Author: EAE

I science, go outdoors, travel, cook food, and many things in between. I live for the journey and thrive on motion.

Ultralight Backpacking

29 June 2013

Ultralight Backpacking

Alright, I have camped a fair amount in my young life, but I have never truly taken on extensive hiking where a vehicle cannot be readily accessed to find the nearest restaurant because someone left the food out or a persistent rain storm is preventing a happy campfire. I am delighted by the prospects of carrying everything I need to survive on my back. During my ten month long travels across portions of South America, I truly gained an insight for properly selecting all the clothing and gear you will want access to for a year in changing climates and activities, the limitations of the carrying capacity of your backpack, and the compromise of only being able to take what you can actually lift and carry on your back.

Now travel backpacking and hiking backpacking are significantly different in a plethora of ways, however my focus is on the packing itself. I carried around a 65L pack that was consistently at 50 lbs for the first few months and 40 lbs for the last few after sending a package home to my parents. Some people would commend my minimalist abilities, especially as a female, for being able to have all the gear, shoes, clothes, toiletries etc for adventuring, nights out, and long bus rides for every range of climate from beach town desert to alpine mountains to tropical jungle. I agree, I feel quite capable to pack a bag for a long trip when the topic is travel. However, when the activity underway is trekking and camping, the pack inventory takes on a whole new dimension of consideration.

First and foremost, during my travels I was never required to carry my entire pack and all its belongings more than a few miles to or from a bus terminal to my destined hostal. Any sort of hiking endeavors were kept to day long ordeals or I repacked my bag to only carry the essentials and left the rest in a storage locker. Thus, in my ambitions to become a proper thru hiker, I want to extend my minimalist abilities into the hiking and camping spectrum of my life. I am always a proponent of being aware of your impact on the surroundings, living simply and kindly, and always doing whatever brings the most happiness to your life. Back to topic, in my preparations for the CT, I have taken a peek into the vast realm of backpacking, thru hiking, ultralight backpacking, and other associated topics. The resources are endless, the information is readily available, and the communities of people already involved are eager to share their knowledge.

Having only spent a couple days looking into these matters, I have developed a list of my favorite information sites thus far. They are in no particular order.

Backpacking Light: Pack Less. Be More.
This has probably been my most accessed information portal. They provide access to an immense amount of information. There are links to personal hiking blogs, BPL equipment review, how-to and feature articles, a community forum for reviews of gear, trails and general banter, and they even offer courses and hard to find ultralight gear. I am particularly fond of their community gear reviews. A single location to find discussion on practically any gear question conceivable, literally. I have poured over topics as mundane seeming as the gram difference in a pot lid. Though I must state that as you enter ultralight backpacking, the argument of whether shaving grams off base weight is worth the hassle will always be yes regardless if you are sans toothbrush, cooking over a Fancy Feast stove, in your one set of clothes for 30+ days.

Backpack Gear Test: The most comprehensive interactive gear reviews and tests on the planet
This lives up to its name. If you want to know about the performance of gear, seriously check out this site.

Wilderness Survival Forums
A great site for posing outdoors questions and getting great feedback from the community.

Lightweight Backpacking 101
Provides a good introduction to lightweight backpacking. Get resource for sending you in the right direction for other great resources.

Ultimate Ultralight Backpacking
Provides a good introduction on lightweight backpacking and gear selection.

Backpacker: The Outdoors at Your Doorstep
This is actually a magazine you can subscribe to, but the website itself provides a great overview of hiking ideas that you can find by locale, gear reviews, trail forums, and community input. Having grown up in Kansas, I think the interactive trail finder was my favorite part. Who knew that Kansas had trails? 😉

These are actually organization sites, but they are just as valuable in resources.

Colorado Trail Foundation

American Long Distance Hiking Association – West

Pacific Crest Trail Association

Continental Divide Trail Coalition

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Finally, some of the best information is through personal hiker/backpacker blogs. There are heaps of people out there doing all the research for you and providing a concise overview of their findings and experiences so you can jump ahead of the line to the fun part. There are thousands of hiking blogs out there. Take advantage.

