Mella Madness

Mate is a culture, not a tea. It is used as means of inclusion, of creating companionship. It is ingrained in the culture, and when you are invited to participate, it is a sign of acceptance. On Sunday I came to fully appreciate the extent of the habit, or more aptly, the ritual. Let me first explain the process of making mate:The first step is cleaning the mate, as the container is called. It is made of wood, or other material, and is shaped like a small urn, with thick sides.


The yerba (pronounced ‘sherba’, the herbs that the tea is made of)


is poured into the container at an angle, and a little cold water added at the low point. The water is heated (90°, never boiling) and poured into a flask. The bombilla is inserted into the yerba at the low point,  straight up against the edge. Only then the water is poured from the flask, against the stem of the bombilla, to run down under the yerba, until the water just appears at the top through the herbs, frothing a little. The leaves are never completely covered and remain dry on the higher side.


The person to make the mate always drinks first, as initially it is very strong and bitter. Drinking involves sucking on the bombilla, about three small sips, until there is a gurgling sound, indicating that the container is empty. It is refilled with water from the flask, not moving the bombilla, and passed on to the next person who sucks until the gurgling sound is heard. If one is using a litre flask, then halfway through the bombilla is removed and inserted at the other side of the mate, where the yerba is still dry, and the process continues.  Mate is drunk immediately after pouring in the water, it doesn’t have to draw.

Back to Sunday…  Ale spoke about a traditional band that was performing in Santa Fe, so we took the local bus and spent the afternoon and evening there. The band performed outside a cultural training and art centre, which is housed in a converted old mill, I gathered. I was impressed by all the little kids that had been brought there, and many of the exhibitions were interactive – none of the ‘don’t touch’ type. They were loving it!

The band was good, the instruments being used mostly traditional, and the performance unconventioal, mostly to entertain the children.And then of course the eye-opener for me:  half of the people there were carrying flasks and mate, drinking and sharing all the time.  That is how it is done here, be it outdoor entertainment, markets or indoor festivals, where people gather, they carry their mate. Some have smart carry bags, some have  loose bags, others just carry it in their hands. A sneak photo…


We walked down one of the main streets of Santa Fe which has a pedestrian walkway in the middle, and discovered a beautifully restored manor house.


Further down we went into the station building, which now is used as entertainment arena, as trains no longer run to Santa Fe. We stumbled upon a huge festival, celebrating the diverse cultures that make up the Argentinian people. People were seated to watch the various folk dances,

and next door was an area ás big with

food stalls from the different countries. We settled for pizza and beer, enjoying the ambience (and watching mate being shared…)


Later we carried on down to the river where a brightly lit old bridge invited the classic picture:


And then it was homeward bound, walking a good couple of blocks (like twenty) to a point where we thought we could catch a bus. Much to our dismay, the bus came from a different street and we had to cross over and run – two blocks of full speed running for this old woman!! I made it just in time (of course Ale is 20-something and was way ahead of me) and collapsed into a seat, shaking with laughter and exhaustion.  Life never ceases to be exciting!

‘Maril!’ He calls me to sit down beside him by the huge bonfire which is gradually reaching manageable proportions. ‘What is your title for the day?’, he wants to know. Before I can answer, he says: ‘I have one: White Eyes. You see that dog with the white eyes that is blind? Sometimes he doesn’t know what is going on, but then he slowly moves determinedly and you realise he knows. That is the same with people in life…’


Bernardo is a paying guest at the hostel who arrived 2 days ago. He is a journalist who has been travelling for eight months, writing a documentary about various areas in Argentina, which he hopes will be filmed. He drives 10 000km a month – crazy! Quite eccentric, with a marvellous sense of humour.  He is on his way north and his car has been giving problems. It cannot be fixed in Sauce Viejo so he is now sleeping for 2 hours (after his late dinner of steak and tomatoes) and will then drive 500km back to Buenos Aires to have it repaired. As soon as it is fixed, he will drive north, past here on his way to Cordoba.Such are the characters I have been meeting here. At some stage there were 7 people around the fire, but not all were eating. They kept on coming and going, quite haphazardly.  It was a special night, with the full moon rising over the river, and not a breath of wind.  The fire was big and Alejandro kept on fuelling it with massive dead tree trunks. On the braai was one flat chicken, a steak and a potato cut into slices, all very slowly being grilled. A cabbage salad and sandwiches appeared from the kitchen, and some of Ale’s freshly baked bread. A feast, to say the least.
Things are gradually improving and the weather is playing along, it’s much warmer. I have cooked twice and am beginning to feel part of the establishment. I don’t mind that Ale’s English is improving at a much faster rate than my Spanish, at least we are communicating. Last night I was mostly enjoying staring into the fire, fully aware of the people and occassionally engaging, with the moon and river as backdrop. Bernardo had given me some useful information on Santa in the north, where there are wine farms,  and I read this very apt quote on a website:

‘My work is about space and the light that inhabits it. It is about how you confront that space and plumb it with vision It is about your seeing, like the wordless thought that comes from looking into the fire.’  (James Turrel, on his art).

