This week's interview... Totty from Argentina! By Alfonso Lara Montero

Totty is English but she arrived in Argentina a couple of years ago to write her dissertation and she decided to stay! I became amazed by reading her profile and I thought I had to interview her. She kindly accepted my call and… this is the result! Writing a dissertation in Argentina, amazing stories in a shanty town, socially and ecologically responsible tourism, wonderful countryside…

Do you want to know more? Scroll below. You will not be disappointed!

Alfonso: How are you?

Totty: I am very well, thank you, in Buenos Aires, and the weather is horrible…

Alfonso: Is it?

Totty: It has been raining for 3 days, but it is good because it hasn’t been raining the rest of the year. It has been very dry, so it is good…

Alfonso: It is always good to have some rain, too…
Are you based in Buenos Aires?
Totty: I live between the countryside and Buenos Aires, and I spend around 3 days in the city and 4 days in the countryside. It also depends on the people who come to stay, so if I have guests I have to stay in the countryside. I also have a kitchen garden in the countryside and a cow that I milk, so I have to take care of all these things.

Alfonso: It is very nice talking to you because I am very interested in responsible and sustainable tourism. Not long ago, I interviewed Alan from Mexico and now in the same connection I am interviewing you with the aim of giving our readers a sense of what in responsible tourism is being done across the ocean.
I read your profile and it is amazing the fact that you went to Buenos Aires to write your dissertation and then you decided to stay, to set up your own business and to make it socially and environmentally responsible.
Why did you decide to go to Buenos Aires to write your dissertation?
Totty: Because I did Spanish in my undergraduate degree, then I was doing a Masters in which I could go anywhere in the world to write my dissertation. It had to be on a political topic and since Argentina is a Spanish speaking country and there are certain political things going on, I organized to come here.

Alfonso: You worked in a shanty town… How was that experience?

Totty: I worked at the edge of a shanty town for 3 months, and it was amazing. I was teaching English but it was hard to get children to come there because the shanty town was so big that they had to walk a long way to go to the school and mothers were really frightened to leave their children alone and pick them up. However, the children who came really benefited from it.
On the other hand, the children who came to class had many problems and you suddenly may have found out, for example, that your mobile phone was stolen. Then, in the middle of the class you may hear the mobile phone ringing and you realize it is your mobile phone!

Alfonso: Hahahaha…
Totty: I really enjoyed the experience, but unfortunately, it is so dangerous that after a while I decided to leave it. I was told by people who lived in the centre of Buenos Aires “You are mad, what are you doing? That is so dangerous…” For example, if you forgot to get off the bus, you ended up in the middle of the shanty town. It happened to me once when I was with a friend, and we ended up running for our lives to get back to the school, which was just at the edge. The political situation in Argentina got worse, there was more crime and it was more dangerous, so I decided it was not safe. However, I have friends, who are still doing it and they have been fine; they did not have any problems.

Alfonso: Did you feel that your life was at risk sometimes?
Totty: Not when I was in the school. If you got off the bus, someone came to pick you up and take you there, things were ok, but the situation was dangerous and I felt it was too risk to keep on doing that.

Alfonso: Afterwards, you set up your own tourism business… Why did you take such decision?
Totty: I run a gallery for the whole year, I worked for Argentines and I loved it. Then, I decided it was time to have my own business and work with foreigners. I love having contact with people from outside and the gallery was mainly focused on people from Argentina. The other reason was because my partner and I decided to run a business in the countryside, and now there is a total number of 3 farms. Since I love the countryside, I thought it was a good way to combine being in the countryside, being in a relationship and being able to have my own business.

Alfonso: Do you consider your project to be sustainable (ecologically and socially)? If yes, how do you manage to do so?
Totty: I produce lots of the food for the people who stay. I grow my own vegetables, I produce my own milk. We have our own animals; we do not use any non-organic fertilizers.
It is socially responsible as well because those who stay are in constant contact with nature and we help local communities, since we employ locals as well. We also teach them to grow their own vegetables. We also help to sustain the local economy; for instance, we nearly have 2000 cows in the three different farms.

Alfonso: You have referred to the interaction with locals… My next question is twofold:

1. How do you interact with locals?
2. How do you make travellers experience local culture?
Totty: One of our big focuses is to show people the real Argentina and have an authentic experience. We take people to amazing places that we have found in the surrounding areas, such as a bar where all the “gauchos” come and play their guitar, and they are so happy to talk with travellers… We take them to a big gauchos festival where you see the gauchos doing rodeos and there are lots of stands where they sell all kinds of locally made products. The people working with us are always happy to share information about the countryside and The Pampa.

Alfonso: You seem to be fascinated by Argentina… Taking into account that if you wanted to practice Spanish you could have settle in a different Latin American country, why did you decide to settle in Argentina?
Totty: For Europeans, there is something about Argentina… You almost feel like if you were in Paris or somewhere close home. You have good restaurants… They have everything here. They are very civilised in the city, but when you go out there is an incredible countryside, a huge amount of space… I fell in love with the countryside and the city fits really well since I have a flat here, a lot of English friends, I made Argentinean friends… I may have chosen another country but Argentina just happened to be in the right place and in the right moment.
There are also negative things, such as the queues as regards administrative issues “trámites” (pay the bills!), but I also feel there are less rules, which may not be good, but I love the fact that there is less regulation and I feel more free. There is so much to see here that you could never be bored: the mountains, the icebergs, the sea, the lakes…the possibilities are endless!

Alfonso: It was lovely talking to you. I do appreciate that you attended my call. Thank you so much!

Totty: All right, thank you, bye.

