zondag 13 maart 2011
zaterdag 12 maart 2011
I did so much!
I don´t know any other way to start this message than with that. And I did so much. After checking out of the lovely Guesthouse Livian on Wednesday morning (if ever in Buenos Aires, go to that hotel!), I stayed in their garden, reading a book, catching some sun and chatting with Asta. In the afternoon, I took a cab to my CS host for the rest of my trip, Sandra. She turns out to be a really great woman, and she makes me feel right at home. She takes me to a flat that she rents out that she has to inspect, and we go there by foot, so I see some more of the city. Along the Avenida del Libertador, pass the Floralis Generica, a huge mechanical flower that opens and closes with the light.
After the flat has been inspected, we take the bus home, and we decide we are too tired to go out, so in stead, we have a salad at home.
The next day, I am meeting up with Martina. I have been looking forward to meeting her, and also she turns out to be really great! We decide we want to go check out the famous cemetery in Recoleta. The day is really hot, it is over 30 degrees, and we decide to walk there. We visit the grave (well, grave, more like a tiny house) of Evita Perron, who is actually the only person buried there that we know. But the city of the dead is very interesting, and I get the impression that some of the dead have a better place to live than people actually living in the city. As we leave, the guy that asked us for a donation for children with Aids asks me if I would like to get together with him, para concerte. That´s just my life, meeting a guy at a cemetery! I tell him to give me his number, so I can just never call him back and get him out of my hair now.
Thursdays at 3.30 pm, the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo hold a silent protest against the military dictatorship during the Dirty War, and we think it´s a good thing to go and see that, and learn a bit more about what happened then. Back home, this was a big topic a few years back, because of our (now) princess Maxima, whose father was in the government during those years. The madres draw a small crowd and applause, and they walk around the small obelisk about 10 times, with little signs in their hands with the photos of the disappeared. It does make you think.
Then it´s off to some cafe for a drink and something to eat, it is really hot and we need some refreshments.
At around 7 pm we take the subte back, but it turns out to be still rush hour then, and the train is crowded, and unbearably hot. We get off a stop before the one we wanted. When we come up, it´s dark. I walk the rest of the way home, where I am meeting up with Sandra. We go to a parilla, a mega barbecue, on which they cook just about everything you can order in the restaurant. And when in Rome..... So I have a nice bife, that is really, really tender. They really know how to prepare meat!
On Friday, I meet up with Martina again at 8 am, to go to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It´s just across the Rio de la Plata, and only 3 hours by boat (the slow boat). Colonia is a Portuguese colony from the 17th century, and it´s a beautiful place, great for taking pictures (which we do abundantly). The only drawback is that it is really touristy, and you can even rent some sort of golf carts for the day (not so nice in pictures). We spend the whole day just wandering around, we enjoy the sunset from the yacht harbor, and in the evening, we take the fast boat (1 hour) back to Buenos Aires. We had to book first class because tourist wasn´t available anymore, but we do get a glass of champagne and super comfy chairs for that!
After the flat has been inspected, we take the bus home, and we decide we are too tired to go out, so in stead, we have a salad at home.
The next day, I am meeting up with Martina. I have been looking forward to meeting her, and also she turns out to be really great! We decide we want to go check out the famous cemetery in Recoleta. The day is really hot, it is over 30 degrees, and we decide to walk there. We visit the grave (well, grave, more like a tiny house) of Evita Perron, who is actually the only person buried there that we know. But the city of the dead is very interesting, and I get the impression that some of the dead have a better place to live than people actually living in the city. As we leave, the guy that asked us for a donation for children with Aids asks me if I would like to get together with him, para concerte. That´s just my life, meeting a guy at a cemetery! I tell him to give me his number, so I can just never call him back and get him out of my hair now.
Thursdays at 3.30 pm, the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo hold a silent protest against the military dictatorship during the Dirty War, and we think it´s a good thing to go and see that, and learn a bit more about what happened then. Back home, this was a big topic a few years back, because of our (now) princess Maxima, whose father was in the government during those years. The madres draw a small crowd and applause, and they walk around the small obelisk about 10 times, with little signs in their hands with the photos of the disappeared. It does make you think.
