I know, I know. I'm a terrible blogger. I promise it's not intentional... I'm just trying to keep busy down here. However, I'm going to try and totally catch up with my blogs from Argentina, so I can start talking about Peru! Anyway, I wanted to discuss some of the smaller activities we did in Argentina before I move on to any huge topics.
BOTANICAL GARDENS-One afternoon, Nicole, Kara and I ventured to the Botanical garden with my host-cousin, Luis and his friend, Marcelo. There's really not a whole lot to say about the garden because it was fairly small and nondescript. However, it was a really nice day, and we enjoyed passing some time among the greenery.
The most interesting thing about the Botanical garden is that it is home to dozens, if not hundreds, of homeless cats. As I've mentioned before, Argentina has stray dogs everywhere you turn, but I hadn't seen a cat until the garden (outside of Recoleta cemetery). They're on every statue, beneath every tree, relaxing near every fountain... Literally, everywhere. So, of course, I tried to make friends with as many as possible. The other humorous thing about the garden was the amount of couple in various stages of entanglement. Oh yes, we saw some pretty hilarious (and extremely awkward) sights. There were a few areas we didn't dare go near due to the suspicious levels of copulation. It was worth a good laugh, but I was glad to be done with the couples by the end of the afternoon.
Next we went to another park in Palermo. I wasn't feeling well that day, so we decided to take a little rest in the sunshine and have a good chat. After the girls left to head home, the boys and I wandered down to Florida Ave where I'd been looking at a painting. It was nice to hang out with the two of them and learn about their experiences in Argentina as Brazilians. I explained the concept of "chillin'" to Marcelo, which might have been the highlight of the trip downtown. Overall, it was a nice low key kind of day.
FLORIDA AVE- Florida Ave is known as one of the best shopping areas in Buenos Aires because it has the nicest shops and a huge amount of restaurants and the most street vendors I ever saw outside of a feria. I went one afternoon with a group of friends, and as we wandered around, I couldn't help but be totally stunned by the amount of crafts and items made by the Argentines who frequent Florida Ave. Some are scam artists or are re-selling stolen articles, but there are many who make and sell things to earn their money.
There were tons of artists, including a man who was unable to use his hands, so he instead painted by gripping a paintbrush between his toes. I bought a painting from a man whose rotund figures faintly reminded me of Botero. I loved the way the street swarmed and snaked along. It felt like everything was constantly moving, and when you stop to waver over a cheap pair of sandals or wander an eye over a sketch of the streets of La Boca, you suddenly become part of the decoration, only there to observe the passersby. Florida Avenue is a bustling, fascinating place.
TANGO LESSONS- I don't have any rhythm. I thought it would be good to tell you this before I tell you the story about our tango lessons and the awkward man in the orange shirt. I have very little dance ability, so tango is not my activity of choice. But, God, did I try valiantly.
A few of us got lost on the way to our tango class... And by lost, I mean we walked right past the building and didn't even realize it for about 20 minutes. Oops. So, we make it inside, and tango lessons are going on in a great flurry of groups and teachers and circles and tables and chairs and confused ISA students everywhere. All set to a lovely tango beat. Our group is predominantly female, so those of us who were without male accompaniment had to dance with other single girls, alone or with the occasional Argentine solo man. I was one of these lucky ones.
Unfortunately, my partner was not so excited to have me as a dance partner. While he was delighted to have someone to sweat on and stare at, he found himself continually questioning his choice of a female. I don't think he realized that, though I understand the basic tango steps, I lack the abilities of a professional tango dancer. He asked me a few times, in his annoyed and arrogant tone, what I was doing, and I, embarrassed and exasperated, eventually told him I needed a break and walked away. He undoubtedly found someone more suitable, and I found my friend Corey. I decided that passing the remainder of the event laughing and enjoying myself was much better than feeling uncomfortable and inadequate. Thank goodness, there are others in the world who match my uncanny ability to dance like an ostrich on roller skates.
PLAZA DE MAYO MARCH- Plaza de Mayo is known for being the host site for those who march to remember the "desaparecidos" or those who went missing during the Dirty War in Argentina. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, wearing white scarves about their hair, march every Thursday to ask restitution for their friends and children and family members, and there is always a crowd watching and taking photos. I went down one afternoon and heard them speak about never forgetting the horrible crimes that we committed against innocent Argentines.
