Wow! I skipped town from BA on monday last week and headed for Mendoza, a city known for its wine production with approximately 1 million inhabitants, located in the west of Argentina at an altitude of about 3720m, a 14 hour bus ride overnight which was pretty comfortable ONCE on board... thatīs a good story in itself!....
It could almost classify as a near death experience from heart attack. I very nearly missed my bus. Would have been a big waste of a ticket. After changing travellerīs cheques in the hostel moments before leaving, I had turned around to see an Israeli friend Shaker as he introduced me to his lovely Argentine girlfriend and I must have gotten up to leave and left my passport on the desk, along with my tickets. Trouble was, I only realised in the taxi half way to the terminal with only 10 minutes to get there. Raced all the way back, got it, th taxi driver was really nice and raced to Retiro, dropped me on wrong side, I ran through the massive terminal, pushing through people on the escalators and stairs, trying to run with three bags, raced out relieved to be standing by the 8:30 bus for Mendoza while they were still loading the last people on, but when I handed the man the ticket, I realised it was the wrong company. Aghh!! So someone pointed me to a place upstairs (which was the right company but the ticket desk, not the departure point) and the people there responded in spanish which I couldnīt even stop to attempt to understand cause I was so frantic so the lady pointed down two floors, outside the terminal and across 3 sets of lights! I raced down and nearly ran into this middle aged, overweight greasy long hair, native looking Argentine guy who was working hailing cabs and he asked me what time my bus was (ĻahorraĻ - NOW) and then ran me all the way through the tunnel and across the road to a bus stopped in traffic at a set of lights! While he was stopped bent over huffing and puffing on the footpath, I quickly raced across three lanes of traffic to the front of the bus, so he couldnīt take off without me, knocked on the driverīs window, showed him my ticket and he let me on!!! Oh my gosh, I was SO thankful!
The lovely man who helped me was still standing on the side of the road, grinning from ear to ear and waving as the bus started moving and I was just inside the doorway, trying to shout thank you as the door closed. I tried to find him to thank him again when I returned later that week, but he wasnīt there. I couldnīt believe I was finally on board, so close and so lucky.
It was also really fortunate that of the 3 people on the lower level of the double decker bus was an Aussie guy, Michael, from McKay, who settled me down a bit (without making too much fun of my dilemma!) It still took about an hour for my heart to descend from somewhere in my throat to its normal position. Iīm tempted to say Iīm lucky but more so blessed. God was really looking after me, but also seeing me learn a good lesson - leave more time Haley!!!
So - the lessons Iīve learnt from that experience are that itīs better to take a few minutes to check the essentials before walking out the door; and secondly, if you see a large, greasy looking older guy smile at you, donīt always think itīs rude, it just may be a knight in grubby clothes waiting to help you out! He and the taxi driver were so nice, Iīm very grateful.
Well...I arrived Tuesday morning at the Hi hostel Campo Base 1, with Michael, and I spent the day wandering around town. Just a half a block from the hostel is the beautiful Plaza Independencia which is a large park with fountains and paths and loads of people enjoying the sun, sitting and reading, school kids flocking and trying to push eachother into the fountain pools fully clothed (some succeeded!), couples on blankets, mothers with prams, etc. etc. I found a patch of grass to lie down, take off my shoes and read...for a few minutes until people like me started jumping and running because the sprinklers were suddenly turned on! Quite funny. Had an awesome lunch in a vegetarian all you can eat restaurant which was soo good! In the evening I decided to make my way up the big mountain towards the animal park and see the sunset, only after a 45 minute jog I was only half way. I walked through the big medicial university where loads of students were waiting for their bus home and reminisced for a few moments about my uni days. Thought of hitching a ride but ended up walking, half jogging, another road home. It feels really safe in Mendoza and itīs a beautiful town to walk around. The massive mountains overlook the main part of town and the streets are otherwise neatly laid out with quite a few small parks, cafes and restaurants and some lovely houses just out from the main skirts of the city.
