The Quick Stop in Buenos AiresAfter another overnight bus from Cordoba, we arrived in Buenos Aires bright and early. With our huge backpacks, we boarded a local bus for the microcenter/downtown area to find a hotel. I was thrown on his back as the bus sped, lurched, and slammed on its brakes through the narrow streets of the Argentine capital. We ended up at the V&S Youth Hostel with a nice double room in the back. Our plan was to spend a day in Buenos Aires and then head off to Uruguay so that we could get back to Buenos Aires before the presidential elections in Uruguay and the United States.
We spent the day walking around the microcenter looking for a Lonely Planet guidebook for Argentina and Uruguay to replace the one stolen in Peru. The first place we checked was the Libreria ABC bookstore across from the Sheraton, which charged $60 U.S. for the book, plus an additional 10% charge for using a credit card. We shouted "Screw this," and headed off to the Florida pedestrian mall. The mall is a narrow street running over 10 blocks crammed with stores ranging from Versace and Ralph Lauren to cheap sourvenir shops. After wading through the leather coat salespeople on the mall, we discovered a local chain bookstore with the Lonely Planet guidebook we wanted for the list price of $25 U.S. with no charge for using a credit card. It definitely pays to shop around, and there is a lot of shopping to do in Buenos Aires. As a result of the latest economic crisis in Argentina that started in 2001, Argentina (and especially Buenos Aires), has been trumped as one of the best travel spots in South America for American and European tourists because of the high value of the dollar and euro.
UruguayAfter a day shopping in Buenos Aires, we jumped on the "fast" ferry to cross the Rio de la Plata to Colonia, Uruguay. The fast ferry trip usually only takes about an hour, so it is a perfect day trip from Buenos Aires. For us, the ferry trip took about an hour longer because high winds and bad weather prevented the ferry from docking. Colonia is an UNESCO world cultural heritage site because of its preserved 17th century Portuguese fort and town. We spent the day walking around the narrow cobblestone streets getting used to the markedly slower pace in this quaint colonial town. We stayed in Colonia that night and watched Game 3 of the World Series.
The next day, we were off to Uruguay's capital, Montevideo. We happened to be there right before the Uruguayan presidential election. For most of the 20th century, Uruguay has been ruled by a series of military dictators and plutocrats supported by the military and the United States. While Uruguay has been transitioning toward democratic rule like the other Latin American countries during the past 20 years, 2004 marked the first year that a liberal or left wing candidate actually had a chance of winning. While going out for dinner, we stumbled upon a huge rally for the socialist candidate, Tabare Vazquez. It was great walking around the capital, and seeing the excitement and passion of the supporters. We couldn't help but compare it to the American presidential election which was to take place a few days later. Following the trend in Brazil and Argentina, a left government led by Tabare ended up winning the election a few days later.
The excitement didn't just end when we went back to our room. We were able to watch Game 4 of the World Series and see the Red Sox break their 86 year curse to win the American baseball champship. We were wishing we could go back to Boston for the victory celebrations.
FYI for Montevideo visitors---Apparently, you cannot wear a hat in the National History museum. If you do question this policy, you will be followed through the museum by a museum employee. While it is a little wierd, it is a good way to get a free personal tour of the museum.
We also visited an unique museum in Montevideo located inside a school. The museum is dedicated to Jose Pedro Varela, the man who established Uruguay's public education system. The museum has an interesting exhibit on the punishment inflicted on students in the good old days. They include various paddles, dunce caps, burro ears, and a large red cloth tongue for those kids that just can't keep quiet in class. You know who you are.
From Montevideo, we headed to Punta del Este, which is an upscale beach resort town on the Atlantic coast. With neighborhood names like "Beverly Hills," it is one of the premier summer destinations for the wealthy of Buenos Aires. (For you "Amazing Race" fans, it was one of the first sights in one of the recent seasons.) One of the town's landmarks is the "Hand" or "El Mano" sculpture by a Chilean artist, whose name escapes me at the moment. It is a very cool statue with 10 foot high fingers and a big thumb rising out of the sand in front of the Atlantic Ocean. We had fun taking photos of the sculpture. Since it was the off season, we were able to find a nice hotel at a reasonable price, but the weather was uncooperative, and it rained off and on while we were there. We were able to go on a bike ride along the coast, and we found a resturant that actually had salad dressings and a salad bar, a rarity in South America.
Buenos Aires Part IIFrom there, it was back to Buenos Aires for more sightseeing and shopping. In Buenos Aires, we visited the Boca and San Telmo neighborhoods watching street tango dancers and visiting the various street markets. In Boca, we passed by the football/soccer stadium of the Boca Juniors football club who were playing that day. We also toured Argentina's "Pink House," which houses the presidential offices. Outside the Pink House is the Plaza de Mayo, where the Mothers of the Disappeared silently hold vigil every Thursday afternoon. They march around the plaza holding up signs of their family members who disappeared during Argentina's Dirty War in the 1970's.
The next day, we visited the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires' magnificent theater. The tour takes you through the theater from its lobby, which houses a small impressive collection of musical instruments and costumes, to the balconies and main hall, to the backstage to visit the rehearsal studios and production workshops. The workshops include set design, costume makers, and even cobblers with row upon row of unique shoes made specifically for each actor and production. This place is definitely a must see for all visitors to Buenos Aires.
To get to the theater from our hotel, we had to cross the Avenida de 16 de Julio, one of the widest streets in the world. It is basically a 16 lane highway running through the middle of Buenos Aires. Luckily, there are pedestrian islands and traffic lights, but it takes about 10 minutes to cross it.
From there, it was a quick walk to the Recoleta, Buenos Aires' ritzy neighborhood, to see the Cemeterio de la Recoleta, the resting place for Argentina's most important persons, including Evita Peron. We ended up in the cemetary on All Saint's Day or more commonly known as "El dia de muerta" in Latin America. Unfortunately, Argentina's celebration of this Catholic holiday is very subdued consisting of going to mass and tending the graves of their ancestors. In Recoleta's cemetary, small chapels and elaborate statues mark the graves of wealthy families. When we were there, the cemetary staff had opened several of the chapels, which open up to underground crypts. We were surprised to be able to see down into the crypts with multiple levels of coffins lining the walls. Very eerie.
Because of Argentina's economic crisis, we were disappointed to see so many public buildings, statues, and public spaces covered in graffiti and generally in a major state of disrepair. For example, Buenos Aires' subway system is the oldest in South America. Built around 1900, one line runs between Argentina's Legislative building and the presidential palace, but the car we were in, the doors were broken, and passengers had to pull them closed before the train started to move. One public area that was nicely kept was the memorial to the Argentine soldiers killed during the Falklands war in 1982 with England. Argentina still claims these remote islands in the South Atlantic, known as the Malvinas to Argentinans, and we were surprised to see war memorials of this defeat in several towns we visited throughout Argentina.
One of the main reasons we wanted to be in Buenos Aires was to watch the American election results. We voted by absentee ballot while we were in Chile and were eager to find out who would win. On election night, we stayed up til 3 am watching CNN until it was clear that Bush was going to win. To say the least, we were very disappointed by the outcome of the election, and that may have tainted our experience in Buenos Aires a bit.
Still, we enjoyed Buenos Aires. With its tango music filling the air and its wide boulevards lined with small cafes, the city has that European feeling about it, unlike Santiago, which is definitely more "American." Next stop -- Iguazu Falls in Northern Argentina.
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