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Published: October 1st 2010
Buenos Buenos Aires
Wow, guess the difference couldn't have been bigger: La Paz vs Buenos Aires. Both capital cities, but in La Paz the population is 95%!i(MISSING)ndigenous, whereas in B.A. it's maybe 5%! (MISSING)We haven't been to such a European city since we've left Europe. Ok, that was not what we were looking for, but trust us, we're savoring the moment and savoring the wines and food as well.... The wines, cheeses, chorizo's and all other good stuff similar as in the Mediterranean area. Today we just had a sunny picnic near Tigre, a small town on a river front just outside B.A., nice in the sun. But this is rushing ahead, first things first: The bus.
The Bus
We got here after a 56 hours bus ride from La Paz, 2 buses actually. The first from La Paz to the Bolivian - Argentinian border town and a second to Buenos Aires itself. The first bus I don't want to remember anymore: ~ 16 hours on bumpy roads with no toilet and no leg space. Read: it was a nightmare, literally as we drove during the night as well. Arriving at the border town in morning we waited,
Northern Argentina
Rolling hills, with strange patterns. Wish we had more time here...while having breakfast, for the second bus. With the second bus we crossed the border and as loads of buses do the same around the same time, the formalities took long... every bag, suitcase and box searched. It actually felt good to see the customs guy going through our laundry bag with my socks. The second bus: A Dream. Leather seats and space... The views in the North of Argentina: Wow, canyons, salty rivers and desolate fields with cacti. The 2nd day: it could have been Holland: Flat, some cows (Yes, the black and white ones) and actually pretty boring... We arrived in B.A. late on the 2nd day and were pretty well rested, big surprise.
Buenos Days
But B.A. is for us mostly logistics: from here our cargo boat goes to Dakar. So what to do here besides arranging the final details for the boat trip??? We were told to be here a day or two before the boat leaves, but the exact departure date of the boat wasn't known, so better to arrive too early than too late. So we're here now, and we're stuck. We went to the shipping office as soon as it opened
et The pots
Steaming hot pots of Gulash, reminding us of Budapest!!! voilá: The boat has a delay of ~ 4 days. Shit happens.
So what is there to do here? Besides the food & wines, quite a bit. We had plenty of time to wander around in B.A. Lovely neighborhoods we crossed while wandering the streets. Nice, but a very European feeling (I say France or Spain, Agi insists Italy). However we made Hungary also present. In the hostel where we stayed we cooked for 6 persons a proper Hungarian goulash with Argentinian beef. The best of both worlds, I would say! 4 pots were cooked and they were cleaned out completely. Not surprised.
One of the so-called 'must-sees' is
Cementerio de la Recoleta. The rich and famous of Argentina rests here permanently in ornate splendor. The necropolis is almost a small walled neighborhood where the residents show off their homes of deaths. The most famous resident is Evita, which you can't miss, cause all tourists go there... in quite a few of these 'sarcophagus' actually exhibit the coffins residing in them, or have some nice decorative plants inside.
Actually while wandering on the streets we ended up next to the Zoo, so we decided to go in
Looking for Evita
@ Cementerio Recoleta and watch the locals watch the animals. The Zoo is downtown and not that big, so an easy place to waste some time, Guess the nicest animals were the free roaming small Patagonian Maras, rodents the size of a proper, fat cat who were just nibbling on the grassy patches. Small kids chasing them once in a while, while the parents were chasing the kids to make them stop or were just laughing at the scene.
It might have been shocking, but I went actually for the first time in my life to a football stadium to watch a game... The game was so-so. FYI: the 3 other guys with whom I went agreed on this point, so it's not just because I'm not 100% into football. We went to the River Plate stadium. Boca Juniors is the other B.A. team. These 2 teams are the two largest football clubs in Argentina, with more than half the country's football fans supporting the clubs. Due to the rivalry between them, it's one of the Fifty sporting things you must do before you die according to The Observer newspaper. We didn't go to this game, a pity. Instead of Boca Juniors
Nice coffins
Some tombs are really well maintained (e.g. with decorative plants and photos), while others are like this one. we had Quilmes, who are close at the bottom of the Argentinian Primera División. Much cheaper... Although it wasn't a top match, to watch the supporters itself made it worth the whole experience. Singing & jumping, 90 minutes long. The crowds went wild when River scored 1-0 at the start of the second half and just kept on going until the end, Only to be silent for 30 seconds when Quilmes equalized in overtime... Amazing, ~65.000 people fit in the stadium. It wasn't sold out, but more than 40,000 people must have been there. Singing, shouting and jumping. Wow. Supporting their team till the bitter end.
Tango
But Argentina is not just about
Futból: Tango. Sunday morning we headed down to San Telmo to watch the tango dancers dance on a small square. We ended up first in an old market place with loads of antiques and weirdo stuff, but in the end Agi got her Tango. Ok, the square was loaded with tourists, but still good. But there are other ways to watch tango: just go to a 'Milonga', a local bar where tango dancers meet, dance and drink a glass of wine. We went to one on
a Tuesday evening, and there were indeed some couples showing their grace and temperament, but also some beginners (I guess), who danced with the grace and style of a Terminator... Nice to watch and for free. Ok, in one of the many tango shows in B.A., they are probably technically better and for sure better dressed, but the smiles and enthusiasm of the couples who we saw surely made up for it.
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