The following day I joined a group from the two affiliated hostels in a mini bus which took us through the mountains (at a ridiculously early start time of 6:30am) to Villavincencia where we saw this old hotel which is now closed and used to be famous for its hot springs with healing properties. At the time though, since the tour guide only spoke Spanish the only thing I understood was the name which is the same as the name on the blue squarish water bottles with a picture of a snow-capped mountain. Met two really nice English guys Simon and Ashley on the bus and together we exclaimed about the painful pace of the tour and wondered what we were looking at and what the guide was saying. It felt quite drawn-out, driving most of the day to the Andes a few more hours west, and it felt a bit like we were on a school excursion that we were trying to get away from. The mountains really are beautiful though. We stopped for lunch at Puenta del Inca where there are some small Inca ruins and an old church beneath a backdrop of huge mountains, with small market stalls nearby. It was very peaceful to walk a little way up the side of the mountain and sit on a rock, pull out my ipod for some tunes, eat my bread roll with banana and appreciate the view.
Later in the afternoon we reached the base of Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. Its tip was still in the distance, snow capped and reaching to the clouds. We walked around near the base, took some photos, then drove the long road home. Arriving back at about 7pm, I was pretty exhausted. Somehow still only ended up having dinner at midnight and into bed soon after.
On Thursday I had the best day! Firstly had a little sleep-in till 8am, then was picked up by a (very cute) white water rafting guide, Ameliano, onto the other hostel to collect (suprise suprise) Simon and Ashley again, then onto the river. The waters are highest in summer so unfortunately we only had grade 2 and 3 rapids but it was fun nontheless. The cool, fresh temp of the water was beautiful and reminded me of barefooting this time of year. Ameliano was quite skillful in purposely placing us on rocks to saturate each of us and tried to tip me out a number of times. The fourth poor guy, Ricardo, actually came toppling from the other side of the boat over my side and into the water, pushing me back into the water with him, but luckily I had my feet firmly wedged into place so I was still holding on though my head was over the side, reaching for a hand from the slightly hesitant Ashley who just looked and smiled for a few seconds before graciously pulling me back up! (He got his own though when we stepped out at the end and the ground had moved from beneath his foot so he dropped straight down into the water when we were back safe and sound!) That was quite funny and his mate Simon unashamedly rubbed it in!
After I put the last mouhtful of my home-made bread and tomato sandwich in my mouth, Ameliano came over to tell me lunch would be ready in 3 minutes! So I had two lunches that day and still just felt content. Then in the afternoon while the boys hung by the river enjoying the sun and drying off, I went horse riding in the hills which was absolutely beautiful. At the stables I noticed photos on the wall of the same ranch in winter, with thick snow covering everything. Though the ride was only short and pretty tame, the three of us (Ameliano, the horse guide and I) rode on through this tiny village and I can still picture the beauty of golden autumn leaves falling in the sunshine onto the ground with the snow-capped Andes in the background and feeling the crisp cool air all around. We then rode across country through the long grass, out through the rocky landscape and streams. One of the best ways to see the countryside - except that I saw two trailbikes off the side of the road on the way home and thought that would definitely come close!
Had an awesome night out that night as Lara (volunteer from Porto Alegre), Mariana (girl from Brasil we met in BA), Ellie (English girl from BA) and Foz (Israeli guy from BA) all arrived and we went out to a club that had a local band playing and people jumping with a great atmostphere. Reminded me a lot of some really good nights at the bayview, but Argentine style. We left at 6:30, as we had another tour that day!
Accidently slept through my alarm and bolted awake at 9:30 (when the bus was due to leave and had to pack, check out and get my bags to the locker in the bus terminal for my bus back to BA in the evening). That must have been the quickest get-ready in a long while. Threw my gear together, clothes on and ran down the road with Lara, all fine - met the others at the other hostel, got to the terminal together and set off on another bus to go trekking. Not sure of the exact location but it was about an hour away. There was a group of 7 all together and we trekked for about 2 hours up this mountain which was not a difficult hike but had a nice view, and then started down the other side which was fine until I slid on some rocks and planted my hand straight on a giant cactus. Not happy Jan! I had to try break half the spikes off in my hand and there were about 45 all together in my hand and arm. I think the others were more in shock than I was. Without thinking, I started pulling the ones out that were sticking out still but probably wasnīt the best idea as I think I broke some off in the process. When I started squeezing some out from my palm I nearly fell over when I pulled these needles out that were the thickness of toothpicks and an inch long. Main hassle was that we were yet to begin the abseiling. Luckily my right hand is my front hand and doesnīt need to do much. Very sore all day though and I was the only one who was excited at the prospect of digging them out, but couldnīt do it with my left hand. Still enjoyed the 3 abseils, the last which was 45m high.
