Ash Wednesday blues

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Good morning blogging buddies,another beautiful day here in the southern hemisphere. It has been a full week and I have had computer problems,which seem to have mysteriously fixed themselves! The Ash Wednesday train crash continues to dominate the news and conversations here in the city and has even knocked the Malvinas out of the news cycles. A great deal of emotion now about responsibility and blame spreading widely between the private operators of the TBA train,the Government departments who were to look after and watchdog the running of the railways and individuals from union officials to the young operator who has survived the crash, but is in bad shape.

Train transportation here has been turned over to private operators who have bid on running the service.The government oversees this (in theory) and ultimately holds responsibility but also provides subsidies to the private companies to run the system.These subsidies are a focus now of course,whether or not they have been directed to maintenance and operating costs or into the pockets of individuals or groups. The trains are not new and so infrastructure does not seem to have been the end of the line for the money!

The government is such a hodge podge of departments and officials that is is hard to follow who is overseeing what and consequently lots of gaps of institutional apathy have developed.Now though, in the harsh light of the cameras and questions, everyone is scurrying for cover. Lots of grand statements and promises but one wonders if anything will change or if it is just another tragedy, in a growing list apparently.

Passengers and families are all very much in the news as well. A tragic thing happened on Friday when the body of a young man named Lucas was found lodged in the twisted and compacted remains of one of the operators cabins on train car number 3. Beyond his death the tragedy was that his family had been frantically searching for him at every hospital in the city.Officials said he had survived and had been treated and released at a local hospital so the family were incensed that he might have had head trauma and now wandering around bewildered in the city!! Only the smell of his body brought the truth to light and immediately kicked off anger and violence at the Once station !!

Two days of official mourning have been held but this will reverberate here for a long time.

As to what has been happening with me I can start with my own dealings with the official bureaucracy of the Brazillian consulate.My request for a tourist visa to allow me to cross the border next week at Iguasu was met with a roll of the eyes and a question, if I had an appointment? My answer in the negative led to more eye rolling and directions to go online to make the required appointment.When I got back to my apartment and got online I found no appointments available till next week,after I will have been to Iguasu!! I am told that there is a consulate in Iguasu so have that as plan B but I am also told, and Lonely Planet back this up, that the Brazillian border officials allow the crossing to view the falls from their side without need of visa so that is plan C!! The falls from the Argentinian side are the more spectacular view much like Niagara from Canada so fingers crossed I head for Iguasu and cross border adventure on tuesday morning.

When I was not dealing with the State I have been continuing my tourism of BA and spent a couple of afternoons visiting MALBA and the Teatro Colon. Malba (museo de arte latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) is a relatively new addition to the local museum scene and came to be with the generosity of a Mr Constantini (rich Argentine businessman). Not a huge collection but diverse and interesting. I also tried to get into the fine arts museum but it was closed for Carnival.

Teatro Colon is a wonderful opera house downtown.Built over 100 years ago it is a grand building with a rich history of performers and performances. I joined a tour which was good but unfortunately dd not take us to the behind stage or to the costume,workshop areas of the theatre.It is somethhing though to stand at the stage and look back to the horseshoe shaped hall with balconies and plush upolstery.

Yesterday after some domestic chores of laundry, (there is a holiday on Monday so no clean clothes for Iguasu) I jumped on the bus to go to Boca to see El Caminito. Caminito is Boca's most famous street filled with tourists, tango dancers and gaucho dancers. Fun place to walk around but I got there late in the day and ran out of time, when they started closing everything up at sunset.Boca, as I have said here before, is not a place to be at night and one does not stray out of the area of the Caminito. I think I will go back today for a bite to eat and to watch more tango.

So that is it for now,I am winding up my south american winter and will soon be back in the land of robo calls and snow tires. I am off to Iuasu on Tuesday and will be back friday and leave Buenos Aires on sunday evening arriving back in Ottawa Monday. I will post again and tell you about the falls. Take care.

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