Then it´s off to some cafe for a drink and something to eat, it is really hot and we need some refreshments.
At around 7 pm we take the subte back, but it turns out to be still rush hour then, and the train is crowded, and unbearably hot. We get off a stop before the one we wanted. When we come up, it´s dark. I walk the rest of the way home, where I am meeting up with Sandra. We go to a parilla, a mega barbecue, on which they cook just about everything you can order in the restaurant. And when in Rome..... So I have a nice bife, that is really, really tender. They really know how to prepare meat!
On Friday, I meet up with Martina again at 8 am, to go to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It´s just across the Rio de la Plata, and only 3 hours by boat (the slow boat). Colonia is a Portuguese colony from the 17th century, and it´s a beautiful place, great for taking pictures (which we do abundantly). The only drawback is that it is really touristy, and you can even rent some sort of golf carts for the day (not so nice in pictures). We spend the whole day just wandering around, we enjoy the sunset from the yacht harbor, and in the evening, we take the fast boat (1 hour) back to Buenos Aires. We had to book first class because tourist wasn´t available anymore, but we do get a glass of champagne and super comfy chairs for that!
woensdag 9 maart 2011
San Telmo and meetings with strangers
San Telmo
I decided to venture out of Palermo and go check out San Telmo. An old barrio, where on Sundays there's a big antique market and lots of tango dancing in the street. I took my changes because it was a public holiday. You never know.
First I have to walk about 15 blocks to reach the Subte, than ride the D line until the end, and then walk another 15 blocks to reach Defensa, the street that leads to Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo. There is a little crafts market going on there (I am expecting nothing less by now), but other than that, I have a feeling that the Plaza Dorrego is about it. It's a very nice square, and the vibe is good. Two people are dancing a tango, so of course I stop to watch. An American guy starts talking to me, and 5 minutes later, his friend comes and joins us, and before you know it, I am having lunch with two older American gentlemen in a nice little restaurant. These guys are really a lot of fun, so I spend about my whole afternoon with them. For good measures, I throw in a visit to the MAMBA (Museum of Modern Art), because there are a few pieces that are inspired by Vermeer, and apparently, the Americans think that everyone from Holland knows and appreciates Vermeer. Oh well, the entrance fee is only 1 AR$, and it's air conditioned. And fair is fair, the photographs are beautiful.
When I get back to the hotel (once again, the whole Subte - walking trip) I decide to hang out in the garden for a bit, read, have a snack and go to bed early. Well, it went a bit differently. I get to talking to two guests at the hotel, Asta and Per, from Norway (Asta is originally from Lithouania). and before you know it, Per brings out the wine. Conversation is good, company is nice, and when they ask me if I want to come have dinner with them, I cannot refuse. They take me to a restaurant they have read about online, where they serve afrodisiac foods. They ask me if I mind. No not really, I am curious. Turns out we are the only threesome in a restaurant with only couples. The food is ok, but overpriced, if you ask me, just because it's supposed to be an afrodisiac. But the evening is great, conversation never stops and I am having a great time with them.
After two bottles of wines and a short taxi ride back to the hotel, I am in bed at around 2 am.
Another relaxing day in Buenos Aires.
dinsdag 8 maart 2011
They sure love their crafts...
Breda does me proud :-)
Apparently, they have a couple of days off here in Buenos Aires, to celebrate the carnaval. The very thing I ran from back home! Luckily, nobody seems to really care about that, they are just glad to have a couple of extra days off work.
Every Sunday and holiday, there are craft fairs going on in different neighborhoods, so now, I am stumbling from one feria to the other. Here in Palermo, I have seen a couple dozens stalls with home made stuff, barbie doll clothing, knitted sweaters and scarfs (winter is coming soon here), lots of jewellery of every different material, leather bags (don't look!!!). Yesterday, when Emi (a girl I met through couchsurfing) took me to Plaza de Francia in Recoleta, sure enough, there was another feria going on, where they sold barbie doll clothing, knitted sweaters and scarfs, lots of jewellery of every different material, leather bags and cups to drink mate from. They sure love crafting around here!
