Bulletins From BA #26

Bulletins From BA #26

02 junio 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

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  “Cusco/Machu Picchu”

Like most expats, A.J. and I create “The List” of the places we want to visit while we’re posted to a particular country. And, with careful planning and a bit of luck, we make it to… oh, maybe two-thirds of them. But there are places of such significance that visiting them is simply not optional. Places such as Machu Picchu in Peru.

Día Uno - Up at a (typically) ridiculous hour to catch the flight from Buenos Aires to Cusco, via Lima. The sun is contemplating rising, the traffic is surrealistically sparce… and the baggage handlers are out on strike. Again. So, instead of arriving in Cusco with time to spare for self-guided exploration, we get there late, exhausted, and dealing with the possibility of soroche (altitude sickness), Cusco being at an elevation of 3400 m/11,200 ft. Forget touristing. We have some soup at the hotel and go to bed.

[Demographic Sidebar - We are a small tour group of 13 Embassy folks, consisting of nine adults: One single and two couples, and two additional couples, each with two niños (two three-year olds, a toddler, and a baby). Alright, then.]

Día Dos - Somewhat recovered, we begin our day by visiting various sites near Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire. These include Saqsayhuaman (a walled complex overlooking the city), Tambomachay (which features a series of aqueducts and canals), Pukapukara (a military outpost), and Q’enqo (thought to be a place of sacrifice and mummification).

After a brief lunch break, we continued the tour in the city itself, beginning with a visit to Qorikancha, built in the mid-15^th century and once the most important temple of the Inca Empire. Splendid beyond measure, it was inevitably stripped of its gold by the Spanish, who then erected the Convento de Santo Domingo, demolishing the temple and using its foundations for the church.

[Construction Sidebar - Incan masons, utilizing only stone tools and no mortar, left an astounding legacy that may be seen in many locations. But the foundation walls at Qorikancha defy belief. As I put my hands on them and ran my fingers along the joints between the enormous stones, I felt I was in the presence of perfection.]

Our day’s peregrinations continued with a visit to Barrio de San Blas, a district of artisans, workshops, and old Spanish houses built on Inca foundations, with steep hills and narrow streets designed for llamas, not taxis. We concluded at Plaza de Armas in the historic center of Cusco, and the Catedral Basílica de la Virgen de la Asunción, an imposing edifice and HQ for the Archdiocese of Cusco. Interesting though it was, by this time we were some weary tourists in need of sustenance.

Opting to stay close to the hotel, we ended up at a place called La Cusqueñita, which featured a buffet. (Peruvian food is, in my opinion, one of the world’s great cuisines. Even the buffets are worthwhile.) Unbeknownst to us, the restaurant also featured a floorshow with a band, dancers, and people in colorful masks mixing it up with unsuspecting diners. It was great fun, especially for the three year-olds in our gang.

Continuará en Bulletins From BA #27: Excursión a Machu Pichu.

Gracias.

Bulletins From BA #25

Bulletins From BA #25

12 marzo 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

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  “Gardel”

Autumn has arrived in Buenos Aires and the weather is, as they say on the BBC, “dry and fine.” A.J. is on the road almost constantly for a few weeks, so when she has a weekend at home, we try to take advantage by picking out a local destination and setting forth. Recently, one of our modest peregrinations took us to the barrio once home to the most influential musician in Argentine history: Carlos Gardel.

We had previously visited Gardel’s resting place in el Cementerio de la Chacarita (Bulletins From BA #15). His home, Museo Casa Carlos Gardel, which he shared with his mother until his death in 1935, is now a museum. The building itself is a very nice, very typical home of its time; two stories with a narrow street front and a courtyard. Naturally, it is packed with recuerdos (memorabilia) de Gardel. Having read considerably about the man and learned to play several of his compositions, I was enchanted.

