Ottawa – accents of Rome

Ottawa – accents of Rome

In Ottawa, to see Cynthia's family, on our way to Mont-Laurier to see mother. Left Toronto in the night, to avoid the looming storm that was to strike southern Ontario the morning after, an all-day snow-and-wind hit that left 20 centimetres of the stuff on the ground, and made driving on the 401 an impossible challenge!

We took advantage of that unexpected day in the National Capital to do a favourite thing: go to the National Gallery, this splendid gothic style museum, built according to Safdie’s design, 20 years ago. (http://www.gallery.ca/english/index.html) Temporary exhibition featuring Bernini: the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture, a remarkable collection of his busts of many of his patrons, popes and others including Scipion Borghese, to whom we owe Villa Borghese in Rome, which is furnished by some of the most poignant sculptural work of Bernini, “Apollo and Daphne”, and “Pluto and Proserpina “. (Coincidence: the night before, listening to “Ideas” on CBC, on the long road from Toronto, to the second part of a 2-hour program, “the Love Song of Ovid”, the famous (or infamous as one wishes) love poet of Rome, going back two thousand years ago, whose work, "Metamorphoses", would have been Bernini’s inspiration for these two extraordinary sculptures). Exhibition serves as a reminder of the importance of Baroque, in sculpture, yes, but also in architecture and painting, for much of the 17th and 18th centuries throughout Europe, starting late 16th, the best architectural examples ranging from Bernini’s work in Rome (the colonnade of St-Peter’s square, Piazza Navona, etc.) to include Phillip II’s Escurial near Madrid the century before, and Louis the XIV’s Versailles, the century after.

Ottawa is cold and damp: minus 27 centigrade, and windy. Awful! Reminded me why I left this country to live most of my professional life under the tropics!

Had a most unexpected dinner, at The Wellington Gastropub, that is a pub that features “high-end” food, a concept I am told by Shane Weldon, one of the 2 owners, that was launched a few years ago in London (UK that is), and that is now spreading around (I wonder if it has reached Toronto?) Very original menu – I had selected a duck moularde, but they had run out of duck, so they simply replaced it by a filet of pork; on a bed of wild rice and Toulouse sausage. Delicious. The other owner, Christopher Deraiche, (thought with such a French name that he might have been from afar, but no, he is born in Milton, Ontario!) is the one responsible for these delights, manning a busy kitchen from what I can see from our table. Unusual wine list as well, one page only, tightly scripted, but a well selected lot. Intrigued by their offering of an exceptional selection under the “enomatic” wine rubrique, enomatic being a wine serving system that allows to open a bottle, serve by the glass and keep the wine fresh, we are explained by Shane, by inserting a inert gas in the bottle that keeps the air out. This way a taste of the wine 3 or 4 weeks after the bottle has been opened is as good as if it had just been uncorked– ingenious! Most unusual place, well worth the drive from downtown. (http://www.thewellingtongastropub.com/main.html)

Ottawa, Dec 19, 2008

Buenos Aires – discovering its charms… (Part 1)

For mor pictures, see flicker at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourlingue/sets/72157611283147050/

Buenos Aires – discovering its charms… (Part 1)

In Buenos Aires for all-week meetings. With André; Cynthia and Sylvia are with us. Most awake time spent in meetings but have the week-end, the evenings and a couple of holes here and there in the agenda to discover the city and make the most out of it (shopping is left exclusively to the ladies, while the men are in meetings, well almost exclusively...)
The Intercontinental Hotel is central enough, which allows us to walk to most places. Intend to explore the city by barrio by barrio (district). Recoleta is the first destination, walking along the main artery that is Ave 9 de Julio. Weather is on our side; the extreme heat that was experienced the days before we arrived has subsided; still, even under a cloudy sky, we are perspiring – it’s humid! (It was so hot the week before that major outages occurred throughout the cities, bringing down in the streets outraged housewives banging their pots in protest against the electrical companies being too slow in restoring power!)

