So many things to tell

The internet access went out at the apartment our last day there, so it´s been a while since I´ve been able to post! We´re in Mendoza now, an incredibly charming small city about 1,000 km west of B.A. It´s the center of Argentinian wine country, and I´m currently in a locutario (public Internet access place) which doubles as the information office, where a nice young Argentinian who grew up in Hong Kong is helping us arrange a wine tour.

The drive from BA was long and somewhat painful; we broke the cardinal rule of car travel and did not take control of our own food destiny, leaving ourselves at the mercy of a largely uninhabited landscape on a Sunday (when most things are closed). We set out in our little Toyota Corolla (or Toshota Corosha, in Argentine Spanish, which causes us no little amusement). Driving across the pampas was like a combination of Nebraska and Montana, with the Everglades tossed into the middle for good measure. Much of it was a bit dull on the eyes, but overall it was interesting. Fantastic birdlife, especially in sprawling wetlands in the middle of the country.

We ended up driving in dark and rain and getting in very late, but were treated to quite a show of heat lightning after the sun went down. Driving was fine, although it confirmed our suspicion that lanes, traffic lights, stop signs...all of these are what we´ve come to call ¨theoretical constructs.¨ As in:
"What the bleepity bleep is that guy doing in my bleeping lane?"
"Now now, remember - your lane is just a theoretical construct. Let´s not get too attached to it."

It´s very Buddhist, really - this non-attachment to "your" lane.

Quick updates from my time back in BA...On Friday, while Megan and Brian took a day-trip via ferry to Uruguay, I went to the Recoleta cemetary, a very famous one where Argentina´s elite are buried in mausoleums ranging from ostentatious to genuine tiny cathedrals. It´s really unbelievable to see, and I have many pictures. It´s a photographer´s paradise, with the angles and the light and the sculptures, and I know my mother would have loved it. Evita Peron is there (after a long journey that involved mummification and temporary interrment in Milan), although her husband Juan Peron is across town at a more working-class cemetary.

Next to the cemetary is a huge market, where I spent an afternoon and bought lots of things. The leatherwork in particular in this country is truly astonishing (probably because they have so many cows, which we saw in abundance on our cross-Pampas drive). The artesanos who sell their work at the Recoleta market had actually just had a major run-in with the police the previous day - which Megan and Brian had witnessed in person - because the city had decided to enforce the long-ignored rule that the market could only take place on weekends and holidays. The next day, when I was there, there was a peaceful demonstration in the morning, and then they set up their booths - many with signs, "artisans protesting their right to work."

Recoleta is the wealthiest neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Between the cemetary and the plaza that plays host to the market is a church built in the 1730s, whose cloisters are now open as a museum.

We also went to a tango show on Friday night in the San Telmo neighborhood, home of the tango. It was dinner, drinks and a dance and music show, for the astonishing sum of $55 each - ensuring that most of the room was filled with European and American tourists, since we figured out that this was roughly the equivalent of $800 a person for the evening for an average Argentine, given what we´ve heard about income levels. The question of ecnomic status here is one that continues to fascinate us.

Saturday night we went to an excellent Mexican restaurant. Mexican food is a novelty here, since Mexico is far away and its people are rare. The waitress started to explain to us all about margueritas and mole, until we assured her we were well versed in the ways of Mexican food. She spoke excellent English and relished the opportunity to practice it. She told us she herself had created the elaborate iron chandeliers and grating in the restaurant - "I don´t know the word in English, I am...like the girl in Flashdance." A welder! we said, and she beamed happily. She seemed very interesting, and Megan and I agreed she´s the kind of person we´d want to befriend if we were staying in Buenos Aires.

We have a very short time in Mendoza, unfortunately, and are scheduled to leave for Chile day after tomorrow. There is so much to do here, it´s really amazing.