Natrual Wonders

The day we crossed back into Argentina was mostly dedicated to travelling, we did manage to see the triple frontier though. Having lived on an Island all my life it was really strange to see 3 different countries in the same vision, all divided by rivers! The Paraguayan and Brazilian side of the triple frontier are said to be quite dangerous, smuggling, robberies and kid napping are very common as things easily can easily be popped across borders and never seen again!

We decided to stay in Iguazu, a little town between the triple frontier and Iguazu falls- one of the 7 natural wonders in the world. The town which is normally full of tourists was almost dead. The falls had dried up recently due to the lack of rain but fortunately it had rained every day since we left Chaco so we were going to see the falls in all its glory! After finding ourselves a nice little cabin in Iguazu Darinka and I decided we would need a little siesta in order to hit the town at night! The ghost town dished out a much more eventful night than we had ever imagined! We met lots of local guys and although they were all friendly and innocent to begin with when we decided we were going to go home they weren’t having any of it! We ended up getting into the taxi and having to ask the taxi driver to close the door on them as they all stretched out their arms and begged us to stay or meet them tomorrow! And as if that wasn’t bad- as we were nearing the cabin the taxi took a detour! We had no idea what was going on until he told us that one of the boys was following the taxi on his moped but with his light turned off so he could hardly be seen! We went round and round and round the city trying to loose this hooligan. When we thought we’d lost him we headed back to the cabin, and as we demounted our carriage and thanked the taxi driver 4 of the boys passed on their mopeds, lights off, scarves on and hoods up! We informed the owner of the cabins of what had happened- he told us that we could sleep peacefully; that they are innocent boys with nothing better to do and that he would keep an eye on things! Thankfully he was right!

The following day we headed to Parque Nacional de Iguazu (Iguazu national Park). I passed with a nice little discount due to being an “Argentine”. Darinka and I decided that although there was a train to take us to different areas of the park we wanted to walk which was a great decision as we encountered lots of animals, insects, interesting people and gob smacking views along the way. Having said this no view could have prepared us for the moment that we arrived at the “Garganta del Diavlo” (The Devils Mouth) which is the top of the main waterfall. The sensation of seeing such great volumes of water plunging into one place was indescribable so I’m not even going to try it! We stood in silence with our mouths wide open, hair blowing in the wind and hand firmly gripped to the safety barrier! It was beautiful! We left the sight quietly (which was totally out of character as we had been splitting our sides with constant laughter, jokes and stories since we left Chaco) trying to comprehend the natural beauty that we had just encountered as the image repeated its self in our minds.

As we headed Westwards along the border of Missiones Province and Paraguay towards home I started to realise why people tend to say that Chaco is ugly. Chaco is the arid stretch of monotonous landscape sandwiched between the North West and North East provinces which boast a forever changing landscape of mountains, strong colours and foliage! Having said this Chaco is totally within its rights to boast about its people!

We stopped off in “Minas de Wanda”, which is a gemstone mine full of amethysts and quarts. Having been a collector of gem stones when I was younger the thought of going to a gem mine was incredible but unfortunately it turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax! Maybe it was due to the contrast in the other natural wonder that we had already come face to face with that day OR the reality of a gem mine was incomparable to the images and ideas I had imaginatively put together as a child! Darinka on the other hand was “woooooowing” and “Oh my goding” at everything in her Spanish accent! Haha- I think I’ve taught her well!

We split up the long journey home by staying the night in a little town called San Ignazio. A small place in Missiones province bordering Paraguay but very famous and well known for its Jesuit ruins! We visited the ruins the following morning in the fog which was a beautiful sight. Without a guide and a great interest in archaeology the “wooow” factor was once again missing but we enjoyed our earl morning stroll around the ancient sight!

We made various short stops to break up the journey home and undoubtedly for Pablo to escape our constant banter, giggles and singing!

Donnalagamba y la Contrabanda

As we queued in Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) to cross the border into Foz do Iguacu where we were staying in Brasil street vendors walked the lanes trying to sell all sorts- windscreen wipers, toys, sweets, chipa, watches, perfumes, you name it, they got it! We crossed the “Bridge of Amnesty” into Brasil and the hot brzilian policeman let us through immigration with no problems. At the other side Pablo’s friend Shoe was there to meet us and take us to the hotel.

After dinner Dari and I decided we couldn’t spend a night in Brasil without a Capirinah. We found a cosy bar, had a couple of capirinahs and rolled home along the hilly avenues to our hotel. From what I had seen of Ciudad del Este and the plans that Pablo had I knew that tomorrow was going to be a BIG day!

Shoe came to meet us at the hotel in the morning to accompany us to Ciudad del Este, she had planned the whole thing, that’s when I realised that it wasn’t just a day out but a mission that needed to be completed. We caught a bus and we hit the bombshell of a city at 10am in the pouring down rain which was washing streams or red dirt, orange peel, rubbish and herbs down the street. Luckily we knew exactly what we were there for and went straight for it. Pablo wanted a new laptop and mobile phones for the girls. I wanted a bad boy reflex camera! After a good hour of browsing just one block of electronic shops I spotted my beauty and I was approached by Muhamed the owner of the shop who was Lebanese, had a mullet and was wearing waterproofs. He helped me, gave me a coffee, flattered me and blabbed out all sorts of obvious sales talk and offers in his own macho way. He threw in a camera bag for free and gave me a good discount on the camera which was already cheap due to 0 TAX! Weeeheeey! He insisted on being in the first picture so got one of his assistants to put my little beauty together as he gave me his number and practically proposed! It was hilarious!

