

xpost - let us know how it is!

I was in Buenos Aires about a decade ago. It's big and I would have trouble describing it. It's probably most accurate to describe it as like a lot of southern European cities stuck together - the parks seemed quite Parisian; as did the grand buildings though these were getting quite unkempt so brought to mind more Naples or Marseille; the railway stations are obviously British, but dark and dirty so probably like 80s Britain; busy areas and grand layout felt a bit like Milan; smarter residential bits like outskirts of Madrid or Rome. Madrid's probably the closest overall.

I liked it, though the people did seem rude as their legend. I'd've liked more time there so I could prove it wrong.

I am going there on Thursday too. I have no clue what I will be doing, I just booked my ticket out of Santiago this morning.

What's Santiago like?

Is there a decent budget airline for getting around SA?

I am actually leaving tomorrow to go to Santiago. I have been before and am not a huge fan, which is why we are going to BA for the long weekend. And then a couple of days back in Santiago. It a sprawling city, like other sprawling cities. Kind of smoggy.

I am very excited about eating a lot of ice cream in BA.

I spent four months there at the beginning of this year. Complex place. You can be a vegetarian there. Ice cream is peerless.

I’ll probably be in Buenos Aires for a few days in August. What’s the best way to spend a leisurely Sunday there?

If you're literally there on a Sunday and the weather is fair (it'll be mid-winter in August) then start at Plaza de Mayo and walk south on Defensa...it'll take you through the San Telmo neighborhood during the feria, then Plaza Dorrego. Keep going to Parque Lezama and get ice cream or coffee. Don't go much further south than that though... it's been a while since I lived there, but south of Lezama was not a place for tourists to be. On Thursday in Plaza de Mayo the Mothers of the Disappeared still gather to read out the names of the disappeared... it's a surreal mixture of intense solemnity, nationalism, and tourist trap.

If you like cats, check out the Botanical Gardens. They're full of cats! So is Parque Lector, which is right outside of the National Library (which is an awesome brutalist building, and has a cafe that serves beer in it). The museum of Xul Solar is pretty cool, or starting from downtown walk up Avenida Santa Fe, lots of used bookstores (and the Ataneo Gran Splendid, the fanciest Barnes and Noble-type store in the Western Hemisphere) and shops and you end up in Palermo Hollywood which has lots of good restaurants. Recoleta Cemetery is a necropolis. spooky and fun. Or just get yourself a thermos and mate and chill out in a park... might be too cold though.

Amazing. Thank you.

and watch out for pickpockets. it's a safe place to walk around, but stealing wallets and phones from tourists is definitely a thing.

Going tomorrow. Buenos Aires, Iguazu, Bariloche, then probably back to Buenos Aires? F. Hazel's post is helpful, any last minute tips? Our main pastime will probably be searching out decent vegetarian food.

I was wondering when I was in BA and now I see it was 8 years ago and I already mentioned ice cream/gelato. My job is done.

My spouse is vegetarian, reformed vegan. I don't think you should have that much of a problem finding veg food. Chile and Argentina get better and better every year for that type of thing. I remember there being lots around Palermo. I haven't been to those other places (have been Mendoza and AR Patagonia). I was just in the chilean lake district/like Bariloche last month. The weather is very nice right now, although it may get hotter.

Cool! We're staying in Palermo to start. A little concerned that the weather looks like constant rain/thunderstorms for our first three days there, but whatever, we'll just have to figure out more indoor stuff than usual.

i would kill for rain (am in Santiago). It's always too dry here.

Where in Palermo?

I was told when I was there that all restaurants are legally obliged to have a vegetarian option or cook one on request. I can’t vouch for that being true but everywhere I went had veg options and frequently vegan as well, so you should have no problems.

In Villa Crespo / near Palermo Hollywood, I think. It's right by this sourdough bakery my partner wants to hit (Salvaje).

Probably going back next month - likely to be CABA, Mendoza, somewhere down south and maybe a quick trip to Montevideo.

I miss BsAs and would dearly love to go back, and spend longer in Montevideo!

ohhh have fun, what will you do?

