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Day 1 in Buenos Aires. Vibe's Experience with Bueno Entonces

I’m here! Finally... by myself in Buenos Aires. My classes start straight away and I walk in the pouring rain from San Telmo across the Plaza de Mayo to my school at 9 in the morning. It’s just me and one other student in the class, a Bulgarian who is based in London. Basically we get to chat in Spanish all morning to our teacher Martin, who is muy fachero, and who answers all our questions.

I still am jet lagged from traveling from New Zealand and am fresh as a daisy at 6 am. I realize this will need to change if I am to get in sync with Buenos Aires because everything happens kind of late here. After class David (that’s right famous DAVID from BUENO ENTONCES) comes to get me and we have lunch. I’m starving after all the grammar, (that’s my own fault.. asked for it) We eat some Amazing Meat from the parilla in a tiny grubby restaurant downtown. David shows me what a fake 10 peso bill looks like. (Easy spot if you ask me, it comes out of an inkjet printer!) and walks me through the essentials of life in Buenos Aires.

Finish reading about her experience in Argentina with Bueno Entonces visiting beadventuresinba.blogspot.

Can't leave Ecuador before going out at night!!!

NIGHTLIFE IN ECUADOR (QUITO)

Bars and clubs abound in Quito; unfortunately, the diversity of nightlife tends to be a bit skimpy. In general, you have either British-style pubs or run-of-the-mill bars and dance clubs. On the plus side, since the locals are extremely friendly, it's not uncommon to make new Ecuadorian friends at a raucous bar or club.

In August 2001, the city government issued a new law stating that all bars and clubs must close at midnight on weekdays, 2am on weekends, so don't expect to party all night long. You should also remember that, at night, Quito can be very dangerous, especially near the bars and clubs. Take a cab, even if it's only for a few blocks; bartenders can call a taxi for you. If you have a cellphone, dial tel. 02-2222-222 for a taxi 24 hours a day.

Bars & Pubs

One of the most happening places is the Kama Sutra Bar & Café, Calama 380 and Juan León Mera, which fills up with the after-work crowd and stays hopping until after midnight. This is where most Quiteños gather with their friends for drinks before dinner or, on weekends, before heading to the disco. El Pobre Diablo, Isabel La Católica 1206 near the corner of F. Galaviz (1 block behind the Swissôtel), is a good low-key bar. It's popular with local bohemian types. The Reina Victoria Pub, Reina Victoria 530 (between Carrión and Roca), caters to the English-speaking set (expect a nice big "Hello" when you enter). This is one of the few pubs in Quito that serves beer on tap, from a Canadian-owned local brewery. Once you have a fresh-brewed beer in hand, relax by the cozy fireplace or practice your dart game. The Turtle's Head on La Niña between Amazonas and Juan León Mera has a similar atmosphere to Reina Victoria, except it also has a pool table and occasional live music. Right next door, also on La Niña, is Séptimo Cielo (it doesn't have a sign, but it's a white house with gold-coloured columns and black doors; you have to knock to get in), which is one of the few bars in Quito that somehow managed to excuse itself from the curfew law; it stays open quite late but it doesn't attract the most hip of clientele.

Dance Clubs

On weekends, everybody heads to the new Papillon Disco, on Pinezón and Colón. There's no cover charge and the music is quite good -- a mix of American and Latin pop and some techno. It's the most popular dance club in town and attracts a healthy mix of people, from late teens to early forties. If you're looking for a typical frat-style bar/dance club, No Bar on Calama 380 and Juan León Mera is your best bet. The cover charge is $2 and includes a free drink. Music varies from "techno Titanic" to pop Latino music. Even though the bar is in the heart of the tourist area, the crowd is surprisingly local. Seseribó, on Veintimilla and 12 de Octubre (in the basement of the Edificio El Girón), is the best place in town for salsa; there's no cover.

Learn more at Allo' Expat Ecuador.

Ecuador’s Authentic Hotels and Haciendas from North to South

Ecuador is beginning to attract more tourists to regions besides the Amazon, Quito (capital city), and the Galapagos Islands. Travelers are discovering the Andes highlands, Avenue of Volcanoes, coastal areas and southern Ecuador. Many travelers enjoy authentic experiences while staying in historic haciendas and hotels which offer organic foods, cultural inclusion, sustainable ecotourism, volunteer possibilities, and adventures

During my trip, I met gracious and enthusiastic proprietors who were eager to share stories, legends, history, and anecdotes about their hotel or hacienda. As an owner of Kaony Lodge put it, “I love what I do.” I sensed that his remarks were not an exception.

Haciendas are generationally-owned. Its descendants take great pride in keeping their family’s traditions alive. It is their life’s passion to preserve the properties. Their personalities, as well as the staff members, added life and learning to each stay.

Other owners found properties they loved and spent years restoring them. For example, Samari Spa Resort used to be a monastery, and Hotel Café Cultura was once the French Embassy. Each is unique and melded with its community.

Hungarian born, László Károlyl (owner of Hotel Café Cultura) recognized the uniqueness of these authentic accommodations. He chose thirteen from Quito (north) to Vilacabamba (south) and developed criteria for the group, “Exclusive Hotels & Haciendas.” “Exclusive” does not imply elitism in this case at all. Rather, it refers to this group of haciendas and hotels that represent various regions of Ecuador.

Each property is involved with the local community, uses local products, and is representative of Ecuador’s culture. They practice sustainable tourism and ecological practices leading to the “Smart Voyager” Certification.

Established in 2000 by the Ecuadorian NGO Conservation y Desarrollo, along with the Rainforest Alliance, this “Smart Voyager” Certification implements “best practices” in the tourism industry.

