Buenos Aires: Gaucho Day Trip

Twenty-six hours after leaving our beloved San Francisco on Thursday night, we landed in the beautiful metropolis known as Buenos Aires on Saturday morning (15 hours in flight + 2-hour layover + 9-hour delay)!

Buenos Aires is the capital and most populous city of Argentina. Its name can be translated as "fair winds" or "good airs," a nod to BA's good weather. The metropolitan area surrounding Buenos Aires has a population of around 15 million people, with the city itself calling approximately 3 million people its residents. Buenos Aires is the most visited city in South America and the second most visited city of Latin America (behind Mexico City). The official currency of Argentina is the Argentine peso. One US dollar equals approximately 16 Argentine pesos.

On Sunday, Ant's birthday, we visited Estancia Don Silvano, located approximately 55 miles (90 kilometers) west of Buenos Aires.

An estancia is a large farm spread over an extensive area, often 10,000 hectares (about 40 square miles), similar to what we call a ranch. Estancias in Argentina have historically been estates used to raise cattle or sheep.

Many estancias are worked by gauchos. In its purest sense, gauchos referred to the nomadic, often outlaw inhabitants of the great plains of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, who were very adept horsemen. Today, gaucho usually designates the rural working class in general. The gaucho in some respects resembled members of other nineteenth century rural, horse-based cultures such as the North American cowboy. Gauchos are folk heroes famed for hardiness and lawlessness. Argentine writers celebrate the gaucho, and gaucho literature is an important part of the Argentine cultural tradition.

Introducing some of the gauchos that worked at Estancia Don Silvano...

(Clockwise from top: MC Gaucho, Junior Gaucho, Senior Gaucho*)

*not their real names

Our Gaucho Day Trip included a demonstration of gaucho skills. MC Gaucho, as both the moniker and megaphone imply, was our host. He was very charming, as you can tell from his hat and winning smile. Senior Gaucho was the most skilled, as denoted by his "Senior" status. Junior Gaucho was easy on the eyes, in a brooding and angsty (yet still dashing) way; hence the "Junior" handle.

Some of the gaucho skills exhibited:

#1 - pialadas/boleadoras: catching an animal with a lasso or with a rope with weights at both ends

#2 - carrera cuadrera: short horseback sprint that riders start from a standstill

#3 - spear with a lance a pancake-sized ring hung from a bar while riding a horse

#4 - la carrera de sortija: spear with a mini-lance (or chopstick?!) a coin-sized ring hung from a bar while riding a horse

In this particular contest, tradition dictates that whoever successfully lanced the coin-sized ring on his chopstick would receive the opportunity to ask a lady of his choice from the audience for a kiss. If she was not married, she was expected to give him a kiss. If she was married, her husband had to kiss the gaucho's horse.

Senior Gaucho *schooled* Junior Gaucho in this contest, as seen from the kisses below, and also in most of the other contests.

All in all, a great show.

Next stop: El Calafate

Hasta luego, caimán

See you later, alligator.

Hello, my lovelies!  I'm about to embark on a month-long adventure in Argentina--land of tango, beef, gauchos, fútbol, and Malbec!  Joining me are my two lovely friends, Viv and Ant.  Once again, the lovely Arthur Tinybeard has graciously agreed to loan me his blog for the trip.  (Gracias, mi amigo!)  Be sure to check back here for musings, ruminations and epiphanies.  Also fun facts.  Always fun facts.

We will be kicking ass and taking names in the following cities:

Buenos Aires
El Calafate
El Chalten
Bariloche
Mendoza
Iguazu Falls
Buenos Aries again (because BA is a glutton for punishment)

Below is a map that demonstrates the distance we are willing to go to kick ass and take names.  Note that there are 6,464 miles (10,403 kilometers) separating San Francisco and Buenos Aires.  #funfact

Here's a close up of the route we will take when we kick ass and take names:

Ok, enough fun facts.  Argentina, here we come! Don't cry for me, San Francisco.

This post was written before we left on our trip.

Ho Chi Minh City: Art Tour

From Siem Reap, we headed back to Vietnam and the last stop of our trip: Ho Chi Minh City. 

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Ho Chi Minh City:  HCMC is Vietnam’s largest city, home to approximately 8 to 10 million people.  HCMC was known as Saigon from the late 1800s to 1976, when its name was changed to honor Ho Chi Minh.  Ho Chi Minh led the independence movement and established the Communist-ruled Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945.  After the Vietnam war, Saigon, the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.  HCMC is still commonly referred to as Saigon today. 

