Benitz Family Reunion 2020

Every five years the descendants of William & Josephine Benitz, my grandmother's grandparents, gather for a family celebration. Five years ago we celebrated at Fort Ross, an earlier Benitz home in California.

This year, the four day reunion was held in the town of La Cumbre, in the province of Cordoba, where many Anglo-Argentine families had summer homes to escape the blistering heat of the pampas.

We had our first asado at El Rincon, a beautiful home tucked into the hills of La Cumbre. Built by Great-great Uncle Alfred in the early 20th century, it has an irrigation system cut into the surrounding rock that keeps the swimming pool fresh and sparkling, and the extensive gardens lush and green.

It's encouraging to see the younger generation taking an interest in their family history and connections that stretch to 5th cousins. 


I hope they and their children to come will join us at Fort Ross in 2025!

Colonia del Sacramento

Uruguay is just a short ferry ride away from Buenos Aires and the closest town, Colonia del Sacramento is well worth a visit.

Established as a Portuguese colony in 1680, its historic buildings, cobblestone streets and great restaurants make it worthy of a longer visit than my day-trip provided.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires (aka BA) is a big, bustling city with a metro population of over 15 million. It's a capital city with much to admire: Beaux-Arts buildings, broad avenues and leafy green parks; it's the Paris of South America.

The old port area of La Boca is where tango dancing started in the 1880s. Its colourful building and narrow streets make it a mecca for tourists today - including me!

The night we arrived in BA there was a huge protest outside the Congress building near our hotel. Tens of thousands of young porteñas were waving their green scarves and demanding the legalization of abortion.

Our hotel was low budget but very funky (in a positive sense). Set in an old historic building with no sign on the door, the long creaking wooden staircase led to an open common area that can only be described as classic Steampunk. Fortunately we had a private, clean room with plenty of hot water for about $35 USD a night!

Iguazú

View from the Lower Trail

Our next stop was to see Las Cataratas del Iguazú, recently voted one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Even though I visited 10 years ago, these falls are so amazing that I had to come back again!

View from the Devil's Throat Trail

We took a ride on the 'Jungle Boat' and got throughly soak by the waterfalls.

They say the negative ions given off by waterfalls are very grounding.

They certainly made me feel good!

After two days in Argentine, we took a taxi to the Brazilian side for new vistas of the many falls.

A four foot cayman ws dozing by the trail

Besides being surrounded by stunning waterfalls, the parks are a great locations to see animals: toucans, caymans, lizards and so many different butterflies.

A common butterfly known locally as the '88'

Toucans were feeding in a cecropia tree

Cachi and Los Cardones

Los Cardones National Park

After our time in Las Yungas, we set off for the mountain town of Cachi. Getting there was a wild drive of switchbacks through the clouds, emerging onto to a high dessert valley of tall cacti, called Cardones. 

The veranda of Casa de Campo La Paya

Cachi is a pretty, touristic town with the usual hostels, hotels and restaurants. We decided to stay out in the countryside at Casa de Campo La Paya. After a rough 1/2 hour drive, we were pleased to be welcomed to a historic hacienda built in 1878. Our dinners in this traditional home were amazing as was the Malbec wine grown on the property! 

Peter and a friendly Casa de Campo companion dog

After two days of hiking in the hills, we set out at dawn to catch a flight from Salta to Iguazu Falls, the subject of my next post.

Below are a few more images from this fascinating part of the world.

The hills around Cachi were always changing in the brilliant desert light

A metallic green bumblebee looking for nectar at the Casa de Campo

The cardone cacti glowed in the early morning light as we drove back to Salta

Eco-portal de Piedra

In eastern Jujuy, a variety of eco-zones are waiting to be explored. We made our base in a hacienda at Eco-portal de Piedra, run by Sylvia, Carlos and their son Carlitos. All are expert birders and they helped us identify many birds by their sound: toucans, macaws, salteros, hummingbirds to name a few.

We took an ATV high into the mountains with Carlitos until a fallen tree blocked further progress. Lots of birds to see but they were small, fleeting and difficult to photograph. Finally a beautiful Aurora Trogon posed nicely on an open branch for a few  minutes. And one of the coolest things we saw was a scarab beetle pushing a ball of dung across the path! 

