Bulletins From BA #35

Bulletins From BA #35

09 septiembre 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

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  “Iguazu”  “Bariloche”

Another pair of visiting female friends, another opportunity to visit exotic locales on “La Lista.” Making the most of a short time, and with the assistance of our ever-reliable travel agent, we intrepidly sallied forth.

Parque Nacional Iguazú - Iguazú Falls is located on the Argentine border with Brazil, where the Iguazú River tumbles over the edge of the Paraná Plateau, resulting in a profusion of cataracts that altogether create one of the world’s más magnífico espectáculos de agua. We spent one day touring, led by an excellent local guide and in the company of a dozen members of a Syrian family. The late winter weather was perfect (zero bugz) and the parque relatively uncrowded.

[Turista Sidebar - If one has an extra day to linger in the area, it is common practice to cross the frontier to the Brazilian side, where a more panoramic view awaits. Another time, perhaps.]

Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi - San Carlos de Bariloche is a small city located on Lago Nahuel Huapi, in the foothills of the Andes near the Chilean border. The city itself is uninspiring, but the surrounding area is beautiful and a huge tourist mecca. Because we rented a cabin and a car, we were largely able to avoid the busloads of teenagers dressed in hideous parkas looking for ever-decreasing skiing/snowboarding opportunities. Highlights of our days there included:

- Llao Llao, located in the parque, is one of the world’s great hotels. Very posh, very picturesque, very ruling class. We breezed in for an excellent buffet lunch and the concurrent informal fashion show, featuring expensively upholstered ladies and their shlubby husbands.

- Villa La Angostura is a lovely small town roughly 100 km on the other side of the lake from our cabin. The drive is splendid (once you clear the endless speed bumps in Bariloche) and the views spectacular.

- Trucha, that is, trout. Smoked to perfection. (The Bariloche area is also very popular with fishermen.) We provisioned at a local shoppe and, on our last evening, dined on trout ravioli in almond sauce at a lakeside eatery. Rest assured, these fish did not die in vain.

From Bariloche, our friends continued on to El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier (“Bulletins From BA #13”) while A.J. and I flew home. Upon their return to Buenos Aires, they had just two more nights in BA, so we decided to kick it out, pony up the big bucks, and go to a Tango Show.

- La Ventana was recommended to us by an expat friend from Los Angeles who is an accomplished tango dancer. The tango industry is huge, raking in mucho dinero and supporting hundreds of musicians, dancers, and others. We decided on dinner and a show and it was pretty much what we expected: Expensive, but nice atmosphere, decent food, and a production that featured talented performers and a not unreasonable quantity of cheesiness. In short, un espectáculo para turistas. The musicians and dancers (one couple in particular) were very skilled and occasionally looked like they were actually enjoying themselves.

And then our friends were off, one to England and the other to the U.S., with promises to visit us at our next foreign posting. Meanwhile “La Lista” is down to two places (for me, anyway): Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina, aka “Fin del Mundo.” The end of the world.

¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #34

Bulletins From BA #34

21 agosto 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

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  “El Ombú”

Incredibly, A.J. and I are two-thirds through our Argentine posting. Which, of course, means that we need to get cracking if we’re going to complete “The List.” Which, of course, we won’t. But we’re giving it our best shot.

Having invitados (houseguests) helps, since they are less fascinated with where you shop, except for ice cream, and more inclined toward adventurous pursuits. Last week, Anne’s niece and a friend, both students at Tulane University, came to visit. We took to calling them “Las Chicas Guapas” and they were terrific. Once we had set them up with pesos (at an excellent exchange rate), a local cell phone (just in case), bus passes, and a house key, they were off and running, often literally. And we used their visit as an opportunity to at last visit one of the local estancias.

El Ombú de Areco is near San Antonio de Areco, a lovely town and “birthplace of the gaucho tradition.” This estancia is very popular with overnight guests as well as day trippers who come to ride horses and enjoy the al fresco lunchtime asado (Argentine barbeque). We had perfect spring weather for our stay: Fine and dry with highs around 24 C (75 F). Unsettlingly warm for the dead of winter, but absolutely delightful.

[Sidebar - El sitio web de estancia (www.estanciaelombu.com) es muy informativo.]

Horseback riding figures prominently at El Ombú, which is tricky for me, as I am supremely uncomfortable in the saddle. Fortunately, I drew a large, muy tranquilo beast who knew exactly where to go and was wholly indifferent to my attempts to exercise any semblance of authority. An understanding thus reached, we enjoyed a long and perfectly picturesque amble across the pampas, with gauchos leading the way.

