Funny Argentine Store Names, Salta Edition

Move over, Home Depot. Ladies and gentlemen, I present your one-stop shop in Salta, Argentina for tools, electrical and plumbing supplies, appliances, and housewares.

Wait, I know what you're thinking…why's it called Gay Gas if it's actually a hardware store?

My best guess is that, in addition to their stunning array of picnic coolers, fans and hot water heaters, they probably provide compressed natural gas in cylinders for cooking and home heating in areas where public gas lines don't exist (a fairly common scenario in Argentina).

[Sorry, but if you need to hit up Gay Gas on a Sunday, you're out of luck.]

A big thanks to reader Jennifer Richardson, an American expat living in Salta in Northwest Argentina, for these photos!

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7 Super Shots: Adventures in Argentina

Lucky number 7 is at it again! Last year, I unearthed a few special posts for the My 7 Links challenge. This time, I'm taking part in the HostelBookers 7 Super Shots game to showcase some of my favorite photographs. I'm happy to find an excuse to share these photos from the archives, especially since a couple date to my pre-blogging days.

I dusted off these seven photos—all from my adventures in Argentina—for your consideration:

[1] A photo that…takes my breath away

[The Modesta Victoria docked at the entrance to the Bosque de Arrayanes, Patagonia]

Offering amazing vistas at every turn, the region of Patagonia in southern Argentina is, without a doubt, one of the most breathtaking places I've ever visited. On my most recent trip to Bariloche, I snapped this photo of the historic vessel Modesta Victoria, with the Andes Mountains rising majestically in the background. [View large]

[2] A photo that…makes me laugh or smile

[Near the beach in Necochea]

Daniel and I are driving along the coastal road just south of Necochea one evening when we happen upon this paisano riding toward us along a dusty trail. Daniel stops the car, and I politely ask the man if I may take his picture, trying to contain my excitement. Had he merely paused and allowed me to take his photo, I would have been content; however, with true gaucho flourish he signals to his horse to paw the ground, creating a swirl of dust about him. After I click the shutter, Daniel and I erupt in applause and thanks, and the gaucho continues along that same dirt path. [View large]

[3] A photo that…makes me dream

[Golden afternoon light reflected off the Río Quequén, Necochea]

I've seen the river near my home at all times of day and in all conditions, yet I find nothing more enchanting than the late afternoon when the sun's rays light up the pampas grass and lend a golden hue to the water. [View large]

[4] A photo that…makes me think

[Plaza del Congreso, Buenos Aires]

Privileged lawmakers sit inside the Argentine Congress located just steps away from where this man, down on his luck, sleeps on a park bench. [View large]

[5] A photo that…makes my mouth water

[Plaza Dardo Rocha, Necochea]

Each year, the city government of my adopted home of Necochea organizes an enormous asado (Argentine barbecue) in the main square to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the city. Chorizo sausages, huge slabs of beef and cross-cut ribs, and whole pigs are splayed out on large iron crosses, where they're left to cook for hours by a wood fire under the watchful eye of the asadores (barbecue pit masters). The meaty smokiness of the asado permeates your hair, your clothes, everything—but just one bite of that Argentine beef makes it all worthwhile. [View large]

[6] A photo that…tells a story

[Plaza Dardo Rocha, Necochea]

These two pit masters take a break for a round of mate and a smoke while minding the sizzling barbecue. They're sitting atop the massive pile of firewood needed to keep an enormous asado fueled for hours on end. [View large]

[7] A photo that…I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)

[View from Cerro Campanario, Bariloche]

A few years ago, National Geographic selected the view from Cerro Campanario in Bariloche, Patagonia as one of the top 10 most scenic views in the world. I'd say it's pretty damn stunning. [View large]

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So now I'm passing the torch to five other bloggers in the hopes that they too will post their 7 Super Shots. For rules and guidelines, click here.