Shanghai

THIS IS THE FIRST OF LAURA VIPOND'S BLOG ABOUT HER INCREDIBLE TRIP ACROSS SOUTH EAST ASIA... READ IT AS ITS HAPPENING AND IF YOU'RE PLANNING A TRIP TO SHANGHAI, POST YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION....

Destination number one! Shanghai is a mental city - neon lights, bicycles, umbrellas and people everywhere! The very old and very new, plus the very poor and very rich makes the city feel very Blade Runner. It is divided into various districts from the sci-fi architectural playground of the Pudong (Canary Wharf x100) and the Bund's famous British imperial buildings, to the tree-lined avenues and stately homes of the French Concession and the two 'old cities' - one a replica which feels more like a Disneyland China Town, to the fast-disappearing ancient backstreets where I never seen so many different kinds of meat and fish (most of it still alive!).

The highlight for me has been Shanghai's amazing art scene. I stumbled upon a warren of tiny contemporary art galleries and boutique fashion shops and cafes in the south (Taikang Lu); a network of secret alleyways only accessible from a hidden entrance at the back of a car park. It was a world away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy Nanjing Lu in the city centre which is packed full of endless malls and shops (recession, what recession?!). To find the heart of the art scene, I headed out to the north of the city and into an industrial area, where tucked away was a complex of converted warehouses transformed into contemporary art galleries and studios, complete with the young artists on hand to explain their work. I loved this place and returned to it a few times. Between the baffled locals, rich dealers and paint-splattered artists, I sipped my espressos and absorbed the art and the atmosphere. If I had a bit more money to my name I would have certainly been taking home a few canvasses!

Things I have noticed about the Shanghainese (not sure if this is exactly the correct terminology, or whether these things are unique to Shanghai or are ubiquitous to China yet!)
- The women love to wear high-heels, everywhere. The girl in the bunk-bed above me wears hers to and from the bathroom
- The Shanghainese all have tupawear bottles of tea on hand - from green tea, to dry rose buds, unidentifiable leaves, to 'lotus hearts' as a friend explained (good for the organs, apparently. Tastes bitter as hell)
- On the whole, the difference between pavements and roads is ignored, as are traffics lights
- Recession, what recession?! It's all spend, spend, spend in this consumer-driven city
- Coffee is extortionate; often twice the price of food
- There is a deep respect for education and study. The first thing I was asked was whether I was a student, then where and what I studied. The many bookshops and libraries are always packed
- I have seen many couples hand-in-hand wearing matching t-shirts!

MONSOON RAINS IN SHANGHAI

The rain here is incredible. Through the thick heat, there are the odd days of constant rain. Sometimes it storms and when this happens the streets literally fill up with the immense volume of water that falls.
The first time this happened I was on Nanijing Lu in the city centre and within minutes everyone was ankle deep in rain water and endless umbrella-selling street vendors popped up from nowhere! The instant sea of multicoloured umbrellas was a sight to behold. With the crazy architecture and neon lights, the city already looks like a theme park, so as the rain continued it filled up until water was gushing down into the subways and metro stations - I felt like I was standing in water-park attraction! As the main streets are so clean, everyone either waded through the water barefoot, laughing, or headed straight for cover into the many malls and shops lining the street. However, it was not only the people that flooded into the shops, but the rising tide of rainwater too, so shop assistants quickly got to work assembling water barriers on the shop thresholds, then sealed this with clay which was on-hand, ready for such occasions!

A Saigon Kiss

During a recent visit to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it is otherwise known, I was intrigued by a reference to a Saigon Kiss. Then I found out...

One afternoon I decided to go for a swim and asked a taxi driver to take me to the local pool. I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities and even managed to do some lengths in between children hurtling themselves into the water from various precipices around the pool and among the swimming lessons taking place.

But I noticed the time and was late for dinner, so jumped out, put my clothes on straight over my bikini and rushed out to find a taxi. I stood and hailed cabs but with no joy. Rush hour was still in play and the streets were grid locked traffic chaos. It was then I was approached by a kind girl who asked if I needed help. On explaining my predicament she giggled and suggested that the wet patches were doing me no favours getting a cab. I laughed, forgetting about my wet bikini. (Note to self, dry off next time.)

The girl suggested I get a lift by motorbike instead. As a safety-conscious traveller I would normally take time to consider my options, but with little choice I quickly agreed. The girl hailed a motorcyclist and told him where I needed to go, then negotiated the price. I was eternally grateful to my new found local expert who'd just saved my skin. I thanked her gratefully and then hopped on the back of the moto.

It is said that if Beijing is the city of bicycles then Saigon is the city of motorbikes. Everywhere you look there are snake-like streams of buzzing bikes, millimetres apart, crossing oncoming lines of traffic in continuous lines. There is no right of way or stopping, everyone maneuvers around each other with amazing skill and success.

The ride back to the hotel was a scream, in every sense of the word. We sped around the city and I felt liberated by the experience, but was regularly gritting my teeth at the proximity of other vehicles. I then received my first (and hopefully last) Saigon kiss, from another motorcycle's engine as we hustled to squeeze through the same narrow gap. I still have the mark to prove the hair-raising experience.

All's well that ends well and I arrived back at the hotel in one piece. After paying a generous tip in thanks I turned towards the hotel door and saw the clock. The journey to the pool via taxi had taken 25 minutes. But the return journey, perhaps not surprisingly, had taken just 6 minutes. I was not only in time for dinner, but thankfully had time to change.


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The act of kindness bestowed on me by the Vietnamese girl outside the pool reminded me of the Global Giving programme of the same name. If you have experienced a random act of kindness while travelling, why not share it? Visit http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/kindness/ (and let us know if you do, we'll publish it here too!)