Viedma - Rio Negro

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Sun 11th Nov:
The rain did persist yesterday.. nearly all day, and the temperature dropped to 17C! It put a damp and dreary picture on everything. It didn´t help that nearly all the museums and places of interest were closed for the weekend. The tourist information centre was helpful with maps and a list of what´s on. I made my way back to the city centre but it was like a ´ghost town´as it was siesta time. Besides who would be walking the streets in the cold rain.. except mad dogs (plenty of those around) and travelling Irishmen! ´Got fed up with coffee-shop-hopping and took the ferry across the Rio Negro (it took all of 5 mins and cost a peso). On the other side is the old historic town of Carmen de Patagones. I found the town museum there open so got in out of the rain. I joined a tour group who were being give a guide around the museum - I´m beginning to tune a little more to the Spanish and get some of the meaning of what people are saying ..... but I still have a long way to go!! As the rain eased a little I browsed around some of the shops of Patagones, which were reopening. ´Got a coffee and the ferry back. The weather did not get any better so I had a pizza and an early night.
After breakfast this morning I walked down to the river and got a bus to the coach station. It went through the suburbs of the city - mostly comprising poor housing for the indigenous people. Many of the road were still unmade and groups of people were gathered at some corners where pirate video and music CDs were laind out on the ground for sale.
I bought a ticket to travel on Wednesday morning to Puerto Madryn. At the ticket office I met two girls who spoke English (first in Viedma) - one was an Argentinian lawyer who worked in Viedma, and the other a US student who was in Argentina for six months learning Spanish. They gave me a lift back to the city centre and we had coffee together - chatted for a long time.
Although Viedma is the capital of the Rio Negro province it is a small, quiet city. The local and provincial papers have a lot about the beatification of a local person - Caferino Namuncura - which is taking place today. Cardinal Bertone and some envoys are over from Rome for it. The weather is a little warmer today but still showery.

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Photos

Graffitti - the voice of the people?
Political messages in the form of graffitti was common everywhere.

Cristina - the New President
While I was in Buenos Aires national elections were held for a new president. Although the province of Buenos Aires has nearly half of Argentina´s population and Cristina (the wife of the previous president) is not popular there, she won the election. Many believe she bribed her way to it!

Town Museum in Patagones
A respite from the rain, I joined an Argentinian group for a tour round this museum.

Patagones Museum
A room from the early 1900s.

City Cathedral
In Plaza Alsina opposite the hotel in which I´m staying is the city cathedral.