Natural Selection

Photos: Florian Von der Fecht


About fourteen European countries could fit in Argentina and there would still be space left.

With over 210,000 acres of pristine land, Bahía Bustamante - a private farm in Southern Patagonia, is a good example of the vastness of land that Argentina is blessed with.

Upon arrival, one is enchanted by stunning views of magnificent landscapes and wildlife. The deep-blue ocean in front of you, the austerity of the accommodations which enhance the beauty of the vast, natural surroundings; the cold, crisp air that energizes. It's a gift of the Gods. Perhaps the answer to a crazy life in a modern world. The answer to a prayer for a bit of calm and connection with nature. An undisturbed view of the horizon: "look at me, I'm here" it says. Yes, Mr. Horizon, it's you that hides behind those tall buildings in noisy cities. It's you that I miss.

Bahia Bustamante is far, yes. It's also beautiful because of that. A desirable destination for those who have covered much of the world and are in search of a wonderful place to chill in peace and enjoy nature. A destination with no crowds cause nobody even knows this place exists. And, for those few lucky ones that do, know this: only 18 people are allowed there at once. Soriano, owner of the property, would like to keep it this way. He's very much into protecting the environment, and more so when it comes to his own heavenly land.

Bahia is quiet and breathtaking. It offers no more and no less than the great and simple pleasures of life: a sky full of stars, home-cooked meals, wine, comfortable lodging, beautiful sceneries, sunny mornings, penguins playing around you, attractive guanacos (kind of like a llamas) carelessly walking around; AND, when you get tired of sleeping, eating and reading, there are plenty of exciting things to do: horseback riding, kayaking, walking on the beach, or exploring the property's 65-million-year-old petrified forest.


Special thanks to: Bahia Bustamante

I'm thinking

Three cool looks by Benito Fernandez.
Inspiration: La Habana, Cuba, setting he chose for the W2011 campaign.
(by the way, isn't it great that soon Cubans will get to travel?)

See more of this collection here.

Palermo "Sensible"

photo: Coffee shop's logo where Freud's face is also a naked woman.


This post follows a previous one as no coincidence: If tango is a
space to let out your passion, consulting with a psychologist or
psychoanalyst is a way to tame your instincts and passions.

Psychoanalysis is a practice that defines an interesting amount of
Argentines: "if you live in Buenos Aires and don't have a
shrink,you must be mad" is a common saying here.

The career of Psychology is ranked 3rd in choice, so imagine.
The figures of the 2009 Census show that there is a Psychologist
every 120 inhabitants in the city of Buenos Aires itself. The stats
from last year's Census are not ready yet but we are to assume that
this number has increased.

Psychology is taught in its many versions here: French Lacanian School,
Freudian School, English School, Italian, Systemic, Cognitive,
Behavioral, etc. The beginnings of Psychoanalysis were pretty dark.
Starting in the 1940's, by 1949, the Argentine Association of
Psychoanalysis was accepted by the International Association of
Psychoanalysis. It was first taught in small study groups to
doctors, mainly to psychiatrists. Psychoanalysis was prohibited
during militar dictatorships (1976 - 1983) because it was considered
controversial, it made you think too much, in a period in which you
were supposed to follow orders blindly. Psychoanalytic books were in
the list of the books that were forbidden by the military - having one
of those books, openly being a pshychoanalist could get you killed.

Back in democracy, a law was passed regulating the practice of
Psychology in 1985. That is how the career of Psychology came into
being and has ever since maintained it's independence from the career
of Medicine. Universities throughout the country started teaching it,
expanding the amount of graduates.

There are so many students and so many patients in Buenos Aires
itself that it is very common to hear psychological slang in the
streets or in coffee shops. If you were in London and had an
interest in the field, you would of course, visit the Freud Museum.
Well, if you are in Buenos Aires, you would want to visit Villa Freud.
This is were the majority of the pshychoanalist in Buenos Aires have set
up their practices. It is located around Plaza Guemes between Honduras,
Av. Scalabrini Ortiz, Av. Sta Fe and Coronel Diaz. As a result of all the
psychoanalytic movement in the area, bars and cafés started to adopt
the mood, including shrink terms in their menues, etc. Two of these became
famous also because they echoed the name of the Founder "Sigi" and "Freud".