Pablo got his laptop and the girls got their mobile phones and we were done just one obstacle was in front of us- crossing the bridge without paying a fee due to the $300 restriction that we had all individually exceeded! We crossed with no trouble- the inspectors didn’t see or suspect anything. I sat restlessly in the bus crossing back to Brazil with sweaty palms gazing out the window. Suddenly I had to burst out laughing at the scene which was going on on the riverbanks below. There were people were running across the riverbank with great big boxes on their shoulders full of electrical goods. They went to no effort what so ever to hide the fact that they were doing something that was blatantly illegal under the police’s noses. But the police weren’t too bothered about it either.

Having completed our missions successfully we spent the afternoon playing with our new gadgets and drying off in a nice coffee shop where they serve cake by weight! It was a day never to be forgotten and in the evening Darinka and I put the cherry on the cake by blowing away the Brazilians with our version of Madonna- Like A Virgin in a Karaoke bar, washed down with some well deserved Caipirinha beers.

3 Countries, 4 Currencies, 2 days

5am, Thursday 28th of May and we’re off! My friends Darinka and her dad Pablo had invited me to join them on their travels and I definitely wasn’t going to say no to what they had planned! We were meant to have hit the road 2 days earlier but due to Argentine bureaucracy we were delayed. Any Argentine under the age of 21 must have a document signed by both parents and stamped by a solicitor in order for them to leave the country. If the parents are divorced it’s even more important and if a parent has already passed away a death certificate must be shown! They just love legal documents in this country!

First stop was 200km away- Resistencia, the capital of Chaco to meet the coach that was hopefully carrying Darinka’s gold leaf document that her mother had completed; thankfully it all went to plan! We hit the road north for Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay! The landscape got wetter, redder and poorer as we headed north. We crossed the border into Paraguay with no problems. On first impression Paraguay seemed much poorer in comparison with Argentina. But at this point I had only caught a glimpse of how the poor live in their wooden little huts surrounded by boggy water; dirt and rubbish but maybe the grey sky and cold, wet ground made it seem worse than what it was.

When entering the city we had our first encounter with the Paraguayan Police. A bus had stopped right in front of us and to avoid colliding Pablo had swerved into the other lane and there was a policeman off duty behind us. He made us pull over, he got out of his car and started shouting, swearing and all sorts through our window. Once he’d let off his steam he let us go at no other cost (which is apparently very unusual)! We carried on cautiously to the hotel where Pablo’s girlfriend Sara was waiting. This is when I noticed the difference between British men and Argentine men. Pablo didn’t have a map so stopped every 200m to wind down the window and ask kindly for directions. This is something I’ve never encountered in the UK! Men generally have a map or have already studied the route and never get lost let, they just take “short cuts” and like hell will they ask for directions. I think I prefer the Argentine way.

We spent the afternoon walking around different areas of the city and seeing the rest by car. The first destination was a market which occupied a good couple of blocs close to the city centre. The pavements were lined with home made shacks and stalls made from all sorts of claimed or stolen scrap material selling sports clothes, fruit and veg, tedede thermos and cups and a variety of fresh herbs which they grinded for you on the spot to add to your Mate or what not. Paraguay is a tax free country so is full of cheap imported goods- hundreds of Argentine’s and Brazilians cross the borders daily to stock up on cheap goods- there’s a restriction to the value of goods each person can carry across the border at any time (US$300) hardly anyone respects this restriction as I would soon find out in a couple of days time in Ciudad del Este. After changing our “pesos” for “guarani” and “US dollars” (most places deal in dual currency due to extensive importations) getting bamboozled by the sums we had to do and the atmosphere and chaos in the market we headed for the city centre.

The centre of Asuncion is full of glitzy modern American and “British” shopping malls, handsomely elegant houses, parks and people cruising in their luxurious cars. The contrasts were horrifying. There’s no wonder Paraguay is known as one of the most corrupt countries in the world!

The following morning we re-loaded the car and were set to cross the country to the triple frontier of Paraguay, Brasil and Argentina. Before leaving the city we had our second encounter with the Paraguayan police. This time it was a little scam. He claimed that we had gone through a red light and that Pablo had two choices- hand over his documents and wait for a huge fine through the post or pay the policeman in cash on the spot and avoid the whole legal document process. Of course there was a small discount if he chose option 2 but still the price was absurd for something that never happened. The policeman wasn’t taking any of Pablo’s offers but when he realised that Sara was a Paraguayan he soon backed off and accepted 20% of the price he first demanded. Everyone in the car shrugged the incident off as if it was part of the weekly routine but I kept silent with my jaw dropped and all sorts of things racing through my mind- there’s absolutely no hope in civilising this country!

Back on the road we passed through lots of little villages. On the road side there were little stalls selling each village’s speciality- sacks of oranges, grapefruits, pumpkins, hammocks, chutneys, chipas etc. We picked up a crocodile shaped chipa (cheesy bread made from mandioca flour) AMAZING!