Section Hiker: Hiking and Backpacking for Beginners and Experts
Philip Werner provides key advice for all levels of backpackers in terms of gear, Leave No Trace, different seasons, general tips and how-tos, and trail information. This is a great resource where someone the appropriate level of expertise has gathered information in one succinct location.

Two-Heel Drive, a Hiking Blog
Tom has a fantastic blog about hiking, making a hiking blog, and so much more. I am sure I will spend more time heeding his advice as I continue my own blog. However, I view my own blog more as an information source for family and friends to keep up with my adventures than as an information source.

Andrew Skurka //Adventurer, Guide, Speaker, Writer
Andrew Skurka is an incredible adventurer. Most known for his long distance hiking. His blog is part of a fuller site that offers a wealth of information.

Stick’s Blog
I have come to really like this blog. Stick began his blog to document his own progression into the backpacking realm. He is the kind of person you want to read a hiking blog from because his experiences are self contrived. There is something refreshing and encouraging to see people go through a similar experience as yourself but being so open about the follies and blunders along the way.

Hike Lighter
This is John Abela’s hiking and gear website. Great source for equipment reviews and comparisons, outdoor cooking advice, and general hiking guidance. John is part of a growing group of individuals pushing the bounds on light and ultralight backpacking into super ultralight and extreme ultralight backpacking, with how gear is constructed, used, multi-purposed, and stretched to the limits of functionality, all in the name of a lighter base weight.

Light & Ultralight Backpacking
Jolly Green Giant provides information for light and ultralight backpacking in terms of gear use and techniques. He is conscientious about researching the best materials, technology, techniques, and necessities when it comes to carrying everything on your back and surviving.

Outdorky
Chris’s take is to “Dork out Outdoors.” He focuses on California hiking but I am quite fond of the articles on his Tips page.

This is it for now. As I said, however, I have only just begun my quest into coupling gram counting with adventure seeking. This is sure to be an enjoyable, enlightening experience.

Grays Peak (14,270′) – Torreys Peak (14,267′)

26 June 2013

Grays Peak (14,270′) – Torreys Peak (14,267′)

  • Class 2
  • Exposure 1
  • 3,600 ft elevation gain
  • 8.4 miles
  • Front Range
  • Closest town: Silver Plume/Georgetown/Idaho Springs
  • Grays Peak TH – Stevens Gulch Route
  • Grays East Slope, saddle, Torreys South slope
After Bierstadt and Evans the day before, I spent the afternoon/evening recovering with lots of cold water and a beer or two in Georgetown. In hopes that a big, hearty meal would store energy for the next day, I ate a proper supper in Georgetown before heading to the Grays Peak trailhead to camp for the night. The next morning I allowed myself some extra sleep after being woken by a sunrise seeking group heading up at 3:30 AM. I hit the trail at 5:50 AM, quickly passed a couple small groups of people along the way. The start out felt quite brutal. My body wanted to lie down and sleep longer. I could tell I was dehydrated with fingers slightly swollen and cheeks still feeling the burn of wind from the previous day. I snarfed down some snacks with extra amounts of water and continued forward for a 7:50 AM summit of Grays Peak. Despite the “early” hours, the warm sun was already shining brightly with just the right amount of wind to dry the sweat beading on my forehead. I had the peak all to myself and was highly encouraged that I made it up faster than the other groups despite my unsteady strength. With renewed vigor I quickly headed down the saddle over to Torreys Peak and reached the top at 8:40 AM. At the top I met three other hikers and their two dogs. I sat and chatted with them a bit to discover one guy and his dog will be on the Colorado Trail a week or two before me. I am to look out for Sticks and Paws in the registries. I am completely enthralled when someone readily offers advice and encouragement for my upcoming jaunt along the CT. Conversation was great, but I was ready to head down and be on my way. I bid farewell to the group and set out for a strong finish back to the trailhead at 9:30 AM. On my way back I was surprised by how many people were on their way up. I am pleased with my decisions to make earlier than later ascents. I left the trailhead with maybe four vehicles in the parking lot yet returned to one so full the cars had spilled out along the access road. I enjoyed meeting the small groups in the morning, but sharing the summit with a dozen people is not nearly as appealing. I will make not to continue early mornings with a goal to hit a few peaks for sunrise shots.
Eight 14ers completed. I feel pretty accomplished in my physical training. The back to back hiking days were a brilliant idea to fast track my preparation for conceptualizing what twenty-odd days of hiking in a row will feel like. I want a concise and ultralight pack, lots of thoughtfully prepared food, a brisk pace, and lots of beautiful scenery. I feel very confidant that over the next weeks I will easily be able to guarantee all of those desires.

