Hot and Cold...and a Happy Medium

How Canadians, faced with power outages due to cold, spend their time keeping warm...

How Argentinians, faced with power outages to extreme heat, spend their time keeping cool

Of course, Argentinians won't let a protest fire lit in mid street to complain about days and days without electricity go to waste. Just tale out the grill and throw on a few sausages - and it turns into a neighbourhood BBQ

Whilst Torontonians deal with a different kind of street closures, and try to figure out which one of the snowy heaps to dig out..

Meanwhile, on Vancouver Island, eternal spring seems to be the order of the second last day of 2013. Cherry blossoms in the yard...

Soft pink blossoms....not a snowflake in sight

My house is surrounded by Rhododendrons, all preparing for a burst of blooms in a couple of months time...
 

Hola Columbia Britannica

Argentina has disappeared beyond the curvature of the earth....

Lowering the Bridge between the Island Ferry and Vancouver Island...a few steps away from home turf.

Barely daylight at around nine in the morning, chilly, damp, partly clouded sky. The ferry glides smoothly through Active Pass from the mainland to Vancouver Island.

Winter season maybe, but no deterrent to several busloads of Asian tourists, who photograph everything from gulls, sea scapes, reflections of themselves in the ship's windows, cloud formations...one sits and reads the latest Island News, drinks a Starbucks and munches on a mass produced croissant.


So quiet, after the hustle of Buenos Aires...

 

Obstacle course to Buenos Aires Airport...

70 people bitten by fish at a popular beach in Rosario, which is situated on the Parana River. Palometos, a rather larger version of Piranas must have suffered heat stroke, as they decided to bite bathers, one poor girl lost part of a finger.
Santiage de Estero, another Argentine City, had the honour of being the hottest place on earth for Christmas hitting 45 degrees celsius.



Whilst the power outages continue in Buenos Aires - some people are without since 13 days - so does the general frustration. During a 'code red' heatwave without end in sight, Boxing Day at 46 degrees centigrade, not an acceptable situation. Silence from the responsible parties, and La Presidenta is on vacation in her home province, so far no comment from her on the situation.
People take to the streets and stage blockages, this one on the main highway to the airport. I had ordered a limo to pick me up for my ride out there, it did not show up for half an hour, and I finished up taking a taxi. Detours and a number of road blockages by highly disgruntled people, who love to set piles of rubber tires on fire to make their point, adding confusion and pollution to the already crummy situation - without having any effect on the power supply.
I just got out of my place before the power was cut off again...and I made it to the airport in time.

Now for the fun part - the long journey home....



Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Heading towards 40 degrees celsius today, perfect for a power cut. My Christmas Present: woke up to no power, same as a whole army of Portenos. Had to happen sooner or later, just am glad that it was later. Tomorrow is departure day...

It's a blessing to live on the 3rd floor (same as 4th in North America), and a semblance of emergency lighting is still functioning in the stair well. Fridge is empty - nothing to spoil.

Water still on, who knows for how long.

Christmas Eve - far from a Silent Night. Argentinos celebrate the arrival of Christmas Day at midnight as if it is New Years Day and the Fourth of July all wrapped up into one with heaps of fire crackers and fireworks, which light up the night sky, echo inside the building blocks, make streets an obstacle course around amateur fireworks artists...still going at 2 a.m.

Turned up as invited at the midnight Milonga, which was locked up tight. Only a passionate couple lost in Christmas peace and love occupying the doorway, and a man with a cane watching the proceedings with a bored look.
I probably interpreted the Latino scheduling wrong, invitation for midnight, possibly means around 1 a.m. or maybe 2 a.m. Ah, too long to hang around or drop into one of the many cafes and restaurants nearby still open for Christmas Cheer
So I flagged down the next taxi, thus giving up on my first attempt to participate in one of those milongas de madrugada - sort of dance until the sun rises.

No Internet in my apartment either, but the corner cafe, El Penguino de Palermo, has power and is close enough to a boutique hotel, whose WiFi signal weakly fires up my netbook. One learns to be resourceful in this world class metropolis.

Delaying return to my third/fourth floor hot box, sipping agua and enjouyng the resaurant's air conditioning.

May the Lights of Christmas shine for you....

Noche Buena - Noche Calurosa or Silent Night and Heatwave Night

Merry Christmas! Parts of Canada received natural Cristal Christmas Ornaments...



Whilst almost all of Argentina is still in slow bake mode. The heat wave continues unabated, Christmas Eve with 37 degrees and Christmas Day predicted 38 degrees centigrade.
Every spot of shade offers a smidgen of relief. Portenos - people of Buenos Aires - who are able to take a mini vacation piled into any available transport and headed for the beaches of Mar Del Plata to bake in the sun and take a dip into the brackish Atlantic.