Walking by Teatro Colon, hoping that in spite of the renovations that are underway, we will be able to glance at the interior of what is reputed as the most beautiful theatre in Latin America, but no chance! (One has to be satisfied with the detailed descriptions on its website http://www.teatrocolon.org.ar/site/index.php )

Makes it to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which I confuse with the Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales across the street – it really looked like a museum! With its elegant buildings and stylish squares, this is the district that invites comparisons between Buenos Aires and Paris, especially along Avenida Alvear where you find the Alvear Palace, (http://www.alvearpalace.com/v2/home.php ) the grandest of BA’s old luxury hotels (we are told to visit the old-charm Orangerie for breakfast or tea – next time perhaps), and the much-hyped Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt (http://www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp where our meetings are to take place – we had later on an exquisite “end-of-the-week-long-meeting week” lunch on the terrace of its Duhau Restaurant & Vinoteca). A walk up further into the barrio allows us to appreciate it some more, and to get where we want to take lunch, at the Oviedo (www.oviedoresto.com.ar ), known for its seafood and not disappointing. (Although one presumes there is no causal relation, it happens to be kitty-corner with the German Hospital, the best hospital in town we are told.)

Further culinary exploration that evening, at Filo (www.filo-ristorante.com.ar) , a pizzeria (there are thousands of them in BA), this funky one though with a reputation to be amongst the better ones, and frequented by a mix crowd of casual patrons and business types from the nearby financial district (not on a Saturday night though!).

Thought of going to mass to see what the church next door to the hotel looks like (and to see if it was really a church – some amongst us had expressed doubts the night before!) The Church of San Juan Bautista, one like many others I suspect in BA. With little attendance for Sunday service; probably some familiar faces from the neighbourhood – a reflection perhaps on the state of Catholicism in Argentina ...

Sunday is time for San Telmo, the oldest part of BA, home of many antiques and self-appointed tango neighbourhood of the city. On the way there, we paid our due to official BA with a detour by historical Plaza de Mayo where the Casa Rosada (the Pink House), the site of executive power in Argentina, is (interesting to know that the color comes according to the legend from a mix of the white, symbolizing the Unitarians, and the red, color associated to the Federalists, when the two fighting political forces of the time came to terms to decide on the political structure of the country; others say that it is simply the color of a well used mixture in the XIX Century of lime and cattle blood!)

From there, went down Calle Defensa to our appointed lunch rendez-vous with our good friend at the local Society, Lida, who had been so generous with her advice on what to do and to see while in BA. Brasserie Pétanque (www.brasseriepetanque.com), with a decidedly French-bistro look to it and a great table, fits perfect in this “bohemian” part of town. After a stop at the store Havanna where Lida introduced us to a local delicacy, sweet delicious Dolce de Leche (brought some back home in various forms, including some to spread on toasts!) we are on fabled Dorrego Plaza, celebrated for its dominical flea and antique market, and for nostalgic illustrations of tango, performed on a small wooden platform sitting on the cobble stones street, by a suitably debonaire-looking gentleman of a certain age and grace of movements – charming!

A memorable evening at La Bombonera for a football game caps the week-end (see further down).

Buenos Aires – discovering its charms… (Part 2)

For more pictures see Flicker at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourlingue/sets/72157611283147050/

Did I mention that driving in Buenos Aires is a challenge? Not that we have tried, but we have been “tried” by taxi drivers! We loved that frequent drive in taxi from the Intercontinental to the Hyatt, tumbling down Avenida 9 de Julio, astride between two lanes, trying to squeeze in between 2 equally carefree and self-righteous drivers. Better close your eyes, or check your Blackberry! Not expensive though, except when they spot a fake 10 peso note that you have innocently acquired – in this case from the Hotel, where the reception clerks are prompt to deny, making it clear that they have a lot of problems of that kind with taxi drivers, etc... Believe me, it’s your lost!
If you want to get out BA, a nice way is to take the “Tren de la Costa”, a 15km train ride that takes you to the Parana Delta, along the coast of the Rio del Plata. You can spend hours meandering along canals in the Delta – we were quite satisfied with the hour boat ride it took us from Tigre to the Gato Blanco restaurant (www.gato-blanco.com) for a leisurely fish lunch on a shadowy deck overlooking the Rio Capitan by a sunny and warm day –delectable!

