Here I am in the Tango Backpackers hostel in Palermo in Buenos Aires. It's christmas eve. Strange. We've got no snow here. We've got rain instead. It's been really hot lately. So hot in fact that I couldn't sleep the other night because the AC was broken in my room. I haven't written anything in this blog for over a month. What happened? Well, the short story is that I took spanish and tango classes in Buenos Aires. Then, inspired by all the travelers in my hostel I decided to go backpacking. I ended up on the beautiful beach in Punta del Diablo in Uruguay, outside the hot town of Mendoza enjoying the vineyards and the mountains, and finally cooled down on the beach in Vina del Mar in Chile.
In the beginning of my trip I was firmly based in the Art Factory Hostel in San Telmo in Buenos Aires. I was there for over three weeks. Many of the evenings I could be found drinking Quilmes beer or read wine on their roof top terrace. That was nice and all and I enjoy the social aspect of hostels very much. It hadn't been much more than a week though until the hostel life and the pulsating city was taking a toll on me. I felt I needed to escape. What kept me hanging around was my ambition to learn spanish and tango. My first day of Spanish was at the Ibero school. I was disappointed with the school so on the second day I impatiently switched over to a school called Academia Buenos Aires. Academia turned out to have the same traditional teaching approach but in smaller classes (maximum of five students) and better organization and teaching material. It's debatable if those improvements could motivate the price difference from 100 to 200 USD though.
I got frustrated by the group classes pretty quickly. Going to class can be really boring. It's just like how going to school used to be. This is a problem for me regardless of whether it's an evening class in Sweden or an intense class in Buenos Aires. I very much preferred the private classes where I was able to pause the teacher and ask any questions I wanted and proceed at my own pace. I'm deeply fascinated by the pedagogy of Michel Thomas whose spanish classes I've been enjoying on my mp3 player. He has a gentle way of introducing vocabulary and grammar that makes you feel confident and gives you an illusion of simplicity. He also knows to introduce parts of the language in order of importance. In the spanish classes we had loads of untranslated vocabulary thrown at us and this was distracting us from the grammar which was supposed to be our focus. I think computers could have improved the classes with interactive exercises, faster dictionaries etc. I would like to have a fast dictionary on my computer that can recognize all words in the language, regardless of whether they are in their basic form or not. The dictionary would be triggered by clicking on or hovering over any word. This would allow me to better read and learn from articles and newspapers etc. Of course, Google Translate can serve this purpose pretty well too.
After two weeks of spanish classes I decided to quit and I spent the following week taking tango classes instead at the excellent DNI school. The DNI school is bubbling with positive energy. Their teachers are friendly and relaxed and yet highly professional. I've never really seen a dance school like it before. There is a schedule of group classes at different levels that run every week that you can drop in to. They have maybe 10 or more teachers that give private classes every day, many of them to tango dancers visiting from far away countries. They will give you a study plan where you take a private class with a senior teacher followed by one or more practice classes with junior teachers where you practice the theory that you learned. That system makes a lot of sense. I made some progress, I certainly did, but in the end I get a little frustrated by the difficult technique required in tango. That's what usually happens when I try to learn it. I intend to continue dancing tango in Stockholm though.
After my tango week I was finally able to escape the city. I took the ferry over to Colonia (Colonia Express, 50 minutes) and from there the bus to the famous beach resort Punta del Este (about five hours). Unfortunatly, and as expected, I didn't really like the place. It has a lot of bars and restaurants where rich people go to be seen. However, it was off season so it was just a bunch of closed restaurants and empty high rises. I did get a beautiful sunset there though and the beaches are good. Luckily through a tip from some american backpackers I ended up going to Punta del Diablo instead. I love Punta del Diablo! I'm not sure how to describe the place but it's like a small fishing village with nice colorful houses and great beaches. I found my peace and quiet there at the Diablo Tranquilo hostel. Highly recommended! The last night I went running on one of the beaches in the sunset. I was home.
My next destination was Mendoza. I took the Andesmar first class bus (cama suite) there which was great. Had the bed been just a little bit longer it would have been perfect... A comfortable leather seat, two bad Hollywood movies, bingo, a three course meal with good red wine and champagne. All of that can really make you relax. Mendoza reminded me of a more quiet version of Palermo in Buenos Aires. Less trafic and less people. Nice trees along every street. It doesn't have the architecture or culture of Buenos Aires of course but it's a great base for outdoor activities. I started with a wine bike tour. We visited three wineries and an olive oil manufacturer. The next day I went on the high Andes tour and saw the highest mountain in America. The Andes are amazing!
