About Tango, gauchos and the end of the world

The last post ended in Puerto Iguazú and this post starts right there, at the beautiful waterfalls... After visiting the Argentinian Iguazú waterfalls, there were two big things we really wanted to see on site.

  1. the national drink of the Argentinians: mate tea
  2. as we found gemstones at every turn on our trip through South America - in a wide variety of shapes, colours and presentations - we really wanted to know where they came from, so we visited a gemstone mine here 😊

Mate Tea

Mate, or mate tea as the Argentinians call it: Yerba mate is a tea drink made from finely chopped dried mate leaves. The special thing about this drink is that it is a kind of cult drink here in Argentina, and to some extent also in Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. People walk around with their thermos flasks and special cups with straws, constantly pouring the hot water. At every corner, the thermos can be refilled with boiling water and the crushed mate leaves are either carried around in a plastic bottle or in a paper bag.

Of course, we also tried the cult drink... The procedure: The cup is filled to the top with the chopped leaves and then the straw is inserted. This has a filter at the very bottom so that the leaves are not drunk along with the drink. Now the water is poured in and left to infuse for a while, after which 2-3 sips can be drunk. Normally you then talk to the other people, laugh, eat something and then pour hot water over it again. This is then repeated until the thermos flask is empty. Oh well... the whole thing is called "holy water". We observed many people on our trip drinking the tea. Afterwards, the thermos is refilled and the contents of the cup replaced 😊 We see it as a kind of cultural ritual that is less about consuming large quantities of liquids and more about the mindful enjoyment of mate tea. The cups are available in all kinds of designs, with leather covers and/or very different decorations.

What we didn't see here, however, was Club Mate 😉 apparently this is the European mate version exclusively for our European tastes.

The current economic situation in Argentina

Before we talk about the gemstone mine, Argentina has been in political turmoil and economic crisis for years. Inflation is huge and was around 200% in December. In November it was still 160%. Argentinians are suffering greatly as a result. There is a broad "middle class" now, but an even larger "lower class" and a small but very rich "upper class". Tourists can withdraw money from ATMs at a rate of 1 US dollar to 830 Argentinian pesos, although the amount that can be withdrawn is considerably limited (to a maximum of 40-50 US dollars). In the official exchange offices we received approx. 1 US dollar to 1,000 Argentinian pesos. With Western Union, which is the official recommendation for tourists, we were able to get 1:1100 and the unofficial exchange on the street corner is possible at 1:1150-1350, but only for unbent, new and perfect 100 US dollar notes. So we picked up 300€ via Western Union and walked into the room with a rucksack full of money. We felt like we had robbed a bank. Simply unbelievable! When paying in cash, we sometimes had to count out 100 or even more notes, as at least in Puerto Iguazú there are mostly 200 notes, whereas the 1000 and 2000 notes were very rare. In Buenos Aires the situation eased somewhat, but even there we had whole bundles of money with us. Card payment was not possible everywhere and in fact not always attractive for us, e.g. when fees of up to 35% were charged in some places.

Gemstone mine

Now finally to the gemstones. On our journey through South America there were gemstones in many places. Both untreated and polished or as a ring, necklace, earring, ... We are very fascinated by gemstones, their effects and working with them. That's why we've been asking ourselves: where do all these stones come from? We have already mentioned in our Colombia and Bolivia article that some stones, such as the emerald and the citrine mix, can only be mined in very few places in the world. On the other hand, there are also stones that can be found almost everywhere in the world. In the gemstone mine that we looked at here, many different gemstones were mined and processed. Around 30 people work in the Italian-run mine. Parts of the interior and exterior are open to visitors. So you were allowed to explore in a small guided tour 😊

It was very fascinating to see the giant geodes and matrices of stones inside the mine. By tapping on the geode-like formations, the miners recognise how big they are and whether they are geodes or hard stone. A small hole is then drilled into the geode and a camera is used to check the quality. On the "top floor" of the mine, which we were able to visit, there were only low-grade gemstones in the mountain. Further below us, the actual stones were mined, transported upwards in lorries and processed there. As we learnt, gemstones can also be mined in many mines where something (e.g. copper, silver etc) is extracted. It always depends on the mine operator whether they bring these stones to the surface or leave them in the mine. Here are a few impressions from our short but sweet tour 😊

Speaking of gemstones. What we also learned from our trip is that these stones were used in various ancient cultures as jewellery, for healing or as decoration. In many places we saw small descriptions of what gemstones can be used for. Many stones have special healing powers. If you would like to read more about them, you are welcome to take a look here Heilsteine |Edelsteine.net or Edelsteine in Deutschland finden | The Natural Gembecause many gemstones also come from Germany.