Porto Madero, the swanky dockland development that is changing the face of BA, was a favourite night destination, for dinner - the Italian classic Marcelo and Sushiclub (http://www.sushiclubweb.com/index2.swf), both very well frequented, and deservedly so, especially the sushi place. The ultimate attraction though was Rojo Tango, a very slick dance show in the no less slick Cabaret of the extravagant Faena Hotel + Universe (www.feanahotelanduniverse.com), a surprisingly colourful place for a Philippe Stark design interior. As one of the guide books put it, this is the hottest place to rest your head when in town! Built out of a converted turn-of-the-century Manchester brick grain store by high-roller fashion industry young “veteran” Alan Feana, this is where BA’s beau monde hang out at night. Rojo Tango is not your typical tango dinner place (I have been at the Cafe Tortoni show a few years back that offers a more traditional tango performance, the way you would imagine it); this one is more of an amalgam of very choreographed latino dance numbers, at times very sensual, with lanky, well-formed female bodies abounding, and a very swinging band to sustain the rhythms. Lots of fun!

For something very different, we went exploring Palermo Viajo at the other end of the city, at lunch time. A very green, leafy place, where the pace is not dictated by the tohu-bohu of the business or tourist world, and which has “developed” so to speak into the creative community world of BA, with plenty of artisan shops, small galleries and little restaurants. We went to Olsen for lunch, a Scandinavia-inspired place, rather trendy with its Danish design, and especially restful with its Nordic firs garden that fronts it. Great place to while a leisurely lunch, and to carry on “en flânant” in this peaceful neighbourhood.

From MALBA, we walked to the Recoleta Cemetery, the largest necropolis in the world we read, a landmark in BA; I guess the greatest attraction for the foreigners, and I suspect many locals, is the tomb of Eva Peron, who found herself resting there, in the rather simple Duarte family tomb, after a tortuous itinerary of some 20 years that took her body, among other places, to an anonymous tomb all the way to Italy. I don’t know if it is because Madonna is in town (she is taking her road show across Latin America), and visited with Cristina F Kirshner, the current “presidenta” of the country, at la Casa Rosada, but it seems that Eva Peron, to this day, still captures very much the imagination, if not the heart, of many Argentines, perhaps longing for a more dramatic and flamboyant period of their history...(she’s got a museum in BA dedicated to her – check her official website http://www.evitaperon.org/index.htm )

Speaking of Café Tortoni (http://www.cafetortoni.com.ar/index_ingles.html ), went there for an afternoon coffee, and to soak in a bit of the old Buenos Aires – the place has been around since 1858! An institution for sure, and a good resting stop on the way to pedestrian Florida street and Galerios Pacifico for a last quick spree of shopping (as if necessary, having spent Saturday afternoon touring the shops at Patio Bullrich Shopping Center, and been already at the Galerios!...)

other cafés in BA: La Biela; 36 Billares
Airport pandemonium! We are leaving. The doors of the airport open to a wall of people queuing to get God knows where. It’s a public holiday, the Immaculate Conception, and people are flying back home, or wherever. Thank God for the porters we hired outside, who valiantly and ruthlessly fend for us through the crowd to the Air Canada registering counter. And that was only the beginning as we had to queue up to pay the airport tax; to get our tax refund forms stamped by Customs, to cash the refund, to get in the security zone, to go through security, and finally get to Immigration control , a mere one hour and a half since crossing the doors of the airport! There is got to be a better way...We won’t hold this against BA though as the city and its people, the Portenos, have been fabulously pleasant and engaging!