During the Dirty War, thousands (the number ranges, but some estimate up to 30,000 victims) of protesters, "liberals," and revolutionaries were either kidnapped, tortured, executed or a number of other terrible things. There were pregnant women who were kidnapped and tortured. When they gave birth, their children were handed over to the wealthy military families that were friends or associates of the right-winged military government. Only a few hundred of these children were ever found or returned to their families, and undoubtedly, few were ever aware of their background.
Thursdays at the Plaza are painful, but it's amazing how many people are still fighting for justice. There are, of course, very controversial figures, including Hebe de Bonafini the current head of the organization, who have been labeled as radicals in their struggles for human rights. Even so, it's a very moving experience to watch these women and listen to their words.
CATEDRAL- The cathedral of San Martin is located just across the street from the Plaza de Mayo. As the Casa Rosada ("Pink House" and Argentine government building also next to the Plaza) was closed for visitors that day, many of us went into the cathedral. It's enormous and absolutely gorgeous. The Spanish/European influence is obvious in the dark would and vaulted ceilings. There are a number of memorials and tombs (I think they still have bodies inside of them) dedicated to priests, bishops and various clergy members. There are also a billion side chapels for the various saints and figures of Mary. It's a pretty incredible place. I sadly forgot my camera that day, so you should look it up!
NIGHTLIFE- Oh yes, how could I forget. Argentina loves to party... literally all night long. I'm an old woman, so I didn't go out a huge amount, but of course, there was dancing to be done and drinks to try. The first Sunday after our arrival was SuperBowl Sunday, so we went to bar that had a very American feel to it. Shoeless Joe's. Can't get much more American than that, but it was a fun time and probably a comfort to us in our first days. We met some other U.S. visitors, yelled at some TVs and enjoyed a cold something together.
Probably the most well-visited club was Club Museo (Museum Club). It was this enormous establishment, where you paid fifty pesos for entrance and two "Speeds" (energy drink+way too much vodka) to be be crammed with hundreds of sweaty, lusty portenos. It was an experience. One night, a group of us (all girls except Corey, who became our savior) went out to Museo to dance the night away. We lost count of how many creepy men tried to steal us away from our circle to dance, or tried to get a little too close, or awkwardly petted our hair (oh yes) as we walked by them. It was quite the adventure. Eventually, I became tired of the hot and stink (around 4 am, I believe), and left with a friend. Not long after, the girls and Corey were dancing in a little circle, and Corey got in a near fight with these Argentineans who refused to back off and leave the girls alone. Glad I missed out on that one.
A ridiculous weekly Argentine ritual (and by Argentine, I mean it occurred in the streets of Argentina and was by no means an Argentine invention) was the Buenos Aires pub crawl. You may find this hard to believe, but it was put into motion by some frat boys from the states looking to make a few extra bucks. It seems to be fairly successful among tourists and Argentineans alike, and there's always a crowd in the Palermo park where they meet Thursday and sometimes Friday nights.
The evening begins with cheap beer, wine and pizza, which is followed by a romp through a handful of local bars with a shot or drink on the house for all in the company. The night ends at a hip/hop club in which you can be delightfully squished against people in every direction who are trying their hardest to copulate in the middle of the dance floor. It was, needless to say, quite an adventure and although it was an interesting experience, I was fully satisfied at not repeating the evening. Oh the things we Americans bring to other countries. Lovely. Haha
There were other bars and clubs that we went out and spent our evenings in, but I enjoyed myself the most at a pool hall/bar with Lindsey and Henry. Sometimes it was nice to just chill and talk about our lives over cue balls and a cuba libre (rum and coke) as opposed to fighting against a crowd for a little bit of breathing room. There was also a club in Iguazu that was a great deal of fun because it wasn't too packed and there was plenty of room for us to enjoy ourselves and dance the night away with friends.
PERSICCO- In Buenos Aires, when you don't have internet available in your house, you still have options. Millions o them, in fact. Just about every cafe and most restaurants have Wi-Fi available, so it's easy to find a comfy location to relax and type away. I was one of the lucky ones without internet, so I spent many an evening with my internet-less friend, Nicole in an ice cream place called Persicco. Not only was the ice cream delicious and the workers sweet, but the internet was solid and there was always an open seat on the couches on the second floor. The plug-ins were also a help when nights turned long over assignments, skype chats and, of course, blog writing.
It was easily my favorite ice cream place from flavors like flan dulce de leche (flan flavored with "caramel" swirled through) to melon (cantaloupe... seriously tasted like fresh melon). Oh my goodness, do I miss it. It was so nice to have a place to go and relax and the end of the day, and I'm going to miss the ice cream and great people!