Wood Allen who has been taking some time off from NYC, should visit us some
day, he'd have a blast shooting one of his films here, no?

Music and Nature

Photographed: Maria Andreeva (Russia)


Children and Adolescents Choirs and Orchestras Festival 2011
(Second Edition).

If you love music and nature, an unforgettable experience awaits in the Province of Misiones, Argentina. The reasons are many: this is an ideal time to visit the Iguazú falls: the weather will be glorious, the place, unbelievable; the purpose: magical.

From May 23 to 28, the Ministry of Culture, Education, Science and Technology of the Province of Misiones, will be offering a one of a kind cultural event: the Second Edition of Children and Adolescents Choirs and Orquestras Festival. Organized by Andrea Merenzon.

A total of 700 children and adolescents will be meeting to talk in one single language: the language of music, their passion, their love. They will be coming from 18 countries as different as Germany, Peru, China, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Russia amongst others. Daily rehearsals will take place under the direction of world- famous directors. The children will perform classical and traditional music from their countries of origin.

Individual and group performances will take place in various prestigious hotels in the area (in both sides of the falls, Argentinian and Brazilian).

In the individual performances, you will have the pleasure of enjoying not only the music but the virtuosity of the young musicians. In the group performances you will be able to evaluate the amount of work, effort and coordination put together by all of the participants. No tickets are required, you are free to attend any performance you please.

Music will bring everyone together at the closing of the Festival which will take place at the gardens of the Sheraton Hotel where the beauty of symphonic music will meet the beauty of the stage: Iguazu Falls.

Post by: Vale

A learning experiment

The other day I was watching a program about the social mind. It was pretty interesting. Something that I liked was this experiment researchers made with kids trying to learn Chinese. So what they did is this:

- for a period of time, they had one group of kids study via a video of the Chineese teacher (so, only video)
- for the same period of time, another group of kids studied with the same teacher via audio (just headphones, no images this time)
- for the same period of time, the last group studied with the same teacher as the other two groups - except this last group had the classes live or the teacher went to their house and taught them Chinese there (in person)

The result was that the third group, the group that had the person teaching them live was the group that learnt the fastest. They could not only speak more fluently and write better, but they were also more confident when doing so. Not too surprising I guess, but interesting. Don't you think? It shows how important human contact still is, also when learning a language.

tango reborn

Photo: Aldo Sessa

Tango has been defined by Enrique Santos Discepolo - one of it's greatest poets - as "a sad thought that is danced".

No one can really tell for sure how tango started out. It is said that the word tango was originated in Argentina and Uruguay by the African slaves that arrived in the beginning of the 1800's. It is very likely that it is was the result of mixing a Portuguese word meaning "tambo" (drumming) with an Argentinian word.

The slaves lived by the river (Rio de la Plata), in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in very rudimentary and basic housing called "conventillos". These consisted of a house with various rooms in which many families lived. One family per room. In Spanish, the word "conventillo" also means "crowded" or "mess". There is a very popular expression: "Esto es un conventillo" meaning "this is a mess".

At first, tango was a dance meant only for the slaves. They met and danced to forget the hardships they went through and to have a good time. Tango was created in the beginning as a dance. There was no music. That came later, musicians improvised trying to adapt their music to the choreographies they saw in a 2 x 4 music compass.

Tango started to sprout in dance houses, in "conventillos" in the southern area of Bs. As., in dating houses, and dance academies with the use of a particular language and very tight codes. In the 1880's it was brought to theaters. Actors began including the dance in their performances.

Slowly, tango started shifting from the outskirts of the city and moving into it. Men began dancing in the streets and hiring women to dance with them in dance academies.

Tango was considered an unacceptable dance by the Argentinian middle and higher classes. In the issue of the magazine "Club de tango" dating from 1922 there is an article called "What do you think about tango", where there is a testimony: "My boyfriend is a good man and never lies. He has said to me that I shouldn't dance tango because in doing it one risks it's own purity and dignity. When he says "I love you", I believe him, now I must believe him as well, that is why I don't like that dance."

It's interesting to see and understand why through time, tango went from being a low street dance repelled by the majority of middle and high class "porteños" (people from Buenos Aires) to a very prestigious and internationally recognized dance.

