‘What this family needs,’ my husband said, brandishing a copy of National Geographic, ‘is the spirit of adventure.’ It was eight o’clock on a February night at JFK airport, and we were about to begin the first leg of our trip to Uruguay (10 hours to Buenos Aires from New York, where we live, one day’s stopover, and then another flight across the border to the Maldonado coast). I had never been to Latin America (‘Isn’t it very dangerous?’ more than one friend asked), and it seemed mad to fly two young children to the southern hemisphere for half-term – most families we knew were heading to Florida, where there are perfectly decent beaches and people speak English.

But Peter wanted an edge-of-the-world, far-flung destination, and Uruguay, sandwiched between Brazil, Argentina and the South Atlantic Ocean, was unspoilt and remote enough even for him. And no one we know had ever gone there (a plus for him, a big minus for me and the children).

 ’Does Dad speak Spanish?’ Sam, my eight-year-old, asked. No, and neither do I. ‘So how will we eat any food?’

We landed in Buenos Aires at breakfast time and stepped outside the airport into the tail-end of the Argentine summer, like slipping into a warm bubble bath after New York’s bitter cold. Fresh as daisies (no jet lag: Buenos Aires is only two hours ahead of New York), we checked our luggage into the luxury Park Hyatt Hotel Buenos Aires, a renovated mansion in the city’s old quarter of Recoleta, and explored. I am ashamed to say I had no interest in Buenos Aires before our visit, but have fallen in love with it. Slightly frayed at the edges, it is like a well-preserved courtesan, where you get glimpses of the great beauty that was.

Recoleta, historically the city’s most affluent neighbourhood, is a majestic district of belle époque buildings with neoclassical facades, elegant boulevards and sloping grassy plazas shaded by Argentina’s mammoth gomeros, or rubber trees, which have huge tangled buttress roots the children clambered over. We walked down the Avenue Alvear to the Cementerio de la Recoleta, the historic burial ground that contains the private family mausoleums of the aristocracy; we visited the crypt of Eva Peron.

Its ornate bronze door had fresh flowers and notes pinned to it. The 19th- and 20th-century funerary architecture was beautiful but rather morbid, and Sam and our six-year-old, Clementine, were more interested in the dozens of stray cats that live among the marble tombs. ‘Lunch time,’ Peter barked, so we headed off. Back near the hotel we came across Fervor, an old-school starched tablecloth type of Buenos Aires restaurant with two elegant tiers, black-and-white tiled floors, traditional chandeliers made from forks and spoons, and old gent waiters. It is a great find. ‘This is the best lunch I’ve ever had,’ Sam announced after polishing off a rib-eye steak with a tiramisu chaser.

It would be a great mistake to fly this far and not spend time in Buenos Aires, which has 48 districts or ‘barrios’, each with its own distinct character, and is the 12th largest city in the world. We managed three more neighbourhoods: Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho, which have undergone a renaissance in the past few years, and Boca, because Sam wanted to see the home of the famous Boca Juniors football club.

Boca was settled by Italian working-class immigrants in the 19th century and the houses are painted in vibrant colours – a Genoese immigrant tradition of using up the paint left over from boats. The children were intrigued by the comical oversized papier-mâché figures decorating the buildings and the tango dancing in the street. The design and fashion scene is booming in Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood: the tree-lined cobbled streets, with bursts of purple hibiscus, are humming with boutiques, cafes, furniture and interior design shops and art galleries. Clementine and I darted in and out of boutiques before finding a leather handbag the quality of an Hermès bag (for me) and a chic striped top and skirt combo (for her).

Uruguay is 30 miles from Buenos Aires, on the opposite shore of the estuary of the Rio de la Plata, or River Plate, which divides the two countries. To cross it you can take the ferry – the one-hour fast hydrofoil or three-hour boat trip go several times a day, and will deposit you at Montevideo or Colonia, from where you can pick up a bus or hire car – or you can grapple with Argentina’s internal flight system. Locating our plane at the chaotic domestic airport was like trying to catch the last helicopter out of Saigon, and we wished we had taken the ferry.

Punta del Este, Uruguay

At Punta del Este, Uruguay’s ritzy and overdeveloped seaside resort, we picked up our car, a clapped-out Toyota. Until the Uruguayan government recently lifted its heavy car import duty, everyone drove beautifully preserved American Fords, Dodges, Buick convertibles and Cadillacs, and we still saw them in evidence on our trip, but far more of the cheap new cars from Japan. We headed off along the single coastal road towards our hotel, located 45 minutes away in the former fishing village of José Ignacio, ‘the St Tropez of Uruguay’, Peter announced.

