Be Careful What You Ask For!

Like the old joke goes, always be careful what you ask for! I came to Rosario for some quietness, rest and water. And this is exactly what I got! Only the water was not on a beach, not on the islands of Rio Parana, it came from the heavens...

It has been raining since yesterday, pretty much all the time I've been here. The hostel is really nice and made some new friends, but that's all there is to it. Rain, rest (boredom?) and quietness. Apparently it will go on for a few days on my return to Buenos Aires, it's an effect of the once-every-decade visit of El Nino. I shouldn't complain and I'm not, but next time I'll be more careful with the titles of my posts here.....

Nerooooo, ligo verooooo....

It cannot get any hotter than this! The city is on fire! I need this water desperately. Thankfully the Portenos have some seriously cold beers in the fridge and that goes a long way.

I don't know what you know about Brazilians but they must be the hardest partying people on earth! The loudest, friendliest and most lovable too. On my return from Uruguay, a small communication breakdown forced me to "think laterally" as they say. And by following the advice of some friends from Montevideo I ended up in a crazy place full of them! I mean 95% of the people there were from Brazil. An eclectic mix I have to say and after 3 days I was done. I have a certain age you see and I can go so far. The days were hot and lazy, the nights were hot and sweaty! Enough said.

And now we come back to that water mentioned on the title. The mirage that I keep seeing all day, every day. I'm off again. I have to. It's a matter of life or death almost. Tomorrow I'll be in Rosario, on the Parana river. A few