Tango was introduced in Paris in the early years of the 20th century, when dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires, travelled to Europe. Tango became very popular in France, where it began to shine around the time of the First World War. The dance later became popular in Berlin and London. It was a hit. In France a new era was born for tango: intellectuals, orchestras and musicians very much embraced tango and contributed to the improvement of the music and the lyrics. It was after this European love for tango that Argentina opened it's arms to it. The thought that prevailed at the time was: "Tango is embraced with passion in Europe, we're missing something."

But, why does tango continue to attract so many people? I don't know if you have ever tried it. It takes some practice and coordination and requires a partner. But once you have it all down and are in the dance floor with your partner, there is a mystic to it you simply can not stop wanting more of. You feel sensual and feminine. It helps if you understand the lyrics of the songs. They are so incredibly sad.

They are mostly about frustrated love relationships, but also about horse racing, drinking, prostitution, cheating, growing up in Buenos Aires, the nostalgia one feels when one is away from Bs. As., etc.

Many talk about loss. They are very melancholic. I have translated one of my
favorites for you and included a link were you can hear it.


The burr

by Jesus Fernandez Blanco (1926)
Translation: Valeria Mendez Cañas

"I burr has stuck on me. Inside of my heart, I have sorrow,
Why did you leave home so ungratefully? Why did you make my
peaceful life, painful?
I will never be able to take off my chest that painful burr.
My soul is agonizing, I'm faithless,
I have lost my home and my love
because of all the sorrow you've caused me.

I don't know why you went away from me
If I adored you with such intense passion
I don't know why you were keeping something from me
without letting your lack of interest show....

Your love made me a very happy man,
I never thought your passion would turn
into a dagger that would cause my
heart such a wound.
I want you to know that I am moving sadly and alone
along the paths of life. The memories I keep have grown on
me like burrs in a pasture land...
I hope we stumble into each other some day
so that I can see if you have finally found everything
you have unconsciously dreamed of.
And maybe then the two of us can start again!

Here is the music and lyrics


In the early nineties a lot of young people started to learn tango, along with many
foreigners and people in-the-know. Before, it was considered a marginal or an old people's dance. It was danced in middle to low class neighborhood clubs called "milongas" (a milonga is a variety of tango).

Imagine the environment: an indoor court, cheap lighting, cheap drinks, tango music. Back in the old days, in the 1950's tango orchestras played live, that is how: Gardel, Goyeneche, Sosa, Pugliese, Piazolla and Salgan, to name a very recognized few, became famous.

Some things have changed, but the spirit is the same.

If you would like to learn more about tango, see a tango show or dance at a milonga, feel free to ask us for information.

Co-post: Vale and Mich

Buenos Aires Book Fair

Photo by: Jorge Molina (en la piel de la selva)

When Windows was first introduced in the early nineties it caused fascination. It made using computers easier introducing a simpler way of managing different programs. If we used Word, for example, double clicking allowed us to perform different commands, open more than one document at a time and work on other programs as well, be that Excell, Power Point, or any other of the programs that we are all familiar with today. Then, when it was time to shut our computer down, closing all the opened "Windows" requiered us to simply click on the "x". With the development of the internet we were able to apply a similar concept as Windows while surfing: click on the link, then in another and so on.

Although both Windows and the internet created grounds that allowed us to work comfortably from one single place and communicate faster and more effectively, they also made us go, in my opinion, bi-dimensional. The fact that we no longer have to go through the trouble of, for example, visiting a library or book shop to look for content has made us disregard the notion of all all the work that it takes to create, put together and display information in a given field - sometimes forgetting even what it's like to feel a real book, the paper, the art in the cover. Remember CD's? I know, that was a long time ago.

If you are curious and are in Buenos Aires, you have a chance to immerse yourslef in a world of books.

The Book Fair takes place every fall. Book publishers gather to present their book collections and launch new books and publications. This year, the Fair has even more relevance since Buenos Aires has been chosen by by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as the World's Book Capital of 2011.

The Book Fair is also a good start to undesrtand why Buenos Aires is famed for it's cultural production.

It offers conferences and discussion panels in various subjects: Economics, Politics, Law, Psychology, Ecology, Management, to name a few.