Gastronomic Delights & Disgusts

So you all know that I love experimenting and trying different foods but meats is something that I usually leave aside but here in Argentina I have promised myself I will try everything once so here’s a list of the good and bad novelties to date.
Key: \,- good experience; \,/X- so-so experience; X- bad experience

Sweet (all \,)
Dulce de Leche: delicious caramel like spread that they put on all things sweet here.
Alfajores: typical biscuits sandwiched together with dulce de leche or jam.
Pastafrola: A light sponge/tart with dulce de membrilla
Dulce de membrilla: Quince pear jam
Dulce de Batata: A solid jam made of sweet potato and milk
Pudin de Pan: A sponge made of bread and milk
Dulce de Mamon: a local fruit soaked and boiled in sweet water.

Savory
\,-Chipa- Puffs of cheesy bread made with mandioca flour.
\,-Guiso- Meat stew cooked with rice, pasta or polenta
X-Morsilla- Bloody sausage (similar to black pudding)
X-Tripe- Part of a cow’s intestine- grilled
X-Mondongo- Cows stomach- cooked as a stew
X-Mure- Cow’s udder- grilled
X/\,-Locro- Typical soup of sweet corn, lentils, pasta and all the left over insides of animals
\,-Humita- Sweet corn boiled and creamed with milk, cheese and spices and wrapped in sweet corn leaves.
\,-Tamal- Similar to Humita but with meat and not so sweet
\,-Cazuela de Cabrito- Goat stew (delicious)
\,-Zapallito de tronco- Courgette like vegetable but ball-like.
\,-Empanada- similar to a pasty/calzone traditionally filled with minced beef.

$aLtA!

On our way back from our adventures in Jujuy we decided to stop off in Salta. Vilma and Jose know Salta quite well so it wasn´t going to be a time consuming struggle to find our way around the city. Salta is a big city (468,583 habitants), is placed in a basin surrounded by mountains and claims a European feel. I definitely felt it!

We orientated ourselves by catching the Teleferico (Cable car) to the tip off the hill that over looks the city. The views were spectacular but I couldn´t help comparing it to Naples and I have to say that the view from Castel San Elmo hasn´t been beaten! The city spreads out for kilometres but like every other city I’ve been to in Argentina the city centre was very small in comparison.

Back on level ground we headed to MAAM (Museo deArqueologia de Alta Montaña) an amazing archaeology museum based on Inca culture and findings. According to MAAM every year the Incas sacrificed the most beautiful and intelligent children from their communities. It was a way of pleasing their gods and it was an honour for the families and children that were chosen. The children were buried in tombs on mountain peaks in their best clothes along with trinkets and toys of the highest quality e.g. tiny dolls made of gold and wrapped in the finest hand made materials, shells from Ecuador, solid silver llamas, feather head pieces etc. In 1999 an expedition discovered the tombs of 3 children on a mountain peak and due to the cold conditions everything was well conserved- even the bodies of the children.

In the museum the bodies of 2 girls are on display, along with the trinkets they found in each of their tombs. The body of the eldest who was about 15 years old is incredible; she looks like she could just be sleeping with her legs crossed, her back hunched and her head dozing. The youngest girl on the other hand is in such poorer condition. It is thought that she was struck by lightning and since the finding she’s had a horrible history of attempted smugglings etc. I didn´t really know what to think! Although it´s great for educational and historic matters it completely disrespects the beliefs, culture and sacrifices of the Incas and the bodies and rests of the children.

After lunch we had just enough time to hit another “Mercado Artesanal” (Craft Market). To my surprise it was totally different to the others. To begin with it was under a roof and behind the scenes it was all organized differently too. Here the Artesanos (indigenous craftsmen) had arranged themselves into a co-operative. Every item in the building had tag which noted the Artesano’s name, the price and when it was made. Here everything was made to the highest quality and it had an air of “Fairer trade” too. The items were also different to that of further north. The majority of the items came from “Wichi” or “Toba” communities. The colours were more neutral and the materials more natural and the items were equally if not more beautiful. After browsing and feeling everything for a good hour we started our long journey home to Chaco.

$4L!N4S GR4ND€$

The next destination was “Salinas Grandes” (Salt plains). I had seen, learnt and experienced so much in one day and there was still more to come! On the way we stopped in a crockery workshop and there we were greeted by the family that own the place and make the items. Once again they had everything and yes you guessed it, I bought more! In the back of the workshop they had a mound of corn on the cobs drying in the sun but they were all sorts of colours. Apparently they are multicoloured due to the richness and fertility of the soil!

We travelled the next 150km almost in silence- we were lost for words with everything that we had already experienced in a day! Many meters climb (3350m above sea level), views and hours later we arrived in Salinas Grandes! I’ve seen so many photos of salt plains but nothing can prepare you for how beautiful they are in reality. The Salinas Grandes of Salta/Jujuy (it grosses the border or two neighbouring provinces) are minute in comparison to others in Chile and Bolivia but still stretches itself across a staggering 525km/sq. The reflection of the sun on the salt was blinding in the silence. It was amazing, we wondered off on our own but everyone at some point looked up or had to support their head with their hands to try and begin to comprehend where exactly we were, how it came to be and compare the great expectations we had with the even greater reality!

We returned to Jujuy in silence as we descended the mountains in a wonderful silence admiring the simplicity of life and nature that the day had thrown at us.

La Quebrada de Humahuaca

After a good 100km along the Quebrada de Humahuaca which had goats, cacti, llamas and all sorts around every corner (and there are loads of corners) we arrived at Humahuaca. Vilma and Jose were overwhelmed to be in Humahuaca on the bank holiday eating locro (chapter gastronomic delights and disgusts). Humahuaca is the inspiration of many folklore artists and songs and I didn’t have to ask why. It was obvious! Humahuaca is the home of almost 8,000 beautiful, coca chewing habitants. It’s at a height of 2989m and the streets are cobbled and full of the most picturesque novelties, trinkets and shacks. After taking in the atmosphere of the little treat of a town I loaded myself with artesania.