Boca futbol – a night to remember at La Bombonera!

Boca futbol – a night to remember at La Bombonera!

Argentina is described as the country of steak, tango and football, and yes, you haven’t had the full Argentine experience until you have attended a football match! We were fortunate to get tickets this late in the season, thanks to Eduardo, a persistent colleague of ours at SADAIC; and lucky at that as we saw the Club Atletico Boca Juniors, simply known as Boca, played in their own stadium, La Bombonera , before its own fans - probably the most partisans of them all in BA – most of them from the local working-class barrio, La Boca. The end of the season is coming, only 2 or 3 games left to play and Boca is ahead by only a few points. Tonight they are playing Racing, an arch-rival from across town. So there you are, 55,000 altogether, in a full stadium, the true-and-true fans at one end of the stadium, chanting at the rhythm of maddening drums and waving dark blue and gold flags, the colors of Boca Juniors. At the other end, confined to the upper stands, Racing’s fans, as demonstrative and noisy in their support but lesser in numbers. We are sitting in the middle section, in between the extremes, a decidedly less rowdy part of the crowd, but no less appreciative!

As people are coming in and ushered to their seats, the pre-game rituals start, both on the field with sponsors parading and lightly-clad majorettes going through their routine, and in the stands where vendors of all kind are pushing their products, from refreshments to Boca memorabilia – we let ourselves tempted by rubber blue and gold bracelets, enslaving ourselves by this simple act to eternal faithfulness to the Boca team! All that amidst the never-ending chanting of the fans. Our immediate neighbours, a quiet couple at the beginning, are gradually taken by the surrounding atmosphere and the growing swell, to find them joining enthusiastically in the singing and the swinging upwards of the left arm, a sign of support for the local team. And the game has yet to start...

Amidst that cacophony of happenings everywhere, suddenly the game is on, players kicking the ball and running back and forth. First goal goes to Boca Juniors, on a penalty kick: hysteria breaks out, people around us, a moment ago perfect strangers, jumping all together and hugging each other! Then disaster strikes: in what seems to me a brilliant play, in a daring attack Racing scores. Pandemonium erupts in the upper stands; deafening silence everywhere else. End of the first half – the suspense is total. The players return for the second half; the pace quickens, but also the number of infractions given, especially against the Boca team, which bring out indignant and vociferous protests from the fans, the referees being copiously harangued – I wished I had enough Spanish to appreciate the full meaning of the stream of epithets and expletives thrown at them! Impatience and trepidation are growing, when Boca player number 10, Juan Roman Riquelme, in a powerful kick half way into Racing’s zone, breaks the suspense, with his second goal of the night. The stadium explodes. Joy and ecstasy know no bounds! Cynthia and I found ourselves screaming our appreciation –we are simply taken by this all! From then on though, the game takes a defensive turn for Boca Juniors, a strategy the wisdom of which I question, as Racing becomes more and more aggressive and spends more time in Boca’s zone. In the end though, all is well and the final score remains Boca Juniors 2, Racing 1. Everyone is happy and smiling. What an experience!
The long exit out of the stadium starts, in its dark and tortuous inner corridors, amidst the continuing happy chanting of the fans. We were told to stick with the crowd as we walk the streets of Boca, known for having the highest crime rate of BA. No incident – actually we are enjoying this walking “en masse” and feeling quite secure; in no time we are in a taxi on our way back to the hotel where we go to the bar for a bite to eat and a glass of wine “to celebrate” in a way this energizing experience.

