| May 2006
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| 5-17-06.Can you guess at what kind of place I took this photo?
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| 5-17-06. Nana and I love this Japanese restaurant 2 blocks away from our place in San Telmo. It�s called Furaibo � I�m guessing after the name of a Jodo Shinshu priest. It�s a restaurant, but the d�cor is that of a temple or worship hall. In fact, Furaibo features an Introduction to Buddhism talk every Tuesday night (same time as my Japanese class!) and a Tea Ceremony every Wednesday night.
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| 5-17-06.The tsumami that the house serves to its lunch customers. Really tasty assortment of vegetables either pickled or coated with miso.
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| 5-17-06. This is one of the two appetizers you get when you order their lunch set. Gyoza (potstickers) or, in our case this day, sushi.
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| 5-17-06.Me with one of the waitresses, Mariana. She�s a very quiet person who didn�t quite know what to make of Nana�s request to have her photo taken with me.
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| 5-17-06. One of the two dessert choices. I like their dorayaki, azuki bean jam on small little pancakes, like a cookie. I couldn�t wait to eat it, so I took the photo after a few bites. Nana thinks Furaibo make their own dorayaki from scratch.
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5-17-06.Tasteful place, Furaibo. Just another instance of how Argentina has great Japanese stuff. We have a Japanese school here, and great Japanese restaurants. It�s like living in Japan for half the cost!
On the other hand, one my teachers at Nichia Gakuin didn�t have a high opinion of the place. He said their ramen wasn�t good (doro-doro noodles), but Nana says even though the ramen isn�t perfect, it�s pretty darn good. I think their tonkatsu pork cutlets are the best I�ve had in this town. I�d compare the quality of their fried food with Takohachi in Seattle.
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| 5-17-06. D�cor of Furaibo. Notice how the base of the Buddhist altar here with its tatami mats is set against the colorfully designed tiles of the restaurant floor.
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5-17-06.A full shot of the altar. You come up the double set of stairs into the foyer of the resturant. The foyer consists of the altar, with rooms to the left and right for dining (including a wa-shitsu tatami mat seating).
The scroll reads �Namu Amida Butsu� (Hail Amida), thus confirming my suspicion it is a Jodo Shinshu �temple.� (Off to the right, you can see a bookshelf with rows of manga (for salarymen to peruse during lunch). Among them is a Collected Works of the Jodo Shinshu priest Renryo. Classy.
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| 5-17-06. The ceiling. Again, a combination of Japanese and Argentinian style. You would expect a Japanese temple to be dark and kinda cramped, but this one, with its high airy ceilings and skylight, is, well, Argentinian.
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| 5-17-06.Happy man, after eating.
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| 5-17-06. Nana at �our table� text-messaging on her cell.
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| 5-15-06. One of many forthcoming pics of BsAs� monuments. Monumeta de la Roca. This is only a block from our place, at a traffic �diagonal.� I like how protesters have splattered it with what looks like paintball bullets, making it bleed.
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| 5-15-06. One of my favorite things about BsAs. The cityscape. I am particularly fond of the great lines made by the building tops here. The only thing missing is a healthy crop of superheroes who would fly, leap, or swing over them all. A building, in San Telmo, close to my laundrymat.
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| 5-15-06. Another roofline. Some of the older buildings on Avenida de Mayo, near Plaza de Mayo (again about a block from my place).
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| 5-15-06. Another building, another block away�who are these guys, I wonder? Twins maintaining time?
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| 5-15-06. Across from the �twins.�
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| 5-15-06. More roof.
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| 5-15-06. And�one more.
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 | 5/9/06. A car burst into flames a few blocks down the street from our apartment, close to Casa Rosita. I was on my way to photographing the first of my statue series, when I saw 1) that the smoke was filling the streets blocking my view and 2) that the sun had gone too far and left my statue in shadow. I joined the throng of onlookers to see what was in flames. It looked like a taxi. A week ago, Nana told me that she rode past a colectivo that had burst into flames. No ambulances, just fire trucks at the scene, so I�m hoping no one got hurt.
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| 5/9/06. The huge, heavy metal and glass doors leading into our apartment building, at 711 Alsina (y Chacabuco). Here begins a new set of photos on our third abode in BsAs. | 
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 | 5/9/06. We�re on the 2nd floor, so we follow a winding staircase up �two floors (yep: ground level starts at Zero Floor in Argentina). It�s a great old building, lots of windows. I missed the elevators from our previous place though when I lugged 4+ suitcases up two flights of stairs. Woof!
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| 5/9/06. Well, looks like my photo got apartment 24. Ours, 26, is to the left here. | 
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 | 5/9/06. Crates of Agua Con Gas (Carbonated Water). This is such a staple both in restaurants and in folks� refrigerators. Although, these Villavencia glass bottles are more often seen in restaurants. The waiters have a way of putting the bottle down with one hand which also contains their bottle openers; immediately after they place the bottle down, they deftly pop off the cap. Smooth. Just like Aqua Con Gas.
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5/9/06. A showcase of snacks you get eat at this diner. Most cafes and diners will put out their croissants (usually smaller, called medialunas), sweets, sandwiches, and in this pizzitas. You can eat �em there, or take �em to go.
Most of the pizzas down here are very simple: some tomato sauce, a layer of cheese, and perhaps slice of ham (not like Canadian Bacon). Other pizzas have a variety of vegetables, but I have yet to find any other meat (besides anchovies) on them. No sausage, no pepperoni, no hamburger, etc. So, vegetarians delight! | 
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 | 5/4/06. Nana and her friend Marta happened to be in a restaurant when these famous guys were there and they got their photos taken with them. I say famous guys because Nana never fully explained to me who they were or why they were famous. Marta and her boyfriend said they were famous. That's good enough for me. So, they're famous. Maybe one day someone will tell me who these guys are.
Update: 5/9/06. We asked Marta later about the identity of the famous guys. They used to be a reality show that would respond to viewers' requests to have them come and help them solve their problems for them. Kinda of like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy minus the Queer element. Or maybe it's like that Home Improvement show with that guy named Ty. You know what I'm talking about.
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| 5/4/06. Nana with her good friend Marta. | 
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| 5/3/06. Wow, these are old photos. Of a bike tour Nana, Millan, and I took back in late...March, yes. | 
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 | 5/3/06. We all rode these shiny orange bikes...
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5/3/06. ...I think the tour company is called naranjabicylceta.com.ar or something. (I'm sure one of my more fanatic bike readers out there will hunt down the right address on that thing called the Internet.)
Our good buddy Alan Brinker is here in this photo, a fellow American living in BsAs. [Light blue shirt, glasses.] | 
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| 5/2/06. Thanks to Cliff and Kam again for sending us some great photos of the cats. Click here to see the cats living large ... at Casa de Cliff y Kam.
Comment: I got a complaint about the cat photos from one viewer. Why are these up there? The site is for Jon in Argentina, not the cats in Seattle, etc. Ok Mr. Disagreeable, point well taken. But c'mon, these guys have appeal. Who could resist putting their mugs up on the website. (5/4/06).
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| 5/2/06. Quintessential Ringo. More here. Yay! Thanks guys for the photos!
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