Mostly work, unfortunately, but I am going to try to take a weekend somewhere in Patagonia. I’ve always been kind of fascinated by Trelew and its Welsh heritage but ideally somewhere Ushuaia if I can manage it.

Btw really enjoyed my trip, I liked being in BA more than my partner. Bariloche was really our speed though.

what did you eat in BA and what did you do in Bariloche? I might have to go over for a long weekend soon to reset a visa while I am waiting for another visa.

I’m going to be there for two weeks from the 22nd so if anyone has any Mendoza / Córdoba tips hmu.

I hadn’t realised quite how terrible the currency devaluation had been until I checked today. It was 35 Pesos to the GBP when I was there nine months ago, which was already bad. Now it’s 56 or 57. It’s brutal when prices are linked to the USD and wages aren’t.

what did you eat in BA and what did you do in Bariloche? I might have to go over for a long weekend soon to reset a visa while I am waiting for another visa.

Oops, forgot to respond to this! Food highlights in BA were Salvaje Bakery in Palermo (my partner makes sourdough breads so she really wanted to hit this), a bar called Breoghan that had really good veggie options and beer (owner was a character), and that amazing empanadas stand in the San Telmo market. Also some other good breweries in San Telmo whose names I can't recall, and I got my random choripan cart while biking near the airport (also ended up getting caught in a rainstorm that just wouldn't quit, and biking from Ricoleta to Palermo).

In Bariloche we did a lot of walking/biking/hiking up things during the day, like Cerro Otto and Campanario, then kinda sorta went to the same place for dinner every night (this place Chimi, because they were cool with us customizing their extensive sandwich menu, had good beer, and my wife became buddies with the family that runs it).

Sounds like a good trip! I remember loving Cerro Campanario, it was a gorgeous day when I went and there was nobody else there but a super-friendly orange cat who lived up there. When we found friendly bars/restaurants in BsAs we'd return to them again and again, because they seemed to like having us there and liked to chat.

For Mendoza, Familia Zuccardi has a very nice lunch/asado at the vineyard. I've been a couple of times, but I can't speak to anything other than the lunch. The empanadas and blood sausage are my favorite. You will have to get a car there (like most wineries around the city). You can also easily rent a bike and go from bodega to bodega. The route that most people do that's closest to the city is fine (the one that has Trapiche on the map). It's not the most scenic and you don't really need to do a paid tour on any property but it's kind of a fun thing to do one day if you want to get sloshed on a cruiser. I think they have other tour groups that go further outside the city for touring. Lujan de Cuyo region would be where I would select if you wanted to go outside Mendoza proper for a wine tour.

It's probably changed since I was there, but Patagonia and Bariloche had way better breweries than Buenos Aires, which was a sea of Quilmes, Otro Mundo if you were lucky, and of course expensive imports.

Amazing! Thank you.

I think there must be a lot more breweries in BA now, there was one street (Honduras I think) that had at least one on every block. There were some good ones in San Telmo, this place Bierlife had a good vibe. They had a huge list from other local breweries (I remember a "Fuck IPA") and their own beer, incl. a mate beer and a Fernet porter. :)

Also it took me awhile to get that they were saying "neepa" everywhere, which meant NE IPA, lol.

heh, yeah... I have a co-worker from Paraguay and she says IPAs like "e-pause"

JUST IN: Argentina's Senate has approved a bill to legalize abortion https://t.co/CZ8Lmzj7mv

— CNN (@CNN) December 30, 2020

The legislation would allow elective abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. It’s the ninth bill in the past 15 years to address the country’s abortion laws; it was seen as having the best chance to legalize the procedure.

...

The bill was approved in the Senate with 38 votes in favor and 29 against after an intense debate that lasted around 12 hours. Some lawmakers discussed why they had changed their views since 2018. “I learned a lot in these two years. I am the same senator, who at this time decided to continue listening and analyzing different situations,” said Silvina García Larraburu, who voted against the bill in 2018, but supported it this time. “Mine is a deconstructed vote.”

Someone almost assassinated Kirchner at point blank range. Apparently there was a misfire?
More: https://brazilian.report/latin-america/2022/09/01/man-gun-cristina-kirchner/

La imagen del intento de atentado contra Cristina Kirchner. pic.twitter.com/P08PhWXLWy

— Sergio Villone (@sergioVillone) September 2, 2022

Fernández said the firearm had five bullets “and didn’t fire even though the trigger was pulled”

if an armed nutter comes at you point-blank range that's the kind of luck you need.