Gabriel at Live from Waterloo
Ana at Ana Travels
Aledys at From Argentina to the Netherlands, For Love! 
The Thorny Rose at La Gringa 
Elizabeth at Fotos Eli

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I Love a Parade

October 12^th marked the 130^th anniversary of the founding of Necochea. Along with my chorus, Coro Alta Mira, I participated in the city's parade to celebrate this special date. This year, inclement weather forced the cancellation or postponement of a number of events, but fortunately, this colorful and chaotic display of civic pride went off without a hitch. Most of these photos were snapped before the parade got underway.

[Majorettes preparing to strut their stuff]

[Kids participating in a murga, a street dance troupe backed by percussion]

[Coro Alta Mira with our flags and banner for the Coraliada, the multi-day, international choral event that we organize annually in Necochea]

[Several colectividades (ethnic clubs and organizations) were represented including the Basques (left) and the Calabrians (right).]

And last but not least, it wouldn't be a parade without some gauchos!

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Vintage Gauchos

Every now and again I offer up some vintage goodness that I happen to find as I trawl the Internet. I recently stumbled upon this trove of vintage photos from the Witcomb Collection of the Archivo General de la Nación [Argentina's National Archives]. While the collection contains a number of fascinating images, I found myself particularly drawn to photographs from the late 1800s  that illustrate Argentina's gaucho culture.

Like the cowboys of the American West, there's a rugged romanticism attached to the gauchos and the rough-and-tumble lifestyle they led on the Argentine pampa. The images in this collection offer a glimpse into that world.

Most of the photographs featured below were taken by Argentine photographer Francisco Ayerza. An enthusiast at a time when methods were still crude and quite challenging, Ayerza's love of photography inspired him to establish the Sociedad Fotográfica Argentina de Aficionados, the country's first amateur photography club. According to the book Culture and Customs of Argentina, his "…goal was to record and preserve through photography the daily life of both the city and the rural areas. Ayerza took a particular interest in documenting the traditional life of the gaucho and of country folk in general."

We owe a debt of thanks to early photographers such as Ayerza for allowing us to indulge in a bit of time travel.[A stunning image of Ramón Tavieres, the gaucho who oversaw Estancia San Juan de Pereyra in the province of Buenos Aires]

[A payador—a gaucho minstrel of sorts—with his guitar]

[Music, asado and mate. In some ways, not much has changed since the 1860s.]

[Gauchos at work. The gaucho at the far left looks to be branding a horse, but it's tough to say what the paisano on the right is up to…]

[Gauchos being hauled off by the police. Is it my imagination, or does the man on the far left have a bloody rag tied around his head?]

[Relaxing by a pond. The dreamy reflections make this photo.]

[Just a reminder that gauchos occasionally turned their attention to something other than cows and horses.]

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On a Late Winter's Afternoon

On a late winter's afternoon, determined to fight the inertia brought on by the dreary weather, we pile into the car and head out to partake in Argentina's national pastime: drinking mate.

Down by the port in Quequén sits a squat little trailer painted robin's egg blue. It's one of those places that quietly says nothing at all. The owner, a petite, unassuming woman, serves customers in a cramped space no more than a few feet wide. At her back hang three shelves lined with neatly-arranged bags of yerba mate.

Although the faded chalkboard sign touts donuts, fried puff pastry filled with quince paste, and breaded, fried beef cutlets, we will not be distracted from our objective—churros. At this particular moment, there are no other customers at the stand, unless you count the dirty, black mutt waiting behind my mother-in-law Hilda.

Hilda returns with a mix of plain and dulce de leche-stuffed churros to accompany the mate. The aroma of freshly fried dough wafts up from the bag, filling the car.

We continue on to the Escollera Norte, the shorter of a pair of jetties signaling the entrance to the port. My father-in-law Tomás parks the car, angling the vehicle just so on the narrow jetty. In his easy manner, he jokes about us all going for a swim should he pull a bit too close to the edge.