Mount Bierstadt (14,060′) – Mount Evans (14,264′)

25 June 2013
Mount Bierstadt (14,060′) – Mount Evans (14,264′)
  • Class 3
  • Exposure 3
  • 4,300 ft elevation gain
  • 11.3 miles
  • Front Range
  • Closest town: Georgetown/Idaho Springs
  • Guanella Pass TH – Guanella Pass to Sawtooth Ridge
  • Bierstadt west slope, Sawtooth Ridge traverse, Evans west ridge, return via gully to Guanella Pass

Drove from Denver this morning, on the trail at 5:30 AM, Mount Bierstadt summit at 7:30 AM, far side of Sawtooth Ridge at 9 AM, Mount Evans summit at 10:30 AM, and back to my vehicle at 12:30 PM. A 7 hour loop, which my mapping app claims only 5 hours are actual moving time. So I need to work on speed and endurance haha.

Today was an adventure. I turned a 10.25 mile trail with 3,800 feet elevation gain into an 11.3 mile route with 4,300 feet elevation gain. How or why you may ask… Because the only consistent part of today is that I was never on-trail. With my impeccable attention span and focus, I managed to get off track along every segment of the route. And I lost my favorite hat in the gulley on the way down. The exciting part about today are that my camera battery was fully charged and my phone didn’t die before mapping the route. Not to mention that I now have two more 14ers under my belt with two more planned for tomorrow. I am definitely a bit sore in the feet and knees, so tomorrow will be the real test of endurance. My hiking/camping knowledge is coming back quickly and I am quite enjoying the use of 14ers for Colorado Trail training and reconnaissance. Lessons learned today: I possibly need to reevaluate my hiking shoes, I should give thoughtful consideration to hiking poles for the Rocky Mountains, always properly secure gear to pack, and I need to work on more clothing/layering combinations as I overheat quickly allowing cold wind on damp clothes. In all, my gear selections need serious evaluation and refining.

Mount Democrat (14,148′) – Mount Cameron (14,238′) – Mount Lincoln (14,286′) – Mount Bross (14,172′)

16 June 2013

Mount Democrat (14,148′) – Mount Cameron (14,238′) – Mount Lincoln (14,286′) – Mount Bross (14,172′)

  • Class 2
  • Exposure 2
  • 3,700 ft elevation gain
  • 7.25 miles
  • Mosquito Range
  • Closest town: Alma
  • Kite Lake TH – Kite Lake Route
My first go at the Colorado 14ers, bagged four in one day. Despite this loop being considered extremely easy, I still feel quite accomplished. It was also the perfect way to ignite my motivation to start training for the Colorado Trail. Photographs to accompany soon.
I drove from Denver that morning, was on the trailhead by 6 AM, knocked out the peaks in the order above, and made it back to my car by 11 AM. After perusing other hiking accounts for summiting, it is apparently customary to have summit times and distances. I attempted to map the hike with my running app, but it gave out or lost signal 2/3 of the way through. Next time I will try to have better documentation. I also caused a blunder of my own by not charging my camera battery. It of course died at the top of Mount Cameron. I used my phone at Mount Lincoln, but it stopped working on the saddle to Mount Bross. I did have a backup pocket camera but left it on the front passenger seat in the vehicle. C’est la vie. I am sure to have more experiences in kind the first couple times out until I remember my hiking legs. 🙂
I planned out a few grouped 14ers I would like to accomplish this summer. They can be found on my Colorado 14ers page.

