Argentina Chin Chin! Travel Adventure

Hello/Hola!

If you’re receiving this update, it is because you’ve expressed an interest in my adventures in Argentina, you’re an exotic traveler by heart, or you naturally seek out fun and exciting activities that can be classified as “something different”.

To share my experiences and knowledge of Argentina with you, I’m planning a fun-filled travel adventure for a small group of Canadian woman in November 2007. The 15-day experience includes a week in bustling Buenos Aires where you’ll get swept up in tango and other Latin American dances, indulge yourself at a local spa/salon, shop until you absolutely drop, learn the fine art of local cuisine and spend a day at a traditional ranch in the Argentine pampas!

After a week exploring one of the world’s most exciting cities, you’ll travel to Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza is a west-coast province that lies at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Its vineyards boast some of the most delicious wines on the planet. The town offers beautiful parks and trails for reflection and relaxation, and the mountains offer adventure such as hiking, rafting, or pure relaxation at a spa retreat.

As a free-spirited traveler, I enjoy my own special time to explore a city. So, we’ll make sure that you will have pockets of time to make your own personal discoveries. Your stay in both cities will be in comfortable, central accommodations close to many restaurants, cafes and shops.

Here are some links to three articles that sing the praises of both Buenos Aires and Mendoza. Feel free to explore them:

1. Welcome to Hipster Heaven: Buenos Aires

2. In Mendoza, The Napa Valley Meets the Wild West

3. It’s Easy to Love Argentina: Have a Fabulous Vacation at a Reasonable Price

If you (or a friend) would like more information, please send me an email - shellymonahan1@yahoo.com - or leave a comment below. I will be happy to respond.

Please note that you can access my previous postings by clicking the Older Posts link below to the right. And remember - Argentina awaits. Let´s Chin Chin!

Shelly

Note: Chin Chin! is an expression used in Argentina when toasting with friends, family and new acquaintances. It conveys a feeling of warmth, happiness and fun of just being "in the moment" and the enjoyment of savouring that first sip of wine.

Family in a Foreign Country

A bonus to traveling outside of Canada is getting to know the people who live in the country you are visiting. Better yet, is having the good fortune to meet intriguing people who make you feel like you are part of their family.

When I arrived in Buenos Aires in September 2006 I was greeted at the airport by Cecilia...and a bouquet of flowers! I met Cecilia on my first trip to Argentina in November 2005. At that time I was travelling with two friends from Ottawa, Mildred Lynn and Joanne, as well as my sister Sharon who joined us from Newfoundland.

Throughout that first two-week visit of Buenos Aires, Cecilia, as Mildred used to say, was our "den mother". Having a natural love of Argentine history and deep knowledge of ceremony and protocol, she was the perfect person to introduce us to the city known as "the Paris of the South". Not a day would go by without a call to ask if we needed anything or to recommend a restaurant, tango hall, or shopping area. She often accompanied us on our outings, introduced us to her family and friends and helped us create many memorable "Chin Chin!" moments.

So on my return to Canada we stayed in contact and upon my arrival back in Buenos Aires in September I officially became her "third daughter".

Cecilia hails from Arenaza, a small town deep in the beautiful, lush pampas of the province of Buenos Aires. Along with eight brothers and sisters she grew up on a 4000-hectare farm. Yes...they are that big in Argentina! We recently took a road trip there to visit her sisters who live in near-by Lincoln and stopped into a friend's house to share a cup of mate (a hot, herbal drink very common among Argentines). The trip reminded me of summers in rural Newfoundland - not the landscape as much as the warmth of people who invite you into their homes to share a moment in time.

Cecilia now lives with her three children in the city of Buenos Aires. When she is not busy working at the university, teaching ceremony and protocol courses or travelling, she is often showing foreign visitors (those lucky enough to meet her) the many sights and sounds of Buenos Aires.

So for those of you who will be joining us on our Argentina Adventure in November 2007, I'll look forward to introducing you to Cecilia, one of Argentina's most beautiful people - inside and out.

Note: The traditional wool tam I am wearing in the first photo was a parting gift from Cecilia in 2005.

Feliz Navidad!

These special Christmas greetings are coming to you from sunny, beautiful Buenos Aires where each year, Christmas is celebrated at about the same time as the summer solstice. I am writing to you as I savor a nice glass of Malbec wine from the west-coast Argentine province of Mendoza and the scent of freshly-made holiday fudge wafts through my small, but cozy, Buenos Aires apartment.

Now saying that Christmas in 30 degree weather and 50% humidity is quite different than in Canada is an understatement! I still find it hard to believe that it is "that time of year". And if not for the store beckoning eager shoppers, tinsel and garland in cafes and restaurants, and the occasional Christmas tree (like the one in the Galeria Pacifico on the right), I could not imagine that December 25 is approaching.

