Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wine Time
Yesterday we hit up the vineyards.
From the tasteful and subtle Mayan temple homage:
To the little brick hacienda alongside the dry river bed:
And the wide-open mission style tasting room and restaurant:
Jim and I had AMPLE opportunity to practice our standing side-by-side poses, and I think it's really starting to pay off...
From the tasteful and subtle Mayan temple homage:
To the little brick hacienda alongside the dry river bed:
And the wide-open mission style tasting room and restaurant:
Jim and I had AMPLE opportunity to practice our standing side-by-side poses, and I think it's really starting to pay off...
Making it work: The next level
We arrived in Mendoza the other day, which is the heart of wine country. Now lined with sycamores and surrounded by vineyards, Mendoza was originally a desert and receives less than 6 inches of rain a year!
How do they grow thick rows of tall trees on every single street? you may ask. Through a mountain-top dam that acts as a reservoir and sends water through a citywide network of canals. Some might see genius. But these American eyes see "lawsuit!"
How do they grow thick rows of tall trees on every single street? you may ask. Through a mountain-top dam that acts as a reservoir and sends water through a citywide network of canals. Some might see genius. But these American eyes see "lawsuit!"
Thursday, October 21, 2010
This week, on a very special episode of Viva Argentina..
Join Corinne and Jim has they put aside their usual merriment, and tackle the big issues. In this episode, Jim is forced to face the consequences after he is convicted of the felonious charge of butchering of Argentine spanish.
Settling into his new life in the 114-year-old Ushuaia prison is difficult. Since the town was founded as a penal colony lo those many years ago, the prison has housed the worst offenders in the country. To this day, they leave whole corridors untouched, so that the decay of the structures may match the decay of the souls housed within.
Adjusting was difficult for Jim. Escape was tempting, as the landscape opened itself to him fully. The harsh climate made a prison fence unnecessary, and the open access to the bay and Andes mocked him.
Life seemed hopeless, but then! What's this? He catches a fleeting glimpse of a new caseworker.
Compassionate and kind, Corinne was able to look beyond Jim's criminal history and see the man inside. A man who meant not to kill the Spanish language, but to LEARN it. And had SHE not ordered some type of red meat when she had meant to get fish? Had SHE not stared blankly at a tour guide when told she had won some type of lottery she did not know she had even entered??
He was no more guilty of homicide than she!
So they ran away together and lived on an island in Beagle Channel, never to return!
Settling into his new life in the 114-year-old Ushuaia prison is difficult. Since the town was founded as a penal colony lo those many years ago, the prison has housed the worst offenders in the country. To this day, they leave whole corridors untouched, so that the decay of the structures may match the decay of the souls housed within.
Adjusting was difficult for Jim. Escape was tempting, as the landscape opened itself to him fully. The harsh climate made a prison fence unnecessary, and the open access to the bay and Andes mocked him.
Life seemed hopeless, but then! What's this? He catches a fleeting glimpse of a new caseworker.
Compassionate and kind, Corinne was able to look beyond Jim's criminal history and see the man inside. A man who meant not to kill the Spanish language, but to LEARN it. And had SHE not ordered some type of red meat when she had meant to get fish? Had SHE not stared blankly at a tour guide when told she had won some type of lottery she did not know she had even entered??
He was no more guilty of homicide than she!
So they ran away together and lived on an island in Beagle Channel, never to return!
EDITOR'S NOTE: That prison was so freakin' creepy it made Alcatraz look like a country club.
Happy Feet is real!!
We stopped at Penguin Island, and it was way cuter than I expected. Just like the animals at the Buenos Aires Zoo, they came thisclose to us. Unlike the animals at the Buenos Aures Zoo, they were penguins - not gigantic aquatic rats. I'm not trying to tell the Zoo what to do. I'm just saying that something other than GIGANTIC AQUATIC RATS might draw in more visitors.
For example, some of this:
Or a little of this:
Might get more of this:
For example, some of this:
Or a little of this:
Might get more of this:
"This" being smiles, rather than dry heaving.
Jim gets the lay of the land
We canoed down a river for a little less than an hour, and then we carried our boats into the Beagle Channel for some ocean paddling.
It's not that I'm not in shape - I'm clearly in phenomenal shape. Like, female gladiator shape. And weight-lifting world champion shape. Total Beast shape. But I'm really sore today...
It was a lot more arduous than it looks!
It's not that I'm not in shape - I'm clearly in phenomenal shape. Like, female gladiator shape. And weight-lifting world champion shape. Total Beast shape. But I'm really sore today...
It was a lot more arduous than it looks!
Please, Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Today was a big day! We took a ten-hour tour...which included some very practical - and stylish - pants.
We started with a van ride, then canoed for an hour and a half, then took a boat to Penguin Island, then took a boat to Gable Island where we ate sandwiches in a 200-year-old shack, and THEN we went on a hike and boated back to the van.