To top it off, as we are sitting there, 3 or 4 Boca players walk in under the appreciative gaze of a few patrons – we were told indeed that they usually stay at the Intercontinental. I recognize one player, the bald one. Loosing no time I ask a server to get him to autograph my program – he is actually featured in it. The server says he can’t – against the house policy – but he picks the program anyway and brings in to one of the players’ entourage, who then goes to the players table and secures the coveted signature. Just in time as the players are making a move out. The “associate” – he may be the manager for all I know! – brings me back the program, which is now adorned with the black felt pen markings of Luciano Figueroa!
For more on Boca, see Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Juniors
P.S. at the moment of publishing this, three teams, including Boca, were sharing the lead in the Apertura tournament, with one game to play on Sunday December 14; a grand finale is in the make, with possible playoffs!

Buenos Aires – « Mapa de las artes »

Buenos Aires – « Mapa de las artes »

The arts seem to be more palpable in Buenos Aires than in many other cities. Perhaps we are more conscious of it as visitors, but arts is everywhere! In the museums, cultural centres (e.g. Recoleta and Borges in Galerias Pacifico ) and the galleries of course, of which there are plenty, but also all along the streets and squares, ranging from what the artisans are selling along Avenida del Liberator in Recoleta or in San Telmo over the week-end, to the sculptures of all styles that adorn private and public spaces and buildings, to the more artsy barrio of Palermo Viejo, home of the more culturally-inclined “creative communities” of Buenos Aires. The prevalence of arts in BA is well illustrated by this little publication put out by the city every other month called “Mapa de las artes” which tells you what new is happening on the art scene and where, by barrio – plentiful!

Argentine painting of the early 20th century, as shown at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (http://www.mnba.org.ar/) was a discovery for us – such concentration in time and place of converging influences from European sources mixed with local, Latino American colors. I particularly like the series "Los Gauchos" de Cesáreo Bernaldo de Quiros. We are fortunate too to be here while the temporary exhibition Latitudes, maestros latinoamericanos en la colección FEMSA, (Fomento Económico Mexicano S.A.) is in town; it offers also an extraordinary vista of the better known artists that have defined the Latino American painting of the 20th century, from Antonio Berni, Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo to Fernando Botero, to name a few with whom I am more familiar (Note : see the exposition guide we brought back).

We got another good look at last century’s Latin American painting when visiting MALBA – the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires – the most compelling piece of modern architecture we were given to see in BA, the creation of businessman and major art collector Eduardo Constantini. Built by young Argentine architects, its construction does not go back I’d say more than 10 years ago; lots of light allowed to come in (great shop by the way) (http://www.malba.org.ar/web/en/mission/index.php).

Its permanent collection – the Coleccion Constantini – offers a very extensive selection from all periods of the century, and where again the European avant-garde influence is felt very strongly; most of the art pioneers of that day after all spent some time in European capitals before coming back home to confront the more traditional style that prevailed at the time. I enjoyed more the works of the earlier part of the century; I am not much of a fan of the “Concrete, Constructivist and Abstract Movements” that followed, in line with what was happening everywhere else, and even less of the neo-figurative, conceptual, pop, minimal trends that came in the 60’s and 70’s – I don’t go much for extremes, like piles of waste and refuse materials that pass for “work of art”...

We liked also the museum’s section on recent acquisitions – eclectic but all interesting pieces, especially that sculpture depicting a man, lying down on some contraption, seemingly being tortured: pure lines and an obvious reference to a not-too-distant past... A look en passant at its temporary exhibition relating the work of the Asociacion Amigos del Arte 1924-42, a singular grouping from the high society and moneyed class of BA that was particularly supportive of Argentine artists and their works, primarily by providing venues free of charge for exhibitions, but also by being the primary buyers of works. The group did not seem to be partial in selecting the artists they support, but it seems that the loss of some cohesion explains in good part that the group dissolved when it did; perhaps it was simply a reflection of the times, when more cultural and political divergences emerged – it simply had served its purpose.
So many others places we would have liked to spend time at – Centro Cultural Recoleta, Museo Xul Solar, Nacional de Arte Decorativo in Recoleta; Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernandez Blanco in Retiro, and the “Quinquela Martin” in La Boca, but no time, alas...maybe next time?