The highlight of HCMC was definitely Sophie’s Art Tour, which was essentially an art history lesson and field trip, broken in to 4 chapters:

French colonization:  Vietnam's independence was gradually eroded by France in a series of military conquests between 1859 and 1885.  In 1862, the southern third of the country became the French colony of Cochinchina. By 1884, the entire country had come under French rule and was formally integrated into the union of French Indochina in 1887.  The French imposed significant political and cultural changes on Vietnamese society, including Roman Catholicism and a Western-style system of modern education.  French influences are still abundant today, however.  #coffee #banhmi #gerarddepardieu

For this part of the lesson, we went to view pieces from a private collection and we were not allowed to take pictures, but here's a picture of the outside.  Duc Minh is the owner of the collection.  Today, the museum is run by his grandson.

The most prized piece in the collection is pictured below (which I found based on a Google image search).  It is called "Young Girl By Lilies" and is known as the "Mona Lisa of Vietnam."  To Ngoc Van was the artist.  This painting was especially scandalous when it was exhibited due to the fitted nature of the girl's clothing.  #bowchickabowwow

Indochine Wars:  The First Indochina War (or the French War) was fought between 1946 and 1954 and sought independence for Vietnam from France.  The French were defeated in 1954 at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.  Vietnam was then split into 2 regions at the 17^th parallel, Communist North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam, led by Emperor Bao Dai.

The Second Indochina War (also the Vietnam War) was fought between 1955 and 1975 and sought to prevent the Communist takeover of South Vietnam by the north.  The war ended with the fall of Saigon in April 1975 as the North Vietnamese Army entered the city and overcame all resistance.

We visited Lotus for this part of the lesson, which is a museum/store displaying old propaganda posters.  I personally enjoyed this part--not necessarily for the messages, but I think the colors and simplicity of the posters are appealing.  #artisticallyspeaking

More livestock, more manure

Is this Nixon's goal in Vietnam?

Leninism, which is the most righteous, the most reliable and the most revelutionary, said Uncle Ho

(Commemorating Lenin's 100th birthday, Lenin is the sun,Ho Chi Minh is to the left)

Who will win?  Who will win the world's support?

Cling on to the sea for production and ready to fight

Develop poultry production

Doi Moi (Renovation): In the aftermath of the war, the government embarked on a mass campaign of collectivization of farms and factories.  This caused economic chaos and resulted in triple-digit inflation.  In the late 1970s and early 1980s, millions of people fled the country.  Doi Moi were economic reforms initiated in Vietnam in 1986 with the goal of creating a "socialist-oriented market economy,” described as a multi-sectoral market economy oriented towards the eventual and long-term development of socialism, where the state plays a decisive role in directing economic development.

For this part of the lesson, we visited the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts Museum, which is located in a converted mansion, built in the 1920s by one of the wealthiest men in Saigon at the time.  Did I mention that the museum is haunted by the daughter of this man?  She is said to have died of leprosy, locked away in one of the bedrooms.  Maddened by isolation, she screamed helplessly from her room.  #wow

Drawing of one of the underground tunnels of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (logistical system that carried supplies from North Vietnam to the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army in South Vietnam) 

Lacquer painting, created using multiple layers of tree resin, color, and eggshells #yesyoureadthatright

Close up of the painting above; their skin is made of eggshell!  #forreal #nojoke #cool

Strong and healthy.  #smellslikepropaganda

Strong, healthy, with a sickle.  #smellslikemorepropaganda

Today: The younger generation of Vietnamese artists have become very active in involving different forms of arts, such as installation, performance and video art.  For example, San Art is an artist-initiated, non-profit contemporary art organization dedicated to promoting, facilitating and showcasing contemporary art.  San Art’s mission is to empower emerging artists in Vietnam and South East Asia by nurturing talent, fostering innovation and providing a forum for collaboration.  

Sadness and grief after the war.  This painting was painted fairly recently, as immediately after the war and for a period thereafter, grieving was to be done in private.

Abstract art by Vietnamese artists did not become popular until recently.

Well folks, that's all I've got!  I'm back home now!  #callme  #youhavethenumber  #vietnamwasawesome # tripofalifetime #butsfismyfavorite  #home

Siem Reap: Tomb Raider

After Hoi An, we made a short detour to Siem Reap, Cambodia to hoof it through visit Angkor Wat and a couple other temples.  #whattheheck #we’reintheneighborhood

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Siem Reap:  Siem Reap is located in northwestern Cambodia and is the gateway to the Angkor region, which was the seat of the Khmer empire. 