Crafts vary from one indigenous community to another. They use different materials, colours according to their beliefs and local natural resources. In the north the indigenous communities are of “quosha” origin and their crafts are bright and colourful. They use all sorts of wool (sheep, llama, albaca) to make blankets, table cloths, jumpers, gloves, hats, socks and all sorts. Music is also a very strong element of their community and the creativity in their instruments was impressive. They use all sorts of materials from cactus wood to goat hooves and ceramics. They have so much talent! At home no one would ever dream of knitting as well as they do (no offence Mamgu/Granny) but here the whole village knits patterns that only machines could try to imitate in the UK.

The “Restraunt” we chose couldn’t have been better! We were served by Flavio Calapeaa- the cutest old man with a nervous twitch, the smallest attention span, the memory of a fish but the heart of a little boy. He was overwhelmed to meet us and smiled and looked around nervously as he tried to write our order of Humitas, Tamales, Locro and Cazuela de Cabrito (see gastro. D & D). He was full of jokes and random responses and wanted to sit with us and tell us his life story but couldn’t as he had 3 other tables to serve, his wife was in the kitchen keeping a good eye on him from the hatch and his blinking, slow reactions and clumsy limp weren’t to his favour. He filled us with joy, giggles and great food- it was a lunch never to be forgotten!

Chaco-Jujuy-Pumamarca

Last weekend was another “feriado” (holiday) and on the Wednesday it suddenly struck me that I should make the most of it so when a colleague told me she was going to go to Jujuy with her husband for the weekend and I was welcome to join I jumped at the opportunity! Never did I imagine that such short planning could lead to such an amazing experience. We took advantage of everything Jujuy had to throw at us!

We left at 6:30am on the Saturday and after 9 hours of landscape variations that never failed to leave me gob smacked we arrived in Jujuy- a province in the Andean north west of Argentina, bordering Bolivia and Chile. The land was a total transformation- there were mountains, green, successful sugar cane crops, rivers and big wide roads compared to the dry, dusty Chaco full of failed soya crops and potholes!

There wasn’t much to see in Jujuy capital where we were staying but it was a good access point to everywhere. Stayed in an excellent hostel and after an evening stroll and nibble with Vilma and Jose I returned to the hostel to chat, chill and chew coca leaves with the owner and friends. In the north people chew coca leaves with bicarbonate of soda to fight hunger and the nausea of altitude.

After 3 hours sleep I was “up up and at them”. We jumped in the car and off we went- first stop Purmamarca home to the Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colours), 510 habitants and at a whopping elevation of 2,192m! It was beautiful- the landscape, the colours, the people and their “artesania” (crafts) and the simplicity of life in general. We strolled around the village totally overwhelmed and lost for words apart from “woahhh” “ahhhhh” “ohhhhh my god” and so forth but I was soon awaken from my blissful daze! As I stood on a hill top posing for a photo I heard some barking, turned around and to my absolute HORROR there were 2 massive vicious looking Alsatians running heading straight for me! I screamed, waved my arms in the air and pegged it which was an idiot idea! My scarf streamed behind me in the air and the dogs snapped and had a nice taste of it as I slid down the try dusty mound to safety!
Yikes!

Corrientes the 2nd time around

Corrientes is a neighbouring province of Chaco, it lies East of Chaco and the two provinces are separated by the Parana River. I spent a week in Corrientes capital before coming to Saenz Pena and I failed to see the beautiful quaint city that everyone raved about so this time when I arrived in Corrientes I was surprisingly taken by the place! Compared to Saenz Pena it was like a real city, with colonial buildings and café’s and chic bars and designer shops- it had everything and a really pleasant ambiance!
Phil (another British Council English assistant who is based in Corrientes) and I spent our time dining in nice restaurants, having nice coffees and browsing in book shops! Whilst Phil taught I browsed the craft market, bought some amazing soft leather Alpargatas (Shoes) and a Mate and sat in under a tree in the Plaza reading my book! It was just what I needed! Although Saenz Pena is small it has a certain hustle and bustle that loves to sweep me off my feet so I was glad to have a breath of fresh air!
Phil and some of his new friends also introduced me to “Costanera del sur” which is a promenade FULL of night clubs. I described it as a “Mini Miami” although I’ve never been to Miami and I was totally blown away. Phil wasn’t so impressed, but he’s a little stubborn princess! Saenz Pena has nothing to compare with Corrientes development wise but the people are friendlier, it’s more inviting and living there has taught me a lot about appreciating what people at home would consider common things!
Just when I thought that Corrientes couldn’t surprise me more in one weekend Phil, his friend Nadia and I were invited to a quinta (country house) 30km East of the Capital. Nadia told us that it was a beautiful house with a private beach on a fresh water lake but nothing could prepare us for the little paradise that we were to encounter! When the Taxi driver went off road, the road got narrower, the dirt turned to the whitest sand and the vegetation got wilder we knew we were approaching our little country retreat!
Sergio, the owner was there to greet us. The dogs and children were running bare footed under the mango trees, along the beach and occasionally stopping to rest in the hammocks and have a tinkle on the guitar! We took a big deep breath of fresh air. It felt soooooo good! It was so good that when we were invited to come back the following day we decided that we’d ditch the ideas we had of going to Reseva Provincial Esteros del Ibera and come back to the 100% pure honey, Senor Pompas (the new puppy) and tranquillity.