Though little is known of the Uruguay coast in Britain – pampas and estancias more readily come to mind – to Argentines and Brazilians it is one of the most glamorous destinations in Latin America. It is an unspoilt coastline of golden beaches, rolling sand dunes, green peninsulas and lagoons teeming with wildlife that stretches all the way to Brazil.

For 150 miles a collection of former farming and fishing villages – La Juanita, José Ignacio, Cabo Polonio, Punta del Diablo – boast modernist beach houses, pop-up art galleries, gourmet beach restaurants and a bohemian, low-key atmosphere that has drawn comparisons with the Hamptons of the 1960s. For most of the century the area was uninhabited by anyone but fishermen, until a small group of affluent families from Montevideo and Buenos Aires built beach houses in the 1970s and began summering here. It remained under the radar for 20 years, but now the high season of December until early February sees a mix of Argentines, Brazilians, New Yorkers and Europeans flood the area for the late-night art parties and fashion soirees. By the time of our arrival in mid-February the crowds had thinned, and though the glamour quotient remained high, the sandy tracks and beaches were peaceful and empty.

We were staying at Playa Vik, one of two boutique hotels in Uruguay owned by the Norwegian entrepreneur Alex Vik and his American wife, Carrie. Playa Vik opened in December and is the most talked-about property in José Ignacio. Six modernist casitas, walled with glass and roofed with sea grasses, surrounded a verdant lawn, at the bottom of which was a James Bond-style titanium-and-glass structure rising from the turf, with breathtaking views of the Atlantic. ‘Is that a spaceship?’ Clementine asked.

The Viks commissioned the architect Carlos Ott to create these jaw-dropping effects. We followed the children down to the spaceship, which turned out to be the dining-room and chillout area and, disconcertingly, a space in which to house pieces from the Viks’ priceless art collection. I saw a Zaha Hadid desk and a James Turrell light installation in the library, Anselm Kiefer’s majestic The Secret Life of Plants propped up against the wall next to the bar, and in the middle of the room Hadid’s Iceberg Sofa, which Clementine insisted on sliding up and down. ‘If one of the children damages anything here there goes our net worth,’ Peter said ominously.

Giant glass doors slid open on to a teak deck and black granite pool cantilevered over the beach below. Above us, on the structure’s second floor, three bedrooms had walls of glass that slid wide open. I made a note not to take the children up there. As Peter and I settled down on our sun loungers we realised the pool’s edge had a 10ft drop beneath it. ‘Don’t stand up at the shallow end,’ Peter roared as Sam and Clementine gleefully swam towards it.

We were assigned an ‘experience concierge’, a stupendously cool and charming Argentine named Juan who could organise anything for us, including dinner reservations at the iconic La Huella, which is rumoured never to take bookings. Juan was alarmed that we wanted to eat at 7pm. Nobody in South America, apparently, eats before 11pm. Against his better judgment he made us the earliest reservation, at 9pm, and we settled down for a siesta in our spacious four-room casa, which had two private patios and was a fantasy of Frette sheets and high-end bathroom design. ‘What’s that for?’ asked Clementine of the sculptured stone bath, large enough for two people.

In the late afternoon we walked up to the José Ignacio lighthouse, built in 1877, which sits on a peninsula, and meandered along the grid of sandy tracks on which small but perfectly formed beach homes, some boxlike structures of glass and wood, others atop stilts and brightly painted, sit cheek by jowl. ‘Some of the most expensive real estate in South America,’ Peter said. Walking back we stopped at an art gallery inside a whitewashed bungalow belonging to a French artist. She and her daughter live in Montevideo with her husband, but from December until March they relocate to José Ignacio, like many well-to-do Uruguayans and Argentines.

La Huella is built over a sand dune facing the Atlantic and is both a world-class seafood restaurant and a kind of private beach club for José Ignacio society. We walked in the dark – no street lights in José Ignacio – and found deckchairs surrounding low, candlelit tables, lanterns dangling from the ceiling, a polished and well-stocked bar, and an indoor-outdoor seating plan. The effect was chic and enchanting. Wrapped in big wool blankets supplied by our waitress, we ate delicious calamari and the signature fish of the day (striped bass), grilled the traditional way on a parrilla at the back of the restaurant, the barbecue continually stoked with logs from the wood pile on the floor.

