Day Three – January 13:
We slept in and had breakfast about 10:30. After my shopping spree the day before, we ran out of pesos after blindly following the advice of the group about not needing to bring much money because almost everyone took credit cards. We waited in line at an exchange for a long time, only to find out that we needed our passports which, according to our instructions, we were supposed to leave in the safe at the hotel. Our next plan was to try the ATM machines with our credit cards, which did not work, so finally we were able to get 100 pesos each from the hotel to be charged to our room. Our other task for the morning was to try to find somewhere to buy a battery charger for my camera since mine was left plugged into the wall in my living room in Florida!.
After a frustrating few hours, we did find the charger ($70 US), I went back to the exchange with my passport and traveler’s checks, and Nancy headed off to the Design Center and Museum. Now that I was “flush” again, I decided to do a bit more shopping ;-), found one more leather jacket and several fun gifts for the kids and friends. We continue to be amazed at how nice everyone is and what good bargains there are here! (You will be surprised to know that I did have to buy an extra bag today to accommodate all the fun things I purchased..)
We met back at the hotel at 5:00, took showers, and got ready for the opening reception for the tour group. I got to model my new purple leather jacket and handknit scarf for our new group of friends at the party! Although a bit disorganized, it was nice – we met some interesting people, including the others from KU, got lots of instructions about the dreaded 33# limit of one bag for Antarctica, had some wonderful Argentine wine, and then went to our 8:00 pm reservation at Juana M’s which had been recommended by the man we had met the night before.
When we got there at 8:00, there was not a soul in the entire restaurant, so they asked us if we could come back a little later. We walked around a bit and finally got seated about 8:45. It turned out to be one of the best meals we have had here! We ordered filet mignon with mushroom sauce. We each got two delicious filets, they had a wonderful salad bar, we ordered our favorite Malbec wine, and the bill came to $91 pesos (about $30 US) for the two of us. Everyone had told us about the Argentinian beef, and we are now converts! It was the best filet either of us has ever had. The culture is interesting because when we would be going to bed, they are just going out to dinner. We both have had some trouble sleeping after such late meals.
We did learn that Malbec is a kind of wine and not a brand, and we were disappointed in the first bottle we ordered at the restaurant. We are now on a search for the perfect Malbec-like the wonderfully smooth varieties we were served the first two evenings in Buenos Aires. We may have to sample LOTS of them on our incessant search for the best! IF you have any experience in this variety of Argentinian wine, please email us and help save us from such a daunting task…
Day Four – January 14:
Today was our first early day and a bit of a disappointment. We were told by the travel staff to be at breakfast at 8:00 am (UGH!!!). We arrived and found that there were people standing everywhere – there were not nearly enough tables and seats for everyone, we never did get coffee, and the whole thing was chaotic – we hoped NOT an indication of the days ahead!
At 9:30 we all boarded 6 buses and headed out for a city tour. Our first stop was La Boca, an area near the river that used to be a bustling port town established by the Italians. There were large comic papier mache’ figures of the Perons and other famous Argentinians on the roofs, and all the buildings were painted in many different bright colors. We were told that when the ships came in, they gave any extra paint they had to the residents and that is why the buildings are so colorful. It was striking to enter this area as the rest of the city was made up of the usual drab colors of stone and cement, and all of a sudden your senses were infused with color.
It reminded us both of New Orleans, since like that city, they have had trouble with flooding and have had to raise the sidewalks in several places. Everywhere we go there are Tango dancers in the streets – such spirit and fun! Even though it is a small area of the city, it still houses a soccer stadium that seats 58,000, reminding us of the importance of the game in their culture. Legend has it that when they were trying to choose the colors for their soccer uniforms, they decided that they would pick the colors of the next ship to come into port. Thus, the colors became blue and gold.
Another interesting thing about this area, which is surrounded by poverty, was that it was the home of Mendosa, a famous artist. After studying with Rodin in Paris, he came back and donated all the land he owned to build a school for the children of the area which still functions today. Throughout the school he measured parts of the wall and did original paintings for each room so all the children could be surrounded by art and beauty. What an amazing gift he has given to thousands of children in the area who might not otherwise ever experience true works of art!
We had about 30 minutes to take pictures and explore a small art and craft show made up of many tiny booths. Of course we found a couple of things we could not resist! We wished we could have stayed much longer, but there was lots more to see. We especially enjoyed the drive along the river where new restaurants and apartments have begun to spring up. It is a beautiful place to walk and jog. Our tour guide mentioned that it used to be filled with old, rusted out ships, so this is an important part of the rehab of the city and has become a very exclusive place to live.
