The Barefoot Gaucho

…was obviously the idea I was going for when I showed up for the horseback riding and not well received by the real gaucho, Maceo who asked if I knew how to get on a horse, let alone ride one. We had been informed (incorrectly) by the owner of our hostel that we could “gallop, go off trail, or do whatever we want.” I received an angry scolding from Maceo after galloping off for a hundred yards down the beach (I mean, how often are you presented with a wide open stretch of Uruguayan beach on horseback?).

After talking to the girls, they said it was a machismo thing, as he had been complaining about how he was the real gaucho and these were his horses and we should all follow him, not some gringo who didn’t even bring shoes. Threatening his masculinity was not my M.O. so I relented and followed Maceo for the rest of the trip. We went across the Valizas “desert” to the nearby Cabo Polonia, a beautiful cape with a classic lighthouse. We had so much fun riding through the dunes and on beach I almost forgot it was Thanksgiving. All the restaurants in town were closed so we ended up with a nice pasta dinner with Uruguayan Malbec and of course, lots of yerba maté.

PS. I can’t begin to describe how beautiful and quiet it is out here on the Eastern coast of Uruguay. We’ve managed to preempt the tourist season here, so we are the only ones in town. Even moments when foul weather has rolled in have presented an epic, magical ambiance. This is one place I will absolutely return to.

Seattle/Sports Diplomacy/Latin America

If I had a Google news alert set for the above, this would probably be the only story that ever popped up. Former Mariners pitcher Miguel Batista has been distributing M's baseball equipment and goods to needy Latin American communities. Interesting to see how he dismisses the Colombia/Venezuela intransingence as "just talking crap," which while maybe an oversimplification, is more or less the academic concensus. Read the story here

Frogs in the Mist

Were the first things I saw stepping off the 5-hour bus ride from Montevideo to the tiny fishing village of Valizas. It was raining lightly and dozens of frogs of various sizes were the only ones about as I searched for accomodation. Hostal Valizas was literally in pieces as they were remodeling in preparation for the tourist season. I fanagled the off-season price of 200 Uruguayan Pesos ($10) and befriended Pedro, a “seventeen”(probably fourteen)-year old who chain-smoked hand rolled cigarettes.

We started talking music and we exchanged reggaeton tracks via his MP3 player. Pedro mentioned that it had been a long time since he had been able to listen because his headphones had broken. Que suerte! For a month I had been carrying around a set of extra headphones I no longer wanted or needed. Noticing two Bob Marley songs on his player, I asked if he wanted some more Bob, he did and I complied. Every time I saw him after that, he would pull out one headphone and proclaim, “Bob, reggae Buena onda ey?”

Sharing different music is one of my favorite ways to engage when traveling. Not only did I get some interesting Uruguayan reggaeton, I showed him that there was more than just the late Mr. Marley’s “Legend.” Everyone could always use a little more Bob, which is why it’s a mainstay in the Rockstar Diplomat’s toolbox and perfect for relaxing in places like this:

Anthony Bourdain is a Liar

A preface. So I’ve only taken one other stab at trying the infamous Mr. Bourdain’s dining suggestions with no success. After seeing his episode on Uruguay, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with his pick at the Mercado del Puerto. The Port Market is a tantalizing assault on the senses with racks of grilled meat sizzling throughout the day as people dine-in and purchase top choice cuts for asados in the evening (See, I can sound like a pompous ass too!).

After deferring from several other choices, we ended up at “Estancia Del Puerto”. We decided to order the mixed grill plate, which included almost everything on the parilla. The presentation was impressive, but the quality fell just short of the horrible “Argentine” steak I had in Chile (Brent knows what happened). We received a bad cut of beef (which was also overcooked), the chicken was too dry, the lamb was decent, but we were only given a tiny portion.

To make things worse they completely forgot the blood sausage and almost shot our buddy Ellory’s eye out with a champagne cork. I think it was a sign when our waiter slipped out to “go to lunch” before we were even finished. I’m convinced that due to all of their mainstream success, “Estancia Del Puerto” has been able to slack on the quality and continue to suckle at the publicity teat of Mr. Bourdain.