Buenos Aires

New Year's Eve in Buenos Aires (BA)... when we realised that we would be spending New Year's Eve in BA, we looked at each other in disbelief. Neither of us had ever expected to spend New Year's Eve in BA. We were all the more surprised that the streets were empty. There was only one small party at the other end of the city that we knew about, so we toasted the New Year at midnight in a craft beer bar with new friends from Israel 😊

There were no firecrackers, which was really nice to start the new year without smoke and the fear of being hit by fireworks. The dogs on the street were also very happy; maybe an idea for Germany too?

There are various reasons why New Year's Eve is not celebrated here. One reason is the economic crisis, which is very understandable. We also learnt that Argentinians traditionally like to spend New Year's Eve with their families. In any case, it was a very relaxed start to the new year for us.

 

Short visit to Uruguay

After New Year's Eve, we took the opportunity to "get a taste" of Uruguay for a day. A 60-minute boat trip from BA across the Rio de la Plata, the bay where the Rio Uruguay and the Rio Paraná meet and flow into the Atlantic, and we ended up in Colonia del Sacramento. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

and yes... we get it, the condition of the old buildings and stone streets was unique.

Back to Buenos Aires

What do most people think of when they think of Argentina? Exactly... Argentine beef (at least for the meat eaters among our readers).... AND?... Exactly... Tango Argentino 😉 Of course, we also tried beef (Tatjana only as an exception) and have to say: we actually ate the best quality piece of meat in Bolivia near the Argentinian border. Well, it's fair to mention that this part of Bolivia used to belong to Argentina. But enough talk about meat. With a few exceptions, we ate a vegetarian or even vegan diet on the trip where possible. A little anecdote by the way: when we ask somewhere in South America whether a dish is vegetarian, we almost always get the answer: "Sí, sí, es vegetariano", which means something like: Yes, it is vegetarian. As we have learnt by now that people don't listen to us or don't want to understand us, the next question is: "Sin carne y sin pollo y sin pescado?", meaning "without meat and without chicken and without fish"? In 80% of cases, the answer is: there's chicken or fish in it. Meat here is beef or pork. Chicken is just poultry and therefore not meat and fish is something completely different anyway. Only in 20% of cases is the dish really vegetarian. In some parts of our trip, the discussion about vegan dishes was so long that we ended up with dry rice with fried/steamed vegetables. Eggs are simply part of the meal here, as is meat.

But now... Enough about the food: I'm sure you're all much more interested in tango 😉 Tango originated around 1880 in the working classes of Argentina and Uruguay. It is accompanied by dramatic and sometimes melancholic music, usually played on a violin or a banoneon (a type of accordion). Outside of Argentina, Berlin has the largest tango community in the world. There are tango schools, courses and performances almost everywhere in BA. Tango is danced in the streets and people stop and watch, fascinated, as young and old sway their hips to the music. Caught by the fever, we immediately bought some original Argentinian tango shoes from Susana Villarroel. Before the pandemic and the economic crisis in Argentina, Susana had three large factories in which she and her many employees produced shoes for the world's best tango dancers. Now she only has a small factory with 3 employees and sells her shoes in her living room in BA, as she told us with sad eyes. Calzado Artesanales – Zapatos para Tango (calzadosartesanal.com.ar)We tried on many shoes and were immediately impressed. They fitted like a glove and were ULTRA COMFORTABLE. We've very rarely had anything like them on our feet and it was immediately clear: we're taking them with us! In the evening we went to the tango demonstration to learn a few steps and ... a little spoiler: for her birthday, Artur gave Tatjana a voucher for 10 tango lessons for two. So... From mid-April, they'll both be going to lessons 😊

We have a few impressions for you... Not of us, but of a few other dancers who did really well 😊 Our plan is of course to put on a similar performance in a few years' time... You can look forward to it. We're going to rock it!

We watched the tango show in the famous Café Tortoni. It was opened in 1858 and is actually the oldest café in Buenos Aires. The furnishings and the waiters' outfits are very classic and really make a statement. There are marble tables, lots of historical photographs, an ornate ceiling design and life-size figures and busts of local celebrities. Not unimportant in a café: the cocoa and cake also tasted very good 😊 The separate tango room is located at the back of the café and is only accessible with special tickets - we had them 😊

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A few snapshots of what else we saw in Buenos Aires

We spent just under a week in BA, so we were able to get lots of small and larger insights. We would like to share a few highlights with you.

