Horse Riding Trip for Easter Break!!!

Have you already decided what to do for Easter? Time goes fast, everything has been booked already... but we have something to offer you... it`s quite interesting and adventourous...
Would you like to live for 4 days as a gaucho? Troperos, are the gauchos that herds the cattle from one place to another, during their trips they go through different estancias which offers them a place to sleep and rest to continue their journey the following day. Why don`t you join us in this TROPERO`S GALLOPING, AN ESTANCIA TO ESTANCIA RIDE of five days...
Estancia to Estancia Ride March 31st - April 04th.
Feel and live the genuine argentine countryside at Corrientes Province in authentic cattle work Estancias. Rest in the middle of the country in hammocks, enjoy an exquisite lamb
"a la parrilla", visit places of legends and stories so far away from big cities where its inhabitants speak only Guarani, have lunch in a real Pulpería, have fun and experience the real Chamamé -regional music-…
Become a gaucho for four days by going through this trail, as the "troperos", the person who herds cows for long distances. We invite you to enjoy this genuine experience, with comfort and gastronomy far superior.
Imagine riding kilometers and kilometers finding just beautiful landscapes in there natural essence.

• Specially selected troop of horses.
• Accommodation in 4 authentic Estancias.
• Massages.
• Excellent gastronomy and services
• Variety in Flora and Fauna.

5 days horseback riding trip with accommodation. (Riding hours: 3 hs. in the morning, and 3 in the afternoon)

Further information and bookings: info@manerasargentinas.com.ar

Old Irish Monastery for sale

Last year we visited Carmen de Areco and its sorrounding areas, and discovered a beautiful old monastery in the middle of the countryside. It was quite impressive, its architecture and style made you feel as if you were in Europe. A perfect place to rest, to find peace and to feel as living in nineteenth century. As I found the monastery closed, I decided to go back to see if I could find someone who can tell me something else about it. I went back on february and asked to people from Carmen de Areco about the Monastery that had been sold to private hands. There were thousands of different versions around the town, someone told us they would built a Geriatric Hospital, others told us it was going to be a luxury hotel... Nobody knew well how, when, why and what it had been sold. This Saturday March 10th an article appeared in La Nación newspaper http://buscador.lanacion.com.ar/Nota.asp?nota_id=890203&high=monasterio%20areco It was confirmed the sale of the Irish monastery and also the remains of the missionaries and other religious workers buried there would have to be removed. The Organization Red Solidaria have joined the protests of the community and they are starting a movement to save the cemetery and monastery. You can write to them by e-mail: savemonastery@hotmail.com and salvemosalmonasterio@hotmail.com . It is a pitty the authorities and the responsibles for the sale do not appreciate the cultural and architectural treasures we have inherited and do not take care of protecting them, considering also that this place was donated by the irish community of the area. It is part and a legacy of a community.

Salta a pleno!!!

Festivals and activities during summer

If you are going to travel through the province of Salta, and are interested in crafts, and tradicional festivals, you better check out this calendar so you don´t miss any speciall event!

January 8^th to 14^th in San Carlos - 26°Feria Artesanal de los Valles Calchaquíes (Craft Fair)

San Carlos is located 24 kms. from Cafayate. Local craftsmen, weavers, goldsmiths, and silvershmiths show and sell their work. Genuine art pieces! The Valles Calchaquies is a zone in Salta with a high qualitie of crafts production. You will find textile works, ceramic vases.... Also don´t miss the delicious regional food as humitas, tamales, empanadas! And home made jams and mermelades!!

From January 12^th to 14^th a folkloric festival will be celebrated, with important musicians of argentine folk music.

January 19th and 20 th – Cachi “Festival de la Tradición Calchaquí”- (Calchaquí Tradition Festival)

Cachi is located 157 Kms. away from Salta City. This festival celebrates the traditions of the Calchaquí Valley and Community. You can attend to shows, of folk music and dance.

February, during the first week you may experience the rituals and old traditions of Carnival at La Poma.

You will live rituals like the exhuming, songs and bagualas contests (baguala is a traditional type of music).

February 19th to 25th – “Serenata de Cafayate”: Cafayate will gleam during this cultural week. You will end the week delighted with the serenade of important salta artists.

For further information on how to get to this places or festivites, write to info@manerasargentinas.com.ar

Wine, wine, wine…

Argentina is a great place to enjoy food and specially wine. And Mendoza it´s the place to do so, and argentine summer is the time to make the most of it! Why? Because it´s the time of the Vendimia, the grape harvest, and during the months of january, february and march there are a lot of activities and festivities to savour delicious malbec and give yourself a treat in every spot of Mendoza province. If you travel around the province during this time, you will discover the wines and speciall caracteristics that each location of Mendoza has to offer: music and dances, tipical food, cultural and artistic activities...

