Spanish - Part 2

I would like to think that my spanish is improving as I stay here longer but the switch from Chile to Argentina has been rough! The people in BA speak very quickly, and use so much slang. Also, instead of Tu, they use the Vos. Very hard to get used to! Meanwhile, I notice that argentians often seem to misunderstand each other and constantly ask for a repeat of previous phrase. Which makes me feel better. People compliment my spanish, which makes me feel good because I often feel so inarticulate. I think they are happy that I try. I look forward to returning to Chile where it is easier for me to communicate. Ciao!

BA - Where to start?

I am having a fantastic time in Buenos Aires. I cannot imagine being happier. It is hot and muggy and the streets were made for walking. I am walking many miles each day and loving all the sights. I stop for cafe con leche or a coke. And sit and watch people. I see a lot of tourists and probably regular old argentinians. The people of Argentina come from all over the world (but many european origins) so it isn´t that different from home. I don´t often see people of african origins, which for me is unusual. There are more people of african heritage here than in Chile but to me it is strange to not see more black people. The buildings here are incredible. Huge and regal and detailed. I can stare at an old government building for hours because it is so rich in architectural detail. People are mostly friendly. I have had a few snotty waiters but I usually wear them down with my smile and little quips. This is an amazing City. Love being here.

Buenos Aires

I survived the long, overnight bus ride which featured 5 brazilian frat boys, a bingo tournament, lots of rain, two stupid movies, and thankfully a fair amount of sleep. The seats do recline all the way down and I slept okay. And now, I am here in amazing, beautiful, historic Buenos Aires! Truly I had forgotten all the magnificent architecture, the plazas, the cafes, everything. It is so, so pretty. And I am excited to take the subway and see those old stations. Also, the weather is lovely here. Yay! After the cold rain in Mendoza, the lovely sun is a welcome friend.

Over the river and through the woods

I took the bus yesterday from Santiago to Mendoza. So, a trip through the Andes. The views are really spectacular, especially from the upper deck of the bus. I had remembered these kinds of buses being very luxurious, sadly my bus was kind of dirty and not so nice. But the seat did recline quite a bit and I got a window seat. The wait at the Chilean/Argentinian border is really long. Would you believe 3 hours? So, people get out of the bus and walk around and buy cookies. I snoozed because my bus seat was in the sun and it was really warm and comfy. When I arrived in Mendoza, I was immediately reminded of how much more organized Chile is than Argentina. It took forever to find a money change place and the guy gave me a bunch of torn up bills. I had to really pounce on him to give me clean money. My hotel is very nice. But now I have a free day and it is raining. Hard. I am not so intrepid as to walk all over a new place in the rain. I think I will end up at a museum. We´ll see! Tonight I leave for Buenos Aires.

Living the vida loca

I studied spanish the entire time I was in college. I have taken various trips to Latin American and lived in Chile in 1990. Really, why isn´t my spanish any better? I don´t think I have an aptitude for language. I can memorize, pick up simple exchanges, and communicate a bit. But to really converse and comprehend? Hard work. But I still try. I am trying to read Pablo Neruda´s Memoirs in spanish. I have been heavily warned by many, including Pedro not to try this. Why? Because Neruda has a vocabulary of a million plus words and twists them in many shapes
and directions. But that is what I love about it. I have read the book twice in english and so I more or less know the story. And because in so many instances he is offering snapshots, it is fun to try and take apart his prose. It is one of my favorite books. And a pleasure to read one more time.

Fifi el viejo

I thought of my friend Steve quite a bit while I was in Catapilco because he would love to have a property like this. It is exactly what he might develop. The house itself is simple and elegant while the landscape is opulent and varied. On all sides of the house there are gardens, each with a distinct look. I also know that Steve likes the desert. Jorge has planted so many agaves, cactus, echeverria and many chilean native plants that I don´t know. They have a simple pool which is nice to swim in a bit and also to sit around. If you look at the house from a distance, it blends beautifully into the landscape. There are great opportunities to walk around the property, and around the terrain. The neighbors have a small vineyard, and the hills are quite lovely. The whole time I was there, Jorge worked. He is always working in the garden, rearranging, improving. Yes, JUST LIKE STEVE! And finally, what would Steve like the most about this place? It is a perfect place to relax with your family.

