I feel loved

Shout outs go to team Bethany (including bride to be Stacy).

I was traveling through northern argentina the last three weeks having some pretty amazing experiences, but I found that there is something comforting about returning to something you're familiar with. The girls really warmed my heart as I read their letters. In addition, there was a t-shirt...gotta tell them that even thought the UCLA t-shirt Jennie gave me used to fit, my shoulders have grown a bit since then, but its all good...I'll just look even more fit, jaja.


Sad to miss my stand partner's wedding, but such are the sacrifices of being a Watson Fellow.

If anything these letters have told me that even thought I may not have a job or school waiting for me when i get back, at least I'll have friends waiting for me.

Tranquilo

Here's a song I wrote in the Chacarera style:

Valle tan lindo, valle re-tranqui
Al paso del queso corren aquí.

Ratón de ciudad, ratón del campo
Se mezclan acá un poco tiempo.

El avión ha sido mi caballo
A ver si esta vez no me caigo.

Ando pa’ merecer mis hebillas
Espero no terminar en silla.

Mate 2

Yo aprendí a tomarlo
sin nada de azúcar,
para acompañar toda
la amargura de mi vida.

Pero esta yerba se
convirtió en mi mejor amiga.
Anda siempre conmigo
y me llena de energía.

Otro beneficio que
l'hace mejor que una chica,
después de sacarle el sabor
se saca y se tira!

Mate

I've started writing lyrics!!!

Droga que nunca tomaba
yerba de mil verdes colores.
Que antes se encontraba
afuera de mis tentaciones.

Esta costumbre de otros
ahora del joven viajero.
Lo tiene adicto como
cualquier fulano callejero.

Mamá, no se preocupe
de que yo tome esta droga.
Como la coca no es polvo
que yerba mate no es mota.

Contramano

It's raining in Jujuy...suckagawea :(

Instead of going to the Quebrada de Huamahuaca (Patrimonio de la Humanidad) I had breakfast at San Martin Park (granola, bread and dulce de leche). To pass the time I played some cueca on my charango and then went to a video arcade. Now that the internet place is open I'll spend the rest of my afternoon here.

This next music video comes to mind whenever I read the "wrong way" red and white street signs. Its also pretty cool video and makes me want to get tight white shorts. Sometimes I do feel like i'm going contramano (seeing as how I'll be unemployed pretty soon) but at "least I know who I am."

Kapanga - Contramano


Muy temprano a la mañana
Se levantan y trabajan
Yo en ese momento me arrastro a mi cama
Para llegar y dormir

Me sentí un poco perdido
Y agarre por un desvió
Sabia muy bien para donde iban todos
Pero yo no quise ir

Al revés del mundo, yo sigo mi rumbo
Buscando mi propia salida
Yo sigo el camino que nadie camina
No hay huellas por donde yo voy

Siempre voy a contramano
Si todos vienen yo voy
Siempre voy a contramano
Pero sabiendo quien soy

Si doblan a la derecha
Yo giro para la izquierda
Si es muy importante, me importa una mierda
Yo se donde tengo que ir

Ellos rezan oraciones
Yo prefiero mis canciones
No le creo a nadie, ni al representante
De alguien que llaman señor

El Gaucho Viajero

Yesterday I had the most intense traveling day.

I had breakfast in Tafi del Valle. (tortillas tucumanas and mate cocido).
I had lunch in a plaza in Cafayate. (cheese and bread I had bought back in Tafi, plus mate).
I had dinner at plaza Belgrano in Jujuy. (empanadas de queso, choclo y pollo)
Then a folklore show by Maestro Ramos at the old Teatro Mitre.

Deserving my belt buckles

As a norteño (from northern mexico) I grew to like those big cowboy belt buckles. The funny part is that my family moved out of their ranch before I was born. I had only rode a horse when I was 5 and we were on vacation.

When I was little I watched the Disney movie where donald went to South America. Well, I already acomplished the part of going to Lake Titicaca. In another part Goofy goes to Argentina and trys to be a Gaucho. Well, I just went to Tucuman at the Valley of Tafi where I too was Gaucho for a day.Its been two days and my whole body is still sore from the cabalgata. The ride up was slow and steady, slow to the point where I wanted to go faster but didn't know how. Come to think of it, the real Gaucho, Amaiso, didn't really give me any instructions just told me to get on and follow him.

We rode up to an ecological farm at the top of a nearby serro (hill). Roberto, the owner, came out to give me the tour. I was thirsty so I started getting my mate ready. Things kicked off good when I was offered some regional wine called Patero. Roberto's mission is to turn back the damage that man has done to Pachamama (mother earth). The little ranch has various livestock, bee hives, herb garden (took down notes on the medicinal ones for Cindy) and is all run with natural compost. After the awesome Andean Captain Planet tour which included me hand feeding corn to a dozen llamas, it was time to go. But before that, Amaiso shared more of the wine and Roberto had me try other type of wines he makes. There was also a licor made from nuts that was similar to Baileys but more delicious. It is fermented with aguardiente. Before heading out we toasted with shots of aguardiente. You can imagine how the ride down went...I was flying with the speed of aguardiente! One time as I was bouncing up and down, my axis slowly tilted away from perpendicular and I felt close to falling off the horse. At a few parts we stopped, at first I thought it was to take a look at the amazing view, but really Amaiso and I took swigs of the Patero until the bottle was empty.

Back at home base he showed me how the bolas worked to take down a horse. I wanted to chat with the gaucho some more so I invited him to lunch. We ordered empanadas and when it came time for bebidas I just wanted some water or coca light at the most, but we ended up splitting another bottle of Patero. I ended my cabalgata experience with a well deserved siesta.


On a sidenote, I was having mate at the plaza in Tafi when I took out my charango and started playing around. I had found some chords that fit the Chacarera style. To my surprise, a person walking by recognized the style and said "play me a chacarera, friend."

A dying breed

Traditional artesan instrument makers appear to be a dying breed. The music stores now stock instruments with the label "Made in China."

I went to Tucuman to visit the Folklore Museum which has a small collection of instruments. There was an old violin that I found interesting. My goal in traveling through northern argentina is to find regional violins. La Chacarera is the northern argentina musical style that I really like and includes violins. Unfortunately when I asked the curator if he knew anyone that still made those regional instruments. Apparently there used to be people that repaired instruments that came around the museum, but not anymore.