The fire had done its work for me.

Last year I did a competent crew course, in the hope of sailing to South America. The only sailing I ended up doing, was from Knysna to Gordon’s Bay. Not that simple. It turned out to be a gruelling 3-day survival trip in a galing south-easter, with the other crew member below deck with sea-sickness, and only me and the very competent skipper to brave the seas. The point of this side-track is that one should be careful what one asks for. The universe has a way of delivering…  In this case I had ásked for wild weather, for wind and water spraying in my face. But nót three days of it with sleep deprivation and hallucinations. At one stage during the second night, as Aurum was being tossed about in gigantic waves with me holding the tiller, I was on the verge of calling André, the skipper, to come and look at what I could only assume was an UFO. Fortunately I timely realised that I was looking at the little light at the top of the mast, which had grown in proportion and changed colour in my exhausted and depleted mind.

Back to Argentina: be careful what you ask for… I had this romantic notion that I would spend time working with the locals, learning the Spanish and becoming acquainted with their culture. It is early days yet, I only arrived in Sauce Viejos yesterday, but I feel completely at a loss, cold and alienated. Communication is difficult, although the landlord and his helper are both extremely friendly and trying their best to explain things, using their broken English, my broken Spanish and Google translate, which I had downloaded in Buenos Aires.  I don’t really understand what is expected of me, but I did understand that the house must be kept clean and the leaves raked every 3rd day or so. It’s a rustic environment, extremely so, and things seem to move at a slow pace. The helper, Ale, keeps on reminding me: ‘Take it easy’ (in English!).The house is on the banks of the Rio Coronda, which runs into the Rio Paraná, which is the longest river in Argentina, and second longest in South America.  The Paraná forms a delta which enters the ocean just north of Buenos Aires. This is the view from the house:So this morning I raked the leaves on this huge lawn – notice the pile in the braai area…And cleaned the kitchen and swept the lounge and dining areaThat little stove (right bottom) is a life saver, warms up the room beautifully. And the sleeping quarters:Hats off to Alejandros, who came to this place in February last year and decided to create a hostel and start with permaculture. He has a small vegetable garden, and this morning a woman took away two crates of plants, free of charge, as it is food, and gladly given away.  He even has a scarecrow watching over the garden.They had just become operational in February this year, when a twister came through and wrecked havoc, breaking branches and tearing corrugated iron sheets off the roof of their workshop. Fortunately the house was not hit, but the paradise garden was in a mess and had to be cleaned up.  Huge torn off limbs of the ombú tree (which is not really a tree but a huge cluster of pampass-like grass) are still lying around. The rarity of finding óne 200yr old ombú here next to the river is made rarer still by the fact that there are twó standing close together (see lawn picture).  According to Ale there are forests if Ombú trees in Uruguay.In spite of my fragile emotional state, these past two days have been filled with new experiences and people coming and going. There were two guests staying the first night, a young couple whom I gathered were here to advise Alejandro on the business. The latter cooked us a typical Colombian meal of legumes and rìce, rather bland but tasty. And dinner is served late, at about 21h00. Ale bakes bread as needed, and at about 19h00 I was presented with bread, chocolat con leche (a caramel chocolate spread) and mate. My first experience of mate had been yesterday. It is a traditional herb tea shared by everyone present (from the same cup, drinking from the same bombilla, pronounced bombisha). Making and drinking it is more of a ritual than a process. It is an honour to be offered to partake.There is no WiFi at the house but Ale was kind enough to give me the password of the WiFi at the ice cream shop. The shops in Sauce Vieje are open from 9 – 11am, and again from 3 – 6pm, so I just stood on the pavement in front of the closed shop and read and sent WApps. Only later I discovered a cafe that also had WiFi, so this is where I will go to everyday after work. I took a cup of tea down to the river after work and while watching the water flow, I realized that my eyes were drawn downstream.  I looked upstream and realized it felt different, quieter and less energy.  I looked in front of me, and again my eyes were naturally drawn downstream, seeing the noticeable flow of water. I thought about Siddhartha and how he had spent time learning from the river. What I learnt today is that upstream is the past, it is over, it holds no energy. The water is the same, yet the present (in front of me) and future (downstream), is what matters. That is where my focus will be.