I am spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year with a dear friend, Cecilia, and her family. Cecilia has three children and she has traditionally opened her home to other travelers like me who find themselves half way around the world at Christmastime. So as in previous years in St. John’s, Edmonton, and Cape Breton, Christmas this year will be very much a family and friends affair.

I will also take time this Christmas to visit the wonderful Argentine friends that I have gotten to know in the past three months. There will be asados (BBQs) in the country, great food and wine, and of course lots of fun, laughter and smiles. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such warm and caring people who have “taken me in” and treated me like one of their own.

And on the success front, you may be interested to know that I finished my first Spanish course in December (ole!). It was an intensive six-week course at the Universitad de Buenos Aires. And in fact, I did so well that the instructor suggested I skip the next level to go into a more advanced course. So I will continue my studies in January.

Actually, it is incredible how much one can learn after six short weeks. Most of my conversations with friends and new acquaintances are now in Spanish, and I have not gotten myself into too much trouble so far! Just as a point of reference, interactions with taxi drivers have advanced from simply handing them a slip of paper with my address to asking them to take me to a specific destination, taking about the importance of learning a second language, and even discussing the socio-political situation in Argentina. Followed, of course, by lots of smiling and nodding, just to make sure that we understand each other…

At the beginning of January I will be traveling to Uruguay, a neighboring country to the east of Argentina. I will be visiting a friend that I met at the Argentine Embassy in Ottawa before coming to Argentina. Her family lives in Uruguay and she invited me to stay with them for a few days. The beaches are supposed to be some of the most beautiful in the world, so please stay tuned for more pictures!

In March I plan to head to the west coast of Argentina to a province called Mendoza, the wine mecca of South America. The first week of March is their wine harvest season, so it is not to be missed. My Ottawa friend Chrissie - who has fulfilled a lifelong dream and is now working with a local wine-exporting company - has offered to play hostess. Mendoza is supposed to be one of Argentina’s prettiest provinces.

Finally, if anyone is interested, friends and I are planning a Buenos Aires Chin Chin! 2006 party this week to welcome in the new summer season, to bid a fond farewell to 2006 and to prepare for a spectacular 2007. If I don’t see you there, I wish each and every one of you a happy Christmas season and a wonderful, bright and fun 2007.

Soul Sisters

There are people that you meet along life’s path that are and will remain acquaintances. You meet each other for an occasional coffee or may run into each other at a party, but there is no basis for a deeper relationship. And then there are people that cross your path and you know immediately that you have shared a history that has set the stage for a meaningful friendship.

I met Silvia in October at a BPW (Business Professional Women) function that neither of us had planned on attending. I was supposed to be attending a Spanish class but had lost my enrolment spot in the course due to arriving late for registration (…after spending a fabulous long weekend in Mar del Plata). So, I was available to accept the invitation that Cecilia, a long-time member of the women’s association, had extended. For her part, Silvia was encouraged to attend by one of her friends, also a BPW member, who believed it would be a good networking opportunity in her new catering career.

And even though the meeting was at nine o’clock in the morning, an ungodly hour for two people who had rejected the 9-5, Monday to Friday routine, we both showed up.

Silvia speaks English quite well and was strategically seated next to me to help me understand the meetings proceedings. During the next couple of hours, however, we became distracted from the discussions with questions like: “What brought you to Argentina?”, “Do you like theatre?”, and the clincher “So have you experienced a typical Argentine asado (BBQ) yet?” When I responded “no” to that last question, Silvia quickly extended an invitation to go to her family’s quinta (country cottage) on Sunday. And although I did not know it at the time, the invitation would lead to gaining an Argentine sister.

In the months that followed, Silvia and I met up frequently to go to the theatre, a movie or out to dinner. She also gave me cooking classes in regional Argentine cuisine in exchange for helping her with English cooking vocabulary (a more than fair deal in my favour!) And unlike in Canada where you need to book a date with a friend a week or so in advance, you can call a friend in Argentina any evening of the week - including Friday - and if they are available, off you go.

Silvia introduced me to her friends, I became a part of her family and she became my sounding board to my new life in Argentina. “So”, I would ask her, “when a fellow in the street makes a passing comment to you, what do you do?” “Enjoy it,” Silvia would respond, “smile and walk on by.” Sound advice.

Shortly before I left Argentina to return to Canada, Silvia received an opportunity to go to Panama to prepare Argentine foods. She called me, very excited, and said “Hey Shel, I am going to be in Panama in June with my family. You are welcome to join us!”

Well, Silvia, if I do show up on your doorstep in Panama in June, please don’t be too surprised. And knowing Silvia, she probably wouldn’t be.