Exploring the City

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I typed the following, but hadn´t finished, so you are getting it late...Well, after the late night Friday the exploring did not start Saturday until about 2pm when 5 of us headed to markets in Recoleta, followed by a LATE lunch at 5pm. Saturday night we did a pub crawl run by a guy from Atlanta who moved down two years ago to start them. We started at a restaurant/bar in San Telmo with pizza and beer and wine. We were the firsts ones there at 10pm, but by the time we headed to the next bar at 11 there were about 150 people! Most were foreigners, though some were expats living in Buenos Aires and some were locals. Each time we moved bars it was a HUGE line of people over a block long going down the street! At eah bar there was a shot awaiting us and we spent an hour at each bar, dancing lots. After 4 places in San Telmo we boarded buses to a popular club in Palermo. It was MUCH better than the one the night before! It was in a huge old warehouse and there was fun music, but I was exhausted and it was 3am so I did not last that long. Very fun night though!

Sunday I was up before most so I decided to head out alone to see some sights instead of waiting until 2 or 3 again (the advantage of traveling alone). I copied down a walking tour of San Telmo from someone´s Buenos Aires LP and set out. My first stop was Zanjon, a restored mansion turned tenement (once the rich left after the yellow fever epidemic immigrants used the buildings as tenements). The ¨basement¨was tunnels because the mansion was built on top of smaller houses that had been there before getting flooded by the river, and the river became like a sewage line. It was very well restored, maybe a little too well so it didn´t seem like old houses, and they used a lot of the original bricks in the same manner. Next was a delicious steak lunch to fuel my shopping in the markets, first at the antiques market in San Telmo Sq, then the street vendors selling all types of artesian crafts, t'shirts, etc. I could not believe how much stuff they had at the antiques market, and most of it was junk that I would want to get rid of too, though there was a fair amount of old china and silverware.

The second week of my stay was not nearly as crazy as the first (I think we were all a little burned out), but there were definitely some highlights. I got into a bit of a routine of sleeping late MWF, then tutoring at 2, then home for dinner or whatever activity was going on. On Monday I tried to show my legal expertise by tutoring Law to a 17 year old! Again my vocabulary was a little lacking, but luckily some of the terms were similar to english and I knew the definition so I could figure out what the words meant. Not easy though. Wednesday was english, which went much better, then Friday was english again (same girl which was nice and she did better!) and excel equations, which I had to first try to learn myself, but I know know ¨if, then¨ equations! Monday night we went to La Bomba del Tiempo an outdoor concert of drums and other instruments (some type of accordion and metal rythmic pieces among others) similar to traditional African music. The place was crowded and many were dancing so I joined in and had a great time (other than when I was stepped on).

On Wednesday night we went to a Tango show! It was so fantastic. The theater was Tango Porteno and there was a dinner option, but for $20 we went after dinner and were in the front row of the balcony. The dancing and music was amazing and made we want to take Tango lessons and buy some Tango music. Tomorrow night we are going to Melanga, which is a short Tango lesson, then everyone is invited to join people who know what they are doing. It shouldbe interesting, but if nothing else, I know I will enjoy watching others dance! Thursday was another fantastic day of exploring, first the Recolleta cemetary, where all the important Argentinians from history are buried (including Evita, which was the most visited grave). It was like a little city, with a map, street names and cats roaming around. After Recolleta I headed to Palermo, known for its parks, food and shopping, and I did it all! First I had lunch at a fantastic little cafe, then I wandered through the Japanese Gardens, Palermo Park and Rose Gardens, which were all beautiful. Next stop, Palermo Viejo (it is divided into about 5 subdivisions) for some shopping in the many beautiques there. As they started to close (and with two new dresses), I headed a couple blocks over to meet my friends at La Cabrera, an AMAZING steak house. I need to go back before I leave. It was so delicious, and I didn´t even have dessert! It was probably my best day in BA and I want to do it all again!

Friday night I took the bus to Iguazzu, where I now sit waiting for my bus back. I spent most of the day at Iguazzu falls and it was magnificant! I have never been to Niagara, but everyone says this is much better. The amount of waterfalls and intensity of the water (sound and spray) was great. I even got to take a motor boat INTO the falls, which was the best shower ever (luckily I had been forwarned to wear my bathing suit). I also saw lots of large spiders and ants, beautiful butterflies and other creatures that I don´t remember their names. A great trip, but a quick one. At 7:15 I head back to BA, and I cannot believe I only have 5 more days! So crazy. I am excited to see everyone when I get back though, and I will definitely get some pictures online for people.

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