Also, tuk tuks are the primary mode of transportation  #firsttimeinatuktuk

The Khmer empire flourished from the 9^th to 15^th centuries, during which time the Khmer rulers constructed over 1,000 Hindu-Buddhist temples.  Angkor loosely means “Holy City.”  Most of these temples are little more than ruins now but some have been restored.  The Angkor region is home to the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat. 

Angkor Wat:  The first temple we visited was Angkor Wat, arguably the most famous of Cambodia’s temples and definitely the most well-preserved.  

We arrived at 4:50 AM.  Why, you ask?  I am still trying to answer that question myself.  It was ostensibly to see Angkor Wat at sunrise, which I understand can be an awe-filled sight, but the weather was not quite right the morning we went.  In addition, we arrived later than most and so got spots on the periphery so all my pictures look like this:

Angkor Wat (“Capital Temple”) was built in the as a Hindu temple in the early part of the 12^th century and also served as the capital of the Khmer empire.  By the end of the 12^th century, it had transformed to a Buddhist temple.  Angkor Wat’s distinctive features include its 5 towers with galleries running between them, and a moat.

We also saw some monkeys!!!!  #socool

Angkor Thom:  Next, we visited Angkor Thom “Great City”), which was the last capital of the Khmer empire.  Built in the late 12^th century, Angkor Thom covers 9 square kilometers.  Most of the ruins at Angkor Thom have vast displays of bas-relief depicting the various gods, goddesses, and other-worldly beings from the mythological stories and epic poems of ancient Hinduism (modified by centuries of Buddhism).  Mingled with these images are depictions of elephants, snakes, fish, and monkeys, in addition to dragon-like creatures that look like the stylized, elongated serpents (with feet and claws) found in Chinese art, called “nagas.”

Located in the middle of Angkor Thom is the Bayon, a richly decorated temple with a multitude of serene and massive stone faces located on four sides of each of 54 towers.  #thats216facesfolks

Ta Prohm:  Our last temple was Ta Prohm, which unfortunately may be best known for being the setting for parts of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Academy Award Winner ™ Angeline Jolie.  Built in the late 12^th century as a monastery, Ta Prohm has been kept pretty much in the same condition in which it was found.  That means that much of the structure is covered in beautiful green moss and green lichen and that many parasitic trees have found a home in and around the stones that make up Ta Prohm.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of the rest of Siem Reap or any other part of Cambodia.  #illbeback 

Next stop, Ho Chi Minh City!

Hoi An: Renee’s Vietnamese Kitchen

After Hue, we headed to Hoi An, about a 4-hour car ride south along the coast of the South China Sea.  Hoi An is a charming, picturesque town with cobblestone streets and timeworn houses painted yellow, covered in flowering vines.  #bougainvilleatobeexact 

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Hoi An:  Hoi An (which translates to “peaceful meeting place”) is a very well-preserved trading port active from the 15^th to 19^th centuries.  Hoi An lost its importance as a trading port as the Nguyen dynasty began to lose its power to rebels that were opposed to foreign trade.  Today, Hoi An is a tourist attraction due to its history, architecture, and crafts such as textiles and ceramics.  Hoi An currently has about 120,000 inhabitants.

Hoi An is known for producing fine silks and has scores of tailors ready to whip up custom-fit creations in any fabric and in any color or pattern, sometimes in as little as 24 hours.  These stores have wall-to-wall bolts of fabric and a team of seamstresses on site.  Needless to say, Christine and I indulged a bit.  #fashionweek #houndstooth

Because of Hoi An’s varied attractions, the town draws a steady stream of tourists.  #didimentionthere’sabeach?  Despite Hoi An’s timeworn appearance, Hoi An is actually one of Vietnam’s most prosperous cities due to its tourism industry.  

One of the highlights of our stay in Hoi An was the Vietnamese cooking class we took at Hoi An Eco Cooking Class, run by Kien and Phi, who are co-instructors and also husband and wife. #totesadorbs

There are scores of cooking classes available in Hoi An and all over Vietnam, all basically with the same method of teaching (hands-on with a lot of the prep work done beforehand) and very similar menus.  What caught my eye with Hoi An Eco Cooking School was the boat ride to the school, which was located on one of the waterways branching off of the Thu Bon River.  #yesagimmick #butitworked  We drove to a dock where we boarded these round basket boats.  During the short ride to the school, we paused to go crabbing.  We even caught a couple!

Below are some pictures from the 5-course meal that we made:

Fresh vegetarian spring rolls.  We made the rice wrapper!

Green mango salad

Pho bo (beef)

Banh xeo

Roasted eggplant with a delicious sauce

Can’t wait to try these at home!  #dinnerpartyanyone

Next stop, Siem Reap!