Another day we drove further east into the Chaco region with Sylvia and a group of birders from Portland Oregon. Their guide was excellent at spotting birds. The best one we saw was the Red-legged Seriema, a very primitive bird of the dry Chaco. 

A moth to be identified!

Probably more interesting than birds in the Yungas were the insects. So many interesting butterflies and moths. An unwelcome side effect were the biting insects. But I guess that was the price to be paid. I'll make a separate page for butterflies and another for the birds before this trip is over.

Salta & Jujuy

View from my hotel room: San Fransisco church is a landmark in Salta city

Salta and Jujuy are two provinces in Northwestern Argentina with a great variety of beautiful landscapes and fascinating flora and fauna: perfect places to explore with my friend Peter Jaspers-Fayer, especially when our home in Guelph is gripped by winter weather!

Salta is also a bustling city of 600 thousand people with a rich history and a youthful, contemporary vibe. We made it our home base to acclimatize, change money and rent a car.

Peter taking in the crisp, clean air and wild landscapes on the way to Cafayate

The red, wind-sculpted rock reminded me of the Southwest USA

Our first foray was south through the wild Quebrada de las Conches to the town of Cafayate, which has become the centre of a region renown for its high-altitude vineyards. 

Lunch with a bottle of local 'tinto' required a siesta before setting off home to Salta.

Morning view of the Hill of Seven Colours from our room at Tiny Eco Cabins, Puramarca

Puramarca: cute but very touristy

Next we drove north to Puramarca, an adobe village in the mountain desert of Jujuy. Because of its proximity to the Hill of Seven Colours, Puramarca has become a popular tourist destination. It seemed that the only businesses in the village were hotels, restaurants and craft shops catering to the visitors.

Jumping for joy at Salinas Grandes

So cute I could just hug you

Our next stop was Salinas Grandes, a salt flat in the Puna, a vast, treeless wilderness high in the Andes. 

We were disappointed to see so much plastic waste at 14,000 ft. but pleased to have a close encounter with vicuñas, llama-related camelids who's wool is among the most-prized in the world.

Next we will head to an area called Las Yungas, a forested mountain area to the east of the Andes that will be wetter and warmer.

PhotoCuba 2020

I was happy to return to Santiago de Cuba and the village of Chivirico in January as the lead instructor of the annual PhotoCuba workshop.

CUBA! Sun, sand, palms and rum are all part of the fun. But it's the Cuban people themselves that makes the time there so special.

And while I'm always enamoured with the natural beauty of the island, it's the people's joie-de-vive and their resilience in the face of so many deprivations that make a trip to Cuba so memorable.



Here are a few of my favourite people pics from my two weeks stay:

Off to school on foot or, if you're lucky, on donkey

A son musician at the Casa de la Trova in Santiago. She pointed to faded photos of herself playing there as a young woman.

A homemade bat and threadbare ball are all you need to play pelota (baseball) on the street.

Diana from Havana posed for my camera 

My birding guide, Sapo, and his Plymouth

Life on the street can be hard. This gentleman has just rummaged through a garbage can and fished out a plastic bag and some wire. He folded it carefully before moving on.

This is a candid shot. No permission granted. Sometime I have to be a little surreptitious to get the shot I want.

Another candid photo: my guide Odelsys at home with her son. 

Hanging out with the musicians at Casa de la Trova was a highlight of my time in Cuba. (photo by Les Jones)

Sparkles in the Park

We waited in silent excitement as the last dark hours of 2019 slipped away... 

Soon the sky was crackling with sparks of colour. 

A twist of the wrist and the fireworks danced on the water.

May the power of light delight you in 2020. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Bucket Hat Brigade

Spent the morning on the floor playing with my grandson Daxton and his Play-Doh.

We took a break to play with his new sand castle buckets when I got this charming shot of Dax with his dad Daniel.

At 2 1/2 years of age, it's amazing to see him develop his verbal skills so quickly. Today he can count at least to 7 both forwards and backwards!

Lloyd Longfield

Congratulations to my friend Lloyd Longfield on winning his second term as Member of Parliament for Guelph last night.

Though I've considered myself a Liberal for many years - I volunteered on Pierre Trudeau's leadership campaign in 1968 - I voted for the man more than the party.

Lloyd has come to embody all the positive things I love about this city: caring, progressive and inclusive of others; ready to take a greener path to a better future for all.