Can't beat the HEAT!!!!

Wow it's getting HOT here in Buenos Aires. It's not summer yet but it may as well be-- it's about 30 degrees C each day. We are really taking advantage of these warm days to explore the city, work on our tans, and just have fun. One of the best ways to beat the heat in Buenos Aires is by eating ice cream (helado). We, on average, eat one ice cream cone per day per person. The ice cream in Buenos Aires is absolutely amazing. You can even get it delivered to your house!!!

Today was no exception - we had to have our ice cream fix... And who is that in the photo with me enjoying her Dulce de Leche flavoured ice cream? Natalia - a friend of ours from TO who is visiting us. It is great having a visitor to show around the city. I had to show off for Natalia by wearing my honorary yellow employee hat as they know me at the ice cream shop across the street. Of course the people who run the local ice cream shop across the street know me well as you can see they have made me an honourary employee (with the yellow hat). If things don't work out with my job at home, perhaps I can work in this ice cream shop. In the tub are some dulce de leche treats for us to enjoy back in the apartment.

The good weather is also the perfect time to enjoy outdoor Sunday brunch at Olsen, the uber-trendy Scandanavian restaurant in our Palermo neighbourhood. Note: This picture is a bit dated as it's from when Ariel's brother Mike was visiting us a few weeks back. However, I have fallen behind in my blogging and wanted to prove we actually were doing trendy things so I have included it.

This is probably THE hippest restaurant in Palermo and reservations are a MUST! We may take Natalia there tomorrow.

An AMAZING spring/summer outdoor tradition in Buenos Aires is Creamfields, an all-day/all-night electronic music festival that we went to recently. Some of the hottest international DJs were spinning there including David Guetta, Roger Sanchez, Satoshie Tomiie and Argentina's own Hernan Cattaneo (who was great!). It was an incredible afternoon and evening of dancing, and as you can see I definitely definitely gave my favourite shoes a workout. It was hard to keep up with these Argentinian partiers. I believe there were around 10,000 people there with us.

You may be wondering why I have no photos of Creamfields (as it would be natural for me to take many photos of this sort of event). I blame only one person: Martin (see guapo above trying to look better than me in this photo). Ariel & I decided to go to a pre-party prior to Creamfields (we were the only extranjeros at the pre-party so I understood none of the conversation). At the party, our new latino best friend Martin told us that you can't bring a camera into Creamfields. Martin is minorly hot so we believed anything he told us. It was funny though when I got there and EVERYONE had a camera except me, Miguel. Oh well... as you can see Martin is sporting the very trendy jean shorts which are extremely popular here. I will do a future expose on the Argentinian fashion scene.


Of course, there are some portenos who choose not to wear shirts in the heat which we don't really mind...

The only negative aspect of the warm weather is that my allergies are driving me insane. Look carefully at this seemingly beautiful picture on the right... This purple tree looks pretty but it is actually the root of all my allergic problems here. For those of you who know, I have been doing my crazy allergy sound where I scratch the back of my throat and sounds like my mating call. Luckily Ariel loves that sound!

Anyhow, must run but wanted to share how much fun we are having in the SUN! I have to write another blog soon as there's a lot to tell...

Here's a cute picture of us under the Argentinian flag.

Miguel

Whirlwind wedding weekend...

Hola Amigos,

Have you missed me? (Better question: Is anyone still reading this blog?)... I know, I have not been as faithful as a blogger lately. However, I really do have two good excuses. First off, last week we were entertaining Ariel's brother, Michael, who was visiting. Second, this weekend we flew/drove to Detroit to attend my sister, Hayley's, wedding. Hayley is my oldest youngest sister (does that even make sense?).

We left BA last Thursday around 7pm and boarded our plane to Washington. The flight is around 11 hours to Washington and we would connect in Washington to Toronto, and arrive in Toronto at 9am on Friday. It was necessary for us to fly to Toronto as it wasn't possible to use my points to get to Detroit. I figured that it would be fine as we have our car in Toronto and we could drive it from Toronto to Detroit (typically a 4 hour drive). However, a couple of things happened that messed up our plans. First of all, our connecting flight was late into Washington and despite racing to the gate (similar to the Amazing Race style) we were denied entry on to the plane. As a result, we ended up waiting in the United Lounge for 5 hours. As you can see by this photo, I was not happy in the least - and LOOK at that grey hair. Adding to this, when I went to the washroom there was a 'surprise' piece of poo on the floor waiting for me there. It is always a mystery how people can miss the toilet when they are doing the "#2"...