I took a night bus across the Andes to Vina del Mar in Chile. Taking the nightbus turned out to be a bad idea as we had to go through immigrations and I didn't get much sleep. Also, I woke up by ears hurting from the drop in altitude going down the slopes in Chile. The trip went well though and I arrived early morning in Vina del Mar. I checked in at the Che Lagarto hostel which is quite nice. They have the best beds of any hostels. Some beds down here seem to be designed for dwarves. They are maybe 190 cm long so they don't really allow me to stretch out. The climate in Vina del Mar is very interesting. Cold nights and mornings and hot and sunny afternoons. The peak of the day seems to be at like 5 in the afternoon when people are at the beach. Valparaiso is a picturesque city and the beaches in Vina are great. The waves of the pacific are gigantic but the water is cold.
I made my way back from Chile to Buenos Aires by bus and I arrived reasonably rested. Unfortunately it turned out that I couldn't get a bus to the Iguazu waterfalls since it was close to Christmas. I really hadn't anticipated that problem. That's what happens when you don't book your trips in advance I guess. Buenos Aires was really hot and I didn't feel like staying. I contemplated returning to Punta del Diablo but that would have meant two additional days of traveling and I was tired. I decided to stay in Buenos Aires and fly home early, on the 25:th of december. I tried to get home in time for Christmas. I could have made it to Stockholm but not all the way up to Umeå so it wasn't worth it.
An interesting anecdote is that I got about 1000 pesos worth of fake bills from an ATM here in Argentina. I talked to the bank (Santander Rio) about it and they didn't seem to care. At least not the two young girls that I tried to speak spanish to. They were not even going to report the problem. I've contacted SEB in Sweden now to see if there is something they can do.
onsdag 23 december 2009
måndag 16 november 2009
Buenos Aires - Weekend
Friday night I was back at the hostel taking it easy and drinking beer with Christian from Germany. There was even some live music at the hostel which was nice. The band was presented as a funk band and they sounded very much like Manu Chao at first but then the music varied quite a bit. The band was good but I felt very unimpressed, probably because I was in the mood for salsa and have been spoilt by some of the best salsa musicians in New York. That gave me a bad conscience. It was a good night though.
Saturday morning I was freezing on top of the Buenos Aires yellow sightseeing bus listening to a robot-like and humor less speaker in the headphones. The good thing about it was that I got to see a little of La Boca which seemed like a pretty nice part of town. It also gave me some kind of orientation and overview of the main tourist attractions.
On saturday evening I had my first tango class with Jonny at the DNI tango school. It was truly awesome and great fun. They started with leading basics and then quickly progressed to more advanced steps. Very cool. I'm definitely coming back for more lessons.
Saturday evening I was finally able to hook up with Charlie from Sweden. It was a birthday party at the Newbury bar on the Honduras street in Palermo. It was amazing to see the number of bars on Honduras and the nightlife in Palermo. Latin americans are very good at partying and welcoming new people and making them feel at home in a group. That's something to learn from.
On sunday we took the train further up the river to Tigre with Charlies room mates from Holland, Germany, and England. It was very nice to get out of the city for a while. We took a boat tour along the river which was nice. A perfect lazy sunday excursion.
Today is monday and the start of my spanish lessons. Very excited about that!
Saturday morning I was freezing on top of the Buenos Aires yellow sightseeing bus listening to a robot-like and humor less speaker in the headphones. The good thing about it was that I got to see a little of La Boca which seemed like a pretty nice part of town. It also gave me some kind of orientation and overview of the main tourist attractions.
On saturday evening I had my first tango class with Jonny at the DNI tango school. It was truly awesome and great fun. They started with leading basics and then quickly progressed to more advanced steps. Very cool. I'm definitely coming back for more lessons.
Saturday evening I was finally able to hook up with Charlie from Sweden. It was a birthday party at the Newbury bar on the Honduras street in Palermo. It was amazing to see the number of bars on Honduras and the nightlife in Palermo. Latin americans are very good at partying and welcoming new people and making them feel at home in a group. That's something to learn from.
On sunday we took the train further up the river to Tigre with Charlies room mates from Holland, Germany, and England. It was very nice to get out of the city for a while. We took a boat tour along the river which was nice. A perfect lazy sunday excursion.
Today is monday and the start of my spanish lessons. Very excited about that!
fredag 13 november 2009
Buenos Aires - Day 1
At around midday I ventured out of the safety of the youth hostel and into the chaos of the city. I took pictures with my iPhone as I went and there a lot of views to take in - beautiful parks and purple trees in bloom, huge buildings, and nice architecture. It's really hot down here now with peak temperatures at around 27 degrees celsius and I'm enjoying that although it can get tedious later in the day. The city appeals to me quite a bit and I think I can see where the comparison with Paris comes from.