[Transportation Sidebar - Slightly less enchanting, but worthwhile nonetheless, was the ride from our barrio (Palermo Viejo) to Gardels’s (Abasto). Foregoing taxis, we elected to take the #41 colectivo (bus), utilizing our snappy SUBE cards, normally reserved for distinguished guests. It was a perfectly unremarkable ride, although - typically - the bus stop where we needed to embark was not where the map indicated.]

We then meandered along neighborhood streets (with images of “Carlito” everywhere) until we arrived at Abasto de Buenos Aires, an impossibly grand shopping mall. Opened in 1893, this magnificent structure served as the city’s central wholesale fruit and vegetable market until 1984, when it was abandoned. Fortunately, in 1997 George Soros bought it and invested two million bucks in restoration. The stores are the standard, mostly boring shoppes found in other large malls, but the building itself is wonderful and worth the trip.

[Culinary Sidebar - Abasto de Buenos Aires also houses the largest food court I have ever had the privilege/necessity to visit. We had pizza. It was surprisingly acceptable.]

Electing to stroll in the general direction of homeward, Anne and I stumbled upon a small gem: Museo Casa Ricardo Rojas. Señor Rojas (1882-1957) was a hugely influential writer, educator, journalist, and man of letters. The house, designed in the 1920s by architect Ángel Guido, is somewhat exotic when viewed from the street. But it reveals itself as, quite literally, something from another era when one enters.

Incorporating design elements both Spanish and northern Argentine (Rojas was born in Tucumán), la casa features courtyards and colonnades, a library and study both filled with books, and a functioning music salon. Buenos Aires is full of unexpected treasures and we were fortunate to have come upon this one.

All this serendipity had taken its toll and we found ourselves in need of an afternoon pick-me-up. And, unusually, we had an actual destination in mind: Un Café Con Perón, located in a restored building that was once part of the Presidential Residence of Juan and Eva Perón. This place is a shrine to Peronismo (the Argentine political movement based on Perón’s legacy) and features photographs, books, and recuerdos. Also noted: A life-size statue of Presidente Perón sitting at a table enjoying his café de la tarde.

And then, home. All in all, it was a fine day out. Not bad for a couple of Porteños temporalis.

¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #24

Bulletins From BA #24

03 marzo 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

[Rant Alert - Opinions expressed herein are fully half-baked and entirely my own.]

The U.S. mission in Buenos Aires has been without an ambassador since the 4^th of July - eight months. Considering that Argentina is one of the largest nations, both geographically and economically, in Latin America, this seems an immoderately long interval. To the surprise of approximately no one, the fault lies squarely with the U. S. Congress.

President Obama nominated David Mamet, a political appointee (and campaign fundraiser), to the position on 01 August 2013. But since Congress apparently (a) had more important work to attend to (e.g., shutting down the government), and (b) doesn’t give a culo de una rata about Argentina anyway, Mamet did not receive his hearing until 07 February 2014 - six months later. At the moment, no one seems to know when his nomination will finally come up for a Senate vote. Fortunately, in the interim, our dauntless Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) has assumed the duties of Chargé d'affaires, and matters of state continue to be dealt with in reasonable order.

There is no doubt an important discussion to be had concerning ambassadorial appointments and the appropriate balance between career Foreign Service Officers and political appointees. Anne and I have previously served with ambassadors from each category, women and men who filled their roles capably. And yet, at the recently concluded Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the principle objection advanced by Senators Menendez (D-Contrary) and Rubio (R-Lackey) was that Mr. Mamet has never actually visited Argentina.

What posturing nonsense. Visitation may well be a plus, but if it is to be a requisite criterion, the President might theoretically be better served by nominating one of the several Congresscritters who routinely engage in junkets here, conducting “official business” on the taxpayers’ dime. For although reactionary legislators and the courtier media seem inclined to portray Argentina as an authoritarian, anti-capitalist hellscape on the road to perdition in the company of Venezuela and Cuba, the fact is that, for all its frustrations, challenges, and shortcomings (admittedly considerable), Argentina is a perfectly decent place to visit and live.

