Buenos Aires con Esfuerza

Buenos Dias!

 

I arrived in Buenos Aires (BA), the city of tango, on Valentine´s Day and have been exploring the city and getting my bearings ever since.  I also had the pleasure of meeting two chicas from Chile and traveled with them for a few days and to the river city of Tigre, just outside BA.  Below I´m providing some facts, sites visited, and some of my own observations. Enjoy!

 

Facts about Argentina:

• Southeastern most country of South America
• 8th largest country in the world

• Natural regions:
• Pampas
• Patagonia
• Tierra del Fuego
• Known for:
• Eva Peron or Evita - recognized for her work in women´s rights and social work, also the first lady in the 1940s and 50s
• Conflict with Britain regarding Islas Malvinas or Falkland Island (who has claim to the land, located 290 miles of the eastern coast of Argentina
• Guerra Sucia or Dirty War - many people disappeared during this period of state-sponsored violence (1976-1983)

BA sites visited as of today (divided into location):

• Plaza de Mayo
• Cathedral
• Casa Rosada or Pink House - think the White House
• Calle Florida
• Kavanagh - used to be the largest building in South America
• Galerias Pacifico - fancy shopping mall
• Casa de Cultura Borges - cultural house for tango, art, literature.  Jorge Luis Borges is a famous Argetinian author
• Calle Corrientes
• El Obelisco - BA´s national phallic symbol
• Teatro Colon
• Recoleta
• Chapel
• Cemetery - this cemetery looks like a gated neighborhood for the great dead.  Evita Peron (remember Madonna´s film Evita?) is buried here
• Puerto Madero
• Puente de la Mujer
• Museo Fragate Pte. Sarmiento - giant ship used by a founding father
• San Telmo - working class neighborhood where locals go to tango
• La Boca - El Caminito or little street; this is a colorful and touristy location, which was originally the neighborhood where many Italian immigrants made their homes
• Tango Show - 3-hour, Vegas-like, show complete with smoke and dress changes.  Very cool, but lasted until 1:30 a.m.  I would have preferred it end at 10:30 p.m. because I´m not quite adjusted to the time change!
• Tigre - a serene city outside of Buenos Aires, where the locals go to get away.  The Chilean chicas and I took an hour-long boat ride down the river and through the delta.

Some things I´ve observed:

• There is graffiti everywhere
• A triple bacon cheeseburger from McDonald´s is 14 pesos (don´t worry, I didn´t buy one)
• There are enormous outdoor pools everywhere, but when it´s 95 degrees and humid, it makes sense
• Quilmes is the local beer - it´s light and reminds me of Corona
• The garbage recyclers come out at night.  You can see guys on each street collecting garbage, sorting it and then loading it into their trucks, all on the side of the street.
• As you´re walking around downtown, it feels like it´s raining, but it´s just the air conditioners running full blast
• Mineral water comes from the Andes - try Villavicencio
• Everyone is suspect.  I had an odd experience while I was visiting a museum.  As I was trying to read about the ¨Recoletas¨, a secluded Franciscan order, a paranoid women in front of me brusquely moved her bags and made a face at me.  She had three teeth, two bags, and a temper.  When I finally understood what she was saying, I realized she was accusing me of trying to steal from here.  You see, she claims that everyone wants her bags.  
• What lines?  A chauffeur picked up a group of us for the tango show and he clearly didn´t learn how to color in the lines as a child.  He swerved in and out of traffic and when stopping at a redlight, instead of stopping behind the cards already there, he went in between two cars, straddling the line and then passing them.  
• Most of all, just go with it - when I was picked up for the tango show, we had just received torrential rain and as I stepped out, a passing car soaked the entire bottom of my pants.  I didn´t do much more than blink and then followed him to the van.  

More stories coming soon.  Please let me know if there is anything that you are interested in knowing and I will do my best to include it in the blog.  

 

Next stop, Rosario - hometown of Che Gueverra!

 

Additionally, I forgot a card reader for my camera, but figured out the word for it, where to locate a store which carries it, and did some price comparisons.  I bought it for 20 pesos instead of 40!  Life is good.

 

Ciao,

Ashley