For the first time in our lives, we took a tour on a hop-on hop-off bus, which was great. It took us past the many historic buildings and squares, such as the Plaza de Mayo, along the famous Avenida 9 de Julio, to the Casa Rosada, past the Faculty of Law to La Boca and to the Recoleta cemetery, always with the option of getting off and lingering a while.

You often see Avenida 9 de Julio in the news when BA is reported on. It is one of the widest avenues in the world and is named after Argentina's Independence Day on 9 July 1816. The same applies to the Plaza de Mayo, the city's central square, where many important historical events in Argentina took place. One of the neighbouring buildings is Casa Rosoda, the seat of the president. It has a striking pink colour and a very famous balcony from which many politicians and also the wife of the then President Juan Domingo Perón, Eva Perón (Evita), spoke to the people.

Of course, we also walked through the Recoleta cemetery. There are many mausoleums of famous people here, including Evita, whose body has literally travelled the world.

In the afternoon we travelled to La Boca. Here we strolled through the open-air museum district of Caminito, a former dock workers' quarter with colourful houses, and saw the La Bombonera football stadium of the Boca Juniors football club.

Speaking of football, although neither of us are football fans, we wondered why there are so many brilliant footballers in South America. According to our research, Futsal it could be because of futsal. Futsal? Yes, that's exactly what we thought when we heard about it. The name is a combination of the Spanish words futbol (football) and sala (indoor). It is practically indoor football with five-a-side teams, which can be played on a basketball court. Futsal was invented in Uruguay and perfected in Brazil. It is now popular worldwide, so much so that there have already been seven Futsal World Championships. Brazil has won the cup 5 times. The pitch, ball and goals are smaller than in conventional football. Therefore, futsal fields can be integrated into unusual places and it can be played at any time, such as on oil rigs or the roofs of skyscrapers.

Meeting with Denisse Yanil Cufré

During our time in BA, Tatjana had the great opportunity to meet with a fellow lawyer, Denisse Yanol Cufré, who also works in the field of human rights. The two of them spent a whole day together and visited the Memorial and Human Rights Centre. Denisse told Tatjana a lot about the place and its history, which stretches right up to the present day in Argentina.

Here is a short extract for you: The military dictatorship in Argentina, also known as the "Process of National Reorganisation" (Proceso de Reorganización Nacional), was a period of Argentine history that lasted from 1976 to 1983. During these years, the Argentine military seized power through a coup d'état with the aim of eradicating any form of subversion or opposition to the regime. This period was characterised by serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and murder.

It is estimated that up to 30,000 people "disappeared" during this time, meaning they were abducted without any legal process, tortured and often killed. Many of the victims were political activists, students, intellectuals and supposed opponents of the regime, but many bystanders also fell victim to this state policy of terror.

The regime's particularly horrific actions included the practice of so-called "death flights", in which living people were thrown from aeroplanes into the open sea, and the "snatching" of children. Children were systematically abducted from their missing parents and given for adoption to families loyal to the regime in order to conceal their identity and origin.

The military dictatorship ended in 1983, when massive human rights violations and economic mismanagement increasingly delegitimised the regime and led to its dissolution. After the return to democracy, efforts began to bring those responsible for the crimes to justice and to preserve the memory of the victims.

The Memorial and Human Rights Center was one of over 750 detention, torture and extermination centres. It is a very moving place with very intense energies that left a lasting impression on Tatjana. The crimes against humanity that were committed here are still the subject of investigations and prosecutions today.

The personal stories Tatyana heard there made us realise once again the importance of democracy and human rights. This visit has once again encouraged Tatjana to actively and courageously stand up for respect for human rights, both professionally and privately. The place shows that we all have a role to play in preserving human rights and democracy and that our commitment to a fairer world is indispensable. Because only then can we live in freedom. We would like to encourage you all to do the same, especially in view of the images from Germany that we are seeing here.

A big thank you to you Denisse for your time, the very inspiring exchange on human rights issues in Argentina and the question of effective measures and especially for the joint visit to the Memorial and Human Rights Centre.

For all those who would like to delve deeper into this topic, you can do so here: ESMA Museum and Site of Memory | Argentina.gob.ar

And there is even an audio guide in English here Historical Tour (ex ESMA) | IZI Travel

On Denisse's recommendation, we spent our last day in BA in Tigre, in the north of BA. Tigre is located on the Paraná Delta. There we explored the delta with its network of rivers, canals and small islands on a boat tour through the unique ecosystem.