The most important festivities are held during the lasts weeks of February and beginning of March: the Vendimia Queen Election, The Fruit Blessing (last Friday of February at Mendoza City), The Carrousel... The first Saturday of March, you can assist to the Central Act –a show held in an enormous stage, with hundreds of artists, dancers, musicians, actors, etc.-. A festivitie to eat, dink and be marry!

The Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia, it is one of the oldest traditional celebrations in Argentina, and one of the most important of all. It is about blessing what is harvested, after a year of hard work, and to thank and worship the virgin that is patron saint of the province.

Some advices:

We recommend you to book your place in advance because it is packed with visitors, specially the last weeks of February and the beginning of March. During this time it is very hard to book hotels, and hotels generally sell you not less than four or five nights. If you want to participate of the most important events, the best is to book from Wednesday to Saturday or Sunday of the first week of March in Mendoza City.

Be aware that it is very difficult to get locations for the Central Act, they are sold out very quickly!

Not every Bodega (Winery) is opened on Sundays, better do the trips to the bodegas other day of the week and leave sunday for rafting activities, or going to the base of the Aconcagua.

(If you need any help or advice on traveling to Mendoza or to the Vendimia, please contact info@manerasargentinas.com.ar. We can assist you, and if you are interested we have a speciall tour for the Vendimia).

The Mission - "La Misión"

The movie is set during the Jesuit Reductions, a programme by which Jesuit missionaries set up missions independent of the Spanish state to teach christianity to the native, in this case, particularly the Guarani indians community .

It tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), who enters the South American jungle to build a mission to convert a community of Guarani Indians to Christianity.
He is later joined by a reformed Portuguese mercenary, Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), who sees the Jesuit mission as a sanctuary and a place of forgiveness for his murder of his brother.
The mission, which was once under Spanish protection, has been handed over to the Portuguese while the Vatican (represented by Papal emissary Alta Mirano) has ordered the Jesuits to withdraw from the territory above the falls.
Eventually, a combined Spanish and Portuguese force attacks the mission, failing to see the simple life of the Guarani as anything but threatening (contrary to Father Gabriel and Mendoza).

This movie was filmed at the Iguazú Falls (1986), Misiones Province. You can also visit at that province, the ruins of San Ignacio Miní, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa María la Mayor which lie at the heart of a tropical forest. They are the impressive remains of five Jesuit missions, built in the land of the Guaranis during the 17th and 18th centuries. Each is characterized by a specific layout and a different state of conservation.

The Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis in Argentina and Brazil (1983-1984) were declared as World Heritage by UNESCO, considering as having outstanding universal value.

Summer regional events

If you are travelling around argentine provinces and you are specially interested in regional festivities and folklore music. Check the calendar of events so you don´t miss any of them.

Para aquellos que están viajando por el interior del país, que están recorriendo diferentes provincias argentinas y que tienen interés por el folclore, la música y las actividades tradicionales del país. Hay una variada propuesta de festivales de verano en diferentes provincias. Durante las primeras semanas de enero se presentarán la 42a. edición del Festival de Doma y Folklore de Jesús María, en Córdoba, y el Festival Nacional de la Chacarera, en Santiago del Estero.

El Festival de Doma y Folklore de Jesús María comenzó el viernes 5 de enero y terminará el domingo 14 del mismo mes. Allí se podrá ver conciertos de diferentes grupos y representantes de la música nacional y regional (El Trío San Javier, León Gieco, El Chaqueño Palavecino, Jairo, Soledad y Los Nocheros...) Además, se realizará el Campeonato Nacional de Jineteadas. Las entradas generales serán de ocho a quince pesos.

Para aquellos que estén paseando por Santiago del Estero, el Festival Nacional de la Chacarera, tendrá lugar desde el 5 al 8 de enero. Entre las figuras más representativas de esta nueva edición se encuentran Peteco Carabajal, Los Tekis, Juan Saavedra, Los Manseros Santiagueños y Horacio Banegas. Durante la noche de cierre se realizará un homenaje al recientemente fallecido Carlos Carabajal, creador del festival y denominado "padre de la chacarera".

