Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires... a city of late nights, patriotism and passion.  A massive city of 30 million people, such a contrast from my time in Guatemala that it was pretty hard to transition and take it all in during the few days I spent there.  I walked the statue filled plazas, mingled with locals at a milonga, shared mate with locals and fellow travelers, and joined thousands of protesters in a national march.  I didn't spend long here, but I made some memories and connections that I'll remember for a long time to come.

Buenos Aires nightlife was perhaps the biggest change from Guatemala, where I was in bed by 10pm and awake at dawn.  In Buenos Aires, things start and end *late* - people generally have dinner around 10pm, and many dance clubs won't even open until 1 or 2am!  Consequently, mornings tend to start slow, often with a coffee & medialuna for breakfast around 10 am, and a siesta later in the day for those who were up partying until dawn.






My first two days in Argentina I walked around the various parks, explored restaurants & coffee shops, and admired the statue-strewn streets.


I visited the Bellas Artes museum and the Recoleta cemetary, which houses all the most important politicians in Buenos Aires including the beloved Eva Peron, champion of the common Argentinian people.  Politics is an very serious topic for the people here - most porteños could talk to you about it all day.

There's a large Italian influence here, which can be seen both in the Renaissance style buildings and statues, and the abundance of pizza and gelato shops all around town.

On Friday, I went out with a couple of my flatmates to a milonga (tango mixer) and a salsa club, where I had a great time despite my lack of Latin dance skills.  Everyone was so friendly and welcoming!  Certainly, if I had more time here, I would take some tango classes... it's a beautiful and passionate dance that embodies the soul of the Argentinian people.

Saturday (March 24) was the national day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice!  I had no idea at the time, but this is a hugely important day for the people of Argentina - it marks the day when the military seized power following the death of former president Juan Peron.

People marched from the Plaza de Mayo to the Congress building, passing right past my apartment!  The march lasted about 6 hours, and it was larger than any I'd been to in San Francisco - at least 30 blocks packed with people and spilling out to all sides, divided into groups by neighborhood or political party.  Each group had their own sets of banners and matching shirts, but everyone was there to remember and bear witness to the previous military occupation and the desaparecidos - 30 thousand people who went missing when the military kidnapped them and threw their bodies in La Plata.

Saturday night I met up with a fellow traveler to eat at Aramburú Restó, a 5 star restaurant that turned out to be possibly the best meal I've ever had!  As a fairly health-conscious vegetarian, most of the food in Buenos Aires was disappointing (lots of meat, pizza and sugary breads, very few vegetables).  But this was a 15 course extravaganza with paired wines and individually prepared dishes according to my dietary restrictions.  Simply amazing!

Sunday was my last day in Buenos Aires.  I walked around a bit, saw the neighborhood of La Boca (not much to say about that other than it was a 4 block tourist trap with some cool murals), and then got my bus tickets for Iguazú Falls.  On to the next adventure!