We ordered white wine but got red, still water but got sparkling. No matter. By the time we left there was a long line of people queuing on the sand. The next night we ate like gourmets again, this time alfresco at Marismo, a tiny restaurant hidden down an unmarked sand track, where we had lamb shank hanging off the bone at long, rough-hewn wooden tables lit by a campfire.
Three miles beyond José Ignacio the coast of Maldonado turns into the wild and more deserted shores of the Rocha Department, populated by colonies of sea lions. Here the far-flung fishing village of Punta del Diablo is becoming an increasingly enticing destination for those in search of beautiful beaches and excellent local fish restaurants, but I was keen to visit the hippie outpost Cabo Polonio, where squatters have been building homes (since the 1960s) on a deserted landscape of dunes that has been described as one of the world’s last utopias.

There is no electricity or running water and it is accessible only on foot, horse or by four-wheel-drive, which struck me as the kind of adventure Peter was looking for. We drove two hours north-east along Ruta 10, parked the car on the side of the road and queued up for one of the trucks that take passengers through the National Park. Our enthusiasm waned when we eyed our seats: a minuscule patch on the crowded roof. The children gamely clambered aboard and for an hour we clung to a handrail as the truck drove up and down sandy tracks and on to a two-mile stretch of deserted landscape, at the end of which was Cabo Polonio. Bright-coloured makeshift dwellings, some flying the Uruguayan flag, sat precariously along the dunes.

Our truck broke down and we walked the final 200 yards to the village centre, where there were hostels and makeshift cafes, and people were selling jewellery, wind chimes and miniature lighthouses made out of seashells. Handwritten posters advertised trips to view the sea lions and fur seal colonies, about half a mile off the point. Before leaving we walked to Playa de la Calavera (beach of the skull), the only beach on the coast of Uruguay that faces east and north-east, and where the waves crash on to the beach from different angles. It doesn’t get more edge-of-the-earth than this.

Seven am, and a breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice and omelettes in the Playa Vik alfresco dining-room. I met a woman who had travelled from London with her husband and two teenage children. ‘I haven’t been to a place I’ve been quite so keen to return to in some time,’ she told me. When I told her I was writing about José Ignacio, she pulled a face. ‘Don’t blow it for us.’

Peter and Sam walked along the beach to the early- morning fish market, where fishermen were laying out their catches of squid and swordfish. On Juan’s advice, we drove to Garzon, about an hour’s drive inland, where the renowned Argentine chef Francis Mallmann has a hotel-restaurant. Uruguay has a land mass larger than England’s, but a population of fewer than 3.5 million, most of whom live on the coast. On our way to Garzon we didn’t see a single car, only a farm boy atop a horse and cart, and an undulating landscape of pampas dotted with pepper trees, coronilla and huge cacti. We saw sheep, horses, cattle and ostriches running in groups of four, to the delight of the children.

Hotel Garzon sits on the corner of the main street, a beautiful 140-year-old former general store of red bricks. ‘Over the years I always thought it was a beautiful town, with nice bones,’ said Mallmann, a handsome man in his fifties and a master of grill-cooking. ‘It was a bit crazy, just five rooms and a restaurant.’ Garzon is now a destination because of Mallmann – the President of Uruguay recently dropped in – and we found out why. In a beautiful garden surrounded by pots of herbs we ate thin-crust pizza, baked in a wood oven, with rocket, tomatoes and grana padano, and succulent lamb with lemon and almonds, cooked the Mallmann method: roasted for seven and a half hours. It was the most delicious lunch I had that week.

The children had been asking to go riding with a gaucho. Juan booked us into Estancia Vik, the Viks’ second Uruguayan property, three miles inland, on a 4,000-acre ranching estate by the side of the José Ignacio lagoon. We saw the estancia as soon as we turned off the road, despite the mile left to drive: this is the traditional estancia, supersize. All day we felt as though we were on a film set. Inside the stylised red sheet-metal roofs and white adobe walls was museum-quality art by Uruguayan luminaries such as the sculptor Pablo Atchugarry.

The frescoes in the drawing-room had been hand-painted by the artist Clever Lara, a personal friend of the Viks, whom they lured out of retirement to create the Google Earth-inspired representation of José Ignacio and Uruguay. At the stable the gaucho was saddling up a group of horses. We were joined by two New Yorkers who had been to José Ignacio for a wedding. The seven of us rode off across the estancia’s beautiful grounds, Sam on my horse, Clementine with Peter. Two hours later we returned, a little sore and weary but invigorated and looking forward to dinner.

We returned to Playa Vik for our last day and night in Uruguay, and found the place in a state of frenzied organisation: the Viks, who live in Connecticut, had just arrived by private plane from their 11,000-acre property in Chile’s Millahue Valley. Peter headed to the bar where he ran into Alex Vik, who was rearranging the artwork.