La provincia de Salta también será protagonista de la movida folklórica durante los dos primeros meses de 2007. El 6 y 7 de enero, la localidad de Alemanía dará comienzo a sus actividades con el Festival de las Artesanías. La temporada salteña de festivales se extenderá hasta el 25 de febrero, cuando se realice la Serenata a Cafayate, en la que participarán varias personalidades del folklore argentino.
En el histórico pueblo de San Carlos se desarrollará la 26a. Feria Artesanal de los Valles Calchaquíes, desde el lunes 8 y hasta el domingo 14. Esta actividad permitirá el encuentro de artesanos y orfebres de la zona..

Cachi, pueblo centenario a 157 kilómetros de la capital salteña, será la sede del 16° Festival de la Tradición Calchaquí, que convoca a copleros y bagualeros.
Otros eventos que tendrán lugar en el verano son la 24a. edición del Festival Nacional del Poncho, la 22a. entrega de la Fiesta Provincial de la Vendimia, el 12° Festival de la Uva y el Vino Patero, el Carnaval Tradicional y, como cierre de la programación en Cafayate, la semana cultural de la Serenata.

Fuente: e: Diario La Nación. Viernes 5 de Enero de 2007.

Para más información sobre estos eventos y cómo llegar a estos lugares, no duden en comunicarse con Maneras Argentinas, info@manerasargentinas.com.ar.

For further information on these events or how to get to these places, please contact Maneras Argentinas: info@manerasargentinas.com.ar

Brief argentine folk glossary:

Baguala: Music originated in the norwest of Argentina. It was very common in the indigenous communities of that region, but it is believed to be originated in some spanish tunes –from the time of the conquest. It is a song acompanied by a percusión instrument called “caja”. This song is part of a sacred ritual and festivities of the andinean culture.

Bagualeros: baguala musicians.

Chacarera: folk dance and music originated in the northwest of Argentina - specially in Santiago del Estero Province - in the 19th century. The Chacarera is usually played with guitar, violin, accordion and bombo legüero. The name originates from the word "chacra" ("farm"), as it was usually danced in rural areas, but it slowly made its way to the cities of that area.

Doma: Horse taming

Jineteada: Horse riding parade.

Poncho: Simple garment designed to keep the body warm. It is a single large sheet of fabric with an opening for the head and sometimes for the arms. Mainly used by gauchos, and pampa´s inhabitants.

Vino Patero: Wine in which the grape fruit juice is extracted by stepping over the grapes with bare feet.

Slow Travel

The Slow movement is a cultural shift towards slowing down life's pace, it began as the movement slow food against fast food restaurants and bussiness, but now it is reaching every aspect of life: slow food, slow cities, slow money... and SLOW TRAVEL. The Slow movement is increasing its force, with more and more people around the world finding ways to put on the brakes and looking for a new approach to time and pace.

Today in the world there have been created more than 80 Slow Cities, with the objective to preserve the original characteristics of the place, to appreciate and value the cultural heritage and to promote the use of natural products, having an ecologic consciousness, among other issues. The first slow city of South America is Mar de Las Pampas, declared in the argentine summer of 2006.

One of the emphasis of the Slow movement, is valuing the cultural heritage. To do this it is important to have a deep conection with the place, the people, the culture, the food, their regional products, etc. And this certainly cannot be achieved when travelling fast in hectic holliday tours that make you jump from one city to another, so you can tell you have visited so many places.

To know a city you must live it. One of the defining elements of slow travel is the opportunity to become part of local life and to connect to a place and its people. To do this you must stay at least one week in one place, buy your groceries where local people do, go to eat to local restaurants, join in local happenings. Live your destination, not just stay there. Experience the place and the culture. Give yourself the opportunity of being a traveller, not a tourist. Explore every neighbourhood or spot of where you are staying not only the “must see” tourist places.

Argentina is a great country to slow down your journey. It is affordable and you can rent an apartment for a week or more in Buenos Aires. Go beyond Recoleta, San Telmo and La Boca, explore neighbourhoods as Almagro, Villa Crespo, Once, Belgrano, Colegiales, Coghland... Go jogging in the morning to Costanera Norte or Los Parques de Palermo. Have your breakfast at a local coffe shop, ask for a “café con leche y medialunas” and read the local newspaper. Look for music concerts, shows, art exhibitions that any local would go. Take a train at Retiro Station, explore the suburbs: Vicente López, Olivos, Martinez, Acassusso, San Isidro... Take a bus to La Plata. For lunch ask for empanadas or a bife de chorizo con fritas o ensaladamixta at any restaurante. Have an ice cream at an heladería, ask for “dulce de leche con dulce de leche and frambuesa”.... Join in for a round of mate with bizcochitos... Take local buses (colectivos) or just walk when going from one place to the other.