SAN TELMO- I know I mentioned the ferias before, but I wanted to touch back on San Telmo and some later visits there. I cannot emphasize just how much there was to see in the several blocks that housed hundreds of artisans, venders, antiques, artists and the inevitable tourists. I do know that the open air allowed for the most ridiculous heat from the sun that was best quenched by fresh-squeezed juice from the carts lining the streets and apple water from a little cafe within one of the massive antique outlets. The street food was excellent even when you didn't have enough room for a jam and cheese or capresse empanada that was bigger than your face.
It was one of my favorite places to visit in Buenos Aires because it housed the best views for people watching. The crafts and wares were interesting and cheap, and I bought a number of gifts and items in San Telmo. Argentina opens its streets for shopping in place of small rooms within impersonal buildings. I liked the opportunity to walk amongst rows of scarves in every hue and hundreds of the same type of nylon-string bracelets and tiny magnets, statues and paintings of tango dancers at every turn. It was a marvelous place to be on a Sunday afternoon despite the beads of sweat that crept ever so stealthily to the small of your back. Most times, you barely noticed anything besides the everything around you. I'm not quick to forget my steps there.
MUSEO DE EVITA- Two weeks before we departed Buenos Aires, a group of us went to the Eva Peron or "Evita" museum. She is a fascinating human being, and apart from being the lovely young wife of former President Juan Domingo Peron, she was a major philanthropist and Eleanor Roosevelt type figure for Argentina. She made enormous efforts to improve the welfare for poor, orphaned children and was responsible for creating better care for the elderly who were no longer able to work.
That being said, there is always controversy behind such a figure. Lucy, for example, was a little surprised that I'd been interested in visiting the museum and made a comment about how some considered Evita and peronism to be reckless and wasteful of government funds... To each his/her own, I suppose. I still felt moved by Evita's efforts, but it would probably be good to do some more research (unbiased, of course... the museum is owned and run by an organization that Evita put together and funded) before I try to talk with anymore Argentineans about the Perons.
BARRIO CHINO- Oh delightful, delightful. I didn't spend a lot of time in the "barrio chino" or Chinatown of Buenos Aires, but I did stop in a few times for the cuisine. It's not a very large area, probably only spread over ten blocks or so, but it's an interesting place to wander through. Just about every building has Chinese lanterns, and there are dozens of shops with fake plastic samurai swords and scarves decorated with Chinese characters. The food was fabulous and a nice reminder of home and some of my favorite restaurants... It was also a nice break from Argentinean food, which was often a little bland for my taste.
LA BOMBA- There is a very cool outdoor percussion display that happens on Mondays (schedule was a bit scattered, but it was always Monday at 8 pm when it was going on) call La Bomba del Tiempo, "The Time Bomb." It changes from week to week, and there are usually special guests, lots of drinking and (weird) America tourists. It takes place in Once, one of the shadier parts of BsAs, and the line extends for several blocks.
The first, and sadly only, time I went to La Bomba, they ran out of tickets... This was when my friend Rachelle was visiting me, and we hadn't realized that it wasn't really a "sit and enjoy" kind of concert. So, I had my purse with me, and she had her enormous camera bag... It was not very smart. We left the subway station and walked several creepy, poorly lit streets while creepy men stared at us as we walked by them. By the time we finally arrived to the line, we were ridiculously on edge... So we found my friends and felt a little better. That is, until, we realized we were the only two in the group without a ticket... and had no way to get in the concert area.
So, we found a place up near the front of the line in hopes of sneaking in or getting to some of the last few tickets. Some very friendly, very cute Argentines took us under their wings and allowed us to join them in line. (I think giving them the last of Rachelle's beer probably helped. Oh what guys won't do for a sip of alcohol and cute girls.) The next thing we knew, the crowd was getting angry and forceful, and we were being squashed into each other and everyone around us. We started to fear for our safety when the entire crowd would burst into a furious smashing and grinding into one another amidst the yells of the security guards. Seriously, we almost cut out of there... Luckily, we made it inside before we were suffocated and proceeded to the ticket stand and on to the concert grounds.
The percussion group was huge, and they'd invited a trombone (I think but cannot remember at this point) player for the evening. It was so much fun to see everyone dancing along (with the exception of the athletic shorts clad American guys) to the various beats and songs. We had to wear Rachelle's backpack like a giant pregnant belly, which won us some interesting looks, but we had such a good time. There were some priceless moments (such as creepy guys checking out Rachelle, and Rachelle creeping right back at cute guys), and when we finally found my friends amidst the throngs, we danced with them. The night ended sweaty and exhilarating... It was very cool event, to say the least.