Finally, we boarded our flight to TO (5 hours late) and landed around 2pm. Next stop, to Andrew's house to get our car. I called Andrew to let him know I was on my way and he told me that he needed to tell me something about my car. This troubled me a little but I was still feeling optimistic. When we arrived, Andrew came out and told us that the car wouldn't start. He actually had been trying to boost it (he know about cars he told us, as he's Italian). So Ariel and I eventually went down to the car and tried to boost it. Unfortunately it didn't start. Andrew told us he had been taking the car out every so often, but I guess it wasn't enough. In the picture, Ariel and I are strangling Andrew as we are frustrated. Andrew appears to be enjoying the attention.

The good news about this scenario: I learned a bit more about boosting a car (but I'm too scared to do it myself). The bad news: car didn't start, so we rented a car from this friendly Hertz company. They were very accomodating of the last minute rental, which was much appreciated. So eventually, we were on our way (through Toronto rush hour) driving to Detroit.

When we finally got there (after 28 hours of commuting), we were in the midst of a jam-packed weekend full of dinners, speeches (there are 4 sets of parents so a lot of speeches), and lots of food. Here is a picture of my 3 siblings (including bride, Hayley) and new brother-in-law, Jeremy. Welcome to the family Jeremy!! Unfortunately I missed the bachelor party at Hooters which I am deeply depressed about.

There are a ton more pictures which we hope to get soon. In fact, there were 4 sets of photos taken and I think we may have given the photographer an ulcer. Eventually he loosened up after he realized that there are many rules about who needs to be in which picture.

After the ceremony, the party and drinking began. A highlight of the wedding was definitely the band, who came on to the dancefloor and danced with the guests. Here is a photo of Ariel and I busting moves with my cousins Sara and Kate. People loved our funky moves, especially when Please Don't Stop the Music was playing. My sister Lindsay danced so much that she actually broke her foot! Yes, there is always an injury at a Silverberg wedding.

A great part of the wedding was being able to see my parents and entire family. Here is a photo of my mom and dad which I may sell on eBay. They haven't gotten along this well in over 20 years (they are both happily remarried) so this was a really great occasion!!! People generally say I look a lot like my dad so I know what my future holds for me....

Stealing the show of course was Caleb Silverberg, cutest ring bearer.
People have been asking if Ariel and I will ever tie the knot. Of course anything is possible and I would never reveal these things on a blog. Ariel and I danced together at the wedding which was very nice (and may have surprised a few of the guests). It was great that he was there to celebrate with. All in all, the wedding was a great time which goes to show that there is definitely stuff in Toronto worth flying back for. We also saw some friends on Monday night who came out to see us. It was a work night and we really appreciate those who came to get a piece of Mike & Ariel while we were in town.

Coming back to BA, it is balmy (30 degrees celcius) and we have a lot in store for the next 2 months, including a visit from Natalia, travels to the north of Argentina and wine country, and this weekend, a crazy electronic music festival Creamfields (God knows where they come up with these names). Definitely will be taking my camera to take pictures of these CrAzY latino party kids!!!

Hasta luego,
Miguelito

Writers Block

Ever since I've been back in Buenos Aires, I have had a bit of writers' block. That is not to say that nothing has been happening - I haven't felt interested in writing. So... I've been settling back into my Buenos Aires routine but there is a BIG new addition to my exciting schedule (and likely part of the reason I am too tired to write English)... I've enrolled in intensive Spanish classes. This means I have 4 hours of Spanish per day at a spanish school. I decided to do this as I have a bit more time on my hands and I really want to focus on learning Spanish. I am actually finding it quite challenging -- give me a math or logic problem and I can do it quickly but languages for some reason are not as easy for me.