This year it is has invited Mario Varga Llosa, Rosa Montero, Jorge Edwards and Wilbur Smith amongst many and various prestigious writers and thinkers.

It hosts music, choir and ballet shows as well as workshops on Textile Art from the Andes (Arte textil andino), Literature, Story Telling, Opera and Poetry readings. A cultural feast you shouldn't miss.

Where: La Rural Exhibition Center, Ave. Santa Fe and Sarmiento, Palermo, Bs As.
When: Til May 9, 2011.

Post by: Valeria Mendez Cañas.

Finding Balance

Photographed: Raquel Sosa (dance teacher)

Have you ever tried doing the splits, a complex move on a balance beam, skating or any other sport that requires you to find your balance?

Doing the splits requires a series of achievements: the desire to do it, the willingness to take the challenge, an understanding of the mechanics of it, and a series of prior achievements: training, posture, stretching, etc. Once you are down there, with your legs straight, your weight balanced and your arms harmoniously placed, you must smile. Sometimes, you manage it all, except for the smile. The pain of the effort is such that you find smiling too hard, so you may not smile. There are times where you just simply manage it all, get used to the pain and smile. If you let go, it stops hurting and you smile because of what you just managed to do.

I once read an interview of Paloma Herrera, NYC Ballet's first ballerina. She was asked what it took to be in such a role. She replied it involved not only loving what you do and being good technically but also being able to display your smile gracefully; to know all your parts and also to let your soul show through.

I like to use the splits as a metaphor for finding balance in life. I know a lot of people that say they haven't found balance in their life cause although they have achieved many things they wanted, they are not so happy. Many say they have gone through all of what they assumed was expected of them only to realize they are missing a large piece of the puzzle. They have invested too much time doing something they didn't really like, trying to achieve their ideals (often others' ideals) trying to play the "perfect" part in a script, trying to please, sometimes forgetting or leaving aside what they really want. But, are ideals so good when they're not your own? was that part meant to be for them? and, what is "perfect", anyways?

Three of my favorite concepts in Psychology are balance, ideals and perfection because I find they are some of the most intriguing of the human mind: the more you pursue them, the more demanding you become with yourself, sometimes leaving little room for amusement or pleasure.

When searching for balance, remember that balance is relative. Figure out what you really want and follow your dreams. It's not to late, you can start now. Whatever it is that you like, you will do that with passion and it will make you and those around you happy. By stepping out of your comfort zone you will grow as a person and you will inspire others. You will make mistakes. If you let them into your life, they will enrich and soften your own self. If you don't, you will begin to stiffen. Learn from your mistakes. Laugh at them. Learn from success too, there is much to learn from things done right.

In the process of mastering what you set yourself after in life, remember that there are various aspects to it: the intellectual, the physical skills, the drive, the mechanics of it and, above all, the desire. Be flexible in uderstanding that balance is relative, and start doing what you really want today. It's only up to you to find yourself doing the splits with a smile on your face!

Post by : Valeria Mendez Cañas

best of both worlds

Photos by Susette Kok


Las Piedras Villas & Hotel Fasano, is Punta del Este's newest development.

Within minutes from exquisite restaurants, hip nightclubs and the beautiful
beaches that make the areas of La Barra and José Ignacio so desirable, you will
find yourself in a sublimely luxurious heaven.

Understated and warm. A place that invites us to experience beach life
and parties with the possibility of coming back to quiet comfort and the
slow pace of countryside living.

Spread throughout 480 hectares, the property has twenty-two bungalows with gorgeous views of the landscapes, a magnificent spa, two miles of riverside, a swimming pool carved into rocks and possibly one of Punta's best restaurants. But that's not all. Soon there will also be thirty- eight villas meticulously designed to blend in with the environment, a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, tennis courts, and a polo course.

It's no secret that Punta del Este, Uruguay, is one of the world's most beautiful spots. This explains why it is the first destination outside of Brazil where the Fasanos chose to open a hotel. "I fell in love with the place, it's magical and romantic" said Rogelio Fasano.

Palacio Barolo - once the tallest building in South America,
on a clear fall day.

Easter in the City

At this time of the year, I usually like to recommend
Easter travel ideas - nice destinations for a long weekend.
But what about those who stay in BA?