[Sidebar - As long as we’re on the subject, I submit that it takes a lot of damned gall for members (especially GOP) of the most feckless, unproductive, and disrespected Congress in U.S. history to presume to lecture anyone concerning sound economic policy or good governance.]

But back to the matter at hand. My crackerjack opinion, for what it’s worth, is that the next ambassador to Argentina should meet these minimal qualifications:

- Speak at least tolerably fluent español

- Be a good listener and a quick study

- Evince an affinity for schmoozing

And if he/she has heretofore managed to visit the country, excelente. If not, no hay problema. We’ll be happy to show ‘em around.

Gracias por su indulgencia. ¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #23

Bulletins From BA #23

15 febrero 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

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“Ecuador”

Excursión a Ecuador (continuación)

Día Seis - My taxista Raoul picked me up at the crack of 10:00 and we set out on a turístico trifecta. First stop: El Panecillo, a “hill” (3016 m, 9895 ft) on the south side of Quito. The vistas, as you might expect, are sweeping and stunning. Even better, there is a giant (45m, 148 ft) aluminum statue of “The Woman of the Apocalypse,” a Madonna variation from the hallucinatory Book of Revelation. The statue is on a commodious pedestal that you may enter to obtain an even more stunning/sweeping view.

Next up: La Plaza de San Francisco, a major public square in Old Town. The plaza faces La Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco, a complex that dates to the 16^th century. Since I had some commerce to attend to, I was not long exploring; although I did note that the church, while suitably grand, looked somewhat worn and in need of attention. The place was packed for Mass, so out of respect (and a nearly total ignorance of Catholic rituals), I ambled while the congregation sat, and stood in silence when they rose. No one seemed to notice.

Final destination: La Basílica de Voto Nacional, the largest neo-Gothic church in the Americans. It is an imposing edifice, as befits its architectural heritage. Construction began in 1887, but since actual completion is rumored to herald the end of the world, no one seems in a hurry to technically “finish” the project.

The church has the requisite vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses, and stained glass, and the gargoyles adorning the exterior are fashioned to represent indigenous animals, e.g., armadillos, turtles, and pumas. But the coolest feature of La Basílica is that you can climb all the way to the tiptop of the main tower for yet another stunning view of la ciudad. The ascent is steep and not for the acrophobic. Fortunately, my years of scrambling on shipboard ladders (in the Navy, there are no “stairs”) paid off. It was a terrific way to end my tour of Quito.

Día Siete - For our final day in Ecuador, A.J. and I elected to join a smallish bus tour for an excursion to the sabado (Saturday) market in Otavalo, reputedly the largest textile market in South America. Naturally, there were a few roadside attractions:

Calderon - A town famous for artistic items made from a (decidedly inedible) flour-based marzipan.

Guayllabamba - A roadside stop to sample the cherimoya fruit, a (decidedly edible) pre-Incan favourite.

Cayambe - Specifically, Mira Lago Parador Touristico, located on Lago San Pablo at the base of Imbabura volcano. Muy picturesque. Here we took onboard a young woman who sang songs beautifully in Kichwa, a widely spoken local dialect.

[Horticultural Sidebar - One of the major industries in Cayambe is the cultivation of roses, gazillions of them, primarily for export.]

Otavalo - The textile market, situated in the Plaza de Los Ponchos, is moderately overwhelming. The vendors are constantly hustling the gringos, though not to excess, and we purchased a few very nice pieces at precios (prices) muy razonables.

Cotacachi - Lunch & Leather. Great Ecuadorian food and fairly high-end leather shops. A charming pequeño pueblo.

Cayambe - Specifically, “La Mitad Del Mundo” (“The Middle of the World”). Or, less prosaically, the Equator. Naturally, many goofy tourist photos were taken. (Incidentally, the story of the French Geodesic Mission and the search for the Equator is altogether fascinating.)