The school I am going to is called Daniela Wasser. It is located nearby, also in Palermo but about 1/2 hr walking distance. Classes start everyday at 9am, which means dragging my lazy ass out of bed after a late night meal (we have been eating steaks at 11pm typically). I have a class from 9-11 with my first teacher Juliana (pictured above), then I have a 1/2 hr break then class with Pablo (I will get a photo of him soon). I was supposed to be taking group classes but unfortunately the person who was supposed to be in my class dropped out for a week -- he is coming back next week so this past week I've been alone with my two profs. I plan to do the group classes for at least 3 weeks, also so I can meet some people here. One fun thing we got to do is watch desperate housewives in Spanish. I love that show in English so it was funny to see the same characters appear, except they are latina.

Speaking of TV, we have been downloading our fav TV shows, such as Amazing Race (we should be on it except everyone in America would see that I am crazy anxious and Ariel is grouchy), Californication (great show, and I just realized a girl I went to high school with is in it), Top Model, and of course So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Love that show, and my fav is Nico pictured here.... I have a feeling he'll win.

Watching the shows really make us feel close to home.

It has been nice and warm out here in BA which means I can now blog from our balcony (see gratuitous photo of me blogging in my jeans). Seriously though, it is so hot during the day (which I love). Today we will be going to a pool party and hopefully I will have some photos of some people in sungas (not me) for next blog.

Another great thing to do when it is warm ou t is go to the nearby zoologico (ie. zoo, for those who didn't realize). I haven't been to a zoo in many years and literally we live 10 min walk from the city zoo. Last weekend, Ariel and I went. It was a lot of fun as there are quite a lot of cool animals there -- even a large reptile exhibit. The elephants were pretty cool and it felt like they were right in your face (so was their massive poo). Speaking of poo, there is not a social norm here to pick up after your dog. Which means, for example, last night, I slipped on some poo on the sidewalk. It is all part of the fun though.

Another fun thing we did this week is go to an art exhibit. As you may be able to guess from the photo, it was an art exhibit held at the Axel Hotel, a gay hotel here in BA. It was a lot more posing than art and basically an excuse for a bunch of peeps to get together and drink champagne. It was a lot of fun, and the music was great. They have a pool outside and this is where we are going today for the pool party.

In other news, I got a haircut recently and am contemplating letting the grey stay... I am going to wait a couple of days and see if I like it. I am so used to my Garnier #50 that I don't know if I will be able to live without her. If it makes me look more like George Clooney I may decide to keep it...

As you can see, I think Carolina liked it last night which is good (except she's a chick but oh well)! Ariel likes it as well (YES!).

Anyhow off to bruch and pool party with Ariel's brother, Mike, who is visiting... More on that later.

Miguel

Peru Finale: Frozen Mummy and Guinea Pig

Are you thinking that this Peru trip would never end? Well the last days of our recent trip just whizzed by. We arrived home to BA yesterday (Friday) and did a mega load of laundry (well, actually we sent it to the place nextdoor where they wash, fold, dry, iron and separate your laundry for you-- LOVE it).. Here's the run down of the last few days of our trip...

Day 9 (pm) - Return to Arequipa from Colca

We arrived back in Arequipa late afternoon on Tuesday and were a bit beat from the early morning condor viewings (and of course the latina teen fan club photo shoot). But I still had energy and interest in seeing one thing: Juanita!

Juanita is the mummy of an incan girl who was sacrificed to the incan gods as part of an incan ritual in the 1400's on a mountain near Arequipa. Due to the cold weather, remarkably, Juanita remained hidden and preserved until 1995 when, due to volanic ash melting the ice on the mountain, 'Juanita' was found and transported to Arequipa to be studied, and ultimately displayed in the museum. We went to this museum in Arequipa to hear the story and see the preserved mummy. It was amazing to see her (photo is not mine, it's from Google) as well as all the other artefacts, and learn more about the Incans (who seem a bit loco if you ask me). She is preserved in a temperature-controlled glass 'freezer' in the museum. Definitely a highlight of the trip so far!