The last stop for the day were the hot springs which were just a 10 minute walk from the base of the mountain. I was very disapointed with the sight - instead of natural-looking springs, the sight was like a giant swimming pool centre and it must have been retireesīday out because the pools were filled with over 60 year olds lying back in their cozzies when they werenīt drinking wine at the picnic tables! Freezing in the air outside but the water was beautifully warm and it cleaned out my hand a bit. It was also cute seeing these old ladies posing on the side of the pool in their swim-suits for photos by the old guys. South America is well known for the amount of plastic surgery undertaken, but there were no signs of it that day! (Which really is a good thing - itīs quite sad, the amount of dissatisfaction with body image that young girls seem to have and the discrepancy between the obvious poverty of families on street corners and the wealthyīs display of plastic).
I was fortunate to JUST make my bus back to BA again as our bus from the springs pulled in at 7:25 while mine was due to depart at 7:30. Not wishing to repeat the scene I had on the way to Mendoza, I raced to the locker holders, jumped the queue and grabbed my bags myself, flung my money on the counter and sprinted through the bus terminal towards platform 32, to find the bus still loading and it didnīt take off until 7:45. I was just relieved to be on board, though my hand gave me grief that night.
I arrived back in BA at 9:30 in the morning, very pleased that I had made the decision to go to Mendoza, frustrated that I had to meet that cactus and glad to be back in a city that felt like it was somehow mine. I walked into the room and greeted Tanya who had gotten home 2 hours before, very sleepy but happy to see me.
I tripped to the Hospital Aleman, on the advice of the hostel staff that it was free, but discovered that being a private hospital, it certainly wasnīt, but at least I didnīt have to wait long. The doctors looked at my hand, said it was gonna hurt (der, already felt that) and sent me for x-rays, each time having to first go back to the front desk to pay more bills, then said they couldnīt do anything to assist but would like to see me again in 3 days. (Except that I would be in Chile). I paid for antibiotics hoping it would help the aching, and left feeling not just very sore and sorry but sick in the stomach because of the cost!
Oh-well. Such is life and the mistakes we make. Plus, all the fun in Mendoza was worth it, I must say. And it looks like I can keep some needles for souvenirs as theyīre still stuck in there! Besides - I figure I should be thankful I didnīt land on my butt! There would have been a whole lot of embarrassment added in there if I had, aswell as a far more uncomfortable bus ride, and the doctors might have asked for daily visits! Just kidding :p haha
Last week was so much fun, seeing new places, meeting new people and being in a totally different atmosphere to Buenos Aires. Tanya and I skipped town on Tuesday and caught a ferry to Colonia, Uruguay which is an old town on the western coast of Uruguay. The ferry was pretty fancy, felt more like an airport lounge and the trip (by the slow ferry which is half the price of the fast 90 minute one) still only took 3 hours. Thanks to lack of sleep in BA it was a good chance to catch some rest!...
We walked to town and found an HI hostel in the main street which I recommend, itīs really clean, comfy yet simple. Tanya was sick all week so she took the opportunity to sleep through the afternoon. I was stoked to meet an awesome Aussie guy called Chris who was staying in the room next door. He originally comes from Tamworth and has been living in Corientes (north west of Argentina) for the last 11 months at the Youth With A Mission base there. Itīs a Christian organisation which trains its staff in discipleship and works with kids in the community. I felt so refreshed to meet someone who is travelling but also living their life for God and for others and isnīt afraid to step out on a limb to do that. Itīs not like Chris is too overtly Christian but he isnīt afraid to talk about what he does and aspires to either. Talking with him really encouraged me and also gave me a really peaceful feeling about Uruguay.
