First week in San Telmo

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Hola everyone -

I´ve spent a week in Argentina and managed to not get killed. It must be a pretty safe place.

This weekend is an Argentinian holiday, so it is likely that every where will be filled with tourists. I was going to start traveling, but I´ve been advised that it may be better to just lie low and wait for it to change. on tuesday. I want to get going though! My time is so precious on this continent. Most people I meet are staying for an entire year - I think that is the way to do it! I am already wishing I did not have my apartment in New Haven, and that I could stay down here for a longer time. It would make it easier to have larger, better adventures! I could volunteer or try to see monkeys in different locations or whatever I wished!

I´m staying in the barrio of San Telmo - the home of Tango, antiques, outside markets, cafes and plenty of old world style. It is very beautiful. I bought some bright red shoes in the market place, and I like them quite a lot. I don´t think they are something Argentinians would wear, but, like I said, I like them. I was reading Wicked at the time - an excellent book! - maybe that influenced my choice.

Yo hablo un poco español. Yo estudio español en Buenos Aires ayer semane. I think the classes will help a lot.

I saw a classical guitar concert. This sort of thing is very popular with the cowboy culture down here. There are so many ranches still, that reall cowboys are alive and well. It was free. I´ve never seen anything like it. I was very impressed, but I don´t know if I would like to do that again, it was just not my style.

What else? The big things: I´ve seen la casa rosado (the pink house, which is like our white house), recoleta, which is the most expensive cemetary in the world, evita´s grave (or shrine really), two beautiful art museums, and I took a tango class. It doesn´t sound like much, but the spanish lessons took up a lot of time!!!

The funniest thing - one of the exhibits in the first museum, it was one I saw in MoMA last summer. The world is a small place!!!

ON the sidewalk just an hour ago, I walked by a circus training school, and a mime in the street. This place is a little crazy.

Love
Kelly

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Photos

Puppet show in Recoleta
It seems that in Argentina a lot of street performing arts are alive and well: mimes, tricks, juggling, puppet shows, and all sorts of other distractions ... it creates the most magical atmosphere

La Boca
This is from the barrio of la boca. Its very dangerous, and I actually only went there by accident. Nothing happened. The buildings are famous for their colors. The area is nuts with soccer fans.

Dark smoky cafe en San Telmo
There is one every two paces... I sort of love it. Cafe, wine, crossants, sandwiches, and if you are lucky, empandas.