It is a universal truth that tycoons have exponentially more energy than the rest of us, and Vik is no exception: despite running businesses on three continents, skiing, playing polo, putting together a world-class art collection, running a vineyard and overseeing the construction of his properties, he has time to design furniture – including, he told me with pride, the dining-room chairs at Playa Vik. What motivated him and his wife to build such an unusual hotel? ‘We did it for love,’ he said. ‘We’re like proud parents – and we see it as private homes we’re sharing with people. It’s your home.’

This theory was tested to the limit later that afternoon, when Sam and his new friends, three young French brothers staying at the hotel, played a two-hour football match on the lawn. Goal nets were set up, Peter and the French father joined in, then Juan, followed by three more members of the Playa Vik staff, until there were French, English, Australian, Uruguayan and Argentine players on the pitch. Nobody seemed concerned that divots of pristine turf were flying everywhere, least of all Alex Vik himself. By the end Sam was red in the face and triumphant. ‘This is the best day of my life,’ he said.

That night we had a family dinner by candlelight at the edge of the pool, the twinkling lights of the granite floor melting into the night sky. Looking out across the Atlantic, I realised with a shock that the next land mass is the Falkland Islands, and then Antarctica. Afterwards we lolled on cushions around the firepit while the children looked up at the Milky Way and searched for the Southern Cross. ‘Who wouldn’t want to visit Uruguay?’ Peter asked, waving his wineglass at the vista. I couldn’t argue: all four of us are longing to return.

Uruguay essentials

Where to stay: Playa Vik – casas from $1,000 per night. Estancia Vik – suites from $500 per night (00 598 94 605 212; vikretreats.com). The Ultimate Travel Company offers a nine-day stay in Buenos Aires and Uruguay from £3,751 per person, with two nights in Buenos Aires, two at Estancia Vik and four at Playa Vik. The price includes flights from Heathrow to Buenos Aires and private transfers (020-7386 4646; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk)

Where to eat: Fervor, Buenos Aires (00 54 11 4804 4944); La Huella, José Ignacio (00 598 486 2279); Marismo, outside José Ignacio (00 598 486 2273); Namm, outside José Ignacio (00 598 486 2526); Hotel Garzon, Pueblo Garzon (00 598 410 2811)
________________________________
SOURCE:
“South America: On Uruguay’s unexplored riviera”
By Heather Hodson
10 Feb 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/southamerica/uruguay/9073974/South-America-On-Uruguays-unexplored-riviera.html

“WiMAX Buenos Aires was an excellent event,” said Paul Choiseul, CTO of IBW. “The presentations were highly instructive, not only on the state of the industry, but also on innovative new technologies and best practices that are sure to have a positive impact on most, if not all attendees. Beyond being an unparalleled educational event, the Buenos Aires Operator Summit allowed abundant time for networking and business development and I personally benefitted from exposure to innovative new products that will help me reduce my expansion costs and allow me to create new value added services.”

Attendees were treated to a full program including speakers from WiMAX operators, equipment and solutions vendors, and WiMAX Forum Working Group staff. The WiMAX Forum would like to extend a special thank you to WiMAX Forum member GreenPacket for co-hosting the well-attended post-event cocktail reception.

The WiMAX Forum would also like to extend a thank you to the following member companies that contributed speakers to the program:

• Airspan
• Alepo
• Alvarion
• Aptilo
• GreenPacket
• Huawei
• Intel
• ITRI
• NEC
• NSN
• Sequans
• Skyonline

“WiMAX Buenos Aires was a fantastic event,” said Declan Byrne, Acting President of the WiMAX Forum. “The program covered a range of topics important to Latin American operators, and our speakers did a terrific job providing strong educational presentations. We are already looking forward to our next event in late March in Pakistan.”

Launched in 2011, the WiMAX Forum Operator Summit Series brings targeted, localized events to different regions of the world with a focus on serving the needs of WiMAX operators through education and networking. The Operator Summit Series provides interactive working events for all participants, both operators and vendors, to meet, exchange ideas and develop business and cooperative relationships. Further information regarding these events will be made available on the WiMAX Forum events page: www.WiMAXForum.org/events.

For more information on WiMAX technology or to become a member of the WiMAX Forum, please contact Mike Wolleben at mike.wolleben@wimaxforum.org. You may reach Mike by phone at +1 (512) 722-6138.

About the WiMAX Forum®

The WiMAX Forum® is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization that certifies and promotes the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products based upon IEEE Standard 802.16. The WiMAX Forum’s primary goal is to accelerate the adoption, deployment and expansion of WiMAX technologies across the globe while facilitating roaming agreements, sharing best practices within our membership and certifying products. WiMAX Forum Certified® products are interoperable and support broadband fixed, nomadic, portable and mobile services. The WiMAX Forum works closely with service providers and regulators to ensure that WiMAX Forum Certified systems meet customer and government requirements. For more information, visit www.wimaxforum.org.