Favorite Travel Quotes

9 May 2012

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

 “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

 “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

A little reading time…

9 May 2012

42) Absolute Friends – John le Carré
41) White Fang – Jack London
40) The Call of the Wild – Jack London
39) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain (aka Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
38) The Crime of the Century: Richard Speck and the Murder of Eight Student Nurses – Dennis L. Breo and William J. Martin
37) An Analysis of the Kinsey Reports on Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Female – edited by Donald Porter Geddes
36) The Help – Kathryn Stockett
35) Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
34) Chile: The Legacy of Hispanic Capitalism (3rd Ed., 2001) – Brian Loveman
33) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (#1 in series) – Gregory Maguire
32) Interpol: A History and Examination of 70 Years of Crime Solving – Fenton Bresler
31) The Mammoth Hunters (#3 in series) – Jean M. Auel
30) Angle of Repose – Wallace Stegner
29) Tender is the Night – F. Scott Fitzgerald
28) The Girl Who Played with Fire (#2 in series) – Stieg Larsson
27) Never Let Me Go: A Novel – Kasuo Ishiguro
26) Ordinary Thunderstorms – William Boyd
25) Bel Canto – Anne Patchett
24) Stonehenge: A Novel – Bernard Cornwell
23) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne
22) We the Living – Ayn Rand
21) Beloved – Toni Morrison
20) The Safe House – Nicci French
19) The Interpretation of Murder – Jed Rubenfeld
18) The Meme Machine – Susan Blackmore
17) Karl Marx: A Life – Francis Wheen
16) Galápagos – Kurt Vonnegut
15) Envisioning Sustainability – Peter Berg
14) Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World – Alan Weisman
13) Solar – Ian McEwan
12) The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
11) Inka Kola: Traveller´s Tale of Peru – Matthew Parris
10) For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway
9) Dreams of Rivers and Seas – Tim Parks
8) Some Came Running – James Jones
7) A Feast for Crows (#4 in series) – George R.R. Martin
6) The Valley of Horses (#2 in series) – Jean M. Auel
5) Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
4) Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (#1 in series) – Stieg Larsson
3) Flat, Hot, and Crowded – Thomas Friedman
2) Cadillac Desert – Marc Reisner
1) Lies my Teacher Told Me – James Loewen

Travel Log

9 May 2012

The following are all the places I visited while traveling the past year in South America.

Argentina:
Mendoza
Córdoba
Alta Gracia
San Miguel de Tucumán
Cafayate
Salta
Purmamarca
Tilcara
Humahuaca
Iruya
Salta
Corrientes
Puerto Iguazú
Mercedes
Colonia
Carlos Pellegrini
Buenos Aires
El Tigre
San Antonio de Areco
Rosario
Santa Fe
Colón
Lujan
Buenos Aires

Chile:
San Pedro de Atacama
Calama
Iquique
La Serena
Pisco Elqui/Valle Elqui
Santiago
Valparaiso
Viña del Mar

Bolivia:
Copacabana
La Paz
El Alto
La Cumbre
Yolosa
Cochabamba
Samaipata
Mairana
Amboró National Park
Santa Cruz
Sorata
Sucre
Potosí
Uyuni (Salar de Uyuni)

Perú:
Tumbes
Máncora
Chimbote
Huaraz
Lima
Ica
Huacachina
Nazca
Cuzco
Pisaq
Pikillaqta
Tipón
Ollantaytambo
Chinchero
Santa Maria
Santa Teresa
Aguas Calientes
Arequipa
Chivay
San Juan de Chuccho
Cosñirhua
Malata
Sangalle (Oasis)
Cabanaconde
Puno

Ecuador:
Guayaquil
Loja
Vilcabamba
Rumi Wilco
Cuenca
Riobambo
Baños
Puyo
Kichwa Community
Quito
Bahía de Caraquez
Planet Drum Foundation
Canoa
Latacunga
Chugchilán

Home sweet home.

