beentouring's Guestbook

Scarves and books
What fun, to get a better appreciation of the source of my scarf. And books in plastic! I wonder what they think of our bookstores.

Pithy Comments
I really got the feel of this day, for some reason - and love your photo comments. (I see no point in muted decoration - at least, not in someone else's place or public places!) Buying groceries in Spanish was always a challenge for me - I worked really hard to hear the number, which always came so fast. I should have read your blog before going to Guatemala - I could have just held out money, shrugged and smiled helplessly. In fact, I think sometimes I may have done just that.

Squawk, indeed
Yikes. A distinctive sound, certainly, if not entirely musical to the unaccustomed ear. It's interesting how different traditional music sounds - from other traditional music, I mean. No one could mistake South American music for music from anywhere else in the world! As the group leader played the pipes, I wondered whether there are different tones achievable with different woods - and whether there are Stradivarius equivalents (or something like that) in those traditional instruments.

Ingredients
Lovely - and it sure sounds like a perfect day! Have you tried to reproduce any of the Chilean dishes in Calgary? I'm wondering how easy it is to find the right ingredients (from the right type of corn to the right variety of raisins). You've spoken before about the huge raisins they enjoy - but I've never seen anything like that in our grocery aisles.

The process of photography
Loved your photo-caption comment about the impossibility of trying to capture the hairpin turns in a photograph - and the great fun of trying. I know exactly what you mean - I try to take pictures of birds and usually fail miserably, but the chase is all (well, almost all - on the few occasions when it works, there is much joy and rejoicing).

Spitting is the new Serious
In serious wine tasting, the spitting always seemed sort of nasty. Much better to just drink less and enjoy it on the way down, too! Your day sounds like a perfect blend of contrasts, and a good reminder that there are many ways to do a thing perfectly.

Product Accessibility
Have you seen any of the wines you tasted available in your local wine store(s)? What about the olive oils - are they (or their equivalents) in the Calgary markets? My cousin has taken up olive oil making in New Zealand (part-time) and maintains that most of the olive oil we can buy here is rancid (OK, maybe just stale) - he says the Europeans send us their old stuff because we don't know any better!

Winery
What was the (relative or absolute) size of this winery? There was lots of mechanization until the boxes coming off the conveyor belt were handled by one guy, working steadily but not frantically. Mind you, I couldn't do that job all day!

Time-honoured traveller's protocol
I laughed out loud at the mental image of you sidling up unobtrusively (you hope) to local (you hope) pedestrians. Always good to go with those who are competent in the local culture, not to mention traffic protocols. I seem to remember doing the same thing in Quito - keeping my eye on the locals and dodging when they did (and some of that was just for sidewalk traffic - rental bikes with no regard for walkers). And selling bubbles! I remember that from Guatemala - haven't seen it anywhere else since. Thanks for the mental images - of your trip and of mine.

mmm, chimichurri
The mix-up with the sommelier would support the world view that everything happens for a reason (I mean, when would you rather sample wine - in the AM or PM?) - or, at least, that in the end everything will be all right.

Brava!
Great video of the various tango performances - those feet really move!