We started with a van ride, then canoed for an hour and a half, then took a boat to Penguin Island, then took a boat to Gable Island where we ate sandwiches in a 200-year-old shack, and THEN we went on a hike and boated back to the van.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Imminent danger
My Trusty Followers (Hi Mom! Hi Barbara!), I must leave you with just two postings today, as Jim has referenced our pending death and/or homicide three times today.
1) As I crossed a somewhat rickety suspension bridge:
Projected COD: Drowning in a 6" deep stream
2) When I suggested taking a trail off of the main road (which would have been a great shortcut!!)
Projected COD: Bears OR getting lost, wandering for days, and freezing to death
3) While taking the paved (but bear-free!) road:
Projected COD: Taxi drivers
And now, if we don't leave for dinner by 7:15 we will also die, projected cause of death unspecified. Luckily, this little bay side town specializes in King Crab, Patagonia lamb and some type of giant fish called "the pork of the sea"...so I guess if we HAVE to leave right now, I'm ok with it.
I mean, to avoid death and all.
;)
1) As I crossed a somewhat rickety suspension bridge:
Projected COD: Drowning in a 6" deep stream
2) When I suggested taking a trail off of the main road (which would have been a great shortcut!!)
Projected COD: Bears OR getting lost, wandering for days, and freezing to death
3) While taking the paved (but bear-free!) road:
Projected COD: Taxi drivers
And now, if we don't leave for dinner by 7:15 we will also die, projected cause of death unspecified. Luckily, this little bay side town specializes in King Crab, Patagonia lamb and some type of giant fish called "the pork of the sea"...so I guess if we HAVE to leave right now, I'm ok with it.
I mean, to avoid death and all.
;)
We're heeeeeere!!
And for those of you sick of looking at pictures of us in cafes, you're in luck:
The town of Ushuaia is like a Mexican village in the Alps, and the combo is so perfect, I'm thinking about inventing taco-flavored hot chocolate.
Below, the town (and some strategically placed Man Candy), located between the Beagle Channel and the Andes:
The town of Ushuaia is like a Mexican village in the Alps, and the combo is so perfect, I'm thinking about inventing taco-flavored hot chocolate.
Below, the town (and some strategically placed Man Candy), located between the Beagle Channel and the Andes:
Monday, October 18, 2010
Into the belly of the beast!
We took a 4-hour flight down to the southernmost city in THE WORLD, and you can expect the visual component of "Viva Argentina" to make a serious upswing.
I should have known when I entered the plane via aeronautical rectal exam, that I was walking right into a living hell. Jim and I didn't get seated together, and I was placed in some sort of Kindergarten of the Macabre, including multiple breast feedings (which I'm not against, but it makes for a lot of elbow jabs in such close quarters, and if you have to go to the bathroom during that time, then just tough noogies); tiny little disembodied hands reaching through seats knocking drinks off trays; diapers of poop in planes too old to have a changing station; MULTIPLE bloody noses, resulting in understandable tantrums and flying wads of blood-soaked cocktail napkins; plus your standard seat kicking and napkins thrown in your face.
When combined with a windstorm while landing on a dirt strip precariously placed alongside a near-freezing bay and treacherous Andes peaks - during which a not un-frantic sounding pilot makes countless announcements in a language you don't know - well.
Let's just say I'm happy to be in my toasty wood cabin, with fireplace, red wine, and heated floors.
I should have known when I entered the plane via aeronautical rectal exam, that I was walking right into a living hell. Jim and I didn't get seated together, and I was placed in some sort of Kindergarten of the Macabre, including multiple breast feedings (which I'm not against, but it makes for a lot of elbow jabs in such close quarters, and if you have to go to the bathroom during that time, then just tough noogies); tiny little disembodied hands reaching through seats knocking drinks off trays; diapers of poop in planes too old to have a changing station; MULTIPLE bloody noses, resulting in understandable tantrums and flying wads of blood-soaked cocktail napkins; plus your standard seat kicking and napkins thrown in your face.
When combined with a windstorm while landing on a dirt strip precariously placed alongside a near-freezing bay and treacherous Andes peaks - during which a not un-frantic sounding pilot makes countless announcements in a language you don't know - well.
Let's just say I'm happy to be in my toasty wood cabin, with fireplace, red wine, and heated floors.
The HWBC reaches its fatal conclusion
Jim has killed the Husband Wife Book Club.
He claims the English bookstore just didn't have two copies of anything good. But I claim that after our last meeting, the vintage meat slicers we found at a barrio antique market began to look like too much of an escape....
And that book store had plenty of copies of good books! Including classic hits, such as "He's Just Not That Into You," and "Menstruation: One Man-Haters Graphic Account of Her Friend Flo."
I may be smiling below, but it's just to hide the tears.
He claims the English bookstore just didn't have two copies of anything good. But I claim that after our last meeting, the vintage meat slicers we found at a barrio antique market began to look like too much of an escape....