8 May 2012

In all my excitement to go home, I forgot to make a final post. That is right, I am officially back in the U.S., in the one and only Colby, Kansas. I will be living with my parents (though not in their basement…) for the next couple months until I move to Colorado. I will be making a big step toward adulthood and maturity by starting a real job and living in my own place. How exciting…

To wrap things up, my last week in Buenos Aires was fantastic. I finished visiting the different neighborhoods: San Telmo, La Boca, Recoletta, and Palermo. I went to two Tango dinner shows (AMAZING!). I also caught a few fairs in the neighborhoods. Though I must say the highlight finale was going to the Lujan Zoo, where I interacted with lions, tigers, elephants, snakes, an iguana, ferret, and more within their cages! I kissed a lion on the face and he simply blinked at me; I played tug-of-war with four month old tigers; and a full grown elephant ate from my hand! It was the best way I could have spent my last day in South America.

Leaving South America was the strangest sensation. To have been gone ten months and then suddenly leave. No grand send off, no goodbye party. Equally strange was arriving to Denver International Airport to the welcoming party of my one friend Caryl Abeyta. However, a low key reintroduction was just what the doctor ordered. I had just over a week to see friends in Colorado and relax with no pressure to do anything or be anywhere. I loved seeing my friends but now I am starting the slow life in Colby. My immediate plans are to do a little work to flush out the bank account before my move to CO.

That is it. My grand adventure has come to a close. Thank you to those who actually read along. 🙂

The End.

Chasing Huckleberry Finn

23 April 2012

I left BSAS for a quick tour of towns along the various rivers that empty into the Delta. My adventure was spurred by the reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It was to be my own river tale.

In the end it did not turn out quite as planned, alas c’est la vie.

Natalie and I went to the little town of El Tigre, just north of BSAS in the Delta region. There are three attractions to El Tigre, boat trips through the meandering rivers, the fruit and handicraft market, and Parque de la Costa, the amusement park. Well, the amusement park is only open on weekends and thus the town does not exist on weekdays. The area population goes from a mere 3,000 on weekdays up to 20,000 on weekends. Quite the ever changing ebb and flow of people. Fortunately, in my opinion, we went on a Wednesday. The town was blissfully quiet. The market was practically deserted. Conditions were prime for walking along the port and riverside to see natural river banks and abandoned boats from times past. It was amazing.

The highlight of the day was the boat ride back to BSAS through the Paraná River Delta. We barely witnessed a fraction of the delta’s 21.000 sq km area. The Paraná River Delta splits into several arms before flowing into Río de la Plata, the world’s widest river at just over a mile. In the delta the “road system” is actually a sinuous string of river paths between an endless number of islands. Except the closest islands where all the weekend/summer homes and resorts are, there is no power and none have a water system. However, from source to ocean, this river system remains unpolluted. Why then, many ask, is it completely choked with sediment? Well that is due to the natural laws of geomorphology, allowing healthy amounts of water and sediment transported out to sea.

The next leg of the journey was to San Antonio de Areco. I was only going for the day but I somehow made no preparations for this tiny gaucho village. I had the name of one gaucho museum and off I went.

All I can say is that it sometimes pays off to trust in providence.

Also departing the bus at the pretty little pampas village were Anne Brown, from Florida, and Wayne, from New York. They are both into their seventies yet are Tango partners. They come to BSAS and a place in Mexico each year to dance Tango and see shows. Being wonderful and friendly people they invited me to join a visit to the Museo Las Lilas de Areco, home of a part of the collection of artwork by Florencio Molina Campos. Alive 1891 to 1959, he is considered an extraordinary 20th century painter from the pampas of Argentina, who safeguarded the gaucho culture and heritage. He has a very stylized method and keen attention to detail in his depictions of gaucho life. He started started with sketches then onto paintings in the early 20’s and quickly became widely acclaimed. I liked how the horses had these long Roman noses, huge hooves, and large bugged-out eyes. And the gauchos (essentially pampas cowboys) had these almost grotesque expressions.