Catapilco

Today we drove to Catapilco, where Jorge and Pedro have built a country house. They bought the property with some friends and everyone is developing a house at their own pace. Of course Jorge and Pedro built theirs first. It is completely fabulous. The house is simple and can be completely open or completely closed. And of course it is filled with beautiful things from all over the world. It reminds me a bit of where Michael Jackson built "Neverland." It is about 15 minutes from the ocean and surrounded by hills and mountains. Really beautiful. So, to round out the picture, we are about an hour and a half from Santiago. I would not have said that I found Santiago stressful and noisy but now that I am here, WOW. So quiet! So pretty! There are these kids that play basketball in the street in the evening outside of my window in Santiago and I am realizing that I do not miss them at all now that I am in the country. While I write, Jorge and Pedro are making me dinner. What´s not to like?

Pablo Neruda

When I came to Chile in 1989, my good friend (and employer, and mentor and teacher) June Jordan impressed upon me that I must read the works of Pablo Neruda and investigate his presence in Chile. At that time, Neruda was a thorn in the side of the dictatorship. Long dead (he passed in 73, not long after the coup) his work lived on in the minds and hearts of chilean but his association with the Communist Party made him poeta non grata. When I lived in Chile in 89 it was impossible to buy any of his works that had political content. This included his memoirs. It was published in other countries with a different cover. He had three houses full of art and books and objects he had collected from all over the world. I was able to visit his house in Isla Negra because I had befriended a woman who knew him. At that time, the other two were not open. When I was in Chile 5 years ago, we went to Sebastiana in Valparaiso. For this trip, my friends Jorge and Pedro wanted me to see all three. So, yesterday Jorge and I went to Isla Negra and then to Valparaiso. SO EXCITING! We got to see and tour both houses, with all the multitudes. I begged to see the third today so we went. It is called the Chascona and is in a neighborhood called Bellavsista. I suppose I should explain that there is a foundation that manages all of this. Honestly, it is so fantastic to imagine his life by looking at his houses. He had so many interesting collections: Books, bottles, butterflies, shells, masks, maps. He had a deep fascination with the sea, and this was reflected in his collections. One of my favorite books is his memoir. It is called "Memorias." If you read it, you will love it!

La Moneda

Well WOW. They have completely opened up the Moneda! I guess you would say it is City Hall or the White House or something like that. It is the place where Pinochet´s people murdered Salvator Allende, among others. Anyway, I walked right up, asked the carabinero how to get to the museum and next thing you know... I am walking RIGHT INTO the Moneda. Talk about transparency. They have a museum of the americas in the lower levels, and various shops for chilean handicrafts, etc. Really, I could not have fathomed 20 years ago that someday I would just walk right in.

A trip to the wine country

I found this company that has tours that include biking and wine tasting. Well, dang! Sign me up. The tour I bought was a bit expensive but it looked interesting: a visit to three different small, family-owned vineyards with lunch at the end. And a bike ride through the vineyards.

Maipo Valley is probably the biggest around Santiago and certainly the most accessible. Two australians were also on the tour. The guide was a young chilean guy who more or less spoke english. They took us to the wine country in a van that brought the bikes for us to ride.

Normally this is the kind of thing I eschew: carrying bikes in a van; only riding for part of the trip; the van actually followed us while we rode on the road, etc. But seriously, when in Rome, keep your damn mouth shut and you will have a good time.

The tour was more intimate and quiet than a corporate Concha Y Toro trip likely is. The guide was charming and funny. We went to a small organic winery whose owner gave us tastes from the big barrels and showed all the ways in the which last year´s big earthquakes messed up their business.

It was a good day but I would not pay so much money again for a tour.