There's a brief silence as we stop to take in the vast expanse of gray ocean before us. Six ships lie in the distance, mere specks on the horizon, each awaiting its turn to enter the port. The battered old dredge boat chugs past, performing its never-ending duty of removing sand and sediment from the mouth of the port.

Hilda prepares the mate slowly, methodically, just as she's done it thousands of times. Meanwhile, I can barely contain my urge to eat one of the churros. The mate begins to make its way around the circle, and the warmth of our conversation and laughter cuts through the dampness and chill in the air. Admittedly, I still haven't learned to appreciate the flavor of mate, especially when served amargo (without sugar) as it's offered today, but I no longer care about the taste. It's about sharing a moment together with my family.

A hardy-looking fellow appears alongside us on the jetty—fishing tackle in hand—hoping for a bite despite the unpleasant weather. He doesn't last long.

Fortified by the churros and a few rounds of mate, Tomás steps out of the car, daring to brave the elements for a few moments. I follow, camera in hand.

We both peer down over the edge of the jetty to observe the water, agitated and frothy, where it meets the enormous rocks below. I giggle as a trio of sea lions bobs up from the depths, and we find ourselves entertained by their antics for some minutes before they head out to sea.

A strange yet familiar haze hangs in the air today. Even when the sun manages to break free from the clouds, its brilliance is veiled, blotted out by the latest plume of volcanic ash belched forth by the Puyehue Volcano in Chile.

The cold breeze off the ocean whips my hair across my face and the camera lens, turning my quest for a few shots into something of a challenge. I finally admit total defeat when, a few minutes later, the camera battery unceremoniously dies. I happily beat a hasty retreat to the car for more chitchat, laughs, and of course, another round of mate.

What did you do this weekend?

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Buenos Aires: Merging Past and Present

Inspired by moving wartime images of Leningrad, Russia fused with present-day photos of the city, now known as Saint Petersburg, Argentines Gerardo Soloduja and Jorge Bosch decided to employ a similar technique with photographs of Buenos Aires landmarks. Gerardo, a graphic designer, and Jorge, a photojournalist, created their site Buenos Aires Simultánea [in Spanish] to showcase the modern images that they've meticulously superimposed over vintage ones culled from the city's archives. The stunning effect created allows the viewer to appreciate both past and present at the same time.

Gerardo kindly gave me permission to share the following photos on Seashells and Sunflowers. He also mentioned that he plans to update the site soon with new photos, so keep your eyes peeled for fresh images. Considerable photography and editing skills are required to produce photos like these. Enjoy!

[El Puente Blanco or Puente de los Enamorados // The White Bridge or Lovers' Bridge, El Rosedal]

Located in the picturesque public park known as El Rosedal, the White Bridge or Lovers' Bridge has served as a meeting place for generations of Buenos Aires residents. The bridge spans one of two manmade lakes found within the Bosques de Palermo, a 200-acre (80-hectare) green space that includes El Rosedal.

[Estación Constitución // Constitution Railway Station]

Built by the British-owned company Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, the original terminal at Plaza Constitución was inaugurated in 1865. The present-day station, completed in the early1930s, features an impressive concourse – one of the largest in the world. Constitution Station once linked the city of Buenos Aires with Necochea and Quequén, bringing trainloads of tourists from the capital to enjoy the area's beaches in summer. Today, the rail line extends no farther than Mar del Plata, 78 miles (125 km) north of Necochea.

[Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires // Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires]

Argentina's most important Catholic church, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires, occupies a corner of the Plaza de Mayo, in the city's historic center. First erected in 1622, the cathedral has been rebuilt several times over the centuries. The current neoclassical façade – more reminiscent of a Greek temple than a Catholic church – was completed in 1862.

[Photo credits: All images used with the permission of Gerardo Soloduja of Buenos Aires Simultánea]

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Patagonia From My Window

I'll wrap up my series of posts about Patagonia with images instead of words. Let's look out the window of the bus as the scenery rolls past. Goodbye for now, Bariloche.