I got myself a local cell phone number and I registered at the Ibero spanish school.
In the evening there was a BBQ on the rooftop terrace in the hostel with a lot of wine and meat. Very Argentinian and very nice.
Today I think I'll try the subway and visit the tango school and arrange for some private spanish lessons. Also, I'm curious to see what Palermo is like, the fancy uptown neighborhood.
I got myself a local cell phone number and I registered at the Ibero spanish school.
In the evening there was a BBQ on the rooftop terrace in the hostel with a lot of wine and meat. Very Argentinian and very nice.
Today I think I'll try the subway and visit the tango school and arrange for some private spanish lessons. Also, I'm curious to see what Palermo is like, the fancy uptown neighborhood.
torsdag 12 november 2009
First Impression of Buenos Aires
After a looooong flight with Lufthansa from Frankfurt I finally landed safe and sound in Buenos Aires. We flew past Dakar in Africa and over the big country of Brazil. All in all it took about 13 hours and 45 minutes and we arrived on time. That's almost twice as long as the SAS direct flight between Stockholm and New York! I was trying desperately to kill time on the plane, watching a handful of movies, listening to spanish lessons and reading spanish books, but still, it was hard. Note to self - bring a very exciting Dan Brown type of book next time.
The vibes I have been getting so far here have been friendly, relaxed, and yet organized and modern. The Art Factory hostel in San Telmo is very artsy and cool! A lot of paintings and nice decor, a roof top terrace with a grill, and all the practicalities you need.
My goals for today are to go check for a local cell phone and try to make first contact with the spanish and tango schools.
I'm very excited to be here!
The vibes I have been getting so far here have been friendly, relaxed, and yet organized and modern. The Art Factory hostel in San Telmo is very artsy and cool! A lot of paintings and nice decor, a roof top terrace with a grill, and all the practicalities you need.
My goals for today are to go check for a local cell phone and try to make first contact with the spanish and tango schools.
I'm very excited to be here!
söndag 8 november 2009
Highlights from my Last Week in New York
A friend came to visit me on the 22:nd of October - my 35:th birthday. We had 20 degrees and sun on this day. We started with a latte from Starbucks on Times Square. Later on, the banana bread from Starbucks became a favorite. We had dinner at Union Square Cafe - rated most popular restaurant in New York by Zagat guide. The food was excellent without being too fancy or stylish and the same can be said of the place itself and its atmosphere. Great service, nice decor, but yet simple, relaxed, and functional. We took a taxi home. It's a nice feeling to ride a taxi on Manhattan and it's cheap too.
We had lunch at Sushi Yasuda - supposedly the best Sushi restaurant in New York. It was really upscale and authentic and if you are a sushi fan willing to open your purse it may be worth a visit. It was definitiley something very different from your average Sushi restaurant in Stockholm. On friday lunch Sushi Yasuda was full (you need to book a table there) and so we ended up at Michael Jordans steakhouse in Grand Central station. I really like that place. It's an upscale steak house in a beautiful setting. Great stakes! Pricey though, of course...
We tried some shopping at the Disney Store, Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales and Macy's. Friday evening I enjoyed an amazing piano concert with Murray Perahia at the Carnegie Hall. It was one amazing piano piece after another. The composers covered were Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin. It was an orgy in beautiful piano music and Perahia delivered it beautifully. According to my room mate Erik who studies classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music it doesn't get much better than this. I can't disagree with that. We were sitting way up on the balcony of Carnegie Hall. The concert piano looked like a small instrument from there. But the acoustics were amazing and the hall had a beautiful ambience. This was probably the best classical concert ever for me. It was a big experience.
We did some shopping at the spectacular Evolution Store in SOHO. Unfortunately we forgot to return there to buy the Shark in a Jar...
We wanted to see a Broadway musical and we chose the Lion King. It was quite an experience, especially for the dancing, the music, the decor and all the costumes. A lot of work and money must have gone into a Broadway show like that. The plot and the dialog didn't do much for us though and we would have preferred more music and dancing... I was most impressed and moved by Tshidi Mayne - a great african singer performing "He Lives in You".
My stay ended with a magical dinner at the Gramercy Tavern. This restaurant is top rated in Zagat and we were very happy with it. Nice dark and fancy decor, great service and food. We had a three course menu and the whole evening was a great experience.
