From Buenos Aires to the border of Brazil

My Buenos Aires friends from 4 years ago still looking great! From left, Leticia, Santiago, Pablo, and Valentina.

I hope this belated post will not disappoint! I have entered city life for the past few weeks and have had few moments to sit down and update. Here is a rundown of the month of June.
The market in the beautiful neighborhood of San Telmo near the city center attracts the multitudes every Sunday.

It was nice to return to a city I know and love. I had already done most of the tourist options when I lived in BsAs for years ago, so this time around I was free to follow the availability of my friends for a more intimate view of the city. Santiago, my host, worked for my first week before taking two weeks of vacation. By day I wandered the city on my own, visiting markets of all shapes and sizes and reacquainting myself with local cuisine. By night, I visited Santi in his restaurant for after hours red wine and filet mignon of the highest quality. He works in a restaurant that caters to tourists seeking  "The Argentine Experience", from which the establishment draws its name. Customers are greeted with cocktails, learn to make empanadas (ground beef or chicken enclosed in dough and baked til golden brown) and alfajors (a chilean/argentine dessert of dulce de leche sandwiched between cookies) and how to order a steak in spanish. The menu was well beyond my price range, but I enjoyed stepping into the kitchen after the tourists left to taste the delicious leftovers! Lots of late nights lead to few days of waking up before noon - a common occurence in a city where dinner isn't eaten until ten or eleven at night.

I also spent a lot of my days with Valentina, whom I met along with Santiago that first night out on the town four years ago. We made various excursions to China town, organic markets, and milongas (tango dance clubs), and even fit in a work of contemporary dance and a trip to the nearby delta town of Tigre (more on that later). 

World Cup winner Diego Maradona takes a moment to pose with a fan!Once Santiago was cleared for two weeks of vacation, the two of us and Leti, Santi's longtime girlfriend, drove south for 5 hours to arrive in Mar Del Plata. Santi's parents own a time share with a beach front condo building, where we stayed for a week. We walked the beach, enjoyed the first few world cup games from the comfort of our hotel room, tried some delicious seafood by the docks, and collaborated to create some delicious home cooked meals (Leti makes a great focaccia bread and Santi is always improvising!).

Mar del Plata: quiet beach town during the winter months, and principal vacation destination for porteños when summer arrives.

Santi's older brother Dani taking a moment to work on his latest tango masterpiece.

While in Mar Del Plata we also spent time with Santi's older brother Dani - a celebrated painter who specializes in the human figure, and a great lover of tango. He built his own house in the forest neighborhood of Mar Del Plata, and introduced us to a great pizza place with a ping pong table centerpiece. 

We returned to Buenos Aires refreshed, and I had time for a couple more adventures before I crossed the river. One day Valentina and I took a train from BsAs to nearby Tigre, a community largely composed of islands in the expansive river delta of the Rio de la Plata. We first passed through the big market near the docks, full of local artesanal works, and even found a boat selling fruit right from its deck!

After a bite to eat we hope aboard a ferry that would drop us off on one of the islands. With skill, the captains back up to docks along the route, and passengers jump ship at their preferred stop. Each boat can hold over 70 people, and our boat was near full capacity on our ride back to town on the last boat of the night. There are lots of opportunities for homesteading and simple living in the quiet delta, and I enjoyed an afternoon away from high rise apartments and the heavy chatter of city streets.

Meet the ferries of Tigre! Though a bit more expensive than your average bus, the inhabitants of the delta use these beautiful wooden vessels to get to and from the mainland.

Produce for sale from the deck of a Tigre transport vessel.

Unfortunately there came a point when I had to say goodbye to Buenos Aires and continue on my path to Brazil. I met lots of great people through evening outings with Santi, Leti, and Valentina, and enjoyed princely hospitality from Santi's parents, Mario and Laura. I set out midday on a Wednesday with Uruguay in my sights.

I chose a path that would take me first to the small town of Colonia, then to the capital of Montevideo, followed by the border town of Rivera.

Huge catamarans leave Buenos Aires three times a day for Colonia, the closest town by boat. Having decided to only spend the afternoon there, I dropped my pack in the baggage center of the bus terminal and went for a walkabout of Colonia's historical sector.

Uruguay's oldest town has changed hands many times between Portugal and Spain, it's location on the river being a strategic point for trade and defense in the age of colonialism. Therefore much of the architecture reflects uruguay's bipolar culture, as the historical district contains buildings reflecting the preference of various ruling parties. 

Colonia, Uruguay

I then spent two nights in Montevideo, with one day in between to see as much as I could of the city center. Unfortunately all the main museums I tried to see were closed, but a long walk along the coastal avenue at sunset made my day in the city totally worthwhile.

Montevideo at sunset.

The next morning I bussed six hours to the border town of Rivera, where crossing into Brazil is as simple as crossing the street. Rivera bumps right up against Santana do Livramento; on one side everyone speaks Spanish, and on the other side Portuguese. Though the two languages are structurally very similar, even after almost two weeks in Brazil I still have a hard time understanding the locals. 

This ends my update for now! For the sake of continuity I will catch you all up on my time in Brazil in a separate post in the next few days. Lots of activity means little time to sit down and write! Also please keep my friend Santiago in your prayers, I received word the other day that his father, Mario, passed away rather suddenly, having recently reached the age of 79. He reminded me a lot of my mother's father, and made me look forward to being back together with my loved ones at my sister's wedding this coming August. Life is precious and family comes first. Come back soon for an update on life in Rio de Janeiro!

Standing on the border of Uruguay and Brazil. No turning back!