In the late afternoon I wandered through town - the whole 5 blocks or so! I really love Colonia, it is an incredibly pretty place, especially this time of year (autumn) when the leaves are all golden and falling on the cobblestone streets. There are so many wattle trees lining the streets too, it is very beautiful. That slight chill in the air - which increased to freezing over the next few days - adds to the whole feel of the place too. So I wandered along the waterīs edge and down to the lower end of the main street where the sun was setting, sat in a 3 storey cafe that is shaped a bit like an old lighthouse with a winding staircase and art displayed on the second floor. Itīs a bit touristy but I splurged and had a nice pot of tea and cake while writing and watching the sunset. I know, I sound a little like an old lady; maybe the BA lifetsyle got to me; but I just like those moments. I really was amazed at how much at home I felt, even though I was on my own in a completely new country over the other side of the world from my true home. Yet I think the beauty and familiarity of the sunset and meeting people I connect with made it feel so normal.
That evening, the three guys - Chris, an Israeli traveller Orz, an English guy and Tanya and I had dinner at a local Parilla which is basically a BBQ meat place, with a few other options on the menu. A nice local feel though - so much so that because the soccer (football) was on, the men in the shop were all engrossed and the owner called up his wife who soon came to start the cooking! Everything seems to stop when the footballīs playing. Same in the street - we walked past an electrical shop at night and wondered why a whole group of men were stopped and starring, then realised they were watching the game on the tv playing through the window!
On Wednesday Orz, Tanya and I decided we would do the Ļcity tourĻ of the main sights and museums - there are actually quite a few, though most are only 2 small rooms in size. Trouble is, they are all only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So there were very few people around and very little to see! We did look at the front doors, signs and walked around for about an hour until we came to the town theatre and basilica where we lay on the grass and cloud watched for a while. The kind of thing I love doing while travelling, just because I can! Donīt have to be anywhere, donīt even have to think of what I should be doing. My favourite part was walking into the theatre, where the stage was all set and doors open but no-one around, so I jumped up for a quick rehearsal. Gave a few Shakespeare recitals to the crowd of 3 and then started acting out the script of the city guide which has an enthralling summary of the Ļcity archivesĻ centre! A standing ovation (almost) and I jumped down just in time before the caretaker walked in. :)
My gosh, the weather this day turned freezing. I had to buy a jumper and even had to wear my one pair of (white) socks with my thongs! Such a good look. Pouring rain and we stayed in and watched tv all afternoon - the first bit Iīve seen on my trip and no, I donīt miss it. Our group of 5 went out for dinner that night to a slightly nicer restaurant and man, the food was good. I took the chance and ordered what was like a soya snitchel and it was soooo good!!! That with mashed potato and a huge salad. Yum yum yum. (Sorry but I get excited over food!) Especially when itīs good vegetarian. Fell into bed by 10:30 or the second night in a row and a record for the last few months, with pouring rain outside but so cosy in. Aghhh, such a nice feeling.
On Thursday we tripped by bus to Montevideo. The bus is meant to take 2 hours but took 3 and a half because it was pouring rain and the bus nearly broke down at one point too, thought he was going to flood it trying to start again but luckily we got going. Once in Montevideo we met Lara (the American girl who was volunteering with us in Porto Alegre) and then headed out to see the sights but cause of the rain we ended up in McDonalds and then the movies. It poured all day and all night. Went out with a group from the hostel, then Lara, Orz and I split and at the end of the night we were sprinting through the streets jumping flooded gutters, losing our thongs and getting saturated! Fun fun fun.
Woke up the next day with Tanya telling Lara and I that we were meant to check out 15 minutes ago! Hate that rude awakening feeling. Not too much hassle, it was only 10am. Tanya had slept since midday the day before, hence why she was awake. We got our stuff together fine, lucky for the unintentional shower the night before. Today was fine for once so Chris, Tanya, Lara and I were able to walk around town, visit a freaky very macabre-looking museum which consists of stone writing on the walls, very low light and two guards standing mute guarding the old generalīs remains. Very dark, very quiet and very strange. I was nearly kicked out before even entering too because I slid down the hand rail of the stairs on the way in, thinking no-one was watching until a guard popped out from a side door that looked just like an electrical cupboard. Lucky he had a smirk on his face. The only one I guess heīs allowed to make until he starts his post beside the old urn. No smiling then folks, not even when Chris tripped down the step on the way in!