[Gaucho Sidebar - Two hombres of particular note: Oscar is 73 and has been a working gaucho all his life. He also plays the guitar and sings traditional songs for the tourists at lunch. (And I have a CD to prove it.) His nephew José, in addition to being a wrangler, is a “susurraba a los caballos” (horse whisperer) whom A.J. asserts looks like what Bruce Springsteen would be if only he were a gaucho. Muy guapo.]

This proved to be sufficient equine activity to tide me over for the foreseeable future, so I spent most of my non-eating time either taking photoz or lying on a couch on the veranda, luxuriating in the breeze and listening to approximately a million parakeets yack it up in the trees. Bliss.

Along with fresh air, free-range beef, and impressive quantities of easily avoidable horse poop, El Ombú offers an opportunity to contemplate the night sky away from the lights of Buenos Aires. We had glorious views of the Milky Way and the southern constellations, including the Southern Cross. It is humbling to contemplate such immensity and grandeur and regrettable to realize that we have become so apart from it.

We are so small.

But now we are back in BA, Las Chicas are home safe and/or sound, and we are preparing for our next guests, two women friends who also came to visit us when we lived in Ghana. No problema: “The List” awaits.

¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #33

Bulletins From BA #33

10 julio 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

World Cup Report #6 - The Final

Germany

As I watched the Germans unimaginably annihilate Brazil 7-1 in the Semi-Finals, I felt a profound sense of sadness. It is a fact that A Seleção helped bring this catastrophe upon themselves as a result of their Phyrric win over Colombia. But no team, no nation, deserves this level of humiliation, not in the World Cup. When it comes to fútbol, I have neither particular regard for nor animus toward Brazil, and I did pick Die Mannschaft to win. But this was astonishingly painful.

[Sidebar - The tragedy is so epic that this particular match has been given its own moniker: “Mineiraço,” from the name of the stadium where it took place, the Mineirão. It translates, más o menos, as “The bad thing from Mineirão.” In Brazil, Mineiraço has seemingly precipitated a national crisis, the repercussions of which could be of actual consequence.]

When the beat down was complete, I heard scattered cheering on the street below our Buenos Aires apartment. Understandable, since Brazil is Argentina’s historically despised South American fútbol rival. But such schadenfreude is seriously shortsighted. (Sorry.) Brazil was always going to be vulnerable in this World Cup and, in my opinion, no one in their right mind would rather play against an awesome German team in the Final.

Argentina

Yet another night of high drama. After 120+ scoreless minutes in which two comparably talented teams played strong defense and elected to spend a significant quantity of their time on offense chewing up the middle of the field (with an occasional flurry of activity somewhere in the vicinity of a net), it all came down to penalty kicks. Now, I loathe the whole idea of penalty kicks being the final determinant at this stage of competition, but them’s the rules. So, Argentina prevailed over The Netherlands and is headed to their first Final in 24 years.

Naturally, the whole country is going bonkers, with noisy celebrations in the streets. (Some of us even have vuvuzelas.) And Buenos Aires is currently the best city in which to live in the whole wide world. At least until Sunday.

Preference: ¿Tienes que preguntar? ¡Viva Argentina!

Prediction: We had the good fortune to live in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup and when it concluded, I predicted that Germany would win in 2014. Really. It will be difficult, though not impossible, for La Albiceleste to win this thing, but they have to play to their utmost if they are to stand a chance. If, however, the Germans are anything like as sharp against Argentina as they were against Brazil, they should hoist the Cup for the 4^th time.

2014 World Cup Champion: Germany

But I could be wrong, and that would be just dandy.

[Sidebar - Brazil will take on The Netherlands in the Consolation Match and I hope they win. This is a decent shot at a measure of redemption and an opportunity to salvage something from the wreckage of Mineiraço.]

¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #32

Bulletins From BA #32

06 julio 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

World Cup Report #5 - Más Conjetura: Semi-Finals Edition

- Brazil vs. Germany

Preference: The Brazil-Colombia match devolved into a horror show (54 fouls) thanks to an apparent Brazilian decision to abandon any pretense of “O Jogo Bonito” (“The Beautiful Game”) in favor of a hyper-aggressive game plan. This, predictably, resulted in an escalation of violence, exacerbated in no small measure by the referee’s unbelievable lack of control of the match. Germany is tough, but they generally avoid viciousness. I prefer their game.