WiMAX Forum
Alessandra Rocha
Marketing & PR Coordinator
Phone: 858-605-0978
Fax: 858-430-3118
12264 El Camino Real, Suite 402
San Diego, CA 92130
alessandra.rocha@WiMAXForum.org
www.WiMAXForum.org

________________________________________
SOURCE:
“WiMAX Buenos Aires a Success in Latin America”
02-09-2012
http://www.openpr.com
http://www.openpr.com/news/210240/WiMAX-Buenos-Aires-a-Success-in-Latin-America.html

- Pick up and drop off from your hotel
- Duration: Full day
- Discover the argentine culture
- Unforgettable experience
- Frequency / Season: Every Day at 9:00 AM

11:00 AM, reception:

- At the typical gaucho building (“rancho de adobe”).
- Argentine Empanadas (meat pies)
- Wine and juice.

Visits to the “Estancia”:

- Museum, bakery, etc.
- Milking with participation of the public
- Horse trips

1:00 PM, lunch:

- Grill: sausages, short rib of grill, chicken, etc…
- Salad: Provenzal potatoes, mixed and carrot and egg.
- Drinks: Argentine wines, cola drink, Juices, Water
- Dessert: ice-cream, coffee

Show:

- Folkloric show, singer and professional dancers
- Typical dances where the public participate
- Rides in carriage, tractor and horses
- Show of Creole skills: Ring-races
- Horse mildness and troops Retail-trade.
- How the gaucho put the seat on the horses”.

4:00 PM: Fast Food

- Cooked “mate” (boiled water)
- Sweet cakes with quince jelly.

We booked the trip very last minute, and were scrambling to put a deposit on our hostel before we bought the concert and bus tickets. The hostel was the most difficult part because we had to put down a 50% deposit on the beds, just in case we didn’t show up. That was reasonable, but it was hard collecting bank account information over the phone to transfer the cash, when we could barely understand the Spanish on the other line. Finally, the hostel was booked and next was the bus. We thought you could buy tickets online, but it turns out you need an Argentinian ID. We ended up having to go to the bus station, which is located in the neighborhood of Retiro, and it was the largest bus terminal I’ve ever seen. Over 100 bus companies operate out of Retiro, and you can travel pretty much anywhere your heart desires (although it could take up to four days). We also had to buy the concert tickets in person, which was located behind the sketchiest of unmarked doors on the street.

Vila Gesell Aerial View

We left Thursday afternoon and arrived in town just before dark. After wandering around for an hour looking for the hostel, we caved and took a taxi; it ended up only being a 20 minute drive away. The hostel was the first one I’ve ever stayed at. It wasn’t that nice, but it could’ve been much worse; at least we got sheets on the beds (I’ve heard horror stories). We went to the main street for dinner, which is converted to a pedestrian street at night. The town is all young people on vacation, so we fit right in. The concert was at a venue called, ‘Pueblo Limite’, and it lasted from midnight until 6 A.M. I had a great time, even though I had no idea who the DJ was.

After a short sleep, I hit the beach. We were severely battered by sand, so we ended up leaving pretty early. Instead, we scoped out a good place for dinner that night in town. At dinner I had the best red wine I’ve had so far, a Malbec from a Patagonian vineyard. For my main dish, I ordered seafood risotto and flan for dessert. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned here, it’s that you shoudn’t expect anything you order to be what you think it is. My risotto was brown, not white, and had no cheese whatsoever. But it was still delicious, so I went with it. Better yet, the waiter forgot to charge me for the meal on the final bill.

The last day we got to the beach, luckily, before the heavy winds, and on the bus ride back, I was knocked out the entire way. I could get used to how comfy the luxury buses are here! We returned to Buenos Aires sandy, sunburned, and exhausted, but grateful for our exciting weekend away, and for finally figuring out how to plan a vacation here. Next trip in progress: Bariloche.
______________________________________________
SOURCE:
“Villa Gesell, a weekend escape”
By: CAROLYN TIERNAN
February 06, 2012
http://dailycollegian.com
http://dailycollegian.com/2012/02/06/villa-gesell-a-weekend-escape/

FOOTBALL TICKETS + TRANSFERS TO THE STADIUM: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

- Prices and a detailed description of our service.
- For additional questions please contact us.
- We provide a complete service which include tickets and Transfers Hotel-Stadium-Hotel.
- We do not sell tickets separately