Meaty Madness

The question of the beginning of last week was “Comiste Asado?” (Have you had an Asado) and everytime I shamefully had to answer “No”. By Sunday evening I had eaten 3 Asados!!
Asado is the Argentine equivalent of our BBQ but like hell do they put poncy little sausages, burgers and marinated skewered scraps of meat called kebabs on the grill! They put slabs of real meat on the coals- bones, fat inner organs and all! The bigger, the chunkier and the more life-like the better! Traditionally it’s eaten every Sunday, like us Brits eat our roast but they also prepare the Asado “cuando no tienen ganas de cocinar” when they can’t be bothered to cook, which to me makes no sense! It takes a good 3 hours to prepare and cook a good Asado. It’s usually left to the men so maybe what the women really mean to say is that they are tired of cooking, the man can lift his finger for a change!
I shared my first Asado with a family in Machagai, a neighbouring town after visiting some of the local schools with an English teacher. It was delicious and I couldn’t believe the amount of meat we got through- I was struggling and they didn’t even batter and eye-lid! It’s traditionally eaten with a potato, boiled egg and tomato salad unlike our filling bread bap accompaniment! Very clever!
My second Asado w as for lunch on the following Sunday with Claudia, Sergio and Family (Claudia being a fellow English teacher and having practically adopted me here in Saenz Pena helping me with all sorts of situations, preparations and entertainment). This time the Asado was accompanied by a tomato and onion salad which is apparently the true accompaniment!
My third Asado of the week soon followed! That evening I was invited to eat an Asado by some other English teachers. There I saw the whole process and waited patiently for the full 3 and a half hours but it was definitely worth it! We passed the wait chatting and joking and they taught me a whole load of new phrases!
This is when I realised that most of the cultural rituals here evolve around socialising- Mate is drank and passed around friends and people gather and wait together to eat an Asado, there’s no wonder that the Argentines are such warm and welcoming race!

Mate Mania

This week whilst writing an e-mail to mum and dad I realised that they wouldn’t have a clue about what I was on about- I was babbling on about Mate and weird and wonderful crafts and horse-carts and who knows so I decided it’s time to fill you all in on all these quirky little things that are filling my world with joy at the moment!

This entry being the first after this great realisation must be dedicated to Mate the Argentinean’s closest, most reliable and entertaining companion! No Argentine would be complete without his Mate.
So here are the components that complete one’s traditional mate experience:
Mate- the cup, traditionally made from a nut shell but varies from region to region depending on local, natural materials.
Bombilla- a metal straw with a type of mesh at the bottom to prevent the herbs from clogging up the pipe
Yerba- the herb (dried and shredded) bought in 500g bags of suave (weak) or fuerte (strong). Some come mixed with other herbs such as mint and others which are unknown to us Europeans.
Thermo- The water for the mate must be boiling hot so they pour it straight from the kettle to their thermo flask to keep it piping hot.

Procedure
Fill the mate with yerba (leave a good centimetre at the top for when the yerba absorbs the water and expands). Slide the bombilla down the inner edge of the mate. Pour a tiny bit of cold water into the mate, suck it up through the bombilla and spit it into the sink (this is meant to clean the yerba and is optional). Yerba is very strong, bitter and can really hurt you stomach if you’re not used to it. Next pour in some hot water from your thermo and sip it up through the straw. You must take small, fast sips as it’s seriously hot. When you are done and are satisfied with the taste pour a little more hot water into the mate and offer it to your friend. They should ALWAYS accept your offer! (Some people pour in a little bit of sugar with every pour of the thermo to take away the bitterness. This is apparently a habit of the city folk).

Tededé
Tededé is a Paraguayan tradition of drinking the yerba. In a jug prepare some squash with lots of ice. Plop a hefty piece of ice in a glass, pour in some yerba until the glass is about half full and slide in the bombilla. Pour in a little squash so that the yerba are just about covered, sip and enjoy. Top up and pass on to a friend.

Mate Pomelo
Slice a grapefruit in half and carve out some pulp from the middle of the grapefruit so that you have a hole with 1inch radius. Pour in a little sugar to take away from he sourness of the grapefruit, on to of the sugar pour in some yerba, stick in your bombilla and top up the whole with hot or cold water and sip. You can also squeeze out the juice of the other half of the grapefruit and add it to the water for a tastier treat. The same can be done with oranges! Lovely and refreshing drink although a little messier!

The custom
Argentine’s love drinking mate. It keeps hunger at rest, helps to pass time and is very sociable and a great way to approach people or break the ice. They drink it sitting out on the pavement in their neighbourhoods, during long car journeys, during meetings, in class, at school, strolling down the high street, at the supermarkets, in the plaza…practically everywhere!
Bags have even been designed to facilitate the transportation of ones mate and vital components!

It’s a strange concept for us Europeans to grasp- before landing in Argentina I thought it was a custom that the lonely planet raved about and over exaggerated BUT I have been totally blown away by the Argentine’s commitment to mate!

New Humble Abode

Having missed Saenz Peña and the Chaqueños (the people of Chaco, the province) during my time in Mendoza it really upset me when my housemate Analia told me that she was finding it hard to live with somebody!