Les cataractes d’Iguazu – Wow!

Pour plus de photos, voir Flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourlingue/sets/72157611283147050/

Les cataractes d’Iguazu – Wow!

Comparant les chutes d’iguazu à celles du Niagara, mon guide décrit ces dernières comme un simple robinet qui fuit! C’est peut-être là une exagération mais ce n’est pas loin de la réalité tant les chutes d’Igazu sont impressionnantes par leur nombre et l’intensité du débit. Perçues d’abord par les explorateurs espagnols comme un obstacle dans leur descente de la rivière Parana, ce n’est que longtemps plus tard que leur potentiel touristique sera exploité. Fort heureusement cependant l’ «exploitation » demeure mesurée, les chutes étant constituées en parc national, qui fut ajouté à la liste du Patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO dans les années 80.

Voici d’ailleurs comment l’UNESCO décrit les chutes : Haute de 80 m et longue de 2 700 m sur un front basaltique enjambant la frontière entre l’Argentine et le Brésil, la cataracte en semi-cercle au cœur de ce site est l’une des plus spectaculaires du monde. Divisée en cascades multiples produisant d’immenses embruns, elle est entourée d’une forêt subtropicale humide renfermant plus de 2 000 espèces de plantes vasculaires et abritant une faune typique de la région : tapirs, fourmiliers géants, singes hurleurs, ocelots, jaguars et caïmans. http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/303 (Dans un rapport publié en juin dernier, l’UNESCO soulève le danger de dégradation qui guette les chutes dû entre autres à l’existence de barrages en amont de la rivière Iguazu qui causent de sérieuses variations dans le débit des chutes, en plus d’autres menaces comme les infrastructures touristiques passées et désaffectées qui ne sont toujours pas démantelées – nous en avons vu quelques-unes).

Vous vous aurez probablement fait une idée des chutes si vous avez vu le film « Mission » avec Robert de Niro et Jeremy Irons, qui raconte l’aventure désastreuse des jésuites dans cette région de l’Argentine au dix-huitième siècle (palme d’or controversée à Cannes en 1986) http://www.allocine.fr/film/anecdote_gen_cfilm=2152.html

Demeurons à l’Hôtel Sheraton, le seul hôtel à être situé dans le parc. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1152 Vue au loin sur la Gorge du Diable, la chute la plus spectaculaire de l’ensemble. L’hôtel n’a rien d’exceptionnel, sinon l’endroit où il est situé, mais il est très fonctionnel, conçu pour accommoder les hordes de touristes fortunés. Notre chambre, au 3e et dernier étage, très simple, à peine 20 mètres carrés plus un balcon, donne sur les chutes. Personnel compétent, bien disposé et efficace; nourriture sans grande particularité (sinon les portions – démesurées comme çà semble être la norme dans bien des restaurants en Argentine!) On prend le lunch sur la terrasse, à l’ombre parce qu’il fait terriblement chaud au soleil, chaleur dont nous essayons désespéramment d’amoindrir les effets à même le vin local de chardonnay et de sauvignon blanc (celui du vignoble Luigi Bosca est particulièrement efficace…)! http://www.luigibosca.com.ar/2007/v8/index.php

Le parc est fort bien aménagé, donnant accès aux différentes chutes par une série de sentiers, la plupart montés sur des structures en métal, enjambant crevasses et bras de rivière. Ils offrent des vues spectaculaires à différents niveaux des chutes, au sommet, à mi-hauteur, ou encore au niveau du lit de la rivière au bas des chutes. On ne peut que s’exclamer en découvrant au détour d’un sentier, une vista imprenable d’une série de cataractes et de cascades, ou encore en se retrouvant à une dizaine de mètres d’une d’entre elle.. Première visite en après-midi à la Gargenta del Diablo, le plus grandiose ensemble des chutes où on se retrouve, presque de façon inattendue, après avoir traversé une partie de la rivière sur un de ces sentiers métalliques, directement aux abords d’un immense bassin en forme de cuve, et du fond duquel s’élève un immense nuage de buée. Impression très forte : d’abord le spectacle grandiose qui s’offre, puis la force brute qui se dégage des chutes et enfin le fracas que créent ces cataractes.

