Buenos Aires

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Hola Chicas y Chicos,
It is raining now in Bs As. When I first arrived six days ago it was quite hot and humid, then the following days were much more comfortable and sometimes jacket weather. I've only been to Europe once years ago, and this city and its people certainly has that flavor. Except for a few wide boulevards the downtown streets are one-way, narrow and typically congested with cars and people. This city is huge. With almost 12 million it is on par with New York or Tokyo. I've been to three or four different barrios, or neighborhoods, and have only seen a small percent. The people are friendly and quite patient when I practice my broken Spanish. My Spanish class, by the way, was really fun and provided a good routine for my initial week here. I will take a couple more private classes this Monday and Tuesday before travelling to Patagonia on Wednesday. I am learning porteno Spanish - Bs As people have a strong accent and their own idioms, like New Yorkers in the states.

This is no place to loose weight. Especially for a foreigner like me who can pretty much afford to eat wherever I want. Steaks and Italian food are excellent, and a tablecloth dinner with appetizer, main course, wine, dessert and coffee (its all espresso here), will set you back 12 to 20 dollars, depending on the place. Argentina is still reeling from an economic crisis that occurred about five years ago, and there is a palpable sense of desperation in certain parts of the city, parts that you want to avoid at night. My apartment borders on one of those parts and at night I've learned to only venture one direction on foot or take a taxi otherwise. But other than some crime that can be avoided, the food and water is safe, as well as many parts of the city at any time of day.

I have visited a couple places of note. I toured the famous Recoleta cemetary that is about 140 years old. I've never seen a cemetery like it before. The bodies or ashes of deceased Argentines, many of them famous, and most rich, are entombed in mausoleums with roofs and ventilation that are arranged in a grid connected with pedestrian avenues or streets. Some of the statuary here is amazingly detailed and exquisite. When first constructed the cemetary was out in the country but now of course it's surrounded by city. Many of the tombs are well-kept while others are crumbling. Some that are in ruins have no known descendants of the deceased, but by law the city cannot repossess them until many years have passed. Among the many famous politicians and artists buried here is Eva Peron, a woman whose life was popularized by the Madonna movie and the scandalous wife of a former controversial president that Argentine people either love or hate to this day. This place, it seems, is full of opinion, scandal, and controversy.

The other place we visited was a famous restaurant (I had a bit of wine that night and don't recall the famous name) where we saw a Tango show. Buenos Aires is the original birthplace of the Tango. Now I had thought that the Tango was primarily a dance. Not true. It is a specific type of music as well as a dance. There was a woman singer with a very good voice, a large bass, a Spanish guitar, and a Spanish squeeze-box. My ear is not trained enough to know Tango from Tejono, the style just souned old and more Italian than Mexican to me. The dancers were incredible - Al Pacino from Scent of a Woman has nothing on them!

All for now.
Ciao

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