She has always lived alone and living in such a small space with someone from a different culture, background and 15 years her senior was proving difficult. I had done everything to try and ease the change- agreeing to her orders; not inviting people to the house; participating in all the household chores (the necessary and un-necessary); splitting supermarket costs; maid costs and tending to the spoilt, over-demanding cat but still she was finding it hard to adapt!
At first the news hit me like a tonne of bricks and although she didn’t expect me to take action I decided that looking for a place of my own would be the best option!
The following morning Claudia accompanied me on a walk around the neighbourhood looking for an apartment. By some miraculous miracle the first apartment we got to was going to be vacated in 4 days! I had a look around, like it very much, got a little thrill of excitement and that was it- it was fate, I had found a new home, the fact that it was un-furnished wasn’t a problem- I had found a place where I could live at my own pace, have my own social life and not be driven up the wall by an ugly black and wining cat!
I moved in 4 days later and co-teachers did everything they could to make me feel at home! Claudia leant me a bed a wardrobe and all sorts of kitchen utensils, her husband talked a friend into lending me a water dispenser with hot and cold water on demand, Araceli leant me a gas oven, the landlady leant me a table and her mother leant me chairs and Noelia, another teacher added to my kitchen utensil collection!
I bought some little bits to make the place a little more comfortable and the essential cockroach and mosquito killer spray and I was ready to rock and roll!
Since living independently my confidence, social life and productivity at work, Spanish and daily activities have hit sky high! I’m glad I shared the period of easing into Saenz Pena with someone but now life, experience and enjoyment have hit another level and there’s no stopping me now!

Mendoza

During the lead-up to Easer weekend the other English assistants who are dotted across Argentina decided to “gate-crash” Mendoza. Mendoza is a city and a province bordering Chile and a long 24hr bus journey south of Saenz Pena. I got in touch with Emilie-Jane who has been my housemate in Bath for the last 2 years, and is currently teaching English in Chile and we decided we could meet in Mendoza!!
I left Saenz Pena at 10:00 on the Wednesday morning and arrived in Mendoza at 10:00 the following morning! The journey flew by considering that I had down-graded from the previous “executive” 13 hour journey from Buenos Aires to Corrientes! I watched some films- Madagasga being the most memorable, we played Bingo over the microphone and I ate so many Alfajores’ that I thought my teeth were going to drop out. I had a great seat on the top deck right in the front with a fantastic view of the ever-changing scenery and landscape.
My first impression of Mendoza was that it actually lived up to its title of a city, contrary to Saenz Pena. There were big roads with road markings, lots of traffic, not many horse and carts and the people had a certain elegant city style, as did all the boutiques, restaurants and squares. I soon realised that this was all due to tourism being one of the key industries, Wine being the principal one.
When I met the others assistants at their hostel I suddenly felt like I was back in Ibiza! The hostel was chic with a nice little garden at the back with a lagoon shaped pool and sun loungers. It was a nice surprise but all a bit naff and un-necessary- I felt like I was on a package holiday when I had come expecting an adventure weekend in the Andes and had packed for an adventure too- walking boots, woolly jumper and all!
Ej arrived the following day and it was great to see her and hear about her experiences and she totally inspired me with the level of her Spanish and her confidence in using it! I learnt a lot from what EJ shared with me about her experiences in the continent and it made me eager to get stuck in to my work, my community and my new temporary life in Saenz Pen!
Ej and I spent a lot of time strolling around parks and walking up and down the same streets. As it was Easter weekend the shops weren’t only closed for siesta they were closed for the whole holiday (holiday being Thursday-Sunday)!
We had some great experiences in restaurants with superb wine, ice-cream and service but also pulled the short straw with one place- not one of us got what we had ordered- avocado had been replaced with chicken, mushrooms were missing and when we finally got the they were horrible sliced and tinned button mushrooms bread and ice never arrived and to top it all off the waitress gave me a hefty glass full of Vodka instead of the mocha that Ej had asked for! The waitress even managed to drag the disastrous ordeal out to a good 2 hours! We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

I was due to catch the bus home at 9:30pm on the Sunday so after Ej left some assistants and I planned a tranquil day in the park! We bought a Frisbee and were set for a day of bliss when a stray dog decided to befriend us and just wouldn’t leave us alone! We tried all sorts of escape routs and methods but he just wasn’t having any of it! After 3 hours of failed liberation attempts we swallowed our pride and decided the only way to get out of the sticky situation was to go back to the hostel- and hence that was the end of the great adventure!

24 hours later, after tossing and turning and talking to a home-birth midwife about all sorts I arrived back in Saenz Pena and realised that although I had only been away for 4 days I had missed the place and all the people that completed my life in Chaco. Up here it’s friendlier, it’s rural, undeveloped and authentic; it has a quaint charm and next time I’ll think twice before abandoning it for a weekend.

ohhhhh chorizo

Everyone knows that Argentina is the boss when it comes to meat and after the famous asado that I had on the weekend it was time to dive back into industrial Argentina, this time Sergio and Claudia led me to the Cooperativa Agropecuaria to see how the delicious chorizo sausage that I raved about on Friday night was made.

Cooperativa Agropecuaria “La Union” LTDA is a small scale production line where animals (sheep, pigs, cows and goats) are treated after they have been slaughtered and skinned. Due to current laws and policies the produce can not be sold or consumed outside of Chaco (the province) but the scale isn’t as small as it seems- 200,000kg of sausages, salami’s and cuttings are made and handled daily in the factory and Sáenz Peña, a town with a population of only 90,000 consumes 80% of it!!