En matinée du lendemain, promenade sur le sentier inférieur où on découvre une autre partie des chutes, tout aussi spectaculaire. Cynthia et moi s’aventurons jusqu’au lit de la rivière pour prendre un bateau qui nous amène sur une île – Isla San Martin – qui semble séparée les deux principaux blocs de chutes. Montée vers un point d’observation qui surplombe une des chutes – salto San Martin – et où on peut sentir un nuage de buée vous rafraichir! Fin d’après midi, dernière promenade, cette fois sur le circuit supérieur qui se situe à la tête des chutes de cette même partie.

Allons dîner en ville, à Puerto Iguazu, à une vingtaine de kilomètres à l’extérieur du parc. Chez la Rueda, un restaurant italien recommandé par l’hôtel, où il vaut mieux s’en tenir aux pâtes – André se trouve ravi de son spaghetti – plutôt qu’à la spécialité locale, le Surubi, un poisson très commun pêché dans la rivière Parana, et où Cynthia se fait une réputation de pique-assiette!
Quittons en matinée lundi sous un beau soleil chaud pour Buenos Aires et, après y avoir passé un dernier après-midi, pour Toronto en soirée. Retour brutal, après onze heures de vol, à la réalité climatique canadienne, avec 2 ou trois pouces de neige qui nous attend à l’aéroport – quelle différence 24 heures peuvent faire!!!

P.S. Just flew over the falls on our return flight – fantastic view that makes you appreciate more their magnificent and gigantic nature. The falls are in a bend of the Parana River where it enlarges as if trying to find a passage way further where it is forced into a canyon some 100 meters below. In doing so it creates a multitude of small islands at the top, and thus as many falls, which are grouped into 2 major formations – I take a few pictures with my Blackberry: as good as it can get!

An 8-day tropical stint...

An 8-day tropical stint...

For more pictures, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourlingue/

Cancun, Mexico, November 1, 2008.

Here for 3 or 4 days for one of the annual CISAC committee meetings. At the invitation of the Mexican Society - I guess people at the Society figured that guests from the North would prefer Cancun to Mexico City at this time of the year...

Cancun, a Mexican quick fix for tourists! Gorgeous set up, with a string of 5 star resorts off a road built on this narrow band of land detached from terra firma, probably originally a big sand dune, trapping a large swap of what seems to be stagnant waters in between (In certain places along that band, it looks more like the “Las Vegas strip on the sea”!) Beaches, blue water, soft pure sand, a great place for honeymooners, retirees, and spoiled young families. A great place it would appear also for partying twentysomethings, taking a break from school or work... You don’t see much of Mexico though. You are a 30-minute (US$58!) swift taxi ride away from the international airport. Then you are hushed into one of these international standard luxury hotels – there must be at least 30 of those – (the Presidente Intercontinental in this case), with a stunning view over the ocean, and with the usual display of aqua-blue swimming pools, outdoor thatch-roof restaurants and palm trees scattered on the facing beach. Great, but if it was not for the distinctly Mexican-looking staff, you could think you are on any big resorts on the same latitude in Asia, or somewhere else in Latin America. Enjoyed nonetheless the day walking along the beach, and stocking some vitamin D for the coming winter in Canada...

I resolved, for my day-off tomorrow, that I will see something more of the country, and organized (rented a car) to go to visit some of the Maya archaeological sites in the region.