Tango goes on, albeit one searches out the air conditioned milongas - the others, like Confiteria Ideal and Al Arranque - are slowly losing their clientele for the summer, as nobody can face more than one tango without dissolving into a puddle of perspiration.
Here we are at Boedo Tango, where under the organization of Julia Pugliese, tango aficionados still gather and dance the night away on three different pistas, and a whole line up of large alcoves - room enough for more than 300 people gathering to indulge in their passion.
Yours truly, no exception, standing 4th from the right, wearing black floor length pants...

Whoever is left behind in the oven of Buenos Aires city centre takes advantage of the fountains...

Downtown traffic- the last few days a transit nightmare comprised of heat, melting pavement, street closures, non functioning traffic lights, no traffic cops, and more cars and shoppers than usual, and the regular never ending stream of collectivos (transit buses) - today is almost non existent. The few people downtown revert to their usual i-phone absorbed jay walking without a probability of being run down by a speeding motorcyclist or unstoppable driver.

So one is prepared for Noche Buena, Christmas Eve...more or less a family affair with dinner and drinks, at least until midnight, when the population kicks into its customary nocturnal gear again. Salon Canning starts its Gala Christmas Eve Milonga (dance) at five minutes to midnight. Does not have much similarity with Midnight Mass.
I am invited to join at a special table reserved for 'Sueno Porteno, the Boedo dancers. Not sure, though, whether I last that long. Julia Pugliese, who organized this for some of her usual Boedo milonga guests, suggested: just take along siesta beforehand....there is no concept of  Mission Impossible in this city.

Boede Tango, just a normal tango. Everybody up and dancing quietly. When a set of three tangos is over, the floor empties out to the sound of the 'cortina' a non tango tune that signals the end of a set of dances with the same partner, and opens time for invitations via 'cabeceo' - nod - for the next set. 

Here is Blanca, who is by now 89 years, and dances Tango since she was 15. She is at Boedo Tango every Sunday (if not on the other days of the week as well) and dances with elegance and style. Widowed, no children, she danced more years than she spent working. Fatigue seems to be strange concept to her, she starts dancing at 6 p.m. and does not stop until the last Cumparsita signals the end of the evening at 2 a.m. in the morning. She does not lack dance partners either, not only because she knows everyone, but she dances gracefully in all the Tango rythms, be it Tango, Valse or Milonga.

So, if my knee holds up, there should be a few more years on "La Pista de Baille' for me. 

La Pena Folklorica - Los Cardones





Last few days in Palermo, and last opportunity to listen to Folkloric music and eat stuffed eggplant at Los Cardones.
As usual a long lineup of performers, which NEVER start before 10:30 or 11:00 p.m.

Definitely Christmas time, with reindeer decorating the walls of the Pena, and Christmas lights blink on and off - as usual, the place is packed

Fans put up a banner of Yuchan, a band that performs tonight as the main attraction. Kids stay up until all hours of the night - one just hopes, their ear drums are not totally ruined by the time they are of school age.

This little guy with his green toy guitar was mesmerized by the bands, and tried with all his might to join all of them on stage (trying varying approach routes, including crawling under chairs and tables to get there).

While this young senorita was watching the performance of the kid guitarist with some scepticism

A regular singer on Los Cardones stage...

I sometimes have the impression that Argentinos are born with a guitar in hand, and practice playing it when still in the womb

Another regular band "Los Troperos Saltenos' singing Zambas and Chacareras

Fiddling is part of folk music, and this young man would not have been out of place at a Cape Breton Fiddling Festival

Adoring Fans lined up beside the stage

Tata, whose real name escapes me, but he brought the house down, apparently he is quite well known...



Early Morning blues...