The Uruguay Round: 1

"Sleepy, tranquil, quaint and relaxing." These are the words that describe Montevideo in travel books about Argentina. All because pobrecito Uruguay doesn’t even get it’s own book; forever condemned to a “S. America On a Shoestring” chapter or even worse, a few pages in an Argentine travel guide.

The three-hour Ferry across the River Plate put me in Montevideo with just enough time to enjoy the sunset. The Ciudad Vieja juts out into the Atlantic, presenting an ocean view from almost any angle in the old city. Structurally and aesthetically, it doesn’t look any different than a city in Argentina, though there’s something different about the onda(vibe) here that I still haven’t put my finger on.

I met up with my 5 college friends from Buenos Aires and we headed out to ready to embibe whatever Monday in Montevideo could muster. To my surprise, the pub we ended up at had an enormous selection of beer (Chimay, Paulaner and local micros to name a few), which I had been longing for in wine-dominated Argentina.

To top it off, there was a guitar player banging out cover medleys of pop songs. He went from Bob Marley to Oasis to The Police without pause, I think he did 6 or 7 songs successively. He knew how to work it and had all the foreigners in the bar clapping and singing along. I chatted with him afterwards while he was chowing down free pub food (staple of playing bars) and he told me he only gets one gig a week so he has to work as a street cleaner to pay the bills. No one ever said being a musician anywhere was easy, even if you can win over 30 NorteAmericanos with 40 minutes of nonstop classics.

Tacos a la Gaucho

Almost every day at Biosfera, someone cooks and we all lunch together. I’d only had one opportunity to show off my mad culinary skillz and kind of bombed: Start cooking when you’re already hungry and I guarantee you’ll always mess something up.

Determined to redeem myself, I set off to cook up some authentic Gringo Mexican food that I’d been talking up during my time. Since my go-to, chile verde was a no-go (there’s no crockpots in Argentina), I settled on tacos. Tacos are still pretty rare down here, I had to buy most of the ingredients in the imports section of the supermarket. Refried beans were about $2.50 a can and I had no success finding limes or ripe avocados.

Despite the inconveniences, Argentine burger meat worked surprisingly well for tacos and I was able to find tortillas and added salt and oil to make authentic style chips in the oven. I spiced up the tacos a little bit with garlic and served jalapeños on the side, which Chamigo Charlie devoured in an attempt to disprove my spice bias against Argentines. Avocados and mango salsa were brought in by two lovely ladies and we had more food than we knew what to do with. The only thing really missing was some great Mexican beer; in time Bohemia, in time. And now, a gaucho with guacamole:  bien hecho Manu!

Hitting the Wall

After two months working for an Argentine environmental NGO, I have mixed results. The first few weeks were super exciting: I got to put together a bike-path manifesto, meet the city’s mayor and create a climate change event for 350.org.

However, my main public diplomacy project sputtered out when it came to soliciting funds from our donor organization. Turns out (just like most PD efforts everywhere), people are reluctant to throw money at something that doesn’t allow for quantifiable evaluation within a short time frame.

Things move a little more slowly down here, especially in regards to the environment. I'll admit that choosing TV as a medium to influence Argentine attitudes about the environment probably wasn't the most cost-effective strategy. But this can still be adopted for radio which I spent the last week researching.

Turns out there is a US-based NGO that does exactly what my project for Fundacion Biosfera was trying to accomplish with Social Marketing and Entertainment-Education. Check out Media Impact as this is the majority of what they do with Radio (and some TV in Latin America) and am already in touch with them.

I'm happy to have worked for awesome boss that I will stay in contact with in order to strengthen Biosfera's PD strategies and some amazing coworkers and friends that I'll no doubt be seeing again before I leave Argentina.

Pino, Pino, Pino

Yesterday, I managed to catch a documentary by Fernando "Pino" Solanas, who is like an Argentine version of Michael Moore and Howard Dean rolled into one. He has uniquely used his political positions (senator, deputy of Buenos Aires) to gain access to corrupt Argentine politicians and businessmen.

He got his start as an original Peronist, helping make films for ousted Prez, Juan Peron while both were in exile in Spain. Upon returning to Argentina, he became an outspoken critic of President Menem and a day after denouncing him publicly, was attacked and shot 6 times. This helped launch his political career, even running for President after founding his own political party. Though currently the National Deputy for the City of Buenos Aires, he's continuing to make movies.