If you have time, we suggest to spend another week in other locations, in the argentine coast, go to Mar de Las Pampas. Or you can go to a small town in Cordoba, in February go to the Carnival in Gualeguaychú or in Corrientes province. Take some days off at an Estancia, and help the gauchos with farming daily activities. And much, much, much more...

Maneras Argentinas fully agree on Slow Travel principles, and have created the company taking into consideration slow travellers.

MANERAS ARGENTINAS is a company that was created to give an insider's look at the Argentine's lifestyle. We combine education and culture through the development of culturally entertaining activities for those wishing to engage the genuine spirit of the Argentine lifestyle, experiencing Argentina through language and the culture of its people, getting to know their music, sports, places... Our aim is to awaken the enthusiasm of foreign tourists and/or residents for the Argentine cultural quality in the country. Through Maneras Argentinas we want travellers to learn how to thoroughly enjoy our diverse and impressive landscapes by experimenting on the uniqueness of each place, providing them with the assurance of experienced, local professionals to deal with the details which will give them added comfort and security.

See also

http://www.slowmovement.com/This website tells us how to do it. It is gives examples of ways to live slow and be part of the slow movement.

http://www.slowfoodarg.com.ar/This website have information on slowfood movement in Argentina and the activities and events they organize.

www.slowtrav.com and www.slowtalk.com Website with all the slow travel information and phylosophy. And a forum where slow travellers tell where they have been and recomend places and activities.

For Slow Travelling in Argentina www.manerasargentinas.com.ar

Rosario - La ciudad de la bandera

Some month ago we spent a weekend visiting Rosario, one of the main citys of Argentina after Ciudad de Buenos Aires and Córdoba Capital, since it is located in a strategic place regarding the MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) and this fact places it in an important industrial and tourist level.
We took a bus at Retiro Bus Station, there are buses every hour going to Rosario. In almost 3 hours we were in the city. It is a good "escapada de fin de semana", as we the porteños say. The city has a slower pace, it resembles to Buenos Aires, in the eclectisism of its architecture, but I think Rosario may be it looks like Buenos Aires 20 years ago, with fewer grand towers. Rosario . It invites to be visited through the many historical circuits that still preserves buildings from the begining and mid 20th century. It is beautiful to walk from Santa Fé Street and Oroño Boulevard, throught the Oroño Boulevard till you get to the riverside. The walk throught the cost of the Paraná river is lovely to do it in a sunny day, and just seat for a while sorrounded by santafecinos families that gather there to drink mate or have a pic nic. Finish the walk in the impressive "Monumento a la Bandera", built to conmemorate that on 27 February 1812, General Manuel Belgrano raised the newly created Argentine flag on the shores of the Paraná, for the first time. This monument is the starting point to a walk around the city center. In the city center we suggest to make a stop in one of the many coffe shops, and ask for a "carlitos" (a sandwich made of cheese, jam and ketchup). To dinne go to Rich Restaurant (San Juan street 1031), another classic place for rosarinos, it is a meeting point for families on sunday and friday nights. The restaurant was opened in 1932, and offer tipical argentine meals: ask for the suprema meryland, costillitas de cerdo a la riojana, or suprema a la suiza.
The city has several museums, among which are to be noted: the Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum, the Firma y Odilo Estévez Municipal Decorative Art Museum, the Dr. Julio Marc Provincial Historical Museum, the Museum of the City, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rosario (MACRo). The Dr. Ángel Gallardo Provincial Natural Sciences Museum was reconstructed after a fire in 2003 and re-opened in a new location in 2006, and there are projects to move the National Oriental Art Museum, which currently shares a building with the National Decorative Art Museum in Buenos Aires, to Rosario.

Hidden monastery close to Carmen de Areco

A few months ago we visited Carmen de Areco. Very close to this location, in the middle of nowhere, you will find a place you wouldn´t believe ... It is an Monastery called "San Pablo de la Cruz" of the passion missionaries. It was built on 1888, a legacy of the irish community on the area. We got there when the sun was going down... You could only hear the sound of peace of the campo argentino, birds flying all over the place, the light of the sunset was slowly fading off in the horizon... We rang the bell of the monastry several times but nobody answered. We kept walking around and a few meters from the monastery we found a small cemetery.

We got there at six in the afternoon and it was already closed, but you can sleep there and visit the monastery inside! This place offers accomodation. Our experience was some kind of creepy but is a incredible place to visit! It feels like visiting some place in Ireland but in the middle of the argentine fields....