Its strict requirements for owners include contributing directly to the local economy and environment, reduction in the ecological impacts of tourism, while providing travelers with the opportunity to help local people and protect wildlife.

László’s “Exclusive Hotels and Haciendas” requirements--along with work towards the “Smart Voyager” certification—serves to assure travelers of a comfortable yet authentic experience which is beneficial to the environment, local people, and wildlife.

Search for more info on accommodation on Transitions Abroad Ecuador.

The General Linguistics Method for Teaching Foreign Languages

Created by linguists, teachers and students from a half-dozen countries, General Linguistics developed Bueno, entonces… to incorporate all the best elements of the software and audiobook language learning methods like Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone that have been around for decades.

We mixed the comprehensive learning material of the audiobook courses with the addictive, fun and universally beloved format of a television show to create the Bueno, entonces… series. Each of the 30classes is 30-40 minutes long, proven as the perfect length for a language course - long enough to cover vocabulary and grammar topics but short enough to keep you interested the whole time. The challenging fast pace and edgy, entertaining style of Bueno, entonces… will keep you coming back for more.

Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous. Bueno, entonces… infuses a witty, engaging storyline into the learning process - and by following along you absorb more Spanish, morequickly than you ever thought possible. By the end of the 5-week, 30-class series, you
will be speaking and understanding native conversational Spanish!

Bueno, entonces… incorporates the following 5 principles to make learning Spanish fun, painless and effective:

1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging With Wit and Charm.

If you are not engaged, you are not going to learn or remember anything. Learning doesn’t have to be boring — remember your favorite teachers? Well, wait until you meet David & Jimena…

2. See The Words On The Screen.

Some people are audio learners, some people are video learners - most people are both, and learn different things in one way or the other. With Bueno, entonces… every word in Spanish is written on the screen so you can see how it is spelled while you hear it being pronounced. Old-fashioned audiobooks only get your half-way there.

3. Color-Coding.

Everything on the screen is color-coded in Spanish and English to help you understand word usage and sentence structure. You’ll start to quickly see and understand which words in Spanish correspond with similar words in English, and how those words are used in a sentence.

Read about this new and quick method of learning Spanish on buenoentonces.com/blog.

Community Tourism in Ecuador

Development Model Is Transforming Villages

On a frigid Andean night last summer I broke bread with a Quichua community in Chilcapamba, Ecuador. We traded jokes and uncertain glances, working to get to know one another. I was there as a paying guest to experience a development model that is transforming villages throughout Ecuador: community tourism.

Travelers, local communities, and international organizations are calling for more community tourism opportunities, but few people fully consider the paradox this presents. Welcoming visitors is necessarily welcoming change. The market is thriving, but by definition it must restrain itself. A sense of being a minority in a new, not wholly understood, place is central to community tourism’s increasing appeal.

In Ecuador there are opportunities to live in indigenous Amazonian villages, go downriver in a dugout canoe, or stare up at the Southern Cross from Andean communities still unblemished by light pollution. Many visitors are not at all interested in questions about ownership and profit. Yet for communities these questions may matter most.

The fee for tourists there is $20 a night. The families receive $8 and must provide dinner and breakfast. Promotion and office space seem like they shouldn’t require much, but some communities have learned of their importance the hard way. A village I visited in the Amazon, Capirona, was an early entrepreneur in community tourism. They simply built cabanas and advertised locally, then had no visitors for the first three years. They needed connections to the outside world.

The families’ pay compares favorably with the wages of local flower industry workers, which are typically $5 to $7 for 12 hours of ceaseless labor. The long-standing disparity between rich and poor throughout Latin America makes $8 a day look like a comparatively decent wage.

Learn more about it, on Transitions Abroad Ecuador.

Ancient Incan Cities in Ecuador

By Carla Waldemar

Ecuador’s worth visiting on its own-- not merely as a stopover on the way to the Galapagos Islands. After your plane touches down in Guayaquil, the nation’s business hub, my advice is to get out of town and head to Cuenca, Ecuador’s ancient center. Start your discovery of its lush Spanish colonial architecture at the archetypical central plaza, anchored with two venerable cathedrals. You can also visit the museum-cum-factory of Homero Ortega, where Panama hats originated (but that’s another story, and Homero’s folks will tell it to you).

The region surrounding Cuenca also boasts a long pre-Spanish heritage, highlighted by Ingapirca, a recently restored, little-known Incan city of majestic aura and location.

You can rent a car for the two-hour drive, of course, but I strongly recommend hiring a guide such as 30-something university graduate Juan Munoz, who, for $35 a person a day, will drive you to the site (including a stopover mentioned below), feed you a lunch that’s an experience worth the drive alone, and provide you with much more detailed (and fascinating) information than the site’s legends and plaques offer (Tel. 011-531-070-826-006).

The ancient Incan city of Ingapirca is composed of three layers, recently excavated and clearly marked: the original Quetzcal Indian city, then the ensuing version blended with their new masters, and finally the city of the Inca rulers that succeeded. Each is divided into residential, civic, and religious buildings and includes amazing astronomical and agricultural devices. Llamas graze on the grounds, bordered by the legendary Inca Trail (on which, of course, you’re free to wander).

Plan your visit for the morning. By afternoon in these heights a dense fog rolls in (another reason not to drive yourself). Before that, Juan will have you seated for lunch in the intimate and charming Posada Ingapirca overlooking the Inca site. Its working fireplace is hung with masks and other indigenous artifacts. Here you can dine on the region’s hearty soup and dessert of local soft cheese with a molasses-like syrup or stewed tomatoes-- a sweet variety unknown to most of us --all washed down with a swig of local corn liquor.

Read more at Transitions Abroad Ecuador.