Tanya, Lara and I returned by bus to Colonia to catch the ferry back to BA the next morning, as itīs much cheaper from Colonia than from Montevideo. It was night time by the time we arrived and were told by some others at the hostel that all the ferries back the next day were already booked out, except the 4:30am and 7pm. I, naturally, thought 7pm sounded fine. For some reason though Tanya actually got up at 3am and caught the 4:30 ferry back!? I think she had enough of me. Just kidding, she was still sick so wanted to get to a doctor back in BA.
Lara and I stayed and I was so glad because I remembered that I had spotted a tiny ĻIngresia Adventista 7 diaĻ just a block from the hostel. I met a lovely family on the way in and sat through church, most of which went over my head because I couldnīt understand all the Spanish, but the lady Rosanna had a beautiful 5 month old baby boy on her lap who kept trying to eat my fingers so he kept me entertained. It was nice to visit another church and feel welcome and it also makes me really appreciate the awesome resources we have at home - human, financial and physical resources, in comparison to places like this. In the afternoon Lara and I borrowed some bikes from the hostel and rode up along the river which was just beautiful. There are actually quite a few gum trees up there which were apparently imported from Australia. Nice to see. A strange mix of industry, tourism and agricultural land up that end of town. You can see tiny sheds and cabins where people live which look very low key, then refreshment carts placed along the road beside the river to sell to tourists, a lot of locals walking along by the river and sitting drinking matte (the herbal tea everyone consumes in massive quantities here) and then a big tourist bus drives past every so often. A strange mix in such a low key area.
I found the people in Uruguay to be really pleasant. Of those we met, they were extra helpful - for example, in Montevideo we asked a man in a shop which direction were the movies and he said his wife was about to go that way and we could catch the bus with her, then they went back inside and collected movie vouchers for us that gave us a discount, showed us which movies were showing where and when and directions to each cinema. Their help was certainly beyond the call of duty.
On our last evening, I returned with Lara to the little cafe where I went on my first night in Colonia and again we watched the sunset. As it was much warmer there were loads of people out doing the same. Our ferry arrived back in BA at 10:30 and after a few hours we went out to the old favourite club Opera Bay which is modelled a bit like the Opera House, has quite a few different rooms and is a pretty swanky place. Unfortunately, this night was jam packed with people - despite the restrictions put in place since the terrible fire that happened in December, and the music wasnīt happening so not much dancing. Lara was rightly disappointed after we had talked it up as the place to go. Not to worry, we stayed till 5 then headed home while others were still lining up to enter! That is the crazy BA life... hence why I enjoyed the down time in Colonia!
What a week. I really do love this city and there is so much more in Argentina that I would like to see, only time and money impose some limits. This week has been great, mixed with a few different activities and all in all a lot more leisurely than last week...
MONDAY...sight seeing, shopping and history lessons...
Monday was pretty cruisey. I woke up feeling inspired and ready to start some sight-seeing. Tanya had some serious shopping to do so we split up and I went firstly to the large Cathedral on the edge of Plaza de Mayo which was filled with Portenos at mass , paying their respects for John Pope II. Apparently Catholics mourn for three days here after the death of the Pope. A photo of him was hung from the ceiling in the main area above the altar place. The cathedral also contains the tomb of the cityīs favourite Saint Martin who helped bring about the cityīs independence. After the 20 minutes of touring the cathedral I decided that was enough sight-seeing for one day and somehow landed in the shopping street! Haha, funny that! I actually found myself in a shop a few metres away from Tanya, both with clothes in hand ready to try them on. Talk about sprung!
After looking through a few book shops I found an English translation of a book on the History of Argentina which is a great summary and is really enjoyable. So in the end I rewarded my sight-seeing stamina with lunch and coffee in a cafe where I sat on a lounge for a few hours and read about Argentinaīs path to independence. Had an early night in order to make the very early morning on Tuesday.
TUESDAY...Children's hospital
Woke up at 5:30am!!! Yes - thatīs before 6. Yes, Iīm on holidays. But it was well worth it. We had to meet at the office of a volunteer service called LIFE Argentina at 6:30 where we met another volunteer called Santo who took us (together with a hand-held, very impressive-looking decorated birthday cake) to a Childrenīs hospital called Hospital del Nino San Justo about an hour and a half from the city. So we had first utilised nearly all popular forms of transport on the way there - first the subway, then a bus, then train and finally a taxi to the hospital. When we stepped off the train we felt like we were far away from the Buenos Aires where weīve been staying. This was nothing like the big city, more like a little suburb in the outskirts of Sydney.