Although immigrants were drawn to Sáenz Peña by the cotton industry they soon created cooperatives and got involved in other things and the Yugoslavians lead the way when it came to sausages. Unwilling to sacrifice the Eastern European diet for sausages/frankfurters they carried their traditions to Chaco with them and made their sausages (for family consumption only). It wasn’t long before they realised that it would be far more efficient to appoint a place for the Yugoslavian community to make their sausages together- this was how the Cooperativa Agropecuaria “La Union” LTDA was formed and today the whole production line still continues under the same roof- a 47 year old basic building and has no more than 8 workers on the factory floor at any one time! Luis Hopian was kind enough to show us around and lead us through the process.

The animals arrive in the factory skinned, de-headed and halved and at the factory they find a use for every single ounce that arrives. They are then cut into different pieces according to the cut of meat. The bones are then separated and after being dried and crushed are sold on as animal feed, being a great source of calcium. The soft fat is separated from the outer, tougher layer and goes on to be one of the main ingredients in the making.
The remaining meat is minced and mixed according to different recipes- the same recipe that the Yugoslavian’s used more than 40 years ago is still used today! They are then sorted to the appropriate controlled storage/oven until they mature to the final product.

The Chorizo Espanola (known to Europeans as Chorizo) is left to hang in a humid storage room where the controlled temperature and air movement helps the chorizo harden and toughen over a period of 30 days.
Krakovia is heated in a controlled wood burning oven for 45 minutes to create a salami-style final product. Chorizo ahumado (smoked sausage) is heated in the same oven for 2 hours and Mortadela for up to 6 hours.

These were just a few of the 47 variety of sausages and meat cuttings that Cooperativa Agropecuaria “La Union” LTDA are renowned for, it has a good reputation in Sáenz Peña and does business with a great portion of the city’s butchers and restaurants. As for the secret recipe; who knows what it is but from the bag full of sausage variety that Luis gave us it definitely works!

Sáenz Peña was built around the cotton industry and the name of the neighbourhood where I am currently living is called Oro Blanco (White Gold) referring to the cotton flower so when Claudia and Sergio (the landlords) offered to take me to the cotton fields how could I resist!

Now is the time that they harvest the cotton crops and although most harvesters have turned to machinery Sergio knew a place where they still harvest by hand so that the cotton is cleaner, a smaller percentage is missed and unfortunately for the workers it’s cheaper. From harvest the first step of the process were the fields-


The workers are bundled into lorries and travel 80km every day to pick cotton in the scorching heat. They work from dusk until dawn and earn their money by the kilogram (AR$0.40p/kg) most manage to make AR$10 (£/€2) a day apparently if they were really fast at picking cotton they’d make up to double!

The cotton was stuffed into sacks; each sack full weighed approximately 20kg and was poured into a lorry. Whilst we were in the field a storm suddenly picked up and started headed our way, Sergio and Claudia were disappointed but I thought it was fantastic, it really showed the extreme conditions that the workers had to work in.

At the factory the cotton buds were sucked into a machine where the cotton seed and cotton were separated.

The cotton was then compressed and came out of the machine in blocks that weighed 200kg called fardos (imagine how many cotton wool buds that is!!)!!!!

Meanwhile the waste was loaded into lorries and was to be sold to farmers as cattle feed and the seed was sacked and sold to oil producing industries.

It was so impressive to see it all at work; how there was a use for every part of the cotton plant and how something so natural and delicate was treated in such a huge, mechanic industry!

So much has happened in the last two weeks that I don’t know where to begin, but the result of all the activity is that I left Corrientes behind and I am now living in a little house in (Presidencia Roque) Sáenz Peña, Chaco with a girl called Analia who is a Spanish teacher and her cat Chinchulín (which apparently means intestine). I’ve met loads of people from the neighbour hood and my Spanish is rapidly improving as none of them speak English.

My first encounter of Chaco province and the Chaqueños was on the 24th of March when I went to Resistencia, the capital of the province for the “Fiesta Nacional”. It was a day to educate the children and remind the people of the suffering and pain the nation went through during the last dictatorship which ended in 1976. People are still suffering the effects of the dictatorship today as more than 30,000 people were tortured and killed for opposing the politics of the dictatorship, here they are known as the desaparecidos (the disappeared ones).
The day was filled with exhibitions, dramas, art, projections and music in the street and it really brought the whole city together. I even met some Chaqueños and we all went for pizza together and they gave me my first taste of “cascarudo” (half beer, half coke) which is definitely going to be re-lived on a regular basis! I know it doesn’t sound too appetising but it’s amazing, try it!

The following day it was time to hit the road to Sáenz Peña. It was a 2 hour drive on the straightest road across the most monotonous, dry agricultural landscape and the topic of the journey seemed to be “the negative things that Saenz Pena has to offer” and believe you me, they seemed to be in abundance – mosquitoes, dengue fever, strikes, a narrow minded society and very limited attractions to name just a few!
Unfortunately the first few days seemed to confirm the majority of the criticisms!
My mentor- Araceli’s mum was ill with dengue fever, I was a surprise to most of the teachers (it was the first day of the year), there was no where booked for me and the first few places we went to were FULL and the first thing I noticed when I walked in to the room of my nice and basic choice of hotel was a great big COCKROACH hanging on to the curtain above the bed! But on the up side, I had air conditioning which is a godsend in this heat (35-40C and they call it autumn!)
So I turned on the news for a bit of wind down time and it was infested with dengue fever warnings in Chaco, to date approximately 30,000 of the 70,000 inhabitants of Charratas, a small town 100km of Saenz Pena have gone down with dengue fever! The hospitals are full, there are adverts everywhere, mosquito spray is selling fast and there are disinfecting trucks driving around spraying the whole town! It’s the worst epidemic they’ve seen and the mosquitoes are hard at work diffusing it across the province! So yes, the arrival did live up to the anti-climax that the British Council had promised us, but…it soon changed!