[Near El Anfiteatro (The Amphitheater)]

[Poplar trees (álamos) lined up along the Río Limay]

[This photo and the following two feature Valle Encantado (Enchanted Valley), an area dotted by volcanic rock formations, located about 40 miles northeast of Bariloche along the Río Limay.]

[This photo and the last one show rock formations visible from the highway in the small town of Piedra del Águila.]

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Enjoy the previous posts in my Patagonia series:
Back from the Wilds of Northern Patagonia
Bariloche: Circuito Chico and Cerro Catedral
Bariloche: Lago Moreno, Bosque de Arrayanes and Isla Victoria
Bariloche: Cascada Los Alerces and Cerro Tronador
Lakes Crossing: Bariloche to Puerto Varas
Exploring Puerto Varas, Chile
Bariloche: Cerro Otto

Visit my Patagonia sets here and here for more photos on Flickr.

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Bariloche: Cerro Otto

With just one morning left to enjoy the town of Bariloche and its surroundings, my travel companions and I opted to visit the nearby peak known as Cerro Otto.

Cerro Otto (4610 ft./1405 m) is named for Otto Goedecke, one of the first European settlers in this area. Goedecke, originally from Germany, arrived in Bariloche in 1892 and settled on roughly 600 acres (250 hectares) at the foot of the mountain that would later bear his name. He raised numerous crops and animals on his land until his untimely death in the 1920s, when he was murdered at the hands of an apple thief. Learn more about Cerro Otto and its namesake [link in Spanish].

In 1930, Goedecke's countryman Otto Meiling made Cerro Otto his home. Meiling – a nature-lover, skiing enthusiast, and something of a hermit – lived up on the mountain, strapping on his cross-country skis in winter whenever he needed to go into town. He built both his home and a mountaineering shelter, Refugio Berghof [link in Spanish], on the slopes of Cerro Otto. The mountain played host to the first ski school in South America, where Meiling gave classes and hand manufactured skis.

We took the easy way out and ascended Cerro Otto aboard aerial cable cars made, not so surprisingly, in Austria. In just 12 minutes, we were whisked from the foot of the mountain to its summit, enjoying a wide-open view of Lago Nahuel Huapi and the city of Bariloche below.

[View of Cerro Otto from the base of the mountain]

[Vince, my stepdad, enjoying the aerial cable car ride]

As we stood admiring the view and trying to do it justice through the lenses of our cameras, we noticed a group busily arranging some sort of lines and parachutes. Some minutes later, as a pair leapt off the face of the mountain into the wide expanse of nothingness, we realized that they were tandem paragliders.

[Lago Nahuel Huapi from atop Cerro Otto]

[Here's where my sister Marianna and I pretend to fall off the mountain (moments of silliness are important, you know). The imposing ridgeline of the mountain behind us belongs to Cerro Catedral.]

There's actually quite a bit to do up there on the mountain besides jumping off of it. Cerro Otto offers hiking trails, mountain biking, and horseback riding; cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in winter; a revolving café with 360º views of the breathtaking landscape; and even a modest art gallery. Since we were pressed for time, we didn't take advantage of any of the outdoor activities, although I did hike the trails with Daniel when I visited previously.

[Cerro Tronador (the snow-capped peak) visible in the distance]

[Click here to enlarge this panoramic photo taken from Cerro Otto.]

It's a well-known fact that the mountain air makes you hungry, so we claimed a table in the revolving café to continue enjoying the view while tucking into our final meal of the trip. [Check out this cool time-lapse video taken from the revolving café.] A few spins in the café and one sandwich de milanesa later, I packed up my camera and said goodbye to Bariloche…and my family.

[Time to head back down the mountain]

View photos of my previous visit to Cerro Otto with Daniel in 2008.

Next up…the final installment: Patagonia From My Window

[Patagonia Series: Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6]

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