Day 10 & 11 - Arequipa to Lima

Well we still had one day more to explore the beautiful city of Arequipa. Our day started off with a nice breakfast on the roof of our fav hotel. Again, sunny warm day made for great tanning weather.

From there, we decided to visit the Santa Catalina Monastery (e.g. nunnery). The monastery is a city within a city so we spent a bit of time walking around and exploring where the nuns used to live (not exactly the Hilton I tell ya). Here is a cute picture of Ariel posing with the replica of the last supper...

The grounds were actually quite nice (the nun's rooms were dark and tiny) so we spent most of the time walking around outside.

The Monastery also had an impressive art gallery. I quite liked these 2 paintings of the Creation of the Earth and Adam/Eve story...

For lunch, we went to this creperie (what other kind of food would you expect in South America?) which was a lot of fun. They challenged you to make a perfect crepe, and if you did, your lunch would be free. It was sorta like the TV show "Just Like Mom". As you can see from the picture, I failed miserably at the task (but it was a lot of fun, and the guy used his perfect crepe to make me a yummy chocolate banana one)... If I had to guess the guy's name, hmmm... it would be Jose Luis. Appears that every male I meet here is named Jose Luis.

Then we flew to Lima (population ~10 million) for our last 2 nights. We were told in advance Lima is a sprawling city and it was true. The traffic jam leading up to our hotel was not a lot of fun. We had heard that Lima was a bit dangerous but we saw no evidence of this here on this sign...

We stayed in Miraflores which is a rich suburb full of casinos (kinda unusual and strange for us to see given that we had just come from the countryside and so much simplicity and poverty). Our first night in Lima we also learned first hand about the 19% food sales tax that apparently is only added to foreigner's meals. Although the meal was a tad pricey for Peru standards, we ended up having a very nice ceviche, a specialty in Peru.

The next day in Lima turned out to be a mini food adventure. We started our day shopping for some clothes and ran into a nice salesperson guy in the store who sent us on a mission to eat the best of Lima cuisine (he wrote this on a receipt in his store as you can see). Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to eat as much of the following as possible... according to the guy (likely named Jose Luis) there was a food market 'just a short walk away' where we could sample the best of Peruvian local cuisine. Of course... we were in!!! I knew what the first item was on thst list but I deciced I was going to try it anyhow...

So we started walking and soon realized that the "short walk away" was actually walking 20-30 blocks downtown form the suburb we were in. We decided to get on the local public transit - minibuses which have a man at the door hollering out to passerbys in order to get you on to the bus. All the buses go the same direction (I think) but slightly different prices and slightly different levels of cleanliness. Of course, we had to find one of the more dirty ones to really get into it. In the picture the guy in the red shirt with grey vest is 'working the door'.

We finally arrived at the food stations and treated ourselves to almost everything on the list. It kinda reminded me of a latino CNE. The chicharron (that means pork - sorry rabbi) was quite tasty. Then we dug in to the cuy (guinea pig, yep that's correct! See photo). As you can see from the photo, they leave the tooth and claw in the guinea pig. It kinda tasted like chicken but it was really hard to find the meat. I didn't mind it but put it this way, I woudn't order it again. The best thing on the list was Picarones, the latino version of Tiny Tom donuts which were very yummy (and not tiny).

There was also a little bit of love going on at the food event. "Toothy" pictured here with me I think had a bit of a crush on me. He kept looking over at us while we were eating our guinea pig so I decided I would take a photo with him holding a large piece of meat. He had a very sharp front tooth so I nicknamed him toothy.

We had a lot of fun trying all the food, then hopped back on a bus to our hotel, had dinner, then got up for our early flight back to Buenos Aires.

All in all, Lima had a lot to offer but was hard unless you knew someone there (I only met Toothy later so it was too late for a tour guide). Also, the gay scene is really undercover and clubs only open up really late, so we didn't check it out....

I will leave you with a nice photo taken in Miraflores of some nice buildings. It was a fantastic 11 days in Peru, seeing everything from mountains, canyons, lakes, condors, historic ruins, art, and tasting the amazing cuisine. I will always remember this trip, and if I forget, I have this blog to remind me.