From Buenos Aires to Patagonia

We travelled further south, almost to the point where Antarctica touches the South American continent... We went to Tierra del Fuego... the land of fire, or Tierra del Fuego for short. We didn't make it all the way to the tip, to Cape Horn. The waters of Cape Horn, the southernmost point of the South American continent, are very dangerous. Drifting icebergs from the Antarctic, strong currents and storms and large waves characterise these waters, where many ships have sunk. We stayed in Argentina, specifically in Ushuaia. That was our starting point in southern Patagonia. Here we first unpacked our winter clothes and realised that the sun rises at 5 am and sets at 10 pm 😊

Did you know that this is the official end of the world? Ushuaia is the last major city and at the same time the end of federal highway 3, making it the southernmost end point of the Panamericana. As a reminder: we travelled parts of our journey by bus on the Panamericana. For example, from Lima to Nazca... And now we have also seen the end of this road, in the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Of course, there are still a few small fishing villages further down, but these don't really count as they can only be reached by boat and it's complicated. In any case, the signs with the words "Fin del Mundo" (end of the world) really impressed us 😊To be honest, we didn't dare to drive any further down because we didn't want to fall off the edge of the earth... 😉 Fun... everyone knows the earth is round 😊But: this is also the end of the Andes. The Andes are no longer 6000 metres and higher here, but only around 1000-2000 metres high and run into the Pacific and Atlantic in huge fjords, getting smaller and smaller.

On our journey through Patagonia we were constantly hopping back and forth between Chile and Argentina. A shocking fact at this point: Argentina doesn't stamp ID cards, BUT CHILE does! We have 3 passport pages full of Chile entry and exit stamps 😊 So it's going to be tight with future trips abroad 😉 No, joking aside 😊There are still a few empty pages in our passports.

Pampa

The landscape is unique. Have you ever heard of pampas? No, we don't mean the saying "It's in the middle of the pampas", which probably originated here. We mean the real pampas, where the saying probably originated 😉We were able to see for ourselves what it's really like in the pampas. We travelled 4 hours by bus and all we had to our left and right was grass, occasionally a few bushes and shrubs and rarely a tree. In the heart of Argentina and Patagonia lie large regions of grassland, the pampas. Cows and horses used to roam freely on these grasslands. Back then, the horsemen, known as gauchos, lived from hunting. In the 19th century, the land was fenced off and since then the cows have been farmed in large cow farms called Estancias And these are HUGE compared to anything we had seen before! There are sheep, horses, cows and llamas/alpacas/vikunjas. Sometimes even mixed in the fields... And it's windy! You're not getting the picture! Because there are only slight elevations and no forests, the wind whistles across the land in such a way that even the individual trees grow crooked. It certainly shook our bus from left to right!

Speaking of wind: On our way, we also drove past a research project by Porsche, Siemens Energy and other companies on the subject of synthetic fuel, so-called eFuels. Unfortunately, we didn't take a photo at the right moment, but we would like to tell you about it. This research project aims to use wind energy to produce "climate-neutral" fuel that is 1:1 like conventional petrol, but is produced by extracting CO2 from the air. In other words, the previously extracted CO2 is simply released again during combustion and you have a +/- 0 calculation... That's the theory... In any case, this location was chosen because the wind turbines can run for 6400 hours a year here. In Germany that's only about 2400 hours a year! If you are interested in this topic, you can find more information here:

2 responses

  1. Wieder vieles zum Schmunzeln (die Vorstellung, wie ihr mit eurer Geldsack-Beute in euer Versteck schleicht), Staunen (Edelsteine, Ende der Welt) und Nachdenken (warum tun Menschen sich sowas gegenseitig an, wie in der Militärdiktatur Argentiniens)? Danke für diese Vielfalt und Inspiration von JWD 😉

  2. Hallo liebe Tatjana und lieber Artur,
    wieder konnten Wilfried und ich einen neuen Abschnitt Eurer Reise nachlesen in einem detaillierten Bericht bereichert durch sehr viele wunderschöne Bilder. Besonders Eure zuzüglichen Links zu einzelnen Themen sind hervorragend.
    Es ist schön zu lesen und zu sehen, welche Freude Euch diese Reise macht und dass wir auf diese Weise daran teilnehmen können.
    Danke
    In Liebe Mama und Wilfried

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