In Lasse Hallström's movie "Chocolat", Juliette Binoche arrives in a
small French countryside town to establish a chocolate shop.
The town's life is centered on the mandates of a rigid and severe
catholic priest. It is Lent, the priest is fasting. There is a very
beautiful and in my opinion, well achieved scene in the movie where
the priest senses the smell of chocolate while he is having a very
simple breakfast and is forced to focus on his work in order to avoid
temptation.

Perhaps Easter is not just a chance to get away and enjoy a long
weekend vacation or a moment to give the people we love Easter eggs.
Why not think of it as a time of renewal?
A time to forgive, a time to cherish. It is about being re born,
about giving yourself the opportunity to refresh your faith in
your dreams.

Whatever the strength of your faith, if you are taking some time to
connect with yourself and your life, as the priest in "Chocolat", you
deserve to reward yourself on Easter Sunday.

If you're staying in the city, I suggest Hotel Alvear's Easter Brunch
- which includes a great variety of exquisite local products, the most delicious deserts, and a fascinating wine list. Simply the best in town.
Call the Alvear in advance for reservations.

Another option is to keep it symbolic, have a nice meal at your home,
hotel or flat and give out Easter eggs from El viejo Oso (trufaselviejooso.com.ar) or Vasalissa, (vasalissa.com)
two of my favorite artisan chocolatiers in the city.

Enjoy your Easter!


co-post: Vale & Mich

Teatro Colón

If you have been to Buenos Aires, you must have noticed the incapacity
some Argentinians have when it comes to following rules. If you speak a little Spanish and have ever tried to understand the lyrics of at least, one tango song, you might have understood that the main character in the song has either gotten away with something or has beaten his opponent.He has done this by disrespecting rules, sometimes rules of honor, by cheating.

Tango songs and bad driving are typical of our culture. Take one second,
stand in any avenue corner, preferably by a policeman and observe how drivers
run yellow and red lights, drive on biking paths, or speed up when a pedestrian
is trying to cross the street.
Take note of the policeman, probably too busy texting messages on his cell phone or smoking a cigarette to catch drivers breaking the law.

While driving around town looking at the beautiful European architecture
the city is famed for, you will be intrigued by the magnificence of a
building that stands on Av. Cerrito and Viamonte: Teatro Colon, a jewel, not
only for its architecture but also for the art that is produced inside. The
theater reopened on 2010 after years of restoration work.

Unfortunately, it's not working at its fullest capacity because, just as
anything Argentinian, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, that operates it, and a great number of members of its orchestra (grouped as a union) cannot
reach an agreement regarding working conditions. As a result, the opera that
was to open the theater's season: György Ligetis "Le Grand Macabre" was
put on stage under the direction of Baldur Bröinniman in a non orchestral version consisting of two pianos and percussion.

If you have stayed long enough in Buenos Aires, you must have realized another
thing about us: the ability to get by with what's available. You must
have heard a very popular phrase: "Es lo que hay" meaning: "This is what there is." So for example, although Plácido Domingo was recently scheduled to perform at the Colón, due to a series of events, he was unable to do so, and performed at the Obelisk instead. It was still a wonderful experience enjoyed by everyone and people were extremely happy, and he was too. It was a most memorable event.

There are some issues with the theater, yes, but next time you visit Buenos Aires (or if you're here now), do try to go to the Teatro Colón. It's an experience you don't want to miss. There are many ways to get a good feel for it. I suggest that you try them all:
1) book a guided tour: this will give you a good feel of all the details that must come together to put on a performance. You will walk by rehearsal rooms, you will see the way costumes are made for every show, etc.
2) buy tickets to a performance, the best ones are on a program called
"Abono del Bicentenario" (it only occurs once a month).
3) buy seats on higher floors.

If you book ahead of time, you will get good seats that will combine the possibility of seeing and hearing the performance, otherwise you will be missing the view.

The acoustics, the architecture, and the art you will encounter will make you walk out of there having had a very nice time. If something goes wrong, as it did with Ligeti's opera, you still will have had an experience in itself. After all, this is Argentina (and there is what there is).