In a future post I will wax nostalgic for the days when Chile only had about 4 wine producers. It was a hell of a lot easier to buy wine back then.

On the way back, we could see the cordillera from our car. This does not happen every day thanks to smog. I hope to see the Andes again soon!

Para que nunca mas

Our visit to the Museum to Remember today was quite a contrast to yesterday´s dalliance at the Fashion Museum. Within the last ten years the Chilean government built an impressive, open, free museum that chronicles the history of the coup in 73 and the events following. They have quite a bit of footage from the day of the coup, interviews with survivors of torture and detention and neverending homages to people killed and disappeared. Remember that there are still people missing who have never been recovered.

As a building, the museum is outstanding. Lots of light and the well organized exhibits. Jorge, Pedro, and I liked the visit quite a bit but we all left feeling sad.

Pedro

I met my friend Pedro in 1989 when I lived in Chile. At the time he was a young lawyer, struggling a bit, with a small office on the Paseo Ahumada. Now he is very successful and shares a practice with his long time friend Gianni. I think Pedro is one of the smartest people I know. He is one of those people who reads everything around him. He reads in other languages (not just spanish) and is interested in many subjects. He also has an incredible sense of humor. Which means that he laughs at all my jokes. We have always found a lot to talk about and laugh about. I feel lucky to know him. For ten years he has been with Jorge who is an architect and artist. Together they bought an old house and have made it 100% fabulous. Half of the house is indoors, the other half outdoors. Their art and renovation is really beautiful and every detail is well thought out. And the best part? It is very well located to go to the market, go downtown, go anywhere. I love staying with them. I feel if I am living in a friendly museum.

Saturday in Chile

The big new attraction in Santiago is the fashion museum in Vitacura. Okay, guess what? Vitacura is kind of like Beverly Hills. This super rich guy who is obsessed with his mother made a museum out of their family house and the fashions of his mother. This is what happens when you have an only child! You don´t have to be particularly sensitive to see that this guy is in love with his mother but at least he has turned it into something practical, a fashion museum. The exhibit right now is an homage to the 80s and it really is fantastic. This guy has made deals with collectors all over the world and has really beautiful period pieces well curated. Recently the NYT referred to the neighborhood as a "Toy 5th Avenue" but to my eyes it is more like a walkable, charming Rodeo Drive. In Chile, they take care of their pedestrians. Really lovely to walk on these fabulous tree lined streets.

After our visit to Vitacura, Pedro, Jorge, Maria Jose and I went to a fantastic Peruvian restaurant. Oh, yeah, pisco sours and ceviche.

And now, what does one do in Latin America after lunch? Yes, a siesta! Me voy.

Santiago in 2011

Returning to Chile has been disorienting. So much of the infrastructure is the same but let´s face it, 20 years is a pretty long time. I visited about five years ago but only stayed in Santiago for a few days. This trip is all about Santiago so really trying to relearn my way around.

Rivers and mountains and venerable institutions have a way of forcing a city out of a grid pattern. So, for someone like me, who sadly does not have a good sense of directions, getting a grip on where everything is in a non-linear city is tough!

Mostly I have walked since arriving, but today I rode a bike. In the last several years Santiago has incorporated many separated bike paths on streets big and small to its traditional street and sidewalk grid. The big and wide sidewalks (perhaps the thing I love the most about Chile) have been reorganized to add paths for bikes and in some cases, a separated lane on the street.

What happens when you give people separated facilities? Well, for starters they ride bikes. So many people on bikes? Mostly the younger generations, but an equal amount of women and men.

But the other thing that happens is they when don´t have a designated bike path, they just go on the sidewalk. And in some cases, wherever they want! It is a bit like riding at Stanford. Everyone rides and they make their own rules.

Santiago or bust

I'm going back to Chile! I lived in Santiago from the fall of 1989 to the spring of 1990. This picture was taken a mile or so from where I lived in Providencia. My friends Jorge and Pedro do not live far from this Metro stop and I will be staying with them for most of February and a bit of March. So excited!