2012 GAMES SCHEDULE AND PRICES

10/02/2012: Boca vs Olimpo
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

10/02/2012: Boca vs Olimpo
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

12/02/2012: Racing vs Tigre
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address

18/02/2012: River Plate vs Independiente Mendoza
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

19/02/2012: San Lorenzo vs Estudiantes
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/sanlorenzo.jpg

22/02/2012: Velez vs Chivas (México)
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

26/02/2012: Boca vs Newell´s
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

26/02/2012: Boca vs Newell´s
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

03/03/2012: River Plate vs Quilmes
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

04/03/2012: San Lorenzo vs Boca
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/sanlorenzo.jpg

07/03/2012: Boca vs Fluminense (Copa Libertadores de América)
Field Side Seats – U$S 250
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

07/03/2012: Boca vs Fluminense (Copa Libertadores de América)
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

11/03/2012: Boca vs Independiente
Field Side Seats – U$S 249
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

11/03/2012: Boca vs Independiente
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

17/03/2012: River Plate vs Deportivo Merlo
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

22/03/2012: Velez vs Dep.Quito, Ecuador (Copa Libertadores de América)
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

25/03/2012: Boca vs Lanús
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

25/03/2012: Boca vs Lanús
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

07/03/2012: Boca vs Arsenal (Copa Libertadores de América)
Field Side Seats – U$S 250
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

29/03/2012: Boca vs Arsenal (Copa Libertadores de América)
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

31/03/2012: River Plate vs Ferro
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

08/04/2012: Boca vs Argentinos Jrs.
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

08/04/2012: Boca vs Argentinos Jrs.
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

14/04/2012: River Plate vs Huracán
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

17/04/2012: Velez vs Defensor, Uruguay (Copa Libertadores de América)
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

18/04/2012: Boca vs Zamora (Copa Libertadores de América)
Field Side Seats – U$S 250
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

18/04/2012: Boca vs Zamora (Copa Libertadores de América)
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

21/04/2012: River Plate vs Instituto
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

29/04/2012: Boca vs Colón
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

29/04/2012: Boca vs Colón
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

05/05/2012: River Plate vs Gimnasia
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

13/05/2012: Boca vs Vélez
Field Side Seats – U$S 249
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

13/05/2012: Boca vs Vélez
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

19/05/2012: River Plate vs Guillermo Brown
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

20/05/2012: Racing vs Boca
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address

27/05/2012: Boca vs Godoy Cruz
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

27/05/2012: Boca vs Godoy Cruz
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

03/06/2012: Argentina vs Ecuador (Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers)
Field Side Seats – U$S 179
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

09/06/2012: River Plate vs Boca Unidos
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

17/06/2012: Boca vs Arsenal
Field Side Seats – U$S 199
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/boca.jpg

17/06/2012: Boca vs Arsenal
Behind the Goal, Standing Up – U$S 155
Pick up from meeteing point in Buenos Aires Downtown
Meeteng point map: http://www.buenosaires54.com/images/meeting-point.jpg

23/06/2012: River Plate vs Almirante Brown
Field Side Seats – U$S 139
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

07/09/2012: Argentina vs Paraguay (Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers)
Field Side Seats – U$S 179
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

12/10/2012: Argentina vs Uruguay (Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers)
Field Side Seats – U$S 179
Pick up from your hotel/address
View your location at: http://buenosaires54.com/images/river.jpg

If you want validation of this fact, just ask any of the many USD students who studied or travelled in South America during intersession. They will probably tell you that their experience at times pushed them to the edge of their comfort zone and in the end opened them up to a different culture, a bigger world. This world, which we have always known about but have never been fully aware of from the comfort of our homes, is full of wonder.

There are people to meet, so different from ourselves yet still possessing innate similarities that make it easy to find connections anywhere in the world. There are wonderful foods — dozens of fruits that the US does not import, Argentine steak, Peruvian Alpaca, empanadas — My mouth waters at the memory.

There is also an incredible amount of beauty to be found. For this, look to the natural wonders such as the exotic trees, majestic mountains, and mind-boggling waterfalls. Beauty is not limited to nature but can also be found in the architecture, art museums, street concerts, jazz bars, zoos, markets and public parks just waiting to be discovered. With wonders like this, it is hard not to let go a little bit to become more a part of this world. If USD wants to raise global citizens, South American travel should continue to be encouraged.