I wasnīt prepared for the sight I saw when I walked through the front doors at 8am. There were hundreds of women and children waiting in lines, on the floor, benches, filling the corridors and outside areas with sick children in hand, arms, beside them, just everywhere. It really looked like something from a third world refugee centre. The hospital itself looked like a simple country hospital, single-storey, not very big. Just seeing so many poor mothers with sick children waiting there was a real shock and I had to really focus on not crying as we walked through. Fortunately, when we left 5 hours later there was only about a quarter of the number left so the doctors and nurses must be working very efficiently. I wonder what the quality of treatment is other than prescription, but at least the patients were being seen.
At the hospital we visited some children who are awaiting kidney transplants and were on dialysis. The blood cleaning process takes about 5 hours and they come in at least 4 days per week. One of the little boys had a birthday the day before so that was the reason we took a birthday cake and small present. These kids looked pretty poor and are not in the best condition. I wished we could speak more to them in Spanish but at least I was able to make a balloon! Santo is really good at making animals, he just taught me to make a heart (I needed to start with the simple ones!) It was really good too because the mothers, who have only a tiny staff/supplies/coat room where they can sit, had a ball reading through Tanya's lonelyplanet Spanish phrasebook which has a "get to know you section" and they were literally crying laughing at the translations, like kids picking out the naughty words in a dictionary! Nice to see them have some comic relief from the monotony of watching their children in such a difficult situation.
Another tango class in the afternoon on Tuesday which is so much fun. Did I mention I'm in love with our teacher? :) Okay, not quite, but he's just gorgeous!
WEDNESDAY...Teatre Colon and tango
One of my favourite things this week to have seen was the Teatre Colon. Tanya and I went with a few others from the school where we learnt Spanish last week and did an English guided tour once we were there. The theater is beautiful. Its construction was commenced in 1890 and finished in 1908, incorporating 3 architects - the first died from an illness, the second was murdered by the butler who was his wife's lover, and the third completed the process. A few interesting facts... the magnificent chandelier inside the theatre weighs one tonne and has space for 12 people to stand inside the top between the base and the roof so that they can sing the "heavenly chorus" and give the effect of sounds from above. The fire curtain on stage weighs 6 tonnes and the theatre, being a horse-shoe shape and made from a perfect balance of hard (wood, brass, etc) and soft materials (velvet, carpets, etc) apparently has near perfect acoustics. The theatre seats 2000 and has standing room for another 500, with 7 tiers of balconies. After the main theatre we were given a tour of the underground departments which run beneath the massive road Avenida 9 de Julio and include the rehearsal rooms, stage construction workshops, tailors, wig, bootmakers and costume designers. There is a resident orchestra and ballet company and over 400 workers all together who are involved in the production process.
After the tour Tanya and I went for another stroll downtown and ended up seeing the movie "Million Dollar Baby" at a tiny theatre which cost only 5 pesos - talk about a bargain! Went out to a nice bar that evening with some friends from our old hostel and then to another place which was a bit of a dingey club but was okay as more people arrived.
THURSDAY... Tango and cheesy cabaret
Thursday was a very nice sleep in, then a leisurly typical brunch of coffee and three croissants (Ļmedia-lunesĻ - that is, half moons - i like that name best) and then Tanya and I had our last tango lesson. Wow - mum, and anyone else who knows me well enough for that matter, you would never believe it - Miguel was trying to teach me the first, second and third positions in ballet!!! Yes, ballet! I was twirling and so he showed off with some pirrouetes and jumps then tried to teach me the proper pirrouette (I donīt even know how to spell it, yet alone do it!) I wasnīt aware at the time, but Tanya was video-ing for proof, only I accidentally deleted it later. Honestly - completely untintentionally. So I suck at the ballet, but I can tango! Yay!!! And I do have the video to prove that.
On Thursday evening a few of us went to an extremely cheesy cabaret show with scantily-clad Argentine women and thankfully more conservatively-dressed hairy men, sequined bikinis, white suits, imitations of Cher and Tina Turner and quite a lot of Spanish speaking in between. Luckily we could still join in the jokes because although we couldnīt understand the punchlines, the lady behind us had such a hideous and loud laugh, we couldnīt help but catch the effects.