After two nights in the “Cockroach Hotel” Claudia one of the English teachers from the Mantovani institute (where I will be working) had found a place for me to live- in a small house in her front yard that she was renting to Analia! After meeting one of the classes that I will be teaching at Mantovani I met Analia and we went for an asado (an Argentinean meat feast) with some of the other English teachers. We got on well, although she wasn’t on her best performance as she was recovering from dengue, I saw the house and that was it!

The following day I moved in I arranged my little bedroom took advantage of all the most basic luxuries of finally being settled and living from a wardrobe instead of a rucksack and it wasn’t long before I got to know lots of people on the block, was taken to all sorts of places- bars, clubs, ice-cream parlours, the thermal spa, cotton fields. The people around me are great and so eager to show me and educate me about their country and habits- the children next door collect all sorts of animals from the country, put them in jars and bring them over for me to see. The good times suddenly excelled, my only fear now is dengue!!

So more than a week has gone by and I have found some time to update you all on what has been happening. I am currently in Corrientes which is a town with a population of about 400,000 in the north of Argentina, on the Parana River and on the border of Paraguay. I am staying with a man called Emilio who works for the ministry of Education in the neighbouring province- Chaco, which is where my final destination is – a small village called Saenz Pena. I have no idea when I’ll be heading over there to finally do some work and I don’t really know what to expect. It’s meant to be about quarter the size of this place and this place is already tiny!
So I’ve been here for over a week and what have I been doing with myself? I spent the first week in Buenos Aires, an amazing city, it’s huge with 16 lane roads, lots of hustle and bustle (but organized, not like Naples) and music everywhere! Although I was staying in a youth hostel the first 5 days the argentine’s I did meet were very lovely. At the hostel I met up with lots of Australians and went to markets, ate a COW, got football tickets (Although I couldn’t go in the end due to a work meeting) saw Evita’s grave- which was really surreal, there was an old woman touching her tomb and crying not wanting to leave, her friend was trying to pull her away!

After 5 days in the hostel I changed to a hotel which was only 2 blocks down the road, the British Council were paying and I could meet the other English assistants that were soon to be sent around the country.
All the assistants were nice and friendly and no one is being sent further south than Buenos Aires province. During the first day of induction with the Ministry of Education we were busy getting our finger prints done at the immigration office, queuing with lots of papers and photo copies of these papers and all sorts- bureaucracy in this country is just impossible. In the afternoon we had the lo-down of what was and what was not expected of us during our time here, which we kind of already knew, but what we didn’t know was how much we were going to be paid- which came as a pleasant surprise! In the evening we were invited to the head of the Ministry of Education’s house- Huw Jones! Haha and yes he was welsh! A welsh bachelor with the most amazing penthouse apartment with 240degree views of Buenos Aires! The wine, g ‘n t’s and empanada’s were flowing and we were all making small talk with others related to the project. I finally found out a bit more about where I was being posted- up until then everyone who I’d told had dropped their jaws and told me that I was going to have an “experience”. I met a woman called Chrisalba who had previously worked up there, she told me that I’m going to be overwhelmed by the diversity- Saenz Pena is full of Eastern European immigrants who came during the 70/80s and indigenous people. During the massacre of the indigenous in Argentina, Chaco was the province that managed to hold on to the most indigenous people as they were hidden in “impenetrable wilds”. They are also told to be very enthusiastic people who will be interested, maybe even over interested in everything I have to say and do.
After the party at Huw’s the assistant decided to hit the town! We went to a nice swish area of town called Palermo and I definitely felt the effects the following day standing in a warm, overcrowded and dark immigration office for hours waiting for a working visa- and failing due to my name not being on the list as I was a late comer to the whole project!

That evening I caught a 13 hour bus journey to Corrientes with one of the other boys- Phil who is going to be based in Corrientes for the next 4 months. We are both staying with Emilio at the moment in his grotto cave house full of jingle jangles and rocking folklore and gitano flamenco music! He’s great fun and such a character!
He took us to a work meeting in the ministry of Education in Resistencia (the capital city of Chaco province) to sit in on a meeting about the schools and the aims and projects of the year and this is when it began to hit me- how much work is in store. Some of the children can’t even talk Spanish let alone English, they just use their native languages but does that mean they can read or write in these languages, who knows? Some of the children here only go to school because they know they will be fed at school! All these things seem obvious now that I’m here but before I left home these things hadn’t even crossed my mind!

We are now 4 people living in Emilio’s little house, an American assistant – Steve has also come to join us, but he will soon be moving on to Resistencia to work and live. Emilio is a great guy who really wants to make the most of us and get us involved in everything here. Last night he invited a friend round for dinner, he introduced us to his neighbours who give salsa and tango classes and we are arranging party for tomorrow as it is Phil’s 21st so who knows how many people will turn up!
I’m having fun here in Corrientes but I’m just curious about Saenz Pena and ready to settle down somewhere, unpack my bags and get my teeth in to something!