Back to Buenos Aires though. I arrived at the airport on March 6th, and both of my bags arrived with me. I went through customs and immigration, and then I changed some money, then proceeded to the local bus stop to catch the 86 bus into Buenos Aires. It took me a while to find the place, but I didn't have to wait long once I found the stop. Once the bus arrived, I told the driver where I was going and paid the fare, then sat back and enjoyed the ride. It took about two hours to get into the city, what with the traffic and all of the stops that we made. However, once we got to the Plaza de Mayo, which is at the heart of Buenos Aires, I had a little complication. The driver stopped the bus, and I got up and grabbed my bags, but before I could get off the bus, he started moving again, and i had to wait until the next stop to get off, and I ended up having to walk a lot further than I had anticipated with all of my luggage. I found my hostel, The Art Factory, in San Telmo, and I checked in, and they showed me around, and then I fell asleep on my bunk in the middle of sending an email to my parents telling them that i arrived.
That night at the hostel, there was a parrilla, which is a traditional Argentinian barbeque, although I think that this one was tailored to out-of-towners, omitting all of the organ meats and parts that are usually present. The food was amazing and the people were really friendly.
I met a lovely couple from Germany named Christian and Miriam, and another couple from England, Oliver and Katie, as well as a man from Vancouver BC named Peter. On Saturday, my first full day in the city, I took the bus to Recoleta, which is one of the more affluent barrios in the city. I spent time in the cemetery there, wandering around on my own and going on a tour
( in spanish!). This is the cemetery that houses the mausoleum of the Duarte Family, Eva "Evita" Peron's family plot. There are flowers all over the front of it, and there was a steady trickle of people wandering by it all day. It was smaller and less impressive than I expected it to be. I have seen pictures of it, but you never see the small alley that it is in, or the other plots on either side of it. I met an older woman named Blanca in the plaza outside the cemetery. We had a really nice conversation in spanish, and we took a picture together. She was the first local that I made friends with, and I was really excited about it! That night, I went out to a cafe in San Telmo on the Plaza Dorrego with some of the people in my dorm, and a group from Belgium. There was drumming and dancing, and apparently there was a famous dutch movie star there as well. It was a really nice atmosphere, sitting with all the porteños (people who live in Buenos Aires) out on the Plaza late at night, surrounded by beautiful old buildings.
The next day, Sunday, was the traditional weekly art and antiques fair in San Telmo. I wandered around there in the morning, and enjoyed an empañada from a street vendor for lunch before heading back to the hostel for a little rest. In the evening, I walked down to Puerto Madero, the old port, and walked on the docks, listened to some live music, and tried my first Argentine ice cream. Its really good, they aren't kidding. Monday, I took the Subte, the subway, out to Palermo, to see the parks and gardens. I went to the Botanical gardens, walked around in the park, passed my the US Embassy, and walked by the old house of Jorge Luis Borges in Palermo viejo.
Tuesday, I went on a walking tour of San Telmo with a group from the hostel that explored all of the historical buildings in the neighborhood-- its one of the oldest ones here-- and outlined the perimeter of the barrio. It was supposed to only last 2 hours or so, but we ended up staying out for about 5, including a break at Plaza Dorrego to watch a tango show. Later that evening, I went tango dancing myself. I went down to the Microcentro to the National Tango Academy, and i took a 3 hour lesson. It was a really fun, local place, with goofy instructors and nice people. I danced with a gentleman named Etto, and I learned a lot from him.
On Wednesday, I spent the better part of the rainy day trying to mail my camera back to my parents. It broke the other day, and its new, so they are going to return it, and send me my old one when i get to Rosario. Unfortunately, I will not have pictures of part of my first week, but of all the things to happen to you when you are traveling, a broken camera is not the worst. That night, I went to the movies with the group from Belgium to see Slumdog Millionaire. There was supposed to be a movie night at the hostel out on the terrace, but it was canceled due to the rain, but that was what I wanted to do anyways, so we went down to the movie theatre in Puerto Madero instead.
Thursday was my last day in the city, and I spent it with a family that I met it the hostel. We met at breakfast, they are from Wisconsin, but the dad, Tom, knew people in Ashland, so we bonded. We all, Sarah the Mom, Zan the daughter who is taking a gap year working in Paraguay, Bobbie the other daughter, Tom, and I took the Subte to Retiro to buy bus tickets, then went to the Plaza de Mayo to visit the cathedral and the Cabildo, which was the seat of the 1810 revolution, as well as the government house in the early years of Buenos Aires. We also walked along the Peatonal, the pedestrian street on calle Florida. It has alot of shopping and is very touristy, but worth a look. Then we all went out to lunch at Siga la Vaca (follow the cow), an all you can eat parrilla buffet. Tom and Sarah treated me to lunch, which was delicious. It was all you can eat, and you walk up to the grill, and you can order any cut of meat you can think of. They also zip-tie your bags to your chairs, they say to keep them from getting stolen, but also to keep you from eating and running. After lunch, we all rolled out of there, and walked back to the hostel via the Plaza de Mayo again. They were leaving for Paraguay at 7PM, and I was leaving at 9:30 for Iguazu, so we wanted a chance to rest. I read my book for a while, and took a nap on the couch, then I took the Subte back to Retiro again to catch my bus.
Argentines have mastered the weekend getaway. They have these double decker busses with reclining seats that are really comfortable, and they serve you food (bad food, but food) and they run overnight so you can get there during the day. Anyways, I slept on the bus, and I arrived in Iguazu this afternoon. I checked into my hostel, which is right across from the bus station, and was recommended to me by the Belgians. It is nice, but it doesn't have the same vibe as the Art Factory. I guess my first hostel holds a soft spot in my heart. But, it does have a pool and a great open air kitchen.
Tomorrow I think that I am going to go to Brazil to see the Brazilian side of Iguazu falls, just for the day, and then Sunday and Monday I will visit the Argentine side. Then, on Monday night, i think that i will leave for Salta via bus. I think thats all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading!
chao,
Sarah
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