November 2
Drove to the Maya temples. Ek Balam first. A minor temple by its size but a “live” one, being still excavated and renovated. See http://www.azureva.com/mexique/magazine/mexique-bon-plan-ek-balam.php3). Ek Balam is about an hour and a half from Cancun, off the 180 freeway, some 25 km north of Valladolid. Still under excavation. Very quiet...until a convention group of some 250 people arrived, and turning the place into a bit of a zoo, older people insisting to climb the steep stairway to the top of the pyramid, and struggling to come down. Interesting to hear the incantations of some of them, once at the top, chanting in unison, their eyes closed and their arm extended forward, in a Buddhist-like fashion.

Had lunch in the nearby village of Ek Balam Pueblo. Thought to go first at what was described in what I read as an eco-tourist place that served excellent local dishes, called Genesis Retreat http://www.genesisretreat.com/; however couldn’t quite find it, or if it was the eco-tourist resort I saw – which appeared deserted – it was best that I had my lunch somewhere else! Ended up at an Italian restaurant – the Dolce Mente http://www.dolcementeekbalam.com/ekbalam_inglese/comollegar_ing.htm – a surprising find in this little village of essentially some 20 to 30 huts around a large square. Actually, the Dolce Mente is a little resort, catering to those visiting or working at the ruins site, and ran by a “colony” of Italians, men and women, who came into this place some 15 years ago. Had a delicious spinach and ricotta cannelloni, which I hurried them to serve...as they were expecting a group of some 250 conventioneers later on!!!

Then drove to Chichen Itza, another half hour further the 180. This is no doubt the most visited temple in the Yucatan peninsula and it gives you on a grandiose scale the measure of the Maya culture, see photos and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza. http://www.insecula.com/salle/MS02825.htm
This day tour gave me a glimpse of the Mesoamerican civilization which prevailed during some 4000 years over the land of modern Mexico and adjacent countries on the isthmus – from 2500 BC to 1521 AD, when the Spaniards arrived and changed so brutally the course of history for the indigenous populations. When you see Chichen Itza, which is one of some 30 major archaeological sites on this land and not the biggest one, you start to realize and appreciate the advancement these populations had achieved in all aspects of life, the richness and diversity of their culture, and what has been lost to the current world.

Drove back to Cancun and arrived in town at night where direction signs where far and few in-between, with no clear indication how to get back to the “Zona Hotelera”...I had to struggle a bit...

November 4

Just watched Obama’s accepting speech. It will make history (“Yes we can”). The emotion of people; the grave, sombre look on his face, already assuming the weight of office, the burden of the task ahead. This was a presidential speech, not a rally, triumphalist, utterance. The world is looking forward... It also reminded me of another presidential election that is of Reagan on his first term in 1980 that was also bearing the promise and prospects of major changes in American policies but of a different kind. I was then in Pokhara, Nepal, straying if I recall at the Fishtail-Lodge hotel (http://www.fishtail-lodge.com/) , on the lake, there with my 5 year-old son, taking a break from diplomatic life in Beijing...

November 6,

Flew from Cancun to Miami, for another all-day meeting there with other music rights societies’ colleagues, dealing with strategic issues that confront us. Staying at the Gansevoort South, On Collins Ave, South Beach, giving on the ocean http://www.gansevoortsouth.com/. Just open 8 months ago, a converted apartment complex, as part of a smart chain – they have another one in New-York City – very swank and trendy, with a wonderful rooftop patio – and a 37 meter-long pool which I made good use of! – which turns into a very swinging bar as soon as dusk settles...a bit too noisy to my taste though... A pleasant 80 degrees, and a nice breeze. Great jugging on the wooden boardwalk that runs along the beach; accessible from the hotel. Had a couple of dinners at seafood restaurants along Ocean Drive – “A Fish Called Avalon” (http://www.afishcalledavalon.com/) and “Quinn’s “ (http://www.quinnsmiami.com/home.htm ). Highly recommendable.

America basking in Obama’s historical election...

November 8. Returned to Toronto (overcast, light rain, 7 degrees Centigrade...)