Día Ocho - Up at 03:00 for the return flight to Buenos Aires. The plane was packed, including families returning from vacaciones with their screaming children. But after navigating the customary confusions of Ezeiza International Airport, we and our tourist memorabilia made it home in good order. Nuestro viaje a Ecuador fue un gran éxito. (Our trip to Ecuador was a great success.)

Gracias por su indulgencia. ¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #22

Bulletins From BA #22

13 febrero 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

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“Ecuador”

Excursión a Ecuador (continuación)

Día Tres - Next up: Cuenca (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuenca,Ecuador), a three-hour thrill ride from Loja in a rented car driven at very high speed. The mountain scenery is spectacular and varies considerably, from lush greenery to desert cactus, depending on altitude. Regrettably, we couldn’t stop for photos, as that would have been suicidal. (I wish I had a picture of the young hombre on the roadside leading three sheep on a leash while reading a book. Or a smart phone… hard to tell.)

Upon arriving in Cuenca, we repaired to the Hotel Crespo on Calle Larga. I love this place: lots of aged wood, great art on the walls, and the best trout I have ever eaten. A.J. had an appointment, so I took time to walk about and tend to a commercial matter, to wit, a hat.

And not just any sombrero. I was in the market for a genuine, real deal, Made-in-Cuenca Panama hat. After strolling around the town and spending some time in the Nueva Catedral de Cuenca (one of the most ethereal places I’ve ever encountered), I arrived at my destination: Barranco’s Panama Hat Factory, a family-owned operation since 1942. Now, it is possible to spend a small fortune on one of these things, but I opted for a $45 custom-made, natural color fedora with a brown band. Sharp. Very. Sharp.

[Sociological Sidebar - Practically the only people sporting Panama hats are gringos. Like me. It’s very interesting. Some estadounidense (“Americans”) come to settle in Cuenca, it being a relatively inexpensive, eco-friendly place to live and/or start a business. Others come because it is cheaper to retire and live in “Gringolandia,” where you can save money and pretend you’re in the U.S. We heard tales of estadounidense being quite snotty with the locals, a violation of my personal First Rule of Diplomacy: Show some damned respect.]

Following dinner with the local BNC director at a restaurant located in the basement of a convent, our host escorted us on an evening drive around Cuenca, taking us past many of the area’s 52 churches, including one with a spectacular panoramic view. Cuenca is a lovely place and we wish we could’ve stayed another day or two.

Día Cuatro - Our return flight from Cuenca to Quito was scheduled for early afternoon, so we spent the morning visiting the Museo del Banco Central, that included pre-Columbian, colonial, and contemporary art as well as excellent ethnographic exhibits of Ecuadorean indigenous cultures. Behind the building are the Pumapungo ruins, the remaining foundations of a once great Incan city. Then it was off to the airport.

Travel Summary (short, but brief): Three hour flight delay due to mechanical (not volcanic) trouble, followed by an actual 35-minutes in the air, followed by a 90-minute slog in rush hour traffic to our hotel. Eat, crash, burn.

Día Cinco - Anne was up and off to Embassy Quito early, leaving me to my own devices. Fortuitously, I hooked up with a muy agradable taxi driver named Raoul and arranged a trip to Fundación Guayasamín (www.guayasamin.org), a complex dedicated to the works of Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919-1999), the Ecuadorian painter, sculptor, art collector, and national treasure. Guayasamín was both prodigious and prolific and he left a hell of a legacy.

Two buildings perch high on a hillside overlooking Quito: La Capilla del Hombre, where his large paintings and sculptures are exhibited, and his former home, La Casa Museo Guayasamín, which houses his extensive collections of religious, pre-Columbian, and other art, as well as his studio, where two paintings still stand unfinished. If you ever visit Quito, do not fail to visit this amazing place.

Continuará en Bulletins From BA #23.

Gracias.