INTERESTING FACTS WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT ARGENTINA:
Education from Kindergarten through university is compulsory and free. However, if parents want their children to truly learn another language, they send them to a private school if possible. In public schools the children only go in the morning and they get English perhaps once or twice a week. In the private schools, they study another language all afternoon. This explains the high literacy rate (97%) in the country. We also noticed many bookstores during our shopping excursions.
Voting is compulsory. There is a stiff fine if one does not vote.
Healthcare is free, but you often have to wait six months for an operation!
The economy is changing from an emphasis on beef to much more focus on agriculture. They are the number one exporter of soy flour in the world.
Argentina is one of the richest countries in the world in spite of all the turmoil they have experienced. In 2001 they had five presidents in eleven days!
Our next stop was Plaza de Mayo where Eva Peron spoke from the balcony of the President’s Palace just before her death, and Madonna sang from the same spot in the movie, “Evita.” This is the large square where the Mothers Revolution demonstrates on a regular basis to try to find their children who were arbitrarily put up for adoption or tortured and killed during the revolutions. The square is surrounded by beautiful government buildings, a cathedral, and looks out toward the famous obelisk. We were amazed at the excessive number of policemen patrolling the square when there were very few people present. They also have the largest subway system in South America which leaves from the square.
When we returned to the hotel, we met a number of our group at Filo, a wonderful pizza place that had been recommended to us. We had a lovely salad with fresh fish and a fire-grilled pizza. Afterwards we spent the afternoon at the Recoleta Street Fair in the museum area. Unfortunately, when Nancy stopped to buy water, she set down her bag of purchases and someone must have picked them up because they were gone when she went back. We had dinner at a famous steakhouse (my t-bone steak was huge!) and then boarded the buses for the highlight of the trip so far, the Tango Show.
We were amazed at the talent, spirit, and class of the show which did not start until 10:15 pm. The elegance of the dancers, both young and old, the skill of their footwork and ease of their synchronized movements, the sensuousness of the music, and the beautiful voices of the singers overwhelmed us – there are not words to describe this experience adequately! Even though the songs and dialogue were all in Spanish, we marveled at how the performers could communicate the spirit of the dance and genre. The beautiful setting was the theater named after Carlos _______, the originator of the Tango. The use of keyless accordions was interesting along wth piano, bass, and violin. We all were intrigued with the skimpy, “naval-less” outfit of the violinist – the first woman allowed to participate in a Tango orchestra, She certainly competed with the gorgeous and very sexy costuming of the dancers! We all left wanting to DANCE!!! It was the perfect ending to our “official” introduction to Buenos Aires. Then…on to the challenge of packing..;-)
Day Five – January 15:
After a VERY short night and lots of anxiety about mixed messages re the packing, we went to take our bags down, only to discover that the elevators were not working! The hotel is lovely and the staff has been so kind and helpful all long that this was an unwelcome surprise. We were advised to take our carry-on bags with us on the bus tour in the morning as the lines to retrieve bags would be so long, and our flight was leaving just 90 minutes after the bus returned from the tour, so our time was short to get a bite of lunch and do our final emails since we will be completely out of touch for the next ten days.
I PRAYED that my checked bag was not too much overweight 😉 and I already KNEW that my carry-ons were well over the 11# limit, but I was lucky and everything got through all right. (Nancy was sure that the plane would not be able to take off until they dumped my bag 😉
The morning tour began with a trip to the famous cemetery where Eva Peron is buried. Very exclusive and only open to dignitaries and the very wealthy, it is entirely made up of mausoleums, and our guide told us many interesting stories, including one where a young girl was buried alive in 1802. She had catalepsy, and some days later when a cemetery worker discovered blood on the steps, they opened her casket only to find scratch marks from her trying to get out. Other very tragic stories make up the legends of this rather eery place. The burial vaults range in style from modern to ancient, predominantly French and Spanish architecture, and they can hold up to 40 bodies, some being 4-6 floors deep. When they run out of space in a mausoleum, they simply create the remains, put them in urns, and bring in the next inhabitant.
They do not embalm the bodies in Argentina; however, they made exceptions with the Perons because their bodies lay in state for quite a few days after their deaths. We were also intrigued with how some of the bodies of government leaders were “kidnapped” and used for ransom. At one point soon after her death, Eva’s body “disappeared,” so for some time, she was entombed in Spain. Because of this, upon the return of the body to this cemetery, the Guide said they had buried her 30 feet deep. It made us wonder if Eva’s body was REALLY there! Her family name was Duarte; however, her mother was simply her father’s mistress, so he did not recognize these children until just before his death.