Well I had a wonderful afternoon. Anne and Wayne were incredible and they just scooped me up. They even treated me to lunch in the museum cafe. My favorite part was listening to them tell me all about the history, styles of dance, musicians and more. Not to mention discussions of our lives, with them bestowing their tried and true wisdom onto me. Such a delight. The reason this day goes to providence is because the museum which initially brought my to San Antonio de Areco was closed for renovations. Had I not met them or they not swooped me under theirs wings, I would never have known about the art museum and would have had a long day to only sit by the river. Despite this being a river adventure, I was fortunate to enjoy both.

Always continuing on, my next destination was Rosario, situated along the Río Paraná waterfront. I was there two-ish days but could have stayed longer. It is a city but has a familiar feel. Everyone is friendly and, I am told, very motivated for physical activities. While there, I enjoyed a bike tour around the city and a kayak trip along the river.

What I liked the most was that Rosario is a major port city, but a decade ago the government brilliantly decided to move the port to the south of the city. Urbanization is in action converting the once blocked off riverfront into running paths, parks, and apartments. Of particular entertainment to myself is the fact that incoming businesses are keeping the giant cement silo foundations. There is a brightly painted silo that is now the art museum; there are a couple sets of silo hotels; there is a club perched at the top of some silos; and who know what else they will utilize them for.

Another thing that caught my attention was the concept stencil graffiti, predominantly of bicycles, around the city. We rode past a government building with a brightly painted old-style bike tethered to the top of a light pole. It is to represent the Disappeared from the military dictatorship. The story behind is that when the first man was taken, there was an abandoned bicycle left in the street where he was last seen. This symbolism has been used since to represent the abductions of people who were taken by the military government. Despite being under a different government regime in the present, the March of the Mothers, which took place on the Plaza de Mayo in BSAS still has a following today. Each Thursday afternoon the Madres rally at the Plaza and march for their lost sons, husbands, and brothers.

Next stop, Santa Fe for a day. No providence for this one, I simply lacked foresight. I went for a day on a Sunday. The almighty day when everything is closed. Silly me. One excitement was that each Sunday they block off the main boulevard and turn it into a pedestrian fair. Mostly things were targeted at children activities, but it was nice to mosey along the pretty street down to the river front. I also went to the mall/casino which is built onto the old shipping piers. My day ended with a book under a tree in a beautiful park where old train station buildings still stand. Lovely.

Last stop, Colón, Entre Ríos, not to be mistaken by the 10 other Colóns… In true Huck fashion, I again had no plan and just went. I knew the river is stunning at Colón (concurred after I visited), what I did not know is that it is a resort town and all accommodation (at least right now in the off season) is incredibly expensive (when compared to my hostel-level budget). I rashly decided to stay only a day (literally just over 24 hours, middle of the night to middle of the night). Thus I was unable to tour the river, but I did the next best thing and went on a terrestrial excursion. The perk was the guide, Charlie Adamson. Argentinian native Scottish man, boarding schools in England, Sean Connery voiced, and a nice combination of rambunctiousness and eccentricity. Fantastic. Plus, I got to learn all about the native agates and jasper. The day ended with a sunset view along the river while rock hunting. What more could a girl ask for? I sat in a cafe sipping hot chocolate and reading until my bus was due to leave. I must say I enjoy that supper time starts at 22:00. Cafes and restaurants are conveniently open late.

At this point I am sure you have noticed that my river adventure petered out after El Tigre and Rosario. However, I think it only fitting in correspondence to Huck’s gradual evolution in the book. His adventures begin only in the river, then little by little they are more and more on land, until finally land comes to them and they are only on land. The river representing his vagrant lifestyle away from rules and civilization and land representing all the responsibilities Huck is running away from. Well I suppose I have already run my course for vagabondism, so it is only fitting that I started off already tied closely to the land. Regardless I enjoyed myself. And in the end I headed back to BSAS to await my final days until all of this ends and I return to the US of A.