His latest documentary that I caught called "Oro Impuro" (impure gold) and was about the environmental, economic and social ills of the Argentine mining industry. The movie was fairly well done; he does have the "Galeano"-type world view but manages to avoid the preachy overtones prevalent in Michael Moore Films. Here's one of the only works of his I could find with english subtitles: "Hour of the Furnace" from 1968. Lots of animal gore and marxism, just to let you know.

129 and doin' fine

Yesterday was the birthday (129th) of the City of La Plata, which meant only one thing: TONS of music and celebration in Plaza Moreno. This is the second all-day fiesta I've seen in two months here, the other being the first day of spring.

The sweet smoke of chorizo wafting through the crowd as they sip on their fernet y colas and maté; there is something distinctly carefree and Argentine about blowing off a whole day of work just to hang in the plaza. I checked out a couple pop/rock groups who weren't really that catchy before returning later at night for the fireworks. When I came back, the night vibe had changed, as well as the crowd. There were some folk-type bands playing tributes to some of the greats like Mercedes Sosa and Victor Jara. These didn't mix well with Metalero Oscar, who was quick to label them as "yanqui hippy music." Still trying to figure out the difference between "Folk" and "Folklorica," but I'll get back to you on that...

Sell your soul for a Chori and Cola

Despite the numerous protests constantly clogging everything up here in Argentina, come election time, there is a great deal of apathy and inaction. This is largely a result of widespread political corruption, including on election day when political parties attempt(and usually succeed) to hit and streets and buy the votes of the poor with a Choripan (sandwich) and a Coke.

The annual corruption index, issued Transparency International Indicates that countries such as Chile and Uruguay have made great strides towards becoming less corrupt, getting ratings just barely behind the U.S and Canada. Argentina, however, rounds out the bottom of the pack with buddies Bolivia, Ecuador and just barely beating out the Most corrupt: Venezuela.


Click Here to check the ratings of other countries.

Pu(n)ta Lara

Today my Chilean buddy Cristian and I rode bikes down to Punta Lara, a coastal town about 20 km from La Plata. The locals in La Plata endearingly call it "Puta Lara," due to the low regards they hold for the folks who live out there and the level of trash on the beach.

The road was terrible, there were cracks everywhere, much more than my beat-up beach cruiser was designed to take. Since it was Sunday, as soon as we got 6 km outside of town, there were Argentines posted up in beach chairs all along the highway, blasting Cumbia music from their cars, drinking maté and cruisin' for babes. Ironically, this scene, which I would have expected ON the beach was nonexistent when we reached the shores of Punta Lara.

A few family picnics were underway and we walked down a long pier to check out the fishing action. The beach was actually a bit cleaner than the streets of the City of La Plata, leading me to believe that the Pu(n)ta Lara bias was more based in economic or classist discrimination. Either way, I'm going to try and make it back for an asado before I leave, just as soon as I don't have to take my bike.

Metaleros de La Plata

"Freaking Yanqui Metal!" My Colombian friend Oscar yelled, "you love this stuff!" While I couldn't condone the current travesty of a "metal" band we were viewing, in truth, it was probably closer to the melodic type of stuff I do listen to.

My friend Ihintza had brought us to the North end for a metal show that goes down every couple of months. The venue was cozy and reminded me of venues I'd played during my punk rock days. The first band took the stage and was a mix of "hardcore, metal and prog." The singer couldn't sing but had an amazing penchant for the dramatic. Halfway through a song, he throws down the mike and runs off stage. The music continues to crescendo to its most epic moment, when suddenly, he appears ABOVE the crowd in the rafters, screaming down (sans microphone) onto the audience. It was a cool moment. Though the band's songwriting abilities were questionable, their stage presence was great. They won me over when the singer started a song by stomping in the middle of the crowd, who soon followed suit until the whole venue was shaking.