Prediction: The Brazil side, “A Seleção” (”The Selection”), face the Semi-Finals without their captain (two yellow cards) and their star striker (broken vertebra; the result of a challenge that bordered on assault). Home team or not, the odds that they will prevail are now pretty long. Germany should move on to the Finals.

- Argentina vs. The Netherlands

Preference: Lionel Messi was double-teamed and mortal, but Argentina did manage one goal (although they should have had two) against Belgium. So, La Albiceleste continue to underachieve their way through the tournament, with high drama being the order of the day, as seems congruous with the Argentine temperament. Buenos Aires is a great place to be a sports fan these days.

Prediction: Having failed to score a goal in 120 minutes against prohibitive underdog Costa Rica (despite being on offense most of the game), the Netherlands needed penalty kicks for the win. “Clockwork Orange” is definitely beatable, and if Argentina brings it’s A game, we can reach the Finals. Sí se puede.

Predicted Finals Matchup

Germany vs. Argentina

¡Adelante!

Rodger

Bulletins From BA #31

Bulletins From BA #31

03 julio 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

World Cup Report #4 - Más half-baked opinions and debatable observations.

Helpful Suggestions to Improve the Sport - Is it possible to do something about players who habitually flop? It’s not like they’re always stealthy about it. Hell, the powers that be know the identities of recidivists whose default mode is to chew up the scenery whenever they feel a passing breeze. True, a yellow card is occasionally given; but refs still continue to be taken in, often with catastrophic results. Just ask Mexico.

Fútbol is played on something like 2.5 acres of real estate, with only a single referee. Purists will howl in disagreement (as they should), but I think the game, especially as played at the highest levels, is often just too fast-paced for one referee to manage. (Case in point, the ref in the Uruguay/Italy game totally missed “The Bite.”) In my opinion, adding a second “zebra” (as they’re known in the States) merits consideration.

Speaking of aiding referees, it is worth noting that new goal-line technology being employed for the first time in World Cup competition seems to be working well. I have one further suggestion. If a player uses his hands to block an opponent’s goal, treat it like goaltending in basketball: The shot automatically counts, with no ensuing penalty kick. In addition, the defender is issued a red card, with all attendant bad mojo. I call this “The Hand of Suárez Rule.”

Do I Have To Say His Name? - Sí, sí, Lionel Messi, aka “La Pulga” (“The Flea”). The best passer in the world and our next Argentine candidate for sainthood.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S… Oh. - “The Yanks” (unofficial nickname) gave it their best, but fell victim to one of the immutable truths of fútbol: No goalie, no matter how good (and Tim Howard is brilliant), can compensate indefinitely for lack of offense.

International Relations - An Argentine friend asked me to explain what’s with FOX News and assorted right-wing idiots (Sí, redundante), and their fatuous blather about how fútbol and the World Cup are “un-American.” I posited that this phenomenon was simply an example of bad - make that pathetic - performance art, designed to troll for attention and gull any rubes stupid enough to buy into it. That clarified the matter to his satisfaction.

Unsolicited Conjecture - Fun Fact: For the first time ever, all eight group winners have made it through to the Quarter-Finals. Alrighty, here we go.

- France vs. Germany

Preference: I find myself agnostic about this match. I like the way the Germans play, but have no particular animus toward “Les Bleus.”

Prediction: Sticking with Germany, aka “Die Mannschaft.”

- Brazil vs. Columbia

Preference: The Columbians are called “Los Cafeteros,” which means, más o menos, “one who makes or drinks coffee.” How cool is that.

Prediction: Although Brazil has the host country edge, I rate this match a toss-up (like I know what I’m talking about) and pick Columbia for the upset.

- Argentina vs. Belgium

Preference: I quite like the Belgians, but I have to root for Messi and the home boyz.

Prediction: Close, but Argentina should win. They had better.

- Netherlands vs. Costa Rica

Preference: Costa Rica is everyone’s Cinderella team, including mine.

Prediction: The Netherlands “Oranje” are big, bad, and prone to engage in thuggish behavior. And I am seriously considering transferring my curse from the head of Luis Suárez to that of Dutch winger and überflopmeister Arjen Robben. But even that probably wouldn’t be enough.

Predicted Semi-Finals Matchups

Columbia vs. Germany

Argentina vs. The Netherlands

Vamos a ver. ¡Adelante!

Rodger