The next couple of weeks will likely fly by here in BA. I start a formal Spanish school, have Ariel's brother coming to visit, and the month (and Act 2) will culminate with us flying back home for a whirlwind wedding weekend (my sister's). Lots of great stuff to be looking forward. As always, I'll keep you informed throughout the adventures...


Miguelito :)

Peru Trip: Colca Canyon... and some condors

[Editors note: Thank goodness for Ariel who is proofreading my blogs. Otherwise people would realize I can't spell without spellcheck...]

Day 8 & 9 - Colca Tour

Ariel and I signed up for a 2 day/1 night bus tour to see the Colca Canyon, which is larger than the grand canyon and 3 hours outside of Arequipa. We awoke early in the morning and left our favourite hotel to board our cramped bus.

The first part of our tour consisted of us learning to chew coca leaves (we were again going high in altitudes). After chewing the coca leaves for the first time, I actually think they work for a number of ailments. They taste absolutely disgusting though.

On the way, we also saw (and distingushed between) the three types of important Peruvian animals:


1. Vicuna (so cute, not domesticated, and was extremely sacred for the Incans)









2. Alpaca - looks like a lamb, domesticated (if you don't own an alpaca, you are NOT cool), and popular for its soft wool.





3. Llama - camel face, good climber, and can carry 80 lbs.




Our bus ride went through the Andes to some great viewpoints where we could see the volcanoes and mountains...

This is a pretty cool picture (in my humble opinion) which shows the good luck custom here... to pile/balance small rocks on top of each other which makes for some pretty neat surroundings...



We have really been missing our dog, Ziggy, on this trip (special thanks to my Uncle Stan and Aunt Linda for taking care of him while we are gone). Any animal that is small and cute reminds us of Ziggy, for example this cute little goat that we found in the mountain... [yes, you figured it out... the bus trip wasn't the most thrilling and we stopped at every possible stop to see animals and buy trinkets from old women in typical Peruvian clothing...]


Finally we arrived at our rustic lodge in Colca where we would stay overnight and then leave early in the morning to look at the canyon and hopefully spot condors. The lodge was a great place to unwind on some hammocks. The food was quite delicious as well... [editor's note: Ariel would put a hammock in our condo if he could]


We then took a hike up a mountain to view an Inca burial site. There were a number of skeletons and bones there, which was sorta freaky. One interesting thing we learned is that the different communities in that time would deform the skulls of their people to differentiate them (note that the skull on the right is narrow and long).

In particular, I think i am the best looking one in this photo but I welcome your comments and feedback...


Prior to heading to bed in the lodge we went to visit a "modern" hot springs (a.k.a hot springs attached to 5 swimming pools with hot water) to soak in the hot water. This was especially welcome given how cold it got at night.

We woke early the next morning (5am!!) to explore the canyon in the hopes of seeing the condor, which is the second largest bird in the world (thanks Cliff Clayvin).

The canyon itself was very impressive, wide and very deep. There are different 'terraces' along the sides at different altitudes which were used for agriculture since different crops grow at different altitudes.


We managed to see quite a number of condors. At times, they suddenly appeared from the canyon and you could really appreciate their size. Unfortuantely, at those times, my reflexes were not as amazing, and as a result, my best condor photo appears to the right (no laughing please).




Real photo from Google -->

The real excitement for us, however, was the group of 20 teenage South American girls that were screaming to take a photo with us. It was hillarious!!... they were all lining up and wanting to pose with us for photos. Of course we obliged and even did fun things with them as you can see in the photo... As you recall we had a similar experience at Macchu Pichu-- obviously these South American girls have a thing for Canadian jews.

We then had lunch in Chivay, a nearby town, then boarded the bus for a 3 1/2 hour bus ride back to Arequipa. Overall, the canyon was a pretty fun experience. Here's a final photo of the canyon and the condor...



We were looking forward to getting back to Arequipa for one more day of exploring, then off to Lima.

Preview of upcoming (and final) blog from Peru: Frozen girl, unique food, nunneries....

Heading out to Sitges Club now... 25 peso all you can drink...

Hugs,
Miguel.