The second band continued some of the stage antics by having the singer jump and mosh into the crowd during their set. But they were all over the place with their songs. The guitar player, who was wearing a Misfits shirt announced "Les gustan los Misfits??" before launching into a cover of "Saturday Knight," the Misfits WORST song and Danzig's obnoxious crooner ballad. To make matters worse, this was one of two covers the band played, the second being a Limp Bizket-type version of Britney's "Hit me baby one more time" with screaming on the Choruses.

The third band was decidedly most metal on a night that didn't really have any metal but by then (3 AM), everybody had already left the venue. Ihintza and Oscar were not the only ones disappointed. About a dozen other goths and metaleros congregated in the lounge during the screamo/hardcore bands, drinking beer and complaining about the lack of "brutality." Regardless, we had a fun time and on the walk home, I even got a train to toot its horn for metal by throwing up the horns of "rawk". All in all great night, as any night with live music usually is.

The Kiss Hello (Argentine version)

Just as Jerry Seinfeld tried to avoid kissing the neighbors of his apartment, I spent the greater part of my first couple weeks in La Plata avoiding the dreaded man-on-man kiss hello. I hadn’t had to deal with it before, being a tourist the last time I was here, but working puts you in more of an intimate environment in which the kiss hello is not just encouraged, but expected.

A couple of ground rules: if it’s a guy you just met, you generally shake hands; unless you’re a full-time kisser, like my boss Horacio. More importantly, between men, it’s NOT REALLY a kiss. It’s more like a head hug: you put your heads close together and make the kissy noise. This can obviously be altered for women or men you have a closer relationship with but to give somebody you don’t know more than the head embrace would just be, well, weird.

I'm still getting over the strangeness of the often stubbly action during the head hug, but the Argentines throw in a lot of back slapping and macho stuff to “man” it up. You ain’t seen nothing ‘til the two huge bouncers at the club demonstrate the “more than a kissy noise” version.

Health NUTS!

Spray…(cough) Spray Spray…(cough, cough). What’s that? Oh just my host mother killing ONE, yes one solitary fly with an industrial-sized can of RAID. When I ask why she doesn't use a flyswatter, she replies, “well I already bought this!”

Same disregard for health concerns at my work. Every day for lunch, we reuse the same plastic water bottle instead of a pitcher; haven’t these people ever heard of BPA poisoning?? I know we are an environmental company but do we really have to reuse the same plastic (disposable) cups after they have had piping HOT coffee inside of them? When I point this out I am met with the same blank stare I’ve received when asking for a stainless steel water bottle at the store. “But it’s more expensive,” they say, “and besides, isn’t BPA poisoning just a theory?” Right man, that’s just what they said about global warming…

Bad Cuban P.D.

Last year during my PubD Latin America class, we focused heavily on the Public Diplomacy efforts of Cuba. For a country with such limited resources, Cuba has successfully used its "Human Capital" (i.e. Doctors and Teachers) to export abroad as a means of establishing better relations and obtaining goods and services.

In 1990, Cuba had 1 developmental aid worker abroad for every 228 of its inhabitants contrasted with the United States having 1 developmental international aid worker for every 35,760 inhabitants. To put it bluntly, the country has had an economic stagnation and an average salary of around $20 an month, YET, has still managed to survive. Public diplomacy can explain a great deal of this, which I cover in my paper here.

The other day, the Cuban Government abducted and beat up two dissident bloggers. While the Cuban Gov't has been silent on this issue, the Int'l community has rallied against this crackdown on human rights and free speech. For a country that wants change on the 47 Yr. old US embargo, this is an incredibly damaging incident for Cuban PD, especially given the concessions the Obama administration has already made. In light of the criticisms the USG has already made about human rights conditions in Cuba, this almost insures that US/Cuban relations will move along sluggishly.

The Train Shed, La Plata, Argentina, Planet Earth

“The railroad sharpened the umbilical destiny of Buenos Aires: progressively and irredeemably it made it into a head severed from the body. The iron ways were a dream of the metropolis, and they stretched out its predatory tentacles across the pampa.”

-Ezequiel Martinez Estrada “X Ray of the Pampa” 1933


While the Argentinean train system may have been at its peak during the 30's, privatization and poor management resulted in the miles of unused track and ghost stations that can be found across the country. There are tons of abandoned stations here in La Plata, which are in the process of being converted into cooperatives or craft stores.