For performances and guided tours visit www.teatrocolon.org.ar


Guest post by Valeria Mendez Cañas.

wine in the Andes

Mendoza, Argentina - One of the eight World Wine Capitals of the world

Mendoza is an oasis at the feet the Andes Mountain Range, the highest of America.
The imposing hills, sun, plentiful rivers, and fertile lands give birth to Argentina's
famed wine with Malbec as the signature grape.

When it comes to relaxation and activities, Mendoza has a world to offer: outdoor
adventures such as horseback riding, mountain climbing, skiing, 4x4
crossing, rafting, vinotherapy spa treatments, etc. There is also a
rich cultural scene with theaters, museums and art galleries.
Other options include international cuisine and regional specialties, and of course wine - the trademark of this city.
Engage in planting, harvesting and making wine. Personalized
circuits have been conceived to share locals' passion for the vineyards, wineries,
restaurants, wine lodges and most importantly the visitors!

So let's see some of the vineyards that I like (of course there are many more) and why I like them:

O. Fournier















Photo courtesy: O. Fournier

O'Fournier is a winery located in the beautiful Uco Valley. The Spanish
family Ortega Gil-Fournier, established their dramatic and innovative
winery at the turn of the millennium. This architectural wonder has been
designed to work with gravity to minimize the use of pumps, and its
underground cellar holds up to 2,800 oak barrels at a constant
temperature and humidity. Their state-of-the-art laboratory has
micro-vinification capabilities.
The vineyard produces remarkable Tempranillos, and a blend of
Cabernet-Malbec-Tempranillo. The chef of the restaurant at the
winery, awaits with her signature fusion-cuisine, while the
wine-maker explains to us how to do the wine- paring with their
awarded wines, including their top wine A Crux, B Crux and Urbano.

Vistalba

Photo courtesy: Vistalba

Carlos Pulenta’s winery is another must visit. Carlos is a direct descendant
of the Pulenta lineage of winemakers. His Vistalba winery is a model
establishment and an architectural jewel: a product- focused
facility aimed at maximizing the quality of his wines in a stark, modern, understated building surrounded by 120 acres of vineyards.
All grapes are picked and sorted by hand, and each barrel and
bottle is carefully tracked throughout the production processes.















At Vistalba we can always enjoy a splendid lunch surrounded by the
Vineyards at La Bourgogne, the winery's sleek restaurant run by chef
Jean Paul Boundoux, considered by the Great Wine Capitals organization
as one of “The World's Best Restaurant Inside a Vineyard”.

Salentein















Salentein winery is located in the mountains between a sea of vineyards.
The magnificent bodega, designed for both form and function in the shape
of a cross, allows for customized gentle handling of the grapes,
reducing the distance wine needs to be moved between winemaking steps.
Each of the wings is a small winery with two levels- a ground level
that houses stainless steel tanks and French wooden vats for fermentation
and storage, and an underground level for aging wine in oak casks.

The two levels allow wine to flow from the tanks to the barrels by a
traditional gravity transfer system. The four wings converge in a
circular central chamber, which resembles an amphitheater that was
inspired by ancient classical temples. A visit to the Killka Art Gallery,
with More than 100 works of famed Argentinian artists such as Nicolás García
Uriburu, Carlos Alonso or Marta Minujin is a must. Your experience here is not
over without an exquisite lunch at Killka's restaurant.

Catena Zapata



















Catena Zapata winery has pioneered modern vinification techniques
and high altitude viticulture in Mendoza, helping to bring Argentine
wines, particularly those made with the Malbec grape, worldwide
recognition. The bodega has passed through four generations who
have inherited the wine-making passion. Located in the town of
Agrelo, with Mayan-inspired architecture and technology.

Trapiche
















Photo courtesy: Trapiche

Trapiche, located in the Maipú area is surrounded by stunning
natural landscapes, and a Florentine- style building. This is
one of Argentina’s biggest wine brands, their medium–bodied reds
are highly desired by local and international wine-lovers.
The people at the bodega are welcoming and generous with their
knowledge.


Have you been to any of these bodegas? others? which ones did you like the most?

x Mich

The Wild Northwest

llama NW, Argentina

tennis beauty

see more here

Uruguay

Complot

la feliz

Swimming and Cycling in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

last night

photos by: Catita