Day 13 - Buenos Aires

 

Today is Sunday and we're off to San Telmo. San Telmo was falling into decline and once elegant mansions have been turned into tenement housing. Recently though, money has been pouring into the barrio and its charm is being uplifted much like its sagging balconies as they are restored. The San Telmo markets are officially classified as the Antique markets however they include contemporary artwork too. It really is an eclectic bunch of stalls displaying things like old comics, records, glassware, jewelry, watches, cutlery, and other knick-knacks. The markets stretch over a small plaza (park) as well as going along a 3km stretch of Avenida Defensa (all of it cobblestoned) from San Telmo to Plaza de Mayo. The markets are evidence that very large numbers of locals and foreigners are attracted to the area and as most of Buenos Aires shops are closed on Sunday it thankfully provided a reason to get out and about.

Day 12 - Buenos Aires

The Australian dollar stretches a long way in BA. Food becomes remarkably cheap, I estimate about 1/4 of what I'd be used to paying...clothes likewise. However, wages in Argentina are very low. For example, an admin assistant in Sydney may get about $50,000 but in Argentina that position would get around 40,000 pesos or about $10,000 per annum. A teacher would earn around $14,400 per annum. A 2 bedroom flat would cost around $7,200 per annum.

Taxis. I think the drivers here are really just frustrated pilots as they seem to enjoy driving right on the lane lines instead of between them. Most cars seem to arrange themselves in a brickwork pattern so they can see further in front of them. This makes sense in a weird way because drivers change lane and stop without much warning. Having said that it doesn't feel unsafe and considering the large distances travelling from suburb to suburb and the relatively cheap fares (where a trip from Sydney Airport to the city might cost around AUD$30, here it would cost around $5), you don't mind the occasional bit of organised chaos. This city has about 1 taxi for every 3 normal cars - taxis are everywhere! You never have to wait more than 2 minutes for a taxi. Bliss!

Anyway, enough economics for today. It was raining this morning so we spent the day in Palermo Viejo (which means old part) which abounds with shops, cafes and restaurants. Its a bit like Paddington except the shops don't open until midday (today is Saturday). We just wandered around the shops and after lunch walked along to Palermo (not the old part - presumably the new part), and Plaza Italia which is where the Zoo and Botanical gardens are.

Day 11 - Buenos Aires

We continued the bus tour today first stopping at Recoleta where the BA old money lives as the city's wealthiest citizens relocated here after San Telmo became unliveable after yellow fever hit there in 1871. This is BA's most Parisian quarter, featuring wide tree-lined avenues and landscaped parks.

Cemetario de la Recoleta is the final resting place of Eva Peron (among others), wife of the President and of course, the subject of the musical Evita. The cemetary is interesting when viewed in contrast to Australian cemetaries which have very few crypts.

Rich families in Recoleta believed God lived in this cemetary and hence paid large sums of money to secure land in this cemetary and erect small granite or marble houses to entomb their loved ones.

The families continue to pay cleaners (maids?) to keep the crypts in good order. That sounds a little spooky dusting around a coffin but it just goes to show everyone has a price.

When then moved on to La Boca, which is where working class Italian immigrants settled around the port area in the mid-19th century. They often borrowed ship paint to decorate their ramshackle houses and while some resident's houses still reflect this heritage, you don't need to travel far before you realise it's still a relatively poor neighbourhood.

Apart from the usual array of public buildings such as art galleries, universities, ministeries and the large number of parks with statues, one interesting sculpture was this, Floralis Generica which looks like a giant chrome flower. The unique thing about this sculpture is that each of the 6 petals close at night due to electic motors in each petal.

Day 10 - Buenos Aires

Today we bought a 2 day ticket for the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus trip for BA. Its a good way to understand the breadth of the city and get a feel for what parts of the city you may want to revisit.

We did one circuit then decided to indulge in a bit of retail therapy in the afternoon. BA is a shopping mecca! Many malls and shopping centres. BA is a large city and needs lots of shops to cater for its population. Leather, shoes and  bags seem to be plentiful. Having said that, knowing the wages paid in this country, some of these items would represent half a week's pay making Buenos Aires an expensive city. We'll do the second day of the tour tomorrow and visit La Boca and Recoleta in more depth.

One of the centrepieces of Buenos Aires is the 9th of July Avenue which has about 16 lanes of traffic. That may sound a lot but its split quite sensibly to allow traffic to traverse safely. The column in the centre know as the Obelisco commemorates the 4th centenary of the foundation of the city.