FRIDAY... Sight-seeing and good pizza
Friday was a great day for seeing some historical sights of the city. The sun was shining, just enough to get away with short sleeves. Quite a number of Argentines to be found lazing around the park in their lunch break, catching a few golden rays. Tanya and I ventured down the long Avenida de Mayo that runs into the Plaza de Mayo which is where the May Revolution took place back in 1810 when the Spanish viceroyalty was replaced with a council as BA sought to establish its independence amongst the River Plate. We toured the Casa Rosada (pink house / presidential palace) where the president no longer lives but maintains office and flies by helicopter to and from each day. This is also the place where Eva Peron (and Madonna) entertained the crowds from the front balcony. The inside boasts an interesting mix of Italian and French furnishings, combined with English floor tiles, which juxtapose Argentinaīs long struggle to assert independence from the European nations.
On Friday evening I caught up with Gonzo who so kindly took me sailing a few weeks ago and we had a great pizza on his balcony while overlooking the lights of Palermo!
SATURDAY...toy workshop with L.I.F.E. Argentina at Ciudad Luz
Another early morning, not as early as Tuesday thankfully. Tanya and I rushed to get round the subway interruptions and make it across town to the offices of LIFE Argentina by 11am, then had a bit of a wait for the driver to arrive to take us the hour or so to Ciudad Luz. This place is basically a really low-key, basic tin shed standing amidst a number of more dodgy looking shacks in a very poor slum region outside of the main city of BA. This incredible lady who lives in one area of the shack with her seven children runs a soup kitchen for the local children in the mornings, then with a few helpers, has it all cleaned up and hosts a toy workshop in the afternoons. We set out toys from big sacks onto 3 tables - one table of typically girl-looking toys, one for boys and another or board games, then children start arriving from all over the place - even 2 and 3 year olds wander through the backstreets and arrive on their own, and the children are encouraged to play with the toys and to share, care for the toys, cooperate with eachother and pack up their things when theyīre finished. Itīs a really positive environment and apart from lending them the opportunity to actually be children for a while, itīs good to be able to see them learning how to share those things too. We were there for about 6 hours, and while the last kids were leaving, the host lady finally sat down on a chair to sip her matte, looking absolutely exhausted. How incredible that someone with so little in material resources gives so much with such a wide impact on her immediate community. Though we were pretty exhausted too after the long day, it was really interested to chat with one of the Argentine men who was volunteering his services painting the shed, on the way home as he escorted Tanya and I and gave us a really good history lesson and filled us in on his perspective of political issues, historical and continuing instabilities in Argentina.
All-in-all, it was an action-packed week. Great to see some more of the city, both typical tourist sights and less-trodden territory.
Today (Tuesday) we arrived by ferry in Uruguay - just 3 hours from Buenos Aires. We are currently in Colonia - a tiny old town which is perfect for relaxing for a little while, away from the crazy schedules of Buenos Aires. Our plan is to stay here tomorrow then trip to Montevideo for 2 days, then back to Buenos Aires on Friday. So my next entry will be on Uruguay. Till then...xoxo
Well well well, we are here in this HUGE city which is so much more than I expected. Firstly, I had heard from many people that the architecture is amazing, but I thought that must be just in certain areas. I wasn't prepared for the revelation as we were ascending the stairs from the subway onto the first main street, to see such beautifully crafted buildings lining nearly every street. High ceilings, huge stone walls and iron balconies, french doors and wooden floorboards are fairly typical...
Now that I know some Spanish I feel really comfortable in this city and don't feel unsafe walking around. Of course you still need to be sensible and don't walk alone or in certain places at night, but we are nearly always with a group from the hostel or elsewhere and there are many people out late at night. Like Brasil, the hours here are crazy. People in Argentina typically eat four meals per day - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea around 6 which would be more like our dinner time, and then dinner around 10:30 or 11pm. Then they head out to party at 12 or 1! We have adapted to these hours fairly comfortably, except for waking up after a few hours' sleep to get to Spanish class by 9am. I have had a few runs in the morning on the way - the other day I was sprinting and had to go straight past about 100 policemen lining one of the main buildings in town and I was just hoping I wouldn't slip or they wouldn't think I had stolen something and come running after me! Then again, wouldn't be the worst people to have chasing me - the uniforms are gorgeous! Hehe, jokes.