As for the rest of yesterday, I actually did not do much, but hang around on different terraces with a German girl, Mara. We had lunch in Palermo on one terrace, and when we were told they were going to be drilling on the side walk, we just moved to a different terrace, where we had a huge icecream, from a parlor where they had about 10 different flavors of chocolate. I chose chocolate Marroc.
After we made hanging out on a terrace an art, we went to the Jardín Japonés. Unfortunately, because everybody had the day off, we were not the only ones trying to get in, so when we saw the line, we gave up.
At five, I met up with Emi, and she took me on my first busride through Bs As. She turned out to be an excellent guide, and she also brought me up to speed with the street plan here. We went to Recoleta, and later to Plaza de Mayo, to the Casa Rosada, where the president lives. We wandered to the Avenida 9 de Julio, apparently the widest avenue in America. All the more reason to see it, I say......
After that, we took the Subte, where I got off at a station near my hotel, and Emi rode to the end of the line, where she had to take another bus to get home. Bs As is so big, people spend half their day travelling here to get anywhere.
zondag 6 maart 2011
Palermo - Buenos Aires
Ok you guys, I will try and write in English, on popular demand :-)
It took me 25 hours to get from door to door, but I was lucky enough to be able to sleep 10 hours on the 12,5 hours flight from Madrid to Buenos Aires.
Once on the airport, I immediately noticed a nice and laid-back vibe, a far cry from what I am used to in Asia.
The taxi driver takes me to my guesthouse, which is in Palermo, in a street called Palestina (not to be mixed up with the street Armenia, like the taxi driver himself did: 'the names are so much alike". Uhuh, sure).
The guesthouse turns out to be just as cosy and nice as on the pictures on the site, so I am happy with my choice. My room is super small, but the furniture in it makes it all ok. The little cupboard is just too cute, I can see myself fixing that up.
After a shower in my little private bathroom that I reach with a little staircase, I am ready to hit the streets of Palermo, the most hip and trendy neighborhood, according to the Lonely Planet (and everything it says in there, is true :-). On first sight, it seems to be a very quiet neighborbood, you can drop a bomb here and hurt no one. When I reach Palermo Viejo, this changes immediately into a nice hustle and bustle. There's a street market going on, and there are lots of little boutiques. And yes, I am in luck, I immediately get to see my first tango on the street!
After getting used to the street plan here (think NYC), I start discovering more and more nice shops, nice streets and nice restaurants with terraces on the street.
Palermo indeed rocks!
It took me 25 hours to get from door to door, but I was lucky enough to be able to sleep 10 hours on the 12,5 hours flight from Madrid to Buenos Aires.
Once on the airport, I immediately noticed a nice and laid-back vibe, a far cry from what I am used to in Asia.
The taxi driver takes me to my guesthouse, which is in Palermo, in a street called Palestina (not to be mixed up with the street Armenia, like the taxi driver himself did: 'the names are so much alike". Uhuh, sure).
The guesthouse turns out to be just as cosy and nice as on the pictures on the site, so I am happy with my choice. My room is super small, but the furniture in it makes it all ok. The little cupboard is just too cute, I can see myself fixing that up.
After a shower in my little private bathroom that I reach with a little staircase, I am ready to hit the streets of Palermo, the most hip and trendy neighborhood, according to the Lonely Planet (and everything it says in there, is true :-). On first sight, it seems to be a very quiet neighborbood, you can drop a bomb here and hurt no one. When I reach Palermo Viejo, this changes immediately into a nice hustle and bustle. There's a street market going on, and there are lots of little boutiques. And yes, I am in luck, I immediately get to see my first tango on the street!
