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Published: April 24th 2010
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Fresh snow
The view near Esquel The drive back from Esquel to Buenos Aires was very scenic to start with as there had been fresh snow on the mountains. So the first two hours was spent amongst these mountains which looked really spectacular with the new snow.
Had a day in Buenos Aires yesterday and visited La Boca, Plaza De Mayo which is right behind the presedential palace and then the Buenos Aires Zoo. We came back to La Plata and went out for tea and music so this was at 10-30pm at night with the tea and show starting around 11pm.
La Boca was the first port area of Buenos Aires in the early 1500's and is famous for the brightly coloured houses. It really is a tourist trap with tango dancers on every corner, restaurant touts hassling all passers by in whatever language you speak and markets selling overpriced and probably made in China souvenirs. We walked away from the main area and found a great place for lunch, the locals all were there eating Empanadas.
Buenos Aires Zoo is right in the middle of the city and obviously has been there for some time. Many of the exhibits are new and
Gardens are a feature
Inner city dwellers have neat little gardens in every available spot there is an obvious attempt to modernise and create a better atmnosphere for the animals. Some of them are stilled housed in less than best type of areas but many very natural areas to live and play in. The cost of entry is only 15 pesos each which is really reasonable, loads of well set out facilities inside, wide paths and lots of informaiton in English and Spanish.
The presedential house (Casa Rosada)is bright pink, and right in the middle of the business area. Behind it is Plaza De Mayo where each Friday the women gather and come to protest about the missing people. During the dictatorship government of 1976 to 1983 around 30,000 people went missing, these people who wer actively talking about the government of the time were picked up and tortued and killed. Some of these had babies and these children were given to other people to raise or taken out of the country. Up to 120 of these have now been reunited with their original families. This topic remains very current in Argentina today.
Salamanca is a live music venue specialising in tradtional and folk music, a busy place, very much for the over
Republica De Los Ninos
This is a park in La Plata which has a whole city set up with miniature buildings, small petting zoo and rides 30's but quite a few young ones there too. It has great food like pizzas and antipasto and ok bar prices.
There is room in front of the stage for people to dance and this area fills up with couples dancing tradiitional dances.
Dancing is highly stylised, sensual and very flirty, arms raised, deliberate and slow steps with much walking around the partner and slow moves.
There is a dance where a large handkerchief is used by each dancer to twirl and fling about with much grace and style. The hankies intertwine are twirled around the partner and waved seductively. All ages enjoy this dancing, its taught in schools and seems to be much loved.
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