Another amusing thing is walking around with Tanya here, my gosh, you'd think many people had never seen a black woman before - some stare so rudely with mouths wide open in shock. I told Tanya she should start mumbling curses and give them evil-eyes when they are so rude! Apart from that, I think the men (like Brasil) are pretty rude. We've even had bus drivers flash their lights at us! In Australia I would think they would be coping complaints (and abuse) left, right and centre. Lucky I'm not a strict feminist. It is always a shock though because they are so vocal and we sometimes wonder how we shoudl react -usually ignore it. Our Spanish teacher said they are just expressing their admiration and that's all, so just keep walking and take it as a compliment. But I learnt the word for Grandpa today so now I can respond to "hola rubia, or amara or kiss me" with "no abuelo".
So....our week this week. We started Spanish school on Monday and have had 3 hours each day. It is a crash course so it's been pretty intense and we have learnt heaps, but need some time now to revise and (hopefuly) remember. The staff at the institute are all awesome and have been a lot of fun and very helpful with any questions we have about BA. We went on an informal walking tour one afternoon with one of the staff and some other students to La Boca which is the oldest district of BA and is located beside the port. There are many old multi-coloured communal housing type apartments there and tango dancers posing for photos or entertaining patrons at the restaurants and cafes. We also visited our first museum there - the Museo de Bellas Artes de La Boca de Artistas Argentinos which features a whole floor of Benito Quinquela Martin's artwork and is located inside his prior residence, and another floor or contemporary art which looked great but we didn't get enough time there. The entry fee is a whole peso (2.25 to 1 AUD) so we might be able to afford to go back!
On Wednesday night we went to see Columbia play Argentina in the 2006 World Cup qualifier. Argentina won 1-0. The stadium atmosphere was just awesome - 80,000 people absolutely enthralled in the game. As we arrived just around start time people were starting to run in every direction to get inside quickly. It felt very safe, we had great seats and it is so good watching the crowd react. When Argentina scored I looked around and saw a man lifting his son into the air with a huge embrace, a couple kissing like they'd just met at the airport and an old man sitting quietly with a huge smile on his face. Younger guys were screaming and jumping and pounding their poor friend who must have been supporting Columbia!
Tanya and I have also been taking tango lessons along with our Spanish classes and they are so much fun! Our teacher Miguel is absolutely gorgeous (looks and personality) - so sweet and makes us laugh, or rather, our dancing makes him laugh and then we can't help joining in! Like our language class, it is just the two of us so we get a lot of personal attention and are learning a lot. It's so different when the guy can lead too, though it's hard in tango to match the move when they are such definitite turns, kicks or steps but we're getting there. Yesterday he had Tanya and I dancing together and kept telling us to press closer together but we'd just crack up laughing cause our boobs kept getting squashed! Miguel is also going to try to get us discount tickets to the tango show where he works so that will be great if we can go and watch next week.
Also, on our first day here we met two fellow Aussies - Fernando and Kelly, from McKay, sitting at the table beside us in a restaurant. We picked up pretty quickly on the really thick Aussie accent of Kelly's and spent the rest of the afternoon together walking through the old antique markets of San Telmo. They were hassling me though about ordering "hospital food" (mashed pumpkin) in a city famous for its meat, and drinking old lady tea in the pub! Their friend Hernan who they were staying with is Argentine and he is lovely too and a good contact to have here. All the Argentines we have met so far are really nice. On first appearance, they are generally less happy looking than Brasilians, but once you get to know them they are very warm and welcoming. Gonzalo who I met last weekend took me sailing the very next day on his 24 foot yacht and that was awesome! We also met the Australian Police Rugby League team at an Irish pub here last weekend and they invited Tanya and I to the Australian Embassy for their welcoming drinks the next day! We didn't end up going but it was nice of them to offer!
The two hostels we have been staying in are great too - Portal del Sur and now Millhouse. The apartment has been put back to the last two weeks. That's it for now. The weather has turned much cooler here over the last few days - luckily the shopping is great! So much to choose from and cheap. I must be disciplined!
Miss you all (but loving it here!)
xoxoxo