Storyline: Buenos Aires to Lima Nov 2017
November 9
And so our tour has begun. We will be leaving Buenos Aires tomorrow. After a few days about town on our own (see Jacaranda and Sangria) we joined our tour group and had wonderful time seeing the rest of the city and enjoying a great tour on the River Tigre for the past two days. We finally met Peter in person and of course our companions, two Swiss couples.
All looks promising. Small group, friendly companions. Peter gave us lots of memorabilia together with our itinerary. We had nice chat over a glass of wine or two each and snacks. Our local guide Anahi joined us yesterday and we visited the Recoleta Cemetery, the big metal flower, Floralis Generica, which was installed in 2002 in the United Nations Park and the beautiful rose gardens in Park Paseo El Rosedal. The flower mechanism did not work that day, so it was only half open. Apparently, this happens often.
The rose gardens were impressive, and we spent some time on our own while the group visited the cemetery, since we were there the previous day.
Then we were driven on Av. 9 de Julio, where we had enjoyed a stroll and sangria in our pre-tour time. Beyond the Obelisk, in the distance one can see the giant image of Evita installed on what is currently the Ministry of Health building. The building itself is at the intersection with Avenida Belgrano in the Monserrat neighbourhood, just north of Moreno metro station. There are two large metal images – actually outlines – created by the Argentinian artists Daniel Santoro and Alejandro Marmo. The official portrait faces south towards the poor areas of BA, with the north depicting her giving a passionate speech. However, the local folks say she is smiling towards the poor south neighbourhoods and frowning to the rich north.
A little further along we went under a major highway. Here, there was a memorial to the Disappeared. This triggered a vivid, sad memory of a story that Andrew, an Argentinian friend of mine, had told me some years ago. He was one of the detained and tortured students. He had survived the horror, but the image of his girlfriend being tortured and killed in front of him in the jail could not leave him. About 30000, primarily young people, students, artists, writers, journalists, militants, trade unionists, and anyone suspected of being a left-wing activist, including Peronist guerrillas, were “disappeared” by the junta between 1976 and 1983. They were kidnapped, tortured and murdered and their bodies disappeared, in an attempt to silence social and political opposition.
Anahi told us the story of the Disappeared, and I have no heart to reproduce it here. The previous day while walking to the end of Puerto Madera and Reserva Ecologica, we had been so close to this place. But we were told not to walk through this area to La Boca, and having heard a few stories already, I am glad we did not.
We stopped in front of the colourful houses of La Boca and strolled for a while on El Caminito (little walkway) together with many other tourists, taking photos of the most photogenic facades of what was once an Italian immigrants’ neighbourhood. We were told where to walk and where not to go. The poor workers’ neighbourhood outside of the Caminito area is quite sketchy and not safe for tourists, we were told.
Given all the hype about La Boca, we expected more. Most of the houses no longer survive and, like old movie sets, only facades and walls were kept for tourist purposes.
In the “safe” area there are many restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops…and the inevitable tango photo op for those who wanted to pay for a snap in front of the balcony with Pope’s statue.
Souvenir shops were full of everything Evita, Maradona and Pope Francis – apparently the holy trinity of famous Argentinians. I found lots of kitsch around, but little authenticity. Although interesting, it was disappointing. Public transport to La Boca does not really exist, so if you want to visit, please join a tour group. Most, if not all visitors come by tourist bus.
The day finished with a spectacular show in El Querandi, San Telmo, the birthplace of tango. After a delicious three-course dinner and wine, the show began with singers telling the story of tango and of Buenos Aires itself – passionate dancers illustrating different times and styles of the national dance’s evolution. Alex is still trying to decide whether this or our evening of Flamenco in Madrid was the most emotional dance performance he’s attended.
Today was a wonderful day cruising Rio de la Plata and Tigre Delta. The waters were calm which gave me the opportunity to enjoy being on a boat. We boarded at Puerto Madero, and glided along the Costanera Navigation Canal past Buenos Aires’ shoreline landmarks,
including Jorge Newbery International Airport, cruised along narrow canals of the huge delta, observing yacht clubs, boat markets and the stilted houses of local bohemians.
With its multiple canals and grassland islands it provides a reprieve from urban life. Houses built on the delta can only be accessed by boat.
It is a boat town, with garbage bins on docks accessible by the garbage scow,
mini stores that sell drinks,
restaurants, transport boats
and even police.
The Tigre Delta is among the largest in the world. It doesn’t empty into a sea or ocean, but flows into the Rio de la Plata, a border between Argentina and Uruguay.
We disembarked at Puerto de Frutos in BA’s suburb El Tigre. The old fruit market doesn’t exist anymore but there are many tourist craft shops. As we walked, we peeked into a few of them,
then continued walking through parks and tree-lined streets by the river to our lunch destination – restaurant Villa Julia. Great relaxing atmosphere on the veranda of a lovely mansion.
After lunch we spent an hour on a suburban train to Retiro train station, which is really interesting and then took the oldest metro in South America to our hotel.
And so this is it for Buenos Aires, which is not the main focus of the trip, just the starting point. The history of this place, its unique blend of European architecture and Latin vibe made it an enjoyable entry to our adventure. However, Argentina’s ongoing economic and social issues, and the resulting strain on Argentina’s warm populace overshadow its future as a world class destination. Despite music and tango we felt sadness around every corner and weariness among the people. Like the Floralis Generica, it’s prone to malfunction.
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