In order to have the best, most eye-opening experiences possible while traveling, it is recommended that all travelers keep in mind a few pieces of well-tested advice:

-Stay in hostels in Buenos Aires. If you do your research, hostels can be the perfect way to sleep comfortably in South America on a budget. Hostelbookers.com or Hostelworld.com are great resources. It is possible to see user reviews and ratings on everything from fun level to cleanliness to staff helpfulness. Hostels are categorized by area, rating, price, and more. Essentially, you can find the perfect fit for you before you even enter a city. If you are a little more willing to fly by the seat of your pants, you can always ask the locals for recommendations on where to stay in their city.

Why would you want to stay in a hostel instead of the more luxurious and private hotel? Besides being cheaper in most, if not all, cases, hostels are a great place to meet friends. You might find someone cooking in the kitchen that would be willing to make dinner with you the next night, or perhaps you’ll meet a new travel companion while waiting in line to use the computer. Bigger hostels known for a more exciting atmosphere tend to be great for meeting fellow travelers, whereas the small hostel model often lends itself to meeting more locals or befriending a hostel’s owners.

-Don’t forget your first aid kit. You never know when you’ll stumble over a curb coming out of a club at 6 a.m. or when the water might drastically disagree with your digestive system. Navigating a foreign medical system can be difficult, so as a traveler it is nice to be prepared to handle minor medical issues independently. If all else fails, many pharmacists are able to help get the right medicine without a doctor’s visit.

-Most importantly, keep an open mind. You never know who you might meet or what you might eat if you are willing to give a new experience a chance. If you follow the “I’ll try anything once” rule, you might find your new favorite food, or you might taste something gross. Is that a risk you’re willing to take? If you’re friendly and genuine with the people sitting across from you at the breakfast table at your hostel, you might get offered a position at their non-profit organization building schools in Nicaragua, or you might just have a pleasant breakfast. If you are respectful and interested in the cultures of the places you visit, you might learn new words and ideas, make transnational human connections or at least be a good example of Americans abroad.

If you’re feeling inspired to explore the Spanish-speaking world straight away, check out the Outdoor Adventures trip to Costa Rica this Spring Break. It will be a trip full of unforgettable adventures and one of a kind exploration. If you’re looking for a longer trip, head over to the Study Abroad office where they will happily help you plan a semester, summer or intersession of learning and exploring in South America.

______________________________________
SOURCE:
“Travel smart in South America”
By Kristiana Lehn
USD Vista
Feb 3, 2012
http://www.theusdvista.com
http://www.theusdvista.com/mobile/arts-culture/travel-smart-in-south-america-1.2762670

Spain’s Charles I was spurred by the vast Inca wealth to seek further riches in South America. He also wanted to block any effort by Portugal to expand its foothold in Brazil. Accordingly, he commissioned Mendoza to mount an expedition to explore and settle the Río de la Plata, a vast estuary in southern South America that had been sighted back in 1516.

Monument to Pedro de Mendoza, Parque Lezama
neighborhood of San Telmo, Buenos Aires

Mendoza set out in August 1535 in command of 800 to 1700 men (accounts vary) in around a dozen ships. The expedition — the largest sent from Spain to the Americas to date — was ill fated, however. A fierce storm blew the ships off course, and after regrouping Mendoza decided that one of his lieutenants was a rebel and had him executed.

Troubles continued after the founding of Buenos Aires. At first the Spaniards received gifts of food from the indigenous locals but soon after fighting broke out between the two groups. That conflict cut off the chief source of food, and the Spaniards began to starve. Mendoza sent a lieutenant upriver in search of a friendlier site. He founded Asunción, now the capital of Paraguay.

Mendoza himself headed back to Spain in 1537. He was seriously ill — perhaps from syphilis — and died on the return trip. His settlement continued to struggle, and in 1541 the remaining colonists abandoned it, heading for Asunción. Not until 1580, when Juan de Garay returned to the scene, was a permanent Spanish presence established at Buenos Aires.

More about the History of Buenos Aires
________________________________
SOURCE:
“Buenos Aires founded”
Thursday, February 2nd
http://blog.oup.com
http://blog.oup.com/2012/02/buenos-aires-founded/

The writer is Trebor Healey. He’s a novelist (“Through It Came Bright Colors”). He’s a poet (Sweet Son of Pan”). He writes short stories (“A Perfect Scar and Other Stories”). Trebor has also worked with a non-profit organization that advocates for economic justice. Clearly, he is on a profound spiritual search.

I asked Trebor what motivates him.

“You wake up one day and you’re still only speaking your native tongue and still living in the state where you were born,” he replied. “You wonder where the time has gone and think of all the things you haven’t done, and how it’s all slipping away rather quickly, and you can’t talk yourself out of adventure.”