My hot, steaming breath blows little white clouds out on the crisp morming air as I emerge from the subway. I’m sweating, in spite of the 5°C, as I’ve been lugging my 20kg suitcase and 10kg backpack up and down stairs down there, en route to the bus station. And here I am, on the bus, after more sweat – nerves this time!

A friend recently quoted her late husband on Facebook: ‘It’s the start that stops many a person.’ Every time I’m challenged by a new experience I think of this, and just push through. Not without trepidation though, it’s quite challenging trying to ask directions in my broken Español. ‘Donde esta numero cuatro dos plataforma’ – and I get a smile and blank stare. No wonder, I’m not sure that means ‘Where is platform 42’. (I googled, it’s: ¿Dónde está la plataforma cuarenta y dos.) I wasn’t thát far off, I suppose it’s my uncertainty and accent that created the confusion. Eventually I found it outside, after having walked the length of numbers up to 39 inside (where they stopped). No corresponding exit numbers inside to platform numbers outside… You live and learn! At least everyone is friendly.

I’m off on my first venture outside of the city, on my way to Sante Fe (hey, that rhymes!), where I’ll be starting my first job as volunteer on a small-holding where they run a hostel and do permaculture.  The latter seems to be quite popular here, as many similar job opportunities come up on Workaway, the site I am registered with. The deal with Workaway is that one works 5hrs a day for 5 days a week, in exchange for board and lodging. The rest of the time one is free to explore and enjoy. Perfect way of traveling on a low budget, don’t you think? Well, time will tell.

One thing about luggage when planning to travel frequently, and specially if one is on a low budget – buy the best, it’s going to take knocks and you don’t want to have to buy new ones. I’m very happy with my bright pink durable and pliable whatever-plastic, with 360° turning wheels, it was money well spent. Obviously the salesman knew what he was talking about. And I managed to squeeze in the extra pair of shoes this morning.

This picture was taken when I left South Africa, just to show my suitcase.

This is then adios Buenos Aires,  volveré! (I’ll be back!)

Of course I do gardens on a Sunday.   The most beautiful in Buenos Aires is the Parque 3 de Febrero in Palermo, an area north of the microcenter (as it is known). It is far from my apartment, so I  decided to brave the public transport. Someone had given me a SUBE card, a magnetic card used for buses and the subway, so I just had to figure out which bus to take. Easy as pie, as my guidebook tells me the numbers and the numbers are written on the bus stops which are everywhere. Not so easy to know exactly where to get off though, but with beginner’s luck I managed to get it right the first time. Spot on, right at the rose garden, called Rosedal, which has 12 000 roses, unfortunately not blooming yet.


A bit of history:  Parque de Febrero was designed by a French landscape architect, Charles Thays, on land that was confiscated from an 18th century dictator, Juan Manual de Rosas. No road, building, garden or anything is named after Rosas, he was so bad, and all his grounds were earmarked for public use. Argentina has survived many dictators and hardships, yet they remain warm-hearted and open. It gave me great pleasure to share hard-earned  public grounds with so many others out on a Sunday stroll, run or picnic.

The next destination was not so easy to find. I was headed for the Jardine Japonés, a Japanese garden not far away, but took a wrong turn and ended up making it véry far. Ugh… Worth the effort through, it was tranquil and full if spring flowers. I had lunch next to flowering strelitsias, felt like home.

The bell in the last picture is sounded every year on 21st September to celebrate World Peace Day.

This is me sitting on the steps of a statue, trying to figure out where the Botanical Gardens are, munching popcorn.


And then more miscalculations and wrong turns… The botanical gardens were closed for some unknown reason, so I took the bus to the graveyard in Recoleta, and went too far, had to walk back a few blocks.  And then réálly made the wrong choice, turning left and walking right around the graveyards before reaching the entrance (which was literally 50m from where I turned left). Beautiful old tombstones, but macabre when you peep in through the windows.