We're staying in Puerto Madero which is a redevelopment of the old port of Buenos Aires, and not unlike Southbank in Melbourne. It now boasts swish hotels, apartment blocks, and restaurants. Its still kept remnants of the past including the canals and cranes (although freshly painted) to add some colour.

The bottom photo is a monument to the Coast Guard.

Day 9 - Iguazu to Buenos Aires

Our flight wasn't until 4pm so we spent the day moseying around the few shops there are, then walked over to the commercial area. Today is hotter than yesterday and my estimate is about 35 degrees and very humid. The bugs are nowhere near as bad as we thought they might be...in fact we haven't been bothered by them at all.

At lunchtime we spent a couple of ours sitting in the Sheraton's air-conditioned foyer which considering the weather outside was the best place to be.

The flight to BA was uneventful and we arrived at the Hotel Madero at around 7:30pm. The hotel is fantastic and we're staying in the Puerto Madero area of BA which is newly developed and pretty swish.

Day 8 - Iguazu Falls

Where do I start? Iguazu Falls is on the border between Brazil and Argentina, are 275 falls along 2.7km of river, and the highest fall is 82m which is taller than Niagara. The falls were featured in The Mission and also in Moonraker. The largest of the falls, The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo) is the most impressive of all as the spray reaches 30m overhead. The falls are part of a virgin jungle ecosystem protected by Argentine and Brazilian national parks on either side of the cascades.

We spent from about 9am until 2pm in the park and while there also did the equivalent of the Maid of the Mist tour (Niagara), which is a jet boat ride that noses in under the falls. And yes, we got absolutely soaked! We could see other people getting off earlier boats so we knew we were in for a wet time so stripped down as much as possible. The organisers provide waterproof bags for backpacks etc so shirts were dry but shorts etc stayed wet for the rest of the day.

There's not much more I can add verbally. I'll let the pictures do the talking. However, one tip, the photo at the bottom with the birds. These are swifts and they cling to the rock wall under the spray of one of the watefalls. I'm not sure why or how long they do this for but its bizarre nonetheless.

Day 7 - Rio de Janeiro to Iguazu Falls

Today was pretty much devoted to travelling but it wasn't without its problems. Everything went well until we landed in Buenos Aires from Rio. We were supposed to go through customs in BA but we had  to pay the $100 USD 'Reciprocity Fee' at Immigration. Australians and Americans even had their own line whcih would have been very quick to clear immigration. But....as soon as WE got to the cashier, his receipt printer ran out of paper. Okay, he says 'one moment please' and goes off to get a new roll of paper (yes of course it would make more sense to have a spare roll at his desk). Then, he gets the new roll but can't for the life of him figure out how to load it. He tried stuffing that paper in every which way but it wouldn't load.

Not to look defeated he puts on a serious look and rings someone to help him who appears to be telling him over the phone what to do. Nope, still no good. 'Excuse me everyone, I will ring IT!'

"Excellent, we think. At last someone will know what to do.' 20 minutes have elapsed now. IT guy arrives (I swear IT guys around the world look the same...a little overweight, wearing black, and have that 'what have these stupid users done now look?' look on their face). Anyway, IT guy is even more useless than cashier guy. He just gestures to the little printer implying he works on more important things like servers and laptops...not insignificant things like replacing paper rolls. 35 minutes have elapsed now and our connecting flight leaves in exactly 1 hour.

Cashier guy rings someone else. IT guy looks on with an approving look on his face. 10 minutes later 3 more people arrive. These are actually immigration check in people who are wondering why they have processed everyone else that arrived off the flight but there's a group of Aussies standing at the end of the room. Once they understand the problem, they all have a crack at it with no luck. 10 minutes later someone had the bright idea to ask one of the girls that works in Duty Free who changes the paper in about 15 seconds. We've been standing there for nearly an hour asking cashier guy about backup plans and what would happen if there was a blackout.

I would have loved to have taken a picture of 6 people stuffed into the cashiers cubicle trying to change a paper roll and I'm still incredulous that it took an hour to change something so basic. However, taking photos in the immigration hall is prohibited and I didn't really want to be deported yet.

Anyway we eventually got our receipt, got through immigration then grabbed our bags and ran to the domestic check-in counter. We only had 15 minutes before the flight was due to take off but after a hasty explanation about the idiots in immigration which received a knowing smile, a nod and a roll of the eyes, she checked us in and took the bags. Then, we get to the gate and because the plane is parked out on the tarmac, they had to arrange for a bus for us to be taken out there. By this time we think we are really late but as we got there, there were still people walking up the stairs.

Needless to say, we were the last people on the plane but we needn't have rushed....the plane didn't take off for another 25 minutes. Oh the joys of travel!