The trip home went really well, so well in fact that we got upgraded to business class - massage seats that can be converted into beds, three course meals with port wine and liqeur. Nice! :-)
Being back in Stockholm felt great. Fresh air streaming through my lungs walking through a beautiful city. In many ways, Stockholm may very well be the most beautiful city in the world. However, after only a few hours or so the cold and the darkness was starting to get to me... I'm very fortunate then to be leaving for my next adventure soon - Argentina!
We had lunch at Sushi Yasuda - supposedly the best Sushi restaurant in New York. It was really upscale and authentic and if you are a sushi fan willing to open your purse it may be worth a visit. It was definitiley something very different from your average Sushi restaurant in Stockholm. On friday lunch Sushi Yasuda was full (you need to book a table there) and so we ended up at Michael Jordans steakhouse in Grand Central station. I really like that place. It's an upscale steak house in a beautiful setting. Great stakes! Pricey though, of course...
We tried some shopping at the Disney Store, Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales and Macy's. Friday evening I enjoyed an amazing piano concert with Murray Perahia at the Carnegie Hall. It was one amazing piano piece after another. The composers covered were Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin. It was an orgy in beautiful piano music and Perahia delivered it beautifully. According to my room mate Erik who studies classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music it doesn't get much better than this. I can't disagree with that. We were sitting way up on the balcony of Carnegie Hall. The concert piano looked like a small instrument from there. But the acoustics were amazing and the hall had a beautiful ambience. This was probably the best classical concert ever for me. It was a big experience.
We did some shopping at the spectacular Evolution Store in SOHO. Unfortunately we forgot to return there to buy the Shark in a Jar...
We wanted to see a Broadway musical and we chose the Lion King. It was quite an experience, especially for the dancing, the music, the decor and all the costumes. A lot of work and money must have gone into a Broadway show like that. The plot and the dialog didn't do much for us though and we would have preferred more music and dancing... I was most impressed and moved by Tshidi Mayne - a great african singer performing "He Lives in You".
My stay ended with a magical dinner at the Gramercy Tavern. This restaurant is top rated in Zagat and we were very happy with it. Nice dark and fancy decor, great service and food. We had a three course menu and the whole evening was a great experience.
The trip home went really well, so well in fact that we got upgraded to business class - massage seats that can be converted into beds, three course meals with port wine and liqeur. Nice! :-)
Being back in Stockholm felt great. Fresh air streaming through my lungs walking through a beautiful city. In many ways, Stockholm may very well be the most beautiful city in the world. However, after only a few hours or so the cold and the darkness was starting to get to me... I'm very fortunate then to be leaving for my next adventure soon - Argentina!
fredag 6 november 2009
What if Now is All There is... Then What?
I just had a shocking and scary realization and it is that life is merely a series of "now" moments. It's as if up until now I has somehow assumed there would be something more, some alternative place or dimension that would be better than "now". In this other place things would magically happen for me and I would be happy. I have many times been taught about the importance of living in the present. For some reason though it's only now that it's sinking in with me what this really means. Because we have no choice really. We have to live in the present. Why? Because the present is all there is!
onsdag 21 oktober 2009
Let's Go Knicks
I was at the Madison Square Guarden arena last night and saw the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics (a few photos are here). It was an experience just to be in such a huge arena. I was impressed with the logistics of how are they are able to quickly get so many people in and out of there, but also that they put on such a show and really try to entertain the audience with various games and music and dancers and what not. I think the game itself was so so, but it was fun to see. I haven't seen an NBA game in a long time.
Before the game I had dinner at Cornelia Street Cafe. There were two Norwegian guys there interviewing the owner of the place with a camera. There had been three film crews there that day. Apparently it's quite a famous place that was founded in the seventies and it seems popular with songwriters and poets.
After the game I swung by Swing 46. It's quite a cosy place with a long history. There was a small crowd there of which at least a few were dancing to the live music performed by George Gee. The band was good and the female vocalist was excellent.
Last night I was a little sick and the american food (I blame the nachos I had at the game) that I had stuffed myself with came up again... Today I'm feeling a lot better. I've spent the day at home doing laundry and shopping. I want to be rested for my birthday tomorrow...
Before the game I had dinner at Cornelia Street Cafe. There were two Norwegian guys there interviewing the owner of the place with a camera. There had been three film crews there that day. Apparently it's quite a famous place that was founded in the seventies and it seems popular with songwriters and poets.
After the game I swung by Swing 46. It's quite a cosy place with a long history. There was a small crowd there of which at least a few were dancing to the live music performed by George Gee. The band was good and the female vocalist was excellent.
Last night I was a little sick and the american food (I blame the nachos I had at the game) that I had stuffed myself with came up again... Today I'm feeling a lot better. I've spent the day at home doing laundry and shopping. I want to be rested for my birthday tomorrow...
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