The "Galpón de Tolosa" (Tolosa Train Shed) is a perfect example of the La Plata community taking things into their own hands. Abdandoned for decades, it has been a year and a half since students and neighbors have converted the old train shed into a community center hosting everything from gardening to yoga classes.

Walking towards the center Sat. night, I could see several bonfires burning around the center; the scent of youth and anarchy was in the air. We huddled around a bonfire sipping on wine before going on a tour of the center's "self-sustained" vegetable garden. I was honestly impressed with the center itself, though repainted, it still maintained a very bohemian vibe. Cheap cover and cheap drinks weren't too shabby either. The first band we was sort of a bluesy/indie type group (John Spencer Blues Explosion with better harmonies) which I dug. The second band ended up driving most of my entourage outside, as it was bad indie noise rock (anything where I can't make out the melody is rubbish!).

As we were leaving, I saw spray painted on a wall: "Galpón de Tolosa, La Plata, Argentina, Planeta Tierra" which seemed fitting for our exit, as well as the title of this post.

Masa Critica La Plata

I met Jose Maria at our 350.org event a few weeks back, and after telling him how I was a big fan of the LA Critical Mass, I had no choice but to participate in the La Plata Critical Mass, which he happens to be in charge of.

Critical Mass is a form of social protest aiming to create more awareness and concern for cyclists in metro areas. This usually involves organizing into large groups and taking up at least one or two lanes of traffic during rush hour.

"Masa Critica" La Plata, while lacking in numbers (there were only about 50 of us), has the awareness card down with their bright yellow "Bici Sendas YA!" (Bike Paths NOW!) jerseys that attracted a lot of attention. We rode from Plaza San Martin down the most frequently used streets. I resisted the temptation to yell at every other cyclist I saw to join us like I usually do in LA's Critical Mass. All in all it was a pretty subdued ride, but I still have yet to participate in the hanky panky known as Buenos Aires Critical Mass, ya veremos!

Peña La Salamanca

Tonight, while in the hunt for live music, I stumbled upon this folklore Peña. I was familiar with Peñas from my time in Peru, where most of the "legit" flute and folkorica bands would play. My friend Ali and I peered in the window and upon seeing 6 of our friends rocking out to some 4 part harmonies, we had to go in.

The first group was traditional Argentine folklorica: flutes, lots of drums, guitars and even a xylophone-type instrument. The experience was enhanced by my friends Ihintza and Narua, who broke out their songbook and launched into some folklorica from their Basque homeland. The second group looked like a family project, complete with the weird wacky uncle on bass. They were sloppy to start, but ended up rallying behind their super talented frontman who could play pan pipes, flute, guitar and every other indigenous instrument he could get his hands on.

One of my frequent criticisms of bands are the ones that try to cover too many genres within one set, which was exactly what happened here. We had Peruvian flute ballads, Mapuche Andean sonatas, Guaraní galaguetzas, you name it. The venue Salamanca had a great vibe however, very cozy; reminded me of a Native American longhouse, will definitely return before my time here is up.

WAL-MART, no bueno!

On my lunch break, I took the liberty of biking out the fabled Wal-Mart of La Plata. Like most Wal-Marts, it was confined to the outskirts of town and I had to head past the city limits to get there. Riding highway shoulders on beach cruisers is not advisable in Argentina, just FYI.

I was in search for a yoga mat and figured because it boasted of "precios mas bajos," Wal-Mart would be the place for cheaply imported Chinese products. I was in for a huge disappointment when the only mat available was a Reebok "yoga set" (is Reebok even made in China?) with block and carrying bag for 250 pesos ($68 USD!).

All in all, I'd say Wal-Mart Argentina was entirely lacking in "cheap plastic crap" (to quote a sticker I always used to rock on my bass amp) that characterizes most Wal-Mart's in the U.S.

The Electronics section was pitiful. A few cameras, printers, monitors and hair straighteners, with a selection of maybe 100 different DVDs. Here's the big kicker: 4GB iPod Nano, 750 Pesos, which is about USD $200 before tax, nearly twice as much as it is in the US. A lot of this has to do with trade relations. Argentina isn't up to Chilean or Mexican standards with their Chinese/US trade accords, meaning electronics and cheap plastic crap is generally more costly here.