I'm sure she feels immortal. I know I would!

not sure if the gun was faulty or it just clicked on an empty chamber. The closest I've been to that situation was when some crack fiend shot the ceiling above my head during a bookie robbery. I'm shuddering just thinking about it 20 odd years later.

Michael Roberts:
“Peronism has failed to deliver on economic expansion, a stable currency and low inflation. But it has also failed to deliver on ending poverty and reducing inequality.”https://t.co/XKcbKSDX6R pic.twitter.com/puIITOEOnX

— post-rave wellness pack (@Prada_Meinhof) October 23, 2023

this guy who is likely to win sounds like a fucking loon. of course my cousins (by marriage) in argentina support him, to our dismay. he has a huge following among the youth which is bewildering. argentina as a country is in continual fucking crisis.

It's terrible what has been happening to Argentina for well over two decades now. Must be such a struggle for the people.

I see.

🗳️ 🤯

Mr. Milei overcame criticism and questions about a variety of unusual behaviors during the campaign, including his harsh attacks against the pope, his clashes with Taylor Swift fans, his claims of being a tantric-sex guru, his dressing up as a libertarian superhero and his close relationship with his Mastiff dogs that are named for conservative economists — and are also all clones.

Guy looked at Trump and was like, hold my beer.

"Milei is the owner of five English Mastiffs, with the progenitor being Conan, who died in 2017 after suffering from spinal cancer. He considers Conan his son and has named four of Conan's six clones, including one named after the original and another named Angelito,[280] Milton (in honor of Milton Friedman), Murray (in honor of Murray Rothbard), Robert, and Lucas (both named after Robert Lucas)...

"Milei stated that he communicates with the dogs through a mystic.[12] For example, he commented that the new Conan provides ideas on general strategy, Robert is the one who makes him 'see the future and learn from mistakes,' Milton is in charge of political analysis, and Murray of the economy. When asked about this by El País journalist Martín Sivak and Nicolás Lucca of Radio Rivadavia, Milei did not deny it, and said: 'What I do with my spiritual life and in my house is my business. If Conan advises me on politics, it means that he is the best consultant of humanity.'

"Milei said he had dialogues with the likes of Rothbard and Ayn Rand. In 2015, he cited Conan as a source of inspiration for his writing. About Conan's death in 2017, Milei said that Conan had not really died (he described it as 'his physical disappearance' and continued to refer to Conan in the present tense) but had gone to sit next to God to protect him, and that it was thanks to this that he had begun to have talks with God himself. According to González, Milei wrote to a friend in a chat: 'I saw the resurrection of Christ three times, but I can't talk about it. They would say I'm crazy.' According to various sources consulted by La Nación, Milei maintains that he and Conan have a mission that was assigned to them by God and has a mystical story with Conan. He said that he met Conan, who was a lion, as a gladiator in the Roman Colosseum about 2,000 years earlier."

Way to go, Argentina.

I know the other guy was the boring choice, but I mean, who wouldn't have been?

Thinking outside the box

I saw someone write, well, it's not like things could get any worse in Argentina. And the immediate reply was: 'yes it can, we already had a hyper inflation of 4000% in 1989 and 2000% in 1991 and a complete economic and social collapse with 5 presidents in a month in 2001 and 25% unemployment for the next 3 years and 60% poverty and every state issuing their own worthless currency because they didn't have money to pay for anything."

Yep

Really not surprised that donating organs to survive is going to be an option

From a locked account:

"I was genuinely convinced that Massa was going to win before the first runoff. But then I saw the interview where Millei was having a mental breakdown on TV and I knew he had already won"

Feel like I know in quite granular detail this guys position on just about everything without having to check, except for the Russia-Ukraine war

Probably thinks the Jews did it.

https://x.com/lbc/status/1726640860803043771?s=46

exciting!

https://i.imgur.com/QR81lOP.jpg

Is he taking them back or giving them away?

This guy’s First Lady is his sister