This isn’t the era of Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald, although both famed authors made surreptitious and highly publicized appearances in the Woody Allen movie “Paris at Midnight.” Do they, as well as newcomer Trebor, represent a never ending search for adventure and meaning by creative literati?

Trebor is seated in the livingroom of the home I share with Mark Thompson in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. It’s a chilly early winter evening. A fire burns gently in the grate. Trebor is animated. When his probing eyes come to rest and fix decidedly on yours, heavy energy is generated in the room. Although he consciously assumes a mantle of relaxation (an easygoing pose), he’s thinking, thinking, thinking. There comes a moment when an attempt to complete a sentence in conversation seems anticlimactic. The restless scene has shifted. The moment has pushed forward and vanished.

“There have been a lot of dark times,” Trebor says. “I’m a restless soul I suppose. A year ago I felt at the end of my rope in every way. I always wanted to be a novelist in a service-oriented profession, and that’s where I ended up. The problem is what to do once you get there. Many people do more of the same. I know a guru who says ‘the world’s on fire, grab a bucket.’ I actually want something else beyond it.

“I think we are growth-oriented, we just keep opening up. Often we get lost. We get depressed and discouraged. Or I do anyway. How I put a positive spin on depression is by seeing it as a sort of gauntlet. Ultimately, I think it’s a kind of spiritual challenge. To me, it’s always been Rilke’s call: ‘You must change your life — go and do the heartwork.’ Or like a shaman I know always says: ‘It’s about getting the energy moving again.’”

What makes Trebor’s energy move?

“There’s a public and a personal side to it. When people get together with a common goal to improve their lives and communities, it’s the power of organizing. Leaders develop. People become positive and empowered. I like community organizing and coalition building and a policy goal. For example, increasing the wages of the lowest paid workers, many in hotels and restaurants. Or bringing grocery stores to ‘food deserts’ — under-served areas where there are fewer choices for healthy shopping and more fast food.”

Is there a more personal side to making Trebor’s energy move? What about Buenos Aires?

“I found a walking café book culture. As a writer, spending so much time in isolation, I value the public street and café life. I found a wonderful man in Buenos Aires. He’s a dancer, and more than anything, a kind of clown, always laughing, game for just about anything. I realized when I met him he was different. I rolled my eyes in jadedness. I tried to forget him. But he kept saying and doing things like an unfolding flower.”

Chatting with Trebor was somehow like a reunion of writers. I’ve been one all my life. In middle school. High school. College. Working in communications. Writing books and articles and reviews. A task and vocation that never ended. Did Trebor have a similar background and experience?

“Since I was a kid. Always I loved books. A writer is a person touched in their deepest core by words. I seek silence and slow thoughtful conversation and consideration of a topic. All those things are under assault right now. I’m trying to help people understand the nature and naturalness of sexuality, the natural beauty of it. I don’t have an ultimate goal per se. I think what is important is the journey and to keep writing.”
________________________________________
SOURCE:
“A Gay Author’s Spiritual Journey”
Rev. Malcolm Boyd
Writer-in-residence, Epis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-malcolm-boyd/gay-author-spiritual-journey_b_1184771.html

Fillings vary from province to province based on the meats and produce that were historically available and include chorizo and cheese; beef with paprika, onion, eggs, and olives; and sweet corn. In Buenos Aires, you can find many more varieties at restaurants, which designate each pastry’s filling with a different pattern baked into the dough.

Recipe

To make the traditional beef filling, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of corn oil and sauté 1 large onion until transparent. Add 1 pound of ground beef, 2 tablespoons of raisins, 1 tablespoon ground hot and sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon ground red dry spicy peppers, 1 tablespoon cumin, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sauté until the meat is cooked and then put the mix in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 1 hour. Just before cooking, add 2 cups of chopped hard-boiled eggs and ½ cup of chopped green olives.

Make the crust by mixing 4 ounces of butter or lard and 1 2/3 cups of flour in a bowl. Add a brine solution (1 cup of water with salt) until the dough can be easily formed into a ball. Let the dough rest about for 30 minutes and then roll sections into balls the size of half an egg. Roll the dough out into circular shapes about an 1/8-inch thick.

Spoon the filling onto ½ of the rolled out dough and use a drop of water to fold the ends of the dough together, making a crescent shape. Press the edges with the tip of a fork or twirl the dough by hand to seal it. Place on a nonstick baking pan and bake at 350 degrees, until the crust turns light brown. You can also fry the empanadas in sunflower oil and then sprinkle with sugar.

______________________________________________
SOURCE:
“8 Foreign Dishes to Master Abroad”
Jan 30, 2012
http://www.thedailymeal.com
http://www.thedailymeal.com/8-foreign-dishes-master-abroad