The end result is a Wal-Mart dominated by foodstuffs and bulk items (a la Costco). I'm always ambivalent towards the idea of Wal-Marts in developing countries. I definitely think they are harmful to U.S. jobs and workers, but in some instances studies have show that communities living far from metropolitan centers can actually benefit from having a Wal-Mart near them; any many have started implementing environmental reforms. Dissapointed I didn't get a chance to check one out in Mexico, where they are one of the fastest growing retailers and have sparked plenty of controversy.

Confessions of a homestay...overrated?

Alright, so I've lived (at least for a few weeks at a time) in my share of places on this earth, but have somehow always managed to avoid a local homestay for some reason or another. Having had my fair share of travelers chastise me for not having taken advantage at "the ultimate cultural endeavor," I bit this time for Argentina and went for the homestay.

A preface, to explain my trepidation of homestays: I'm a pretty independent guy, I'm used to cooking 90% of my meals and actually enjoy it (some even say it's a form of meditation). So that's been a downside, especially given the Argentine propensity for the starchy foods and lack of spicyness.

The second thing is, I've never been keen of another set of parents; I mean, I can barely stay in touch with the ones I have now and for the most part, they have priority. More on this later.

Work Update

For the past month and a half, I've been working for an Environmental NGO called Fundación Biosfera. My boss, Horacio, started the NGO in 1991 and still lives in the same dual house/office. The biggest asset is his network. There are about 50 or so professionals, students and interns that put in work for La Plata and I'm sure I will describe each and every one at some point.

However, as of now, I am the only Yanqui, and at that, the only Yanqui with a Master's from a well-known U.S. University. While it's nice to think you're special because of something you've done, this has actually put a lot of pressure on me to live up to my Masterly ambitions. When I first arrived, (like any job where I'm not getting paid) I laid down what I wanted to learn and what I was interested in doing. Horacio counteroffered with the task of developing a strategy for using Argentine television to subliminally educate the masses on environmental issues.

Sounds crazy huh? It's actually not. There's been a history in Latin America of using Telenovelas to change behaviors and attitudes of the masses. Check Social Marketing and the Sabido Method. Using Mexican telenovelas, Miguel Sabido was able to socialize Mexicans to important social issues, such as AIDS, contraception and family planning. The use of social marketing to promote family planning within several Mexican telenovelas were accredited with helping reduce Mexico’s population growth by thirty-four percent between 1977 to 1986. And my boss is counting on me to do the same with the environment here. Well, not really, but it's a good place to start.

Halloween in BsAs

So for the weekend, I headed out to BsAs for my bi-monthly lifeline of some quality Yanqui time with my 5 college buddies living in Palermo. The break from Spanish is obviously nice, as are the spicy food and American Football that come with hanging with gringos. And hey, one of them works for the "Buenos Aires Pub Crawl," so we had our Halloween festivities taken care of.

So I saddled up alongside ninja, ducky, hoopster, beach bum, grim reaper (on crutches) and "backwards man" and we headed to the Pub Crawl. Doing a pub crawl in BsAs is like...well, a pub crawl in the US for that matter: beer, dancing, hiinks on the way to the next club and of course, being loud and obnoxious in the street. Everyone who worked there was speaking English, along with the 95% of tourists who are from English speaking countries.

The interesting part were the Colombians (about 7 or 8) who made up the total Latin American contingent of the Pub Crawl. Colombians are great to talk to as they usually have a better opinion of Yanquis AND speak my preferred type of Spanish (very clearly and with a neutral accent). As I'll be going to Colombia in January, I will devote some postings to current events in Colombia as well as other musings of what's going on with Latin America.

To top off my gringo weekend, we ended up at one of two sports bars in the city that show American Football on Sundays. Since my team (Seahawks) seem to be having a stinker of a year, it's easier for me to be less involved in Football and just have fun watching the games. My friend Ellery, happens to be from Minnesota and has been going to one of these two bars every Sunday to cheer on his 7-1 Vikings. Makes me kind of glad the Seahawks aren't doing better, as I can now focus on having some level of productivity on Sundays.