Some have beautiful little chapels inside

A little magic to end my day: as I was walking past one of the alleyways, I heard a voice, and there was a young man bending on one knee, talking through the window of a tomb, pouring his heart out to his ancestors. It touched my heart and suddenly I wished that I too had someone there to communicate with. So I talked to my mother, who loved graveyards – she would have appreciated the beauty of decay.

I receive comments about how brave I am and how easy I make things seem. But let me tell you, often I am só scared that I truly think I must be mad (hence the name of my blog). However, that does not deter me. Let me share something about myself.

I believe in carpe diem, truly, and in being completely present in every moment. Life has so much to offer, one only has to open one’s eyes and be present. This can sometimes create experiences that impact deeply, that touch your very soul and reveal things about yourself that are unsettling. Those moments are discomforting,  but necessary. Self-knowledge is vital for meaningful existence and life experiences aid that process. I was having one of those akward days on my third day, the one it had rained and I had not done much.  And then a dear friend sent me this video, which made me cry.  It also made me realise that I have mány such moments in life, that in essence it is those moments that propel me forward, that encourage me to reach for more. And that make life worth living, just the way I do, shit-scared and all…


Thanks for reading my blog,

friends and family, and for being supportive and encouraging.

So I bought the coke. This is my Fernet, coke & ice taking a seat (I had to take the picture) on my balcony. It was a long day of walking and exploring.
And I’m drinking a toast to an old friend who sadly passed away today. Gerrie, it was good to share friedship and spend time together as families, may you rest peacefully. And Dalene and children, may you gain strength from each other and from happy recollections. Thinking of you all.Today was my 4th day in Buenos Aires, and I’m gradually getting to know the city (center at least).  My adobe is very central, and I walk everywhere, covering different sections each day. Two days ago I had a stiff neck from looking up so much – there are só many beautiful buildings, I just cannot resist admiring them all. And taking zillions of pictures. I feel like a Jap tourist: click-click-click. Here are a few:And then I did go to the poetry reading. And in spite of not understanding a word, actually enjoyed it. One can gather a lot from body language, intonation and crescendo’s. Ultimately it turned out to be quite thé evening! The 3 poets and some friends invited me to go to a restaurant with them, and I had my first taste of Argentinian beef (just a bite) – I am at a loss to describe the gastronomic sensation. The minute I put that little piece of meat in my mouth, I just swooned. It was tender, extremely tasty and perfectly textured.  The rest of the people just smiled. A few of us ended up drinking wine and talking quite intensely until 02:30, and by then the waiters were ready to throw us out I think, but they remained polite and friendly. The streets were completely deserted, yet I felt no threat. Rain had softly started falling, and gratefully Renato walked me to almost home. Here are the poets and me (the one I had met, Renato, is at the back):Needless to say I was completely wasted the next day, and apart from having coffee with Renato, didn’t do much. It rained most of the day anyway. I did treat myself to a steak for dinner though – bife de chorizo, a dish recommended by one of the guests the previous night. Delicious succulent beef. With chips on a side plate. That was all – no garnish, trimmings or sauces. Plain and simple – I devoured it all! Today has been one of those full and delightful days. How can a visit to San Telmo and La Boca not be! The highlight of San Telmo is Plaza Dorrego, a cobblestoned plaza where stalls and restaurants abound under huge old trees.Both San Telmo and La Boca, which is further south, lay claim to be the place where tango originated in the 1880’s. I saw my first open-air tango dancers in El Camanito (Little Street) in La Boca, an area lined with colourful corrugated houses and terraces. What fun!Tables and chairs fill the sidewalks and walking streets, and stalls are everywhere. It has become very commercialized with many craft markets leading off the street, but it retains its charm and aura of exuberance.There are so many paper mache figures around, that this copper statue appeared out of place. As I took the picture, the ‘statue’ gave a short whistle and winked at me… I was completely bowled over and burst out laughing, not having expected it at all. The artist was as amused by me as I was by him. I kept on giggling for quite a while.The graffiti in La Boca is quite something. Real works of art, some really exquisite. They are everywhere.I managed to fit in some culture today too, I visited the Museo de Arte Moderno, a gallery with modern art from different era’s. There was a special exhibition called A History of the Imagination in Argentina which included works from the 1800’s, very creatively arranged. Actually, Buenos Aires has many museums, galleries and theatres, and I was hoping to see a play,  but I’m just too exhausted in the  evenings.  Next time…Finally signing off – I have to keep you busy, as from next week the blogs will be short and sweet as I’m going to Santa Fe area to do volunteer work. Sadly only two more days in Buenos Aires.