In the meantime, someone found out, what caused the power outage....
On a serious note, some barrios are without power and water since last Monday. In suffocating heat that situation has become a public disgrace. Residents suffer, hospitals work by candle light, food is thrown out, people wash themselves with mineral water. No one mentions toilets.
Transit is almost non existent, as vehicles remain stationary for ever at crossings without traffic lights nor traffic cops. Ambulances, firetrucks, police cars - Good Luck.
Riders of motor bikes and regular bikes seem to be at the most advantage.
Demonstrations don't help matters, as they block even more streets.
The Government has announced that is is monitoring Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter for any posts, that may suggest uprisings or riots....hmmmm.
Even the Grand Bus Terminal Retiro was hit by a 12 hour outage. With half of Buenos Aires heading out of town - by bus - makes things uncomfortable there. 3300 buses will leave this weekend heading for every imaginable destination in South America.
Of course, during the outage ticketing systems were out of commission, ergo no tickets could be sold, buses had to leave anyway, without all their passengers aboard. Only the terminal pharmacy was open for business - nothing else opened up. Public toilets - let's not even go there...
Several districts of Buenos Aires are still seriously affected by lengthy power outages, except of course Puerto Madero, which is the exclusive part of town - they are lit up for the Fiestas.
Official reasons for the power outage are mutating from 'growth in the economy', 'prolonged heatwave' and now to 'fault of the power distribution companies'.
One barrio kidnapped a power truck, and made the crew work on power cables, which were burnt too a crisp, due to overload and probably due to being years past the 'best before date'.
Today's top temperature should reach a 'fresh' 31 degrees, after tomorrow and over Christmas, it will warm up a bit towards 37 degrees - and a possibility of hitting 40.
Relief is predicted for Thursday, Boxing Day, when I leave Buenos Aires.
One heads for short stints at a Milonga, preferably air conditioned, for a couple of Tangos - danced slowly and without the typical abrazo cerrado - to keep body temperatures down, and clothes dry. Getting there is half the fun: suddenly subways become the preferred mode, albeit non air conditioned and full of workers and Christmas shoppers, at least one does not have to deal with surface traffic, albeit the heat down there is something else.



17 December 2013 - Heatwave in Buenos Aires: no end in sight

Blistering heat almost throughout entire Argentina, Patagonia Province being one of the hottest - topping out at about 38 degrees.

I took an air conditioned bus (there are some around) to El Arranque Milonga. Not too many tangueros around -  no one wants to face commuter traffic and a dance floor that is only 'cooled' with overhead fans. One woman dancer said to me, that tango is un 'vicio'...yes, one has to be almost addicted to face 'close' embrace tango in these conditions. But, things were not too uncomfortable, danced every dance as soon as I claimed 'my table', where the waiter now removed the Reserved sign with a flourish. Definitely a change from being relegated to 'tourist wall flower' corner on my first visit to this Milonga. I suppose the staff notices who is asked to dance most frequently, and those dancers are placed into 'premium seats'. All part of Milonga codes and etiquette.

One dances in the downdraft of the fans to catch a cooling breeze. Danced with all my 'buddies' then headed out before dissolving into a puddle.

Lucky for me, another air conditioned bus home, where mercifully the power is still functioning - unlike in many other neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, where people have spent 5 days now without electricity.

The sun has set behind the buildings of my block. Afternoon wafts the perfumed scent of Jasmin into the stifling air. The pool next door is filled with kids, some wearing their unmistakable 'peeing in the pool' expression. Their mothers sunbathe, and display their 'culos' covered with nothing more than a string of bum floss.

All the persianas (wooden slatted roll up window coverings) of the buildings are tightly shut, thus reducing the effect of the heat on the interior.

Definitely cerveza time, as Argentinian Malbec does not cut it in this heat. One downs liters of water as it is...

One sits on the already shady balcony, watching the bathers in the pool and the doves hiding on any bit of shady ledge they can find. 

Outside, dogs still pooping warm doog poop onto sidewalks, ice cream stores (if not closed to to power outage) sell buckets of the delicious refreshment, Chinese laundry silent - none of the machines work - and protestas going on throughout the city by angry citizens who have already faced days without electricity and without water.

Generators were brought into some neighbourhoods, but they ran out of fuel...

Now the Government is proposing to initiate rotating power cuts, until the heat wave is over.

El Gobierno no descarta cortes de luz programados, rotativos y por menor tiempo

Según Capitanich, podrían ser alternativas de corto plazo. Pidió que sean coordinados por las empresas con la adecuada comunicación a los usuarios. Y adjudicó los problemas a una ola de calor de larga duración.

Some unkind soul made this comment on the internet, referring to the article above: Deberian haber cortes de cabeza rotativos 

Pitch dark Streets, lit by street fires and car head lights

The natives are definitely restless



Water in the fountains still....and put to good use as well

A few thundershowers cooled the city down somewhat overnight, but did not help with power outages.
Street protests increasing, 15% more cars on the road - Christmas Shopping - and the Christmas Fiestas just around the corner....

Photos compliments of public internet media...

36 Degrees and Counting.....

Argentina's most favourite Son - and Pope - Pope Francisco I, has celebrated his birthday by inviting homeless people and a dog to his birthday breakfast
Feliz Cumpleanos!
And as a birthday present: His home team, San Lorenzo soccer team of Buenos Aires, won the Championship...must be the blessing of the Football Club's banner on his inauguration day.



