criplomats

We were happy to have our good A-100 friend Jimmi come visit Buenos Aires, along with her brother Shelby and friend Drew. The photo above was taken a couple of hours outside of BA at Estancia Ombu – they did a day trip out there on Wednesday.

The five of us went to El Aljibe for a good dinner and tango show Tuesday night and we went out to dinner again on Thursday with Kat at Cabanas Las Lilas. The travelers stayed at our apartment Thursday evening until time to leave for their red-eye flight back to Ecuador where Jimmi lives.

Friday night we were relaxing and having a good time at home when I noticed we had a visitor:

Yep, it was a free-tailed bat on the A/C vent above our heads! We think he flew in through a window we had cracked to let some fresh air in. John was an absolute hero – he got up on a step-ladder and gently got him into a trash bag, then released him on the balcony where the little fellow flew away! We’re now being more careful about closing windows when the sun goes down!

I had a hair appointment on Saturday and went to lunch with Lea today at Anafe (good small plates). We loaned my Honda to friends for a few weeks, so I have been learning to navigate the very large 4Runner in and out of the garage (through what I call the “death spiral”). I scraped the side of the truck on the post in our parking space on the first morning just trying to get it out – as John says, I was predisastered. My stomach lurches every time I get behind the wheel, but after that first morning, I’m doing OK (just OK, still scared!).

John emcee’d a town hall at the embassy this week – I dialed in via Zoom:

I love the older buildings and doors in BA – I came across this grand dame this week:

I finished reading “Spring Chicken” this week (exercise is probably your best bet to age well), and just started “The Maid.” I tried to read “Quietly Hostile,” by a comedian that’s been getting a lot of good reviews, but it was a bit too raunchy for me so I put it down. Life’s too short for a bad book! We watched “The Heist of the Century,” a good Argentine film about a real bank robbery here – we drove by the site the other day where the bank was (before it was razed) – a pretty incredible story! And we continue to enjoy the Korean series, “Crash Landing into You.”

An embassy group went to La Boca yesterday to tour the Fabrica Colon, where the sets for the plays and operas at the world famous Teatro Colon are built and stored. It was fun to see some of the sets and costumes used in different plays, like these giant figures used in “Turandot” — and guess what! They are made of styrofoam! Afterward we strolled a bit in La Boca although it was very crowded, so it was difficult to see the famous painted buildings.

Today we went with our Argentine friends Martin and Rosario to tour the Teatro Colon — the perfect thing to do after touring the workshop yesterday! It’s so beautiful, and we enjoyed seeing M & R and having lunch with them beforehand. Martin was a great tour guide and drove us around a bit downtown, as well.

The work week was hectic – we had a holiday last Monday, which was great, but then you have to pack five days of work into four! On the holiday, John went to a tailor while I walked over to Recoleta a bit. Later in the day we visited with Patrick and Jessica, and I got to rock baby Logan to sleep – what a cutie. Tuesday I got to see an old friend Brock, who was in town with DHS for meetings; we worked together in Pakistan. Wednesday there was an embassy happy hour after work at a local bar next to the racetrack and Thursday was yoga. Lea returned from her classes in DC this week, so we had a yummy brunch at Marti again; at the end of the day, I got a haircut and walked a bit of the way home. A busy week!

Sadly we watched the finales of “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” – we sure enjoyed the shows and hate to see them end. We’re continuing with the very charming Korean series “Crash Landing into You.” I read “When Breath becomes Air” and finished “Candide” – I’m starting “Spring Chicken” (about aging). Last night we watched the very silly and campy “Cocaine Bear” – not sure I would recommend it but we sure did laugh!

A few more photos from the Fabrica:

A few of the consular team and I were invited to tour the Libertad before she embarked on a five-month trip that celebrates the end of the school year for the cadets. Because they stop in Baltimore, they needed visas — almost 300 of them — and we worked hard to get them finished in time. The tour of the ship was fun and interesting – so much so that John and I went back on Saturday to watch them sail away. It was a festive event with the Navy band, families waving farewell banners, and the sailors all decked out. I was amazed to see them manning the crossbars on the masts, all the way up to the tippy top!

It was a short week – Thursday and Friday were both Argentine holidays, and we’ve enjoyed the long weekend. Thursday we went to Luis and Mercedes’ home for the traditional Argentine locro, a kind of stew that was delicious and served on Dia de la Patria. We were happy to see another Argentine couple we like in attendance, plus the two young adult children of Luis and Mercedes, who were both smart and engaging. It was a lovely afternoon, sitting in their glass-enclosed patio overlooking the yard and pool while it rained outside.

We’ve stayed pretty close to home on this luxurious long weekend; I’ve got the embassy duty phone and have been fielding a few calls. I read the amazing book, “The Wager,” which I thoroughly enjoyed — it’s about a ship in 1740 that wrecked not far from here, in southern Chile. It referenced “Candide,” so I’m re-reading it (and it also partially takes place in Buenos Aires and surrounding countries). We watched “Air,” about Nike signing Michael Jordan back in the 80s – it was a great story, and you don’t have to be a basketball fan to like it. Last night, we enjoyed “Turn Every Page,” a wonderful documentary about the lifelong relationship between a writer and his editor (Robert Caro and Bob Gottleib).

We had fun Thursday night at dinner with our A-100 (Foreign Service orientation) colleagues Justin and Jamie. We were happy to see Justin and his wife Lisa while they were in town from their post in Santiago for a conference. It was fun to catch up and laugh!

Yesterday John and I played tourist and took a group tour to Tigre, which is about 30 km from Buenos Aires. We boarded a boat not too far from our apartment in Puerto Madero, and navigated up the Rio de Plata to the canals of Tigre – it was fun to see the houses in the canals and watch the various boats deliver services to them (like the supermarket boat) – you can only reach their houses by water. We docked at the mainland, had an empanada lunch, then went to a bustling market. We returned to Buenos Aires by bus, stopping at a cathedral and handicrafts market on the way home. It was super-touristy, but we really enjoyed it!

Today John took me to lunch at Fervor, an “old-school” restaurant that we really enjoyed. The drizzle had stopped by the time we finished lunch, so we drove over to San Telmo and walked through the Sunday flea market – very fun. When we got back home, I had a video chat with Ann, Pam, and Jackie, then John and I chatted with our good friend Rick from his TDY location in Casablanca. Great to catch up with everyone!

Click here to see photos from our trip to Puerto Valle! Here are a few, as well.

I celebrated my birthday this week! Lea gave me this cute penguin pitcher – they are a “thing” in Buenos Aires. We went to lunch on Sunday at Bis (nice) and I had video chats with Pam and Jackie, then James and MaryBeth. Thanks to the many friends and family who sent me birthday wishes!

My best present was a four-day trip to a lodge on the banks of the Parana River in the north part of the country on the Paraguay border! We had a great visit and saw lots of birds, capybaras, cayman, and monkeys! We just got back in tonight and I haven’t had time to download photos yet, but here is a preview of John channeling Indiana Jones!