Buenos Aires Love

14 April 2012

Of course, just in time to leave, I have fallen in love. Not with a person but with Buenos Aires. From my week there I have managed to fill a whole section of my journal, so I will try to stick to the highlights.

After my romantic get-a-way, I arrived in Buenos Aires (from here on BSAS) around 23:00 to find out it was Easter weekend and everything was booked full. Oops! It turned out in my benefit, however, because I found the Ritz Hotel. It is a corner building overlooking the intersection of the enormous, fourteen lane Avenida 9 de Julio (with a two lane road flanking either side to make a total of EIGHTEEN LANES!) and another major street Av. de Mayo. It is quite the busy place. It is actually the largest street in all of South America. An entire city block was taken out to make room for it all, and the roads to either side are the original streets. Despite this enormous size, it is always packed with busy vehicles. Well, the Ritz is a nice hotel but it also has dorms, so I stayed the whole week there. The lounge/lobby starts on the second floor, and my room, two floors above, had a balcony overlooking the chaos. It was nice. They had a decent breakfast and the lounge always had great music (usually chill or old jazz). Overlooking the whole scene is a skyscraper with the image of Eva Perón facing out both directions of Av 9 de Julio.
First, I toured around the Central District, as that is where I was staying. I headed down Av. de Mayo right to the Plaza de Mayo, the political center of Argentina where people come to express their opinions. It is the city´s first plaza, built 1580, and is symbolic of Argentina´s history. It was named for the 1810 May Revolution for the independence from Spain. It has survived the military bombings in 1955, witnessed the march of the Madres (Mothers) as they protested the disappearance of their sons, and is the site where spirited crowds cheered Evita on the balcony of Casa Rosada. The Casa Rosada is the presidential offices built in 1862. The name meaning Pink House, is a Renaissance-style palace and got it color from the use of ox blood to stain it red. This building is still used as the presidential offices, yet they give free tours every weekend and holiday. I even had the opportunity to enter the actual Presidential Office, where during the week only people with authorization and use of a fingerprint scanning machine can enter. Argentina´s current incumbent is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Yes, a woman. I also went onto the lower balcony to reenact Eva Perón pontificating to the crowd below. I felt a desire to break out in, “Don´t Cry For Me Argentina.” Madonna does have a striking resemblance to this national icon. Also free and just behind the Casa Rosada is the Museo del Bicentenario, which uses a variety of high-tech multi-media and technology to present the history of the city. It is located in the remaining foundations of the original port barricade. I thought this was interesting because the coastline has been extended a good half mile further out to sea, leaving the old port abandoned. Hence, my next visit to Puerto Madero, the century-long abandoned port which has been turned into apartments, a promenade, and elegant restaurants. This is notable because I visited the Buque Museo Fragata A.R.A. “Presidente Sarmiento,” an old training vessels for the Argentine navy. They removed all the missiles and other dangerous equipment and fixed up a few exhibits with information and photographs or maps, but essentially left the boat alone and allow visitors to freely explore all the way to the engine and furnace rooms. It was something right up my father´s alley with machinery and history. 🙂
My next adventure was to the Barrios of La Boca and San Telmo. I went to La Boca to see the Calle Caminito. It is lined with murals, statues, and colorfully-painted corrugated metal houses. Home to many artists´ studios, many of those artists dot the pedestrian walkway exhibiting their work. And why is all this important? Because this is the place where Tango dancers come to dance freely in the streets, allowing the general tourist to capture an elegant dance move with the picturesque background. It also contains many of the Tango night shows and typical parillada restaurants. Everything is almost too perfect in this little area. Tango dancers are attired in fantastic costumes and occasionally holding extravagant poses; also letting you get a picture in a pose for a small fee… While wandering towards San Telmo is stumbled upon La Bombonera (the chocolate box), home football stadium of