No end in sight for this heat wave, some say it may be Christmas at 40 degrees...power outages, several thousand households without electricity - and some without water. Grocery stores throw out perishable food for lack of refrigeration. Neighbours stage protests lighting fires on pavement (just adding to the furnace temperatures), and the working people create their own version of 'Casual Friday' outfits
But - there is Good News:
Para el Gobierno, los cortes de luz son por el cresciente economico
Según Capitanich, la demanda energética crece porque más argentinos han accedido al empleo y por ende, a bienes durables como los aires acondicionado. Y pidió controlar su uso.
Los cortes de luz afectaron a 30 barrios de Capital y GBA   Which means: the power outages are due to a growth in economy, more people can afford airconditioning in their homes.

The Green Spaces of the city are filled with sunbathers...how on earth they can stand not only the heat, but the intense sun rays.

Creative use of a street side garbage container, the only thing missing is a cool cerveza

Our four legged friends - and their owners or dog walkers - take advantage of the many fountains of the city to keep a semblance of 'cool'

Rio Plata - polluted it may be - but in this heat, irresistible for down town city dwellers

Whilst yours truly heads via airconditioned bus to an airconditioned milonga (Sueno Porteno in Boedo) and practices the Chacarera interspersed among the usual tangos.



Reminds one of the River Ganges, but without sprinkling ashes of the deceased. Forecast calls for more heat and longer duration of the ola de calor.

Photos - of the heat wave - published on the Internet by Clarin newspaper

Some LIKE it hot...

Pre summer heat wave in Buenos Aires, temperatures reach up to 37 degrees. Too hot to walk around, enjoy an out door cafe or even tango...
And summer only starts in another week

Whilst back in the FAR NORTH of Canada, one has the opposite situation....and foolish I is returning to that in another ten days!

Despite furnace heat, Usain Bolt - multiple Gold Medal winner at the Olympics - staged an exhibition race below the Obelisco to the delight of thousands of sweating onlookers.
He raced a bus of 59 Line (which I have used in Buenos Aires snail pace traffic a number of times) for about 80 yards, and defeated the bus handily just jogging alongside of it.
Someone said, the the bus probably needed a bit of 'el doping'...but then, Buenos Aires buses never get any practice runs at anything faster than 10kms per hour, let's be fair to the 'collectivos' - buses.

Airconditioning at DNI, a tango school, shop, cafe, practice venue - sort of all in one. I went to see Alejandra Orozco and Luciano Brigante, who staged a tango exhibition there. Their classic Villa Urquiza style contrasted noticeably with the style of 'the young things' of Buenos Aires, who exhibit a definite trend to tango athletico with an overabundance of complicated 'adornos'. Somehow not quite the elegant dance Luciano and Alejandra promote, dance and teach.

Well, if  Google's photo upload would work, there would be a couple of photos of the Saturday nights a Los Cardones, Pena Folklorica, which still presents a number of good artists - life - at a price that one cannot pass up.

Another day of calor agobiante - suffocating heat - coming up...one flees to a deeply air conditioned Milonga

Futbol para Todos

How to celebrate the Dia del Hincha de Boca, Day of Boca Soccer Fans (a favourite soccer team in Buenos Aires)
At one time 5000 'fans' filled the Plaza de Republica around the iconic Obelisco of Buenos Aires. Police cordoned off access streets all around, which caused major traffic problems at rush hour. Fans were mostly rather inebriated and quite aggressive, hence fighting amongst each other, and then resorting to throwing rocks and bottles and other missiles at police and infantry, who concentrated on containing the chaos. McDonalds projecting sign was invaded by 'hinchas' who climbed up and smashed windows, later descended by sliding along the National Flag suspended from above like a bedsheet.

The 'festivities' went into the night, and evolved into a number of break ins and robberies. By that time 9 injured policemen finished up in hospital. Fans climbed overhead traffic lightpoles and removed security cameras and waved BOCA banners. Streets were covered in debris, garbage and broken glass.
I was safely back home at that time, coming home after a Milonga (no one there knew yet of the incidents just a couple of blocks away) 'the long way' by taxi, instead of the usual bus ride. Buses took alternative routes through the city centre, which resulted that no one knew where the alternative stops were.

Police and Infantry formed a line of defence against the chaotic crowd

Injured amongst the celebrants

Traffic Light underneath the Obelisco

McDonalds....

The Day after...traffic runs again, the mountains of broken glass are gone, the graffiti on th ebottom of the Obelisco remains.

Incidents in the rest of the country which happened as a by product of police protesting low salaries and locking themself in, have almost stopped after  agreements have been reached between Provincial Governments and Police, the aftermath of lootings and destructions remains to be mopped up.

It seems a dangerous profession to be a member of the police force. According to local media, 36 of them have been killed on duty this year, that is - so far - one every 10 days.

Photos compliments of public media....