And that book store had plenty of copies of good books! Including classic hits, such as "He's Just Not That Into You," and "Menstruation: One Man-Haters Graphic Account of Her Friend Flo."
I may be smiling below, but it's just to hide the tears.
Pub Crawl, Jorge Newburry Edition
We left Buenos Aires this morning from the beautiful Jorge Newberry Aeroparque. I was sad to say goodbye to the city but VERY excited to say hello to the Ushuaia, aka The End of The World.
However, international decorum (combined with the fact that we left before bars are even open and we don't know the language enough to pull off looking like total idiots) prevented us from going all Dulles on this airport.
The cafe con leche was rather enjoyable though.
However, international decorum (combined with the fact that we left before bars are even open and we don't know the language enough to pull off looking like total idiots) prevented us from going all Dulles on this airport.
The cafe con leche was rather enjoyable though.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
H.W.B.C. Meeting Notes
Today marked not only another relaxing day in a beautiful city, but also the second meeting of our Husband Wife Book Club.
Below are the meeting notes:
Wife: What page are you on?
Husband: 185
Wife: Oh. I'm on 210. So I guess I'm sort of "winning."
Husband: I guess.
Wife: I'm only asking because I have something I really want to say, but I'm not sure if you're there yet.
Husband: Ok, well. Just wait a minute - I really like this book.
Wife: Ok.
Wife: Want to get food? The stuff at the other table looks good.
Husband: Yeah. Fine. I'm just in the middle of this chap-
Wife: The one where you find out who the narrator actually is?? Don't you think it means that the author is actually ALL of the male characters in a different state of coping??
Husband: (Sighs) I need a drink.
Below are the meeting notes:
Wife: What page are you on?
Husband: 185
Wife: Oh. I'm on 210. So I guess I'm sort of "winning."
Husband: I guess.
Wife: I'm only asking because I have something I really want to say, but I'm not sure if you're there yet.
Husband: Ok, well. Just wait a minute - I really like this book.
Wife: Ok.
Wife: Want to get food? The stuff at the other table looks good.
Husband: Yeah. Fine. I'm just in the middle of this chap-
Wife: The one where you find out who the narrator actually is?? Don't you think it means that the author is actually ALL of the male characters in a different state of coping??
Husband: (Sighs) I need a drink.
Best. Dinner. Ever.
Last night we were in the mood for Italian, and ended up at a townhouse you would have walked right by if you didn't know better. We were escorted to the rooftop, lit by candles and sitting at a tiny garden table beneath the stars. Taking pictures would have been completely inappropriate, so I leave you with the image below for reference.
I'd like to think the old man and his Lady of The Night at the neighboring table appreciated our discretion...
I'd like to think the old man and his Lady of The Night at the neighboring table appreciated our discretion...
Happy Accidents
I take my appointment as navigator pretty seriously, but sometimes the map Jim gave me is totally useless and we end up in the wrong places.
Like yesterday when we first found ourselves in a freakin' rose garden:
And then at some sort of abandoned adobe house by a lagoon in the middle of a dense metropolitan area:
And finally I tried to get us to a lake, which ended up actually being a horse track:
Luckily, we aren't the type of people that have anywhere to be...
Like yesterday when we first found ourselves in a freakin' rose garden:
And then at some sort of abandoned adobe house by a lagoon in the middle of a dense metropolitan area:
And finally I tried to get us to a lake, which ended up actually being a horse track:
Luckily, we aren't the type of people that have anywhere to be...
Buenos Aires After Dark
After having dinner with the cousins, we went for drinks. (Some of us more than others...guess who!)
My horrible, horrible Spanish keeps resulting in me ordering late-night pint glasses of kerosene. I'd apologize for my behavior, but I just don't think it's my fault.
My horrible, horrible Spanish keeps resulting in me ordering late-night pint glasses of kerosene. I'd apologize for my behavior, but I just don't think it's my fault.
International Houseguests
Two nights ago we hosted our first international fete. As you can imagine, it got pretty crazy. So crazy, in fact, that a 20-year-old managed to look 80, and a second guest actually looked bored!!
Well, as responsible hosts, we can take a hint.
So we followed our guests to the Lebanese/Syrian club for wine, hummus, and bailanderos de bellies.
The change in scenery was so welcome, that one guest danced with joy!
(For those keeping track, this was the second time we saw Los Cousins - we just forgot the camera the first time.)
Well, as responsible hosts, we can take a hint.
So we followed our guests to the Lebanese/Syrian club for wine, hummus, and bailanderos de bellies.
The change in scenery was so welcome, that one guest danced with joy!
(For those keeping track, this was the second time we saw Los Cousins - we just forgot the camera the first time.)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Ripe con MOOD
"Stuck" in a cafe on a rainy day and we figured out my album cover art!
If you have a better title than "Mujer en La Ventana: Reflections of an Emotional World Traveler"...please leave it in the comments!
If you have a better title than "Mujer en La Ventana: Reflections of an Emotional World Traveler"...please leave it in the comments!
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