the Boca Juniors. Caminitio is quite fantastic, but I must say that this luster is a bit masked by the utter horror of the neighborhood. Run down streets, abandoned cars, long term homeless corners, and people staring you down. When I passed the stadium a guy actually threw some kind of liquid at me from a truck window. I left as fast as my little legs could carry me and recommend everyone else take the bus. Ha. On the other hand, San Telmo was completely fantastic. It has a particular charm with cobble stoned streets, colorful cafes, numerous antique shops, and dancers in the Plaza Dorrego along Defensa Street while people dine outside on patio fronts. Very lovely. I went straight to Plaza Dorrego to catch some Tango action only to discover that the Feria San Telmo, the weekly craft market when dancers and Tango orchestras are aplenty, is only on Sundays. No matter, I will return.
That evening I met Natalie, 19, from Washington, and Dean, 24, from England, at my hostel. All fellow travelers and all traveling solo, we decided to check out the BSAS nightlife. We headed back to San Telmo and found a bar with a live band playing Reggae and Jazz. They were fantastic. Guitar, drums, keyboard, and trumpet/vocalist. Wow. Despite singing some of my favorite oldies, as well as some Spanish tunes, they did a Beatles song just for our little group. The best part, however, was that this all took place in an Egyptian-themed bar. Ha! Very seriously glammed-up with pharaohs, pyramids, palm trees, and desert scenes. It was like a built-up scene too, not just some fancy wallpaper. I loved it. Especially with the highly contrasting music that would have been more fitting of a 60´s back saloon. Well is was a fantastic evening of great music and good company. I was particularly keen of the keyboardist, he was really talented and could play lightening fast.
The following day was checking out BSAS´s “lungs.” I went to the Botanical Garden, BSAS Zoo, walked by the Japanese Garden, and then all along the parks in Barrio Recoleta. The Botanical Garden was my favorite, and I renamed it Cat Garden because they were everywhere slinking through the plants or basking in a sunny patch. They were really friendly and well-behaved cats too. I even saw a woman come in with cat food and water dishes. The garden is free to the public, has numerous benches all over, and contains plant varieties from all over the world. The only down fall was that the butterfly garden is not yet finished and I could not enter any of the green houses. No matter. I sat and read my book awhile. The BSAS Zoo was a little depressing. I only went on recommendation from Dean, only to learn later that he was talking about a different zoo…which I hope to visit on my return to BSAS. It was a quiet day, so at least I did not have to tear my way through gangs of sticky children. There was a large group of Jewish families there (BSAS has a very large population of traditional Jewish people from the 1920´s) who I particularly noted upon due to their overwhelming harassment of some animals. Specifically when they goaded the Old World Hamadryas baboons. It was very rude and they are lucky those baboons were securely caged or chaos would have ensued. There was a great variety of exotic animals, and Aaron would have hated how many large and numerous varieties of snakes were in the reptile house, but nothing seemed overly happy. My last stop was to have a long knowing look with an elephant. They are such majestic creatures. She had wrinkled skin and wise, knowing eyes. I wanted to climb into her cage and curl up in her tusk.
Last stop of the day was in Recoleta at the Centro Cultural. Recoleta is this fantastic Parisian-styled neighborhood. In front of the C.C. Recoleta in Plaza Francía, I ran across this anamorphosis conceptual display that was very interesting. Anamorphosis is where the image can only be viewed from a specific point of view. Step away from that point of view and the image does not make sense. The artist then advanced this method by creating two points of view within the same structure. Which I must admit would have been an incredible challenge to undertake, and I think he is one of the first people to do it in this manner. The front of the structure, showing the first point of view, is U.S. President Obama´s face with the inscription “HOPE” beneath. Then walking 90 degrees to the right reveals the second point of view. This side shows a manifestation of Wall Street with the inscription “HOPELESSNESS.” It is the two sides to U.S. government. In a single structure, his goal was to show two sides of a story. I really liked it.