After getting used to the street plan here (think NYC), I start discovering more and more nice shops, nice streets and nice restaurants with terraces on the street.
Palermo indeed rocks!
zaterdag 16 oktober 2010
Het overzicht
Om het toch nog maar even af te maken (echt shit als er geen internetverbinding voor handen is....).
We zijn naar de piramides geweest! Twee keer. Donderdagavond zonsondergang in de woestijn, en vrijdag het 'echte' werk.
We zijn naar de piramides geweest! Twee keer. Donderdagavond zonsondergang in de woestijn, en vrijdag het 'echte' werk.
donderdag 7 oktober 2010
Another beautiful day in Cairo
Omdat het op 6 oktober een nationale feestdag is, is niet alles open (or so we are told). Als we het hotel uitlopen, ontdekken we dat je de Cairo tower op kunt, want we zien er mensen lopen. Dat lijkt een goed begin van de dag. Vanaf de toren hebben we een mooi uitzicht over de stad, en we zien in de verte zelfs de piramides liggen! Beneden naast de toren ligt een heel leuk cafeetje, waar we op een heerlijk terrasje lunchen en loungen. Ik wilde in de zon zitten, maar de mannen die daar werken vinden blijkbaar van niet, want ze komen aanlopen om de enorme parasol op te zetten. Ook goed, de zon brandt inmiddels toch aardig. Als we bijna in slaap soezen, wordt het toch tijd om op te staan en iets te ondernemen. We gaan naar het Opera House, om foto's te maken. Alle gebouwen hebben hier de kleur van de woestijn, wat me aan Phoenix doet denken. Mooi voor op foto's.
's Middags maken we een tochtje in een faluca over de Nijl. In een bootje voor ons tweeeen. Hoe romantisch, bij een laagstaande zon, die het water in de Nijl doet schitteren.
Na ons tochtje nemen we nog even een duik in het zwembad bij het hotel, en dan gaan we ons douchen en omkleden. We ontmoeten Omar (onze nieuwe BFF) in de lobby, en we lopen met hem naar Nile City, waar we gaan eten. Nile City is een grote boot met een aantal restaurants erop. We willen graag vis, dus we gaan een trapje af naar beneden, waar we met uitzicht op de Nijl genieten van onze zelf uitgekozen en vers gevangen vis (ik zalm, Alice en Omar gamba's). Weer een goede keuze van onze uitstekende gids! Daarna hebben we allemaal zin in een glas wijn, en besluiten dat ze bij het Hilton toch wel alcohol moeten schenken! Omar regelt een taxi (terwijl wij dames op gepaste afstand wachten), en inderdaad, bij het Hilton kunnen we een glaasje alcohol drinken. We maken het niet laat, we zijn van plan om voor mijn verjaardag naar een club te gaan, dus we moeten onze energie sparen!
's Middags maken we een tochtje in een faluca over de Nijl. In een bootje voor ons tweeeen. Hoe romantisch, bij een laagstaande zon, die het water in de Nijl doet schitteren.
Na ons tochtje nemen we nog even een duik in het zwembad bij het hotel, en dan gaan we ons douchen en omkleden. We ontmoeten Omar (onze nieuwe BFF) in de lobby, en we lopen met hem naar Nile City, waar we gaan eten. Nile City is een grote boot met een aantal restaurants erop. We willen graag vis, dus we gaan een trapje af naar beneden, waar we met uitzicht op de Nijl genieten van onze zelf uitgekozen en vers gevangen vis (ik zalm, Alice en Omar gamba's). Weer een goede keuze van onze uitstekende gids! Daarna hebben we allemaal zin in een glas wijn, en besluiten dat ze bij het Hilton toch wel alcohol moeten schenken! Omar regelt een taxi (terwijl wij dames op gepaste afstand wachten), en inderdaad, bij het Hilton kunnen we een glaasje alcohol drinken. We maken het niet laat, we zijn van plan om voor mijn verjaardag naar een club te gaan, dus we moeten onze energie sparen!
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)