Why am I not surprised by what my first day had to offer…?!? That’s why I’m here, after all!

Within the first hour of stepping out into the street I had become part of a massive march on the way to the Palacio del Congreso, ánd I met a Peruvian poet who humbly invited me to have his table at a coffee shop as he had finished. We started talking, and he jokingly invited me to attend a reading he and 2 other poets are presenting tomorrow evening. Of course I’ll attend, even if I don’t understand a word, the music of poetry can be appreciated by all.

The march was peaceful, and from what I gathered it seemed to be political. The Palacio del Congreso is the federal government office and the plaza in front of it is a popular place for protests and gatherings. On this Sunday, 11th August, there are primary elections for two opposing political parties and the result could be influential in the presidential elections in November. There were hordes of Barrios de Pie banners, which is a socialist movement fighting for the poor and unemployed. I stood amongst the hundreds, or even thousands, of people for a while, savouring the feelings, activities and smells. There was an almost festive atmosphere, and opportunists were selling food and snacks. People had become tired and were sitting down, waiting for something to happen. Two things became evident: all the women have long hair, and no-one wears sunglasses. Needless to say, I was nót inconspicuous, as I have very short hair and cannot go without sunglasses. And I was carrying my book on Argentina, consulting it regularly to identify buildings. I was even taking sneak photo’s. Really, do I háve to be so touristy!

(This last one caught me out, as you can see!).

The Plaza de Mayo is the symbolic heart of Buenos Aires and directly opposite the Plaza del Congresso. The most prominent building there is the Casa Rosada (pink house), also known as the presidential palace. It’s distinctive pink colour is as result of ox-blood being mixed with lime – ugh! It is from that balcony that the beloved Eva Perón addressed her followers.

The Cathedral Metropolitana is another one of the impressive buildings surrounding the plaza. And of course another happening surprised me as I was admiring all the beautiful things inside – there was a ceremony of sorts (I really háve to learn Spanish!) with officials, dressed-up soldiers and changing of guards at the entrance to the mausoleum where the remains of Argentinian Independence hero José de San Martin is kept. The organ accompanied a chorus and a service started, adding to my deep felt gratitude and enjoyment.

One little hitch occurred. On my way home I bought some groceries to cook supper and, what I assúmed to be, a bottle of wine. Well, I don’t know if yóú know what Italian Fernet is (it was specially priced and cheap), but one taste and I happily hid the bottle in the deep-freeze for someone else to find after I leave. It’s a herby liquer, supposedly good for the stomach and evidently very popular in Argentina, mixed with coke. It has made them one of the biggest consumers of Coca-Cola in the world, according to Wikapedia (of course I had to Google the vile stuff). Maybe I should go and buy a bottle of coke…

So far so good. I’m at Sao Paulo, waiting for my flight to Buenos Aires, which might be delayed until the early hours of the morning, creating problems for my Airbnb hostess.

The Atlantic crossing was effortless and smooth, even though I was sitting in the very back corner of the plane, gently being swayed back and forth. At some stage I opened the blind, looking down at the vast ocean, wondering what it would be like to be on a yacht down there.  That is a journey yet to happen…

The coastline of Brazil appeared, sending a thrill down my spine – nothing like seeing a new continent for the first time! I saw a river, many lakes or dams, with villages scattered over the hills among the trees. The beauty of the area surrounding Sao Paulo is in dramatic contrast with the high-rise apartments of the city that seem to stretch endlessly to the horizon. It looks as if someone has been playing with domino’s and has piled them up to start them tipping. Sao Paulo is, after all, the 11th biggest city in the world, with 12 million people, so it needs plenty of accommodation. Hopefully I will return to Brazil during this year, to have a closer look.

”Can’t you just go and live in one of these retirement villages here?” my son wanted to know. “Just sit in a room, start acting your age you know!” he teased. We were discussing my plans to travel to South America, which I had originally started making 2 years ago, but had repeatedly aborted for various reasons.

That was 3 weeks ago, and on Tuesday morning I board the plane for Buenos Aires, to start my big adventure. The plan is to spend a year exploring, living and learning, wherever or whatever comes my way. Of course I’m scared – who in their right mind wouldn’t be! Me, a 66yr old granny of 6, leaving the comfort and security of a home, family and friends, to venture into the unknown alone, with barely a few words of Spanish and very little money. Fear is not going to stop me though, I regularly break out of comfort zones and have become used to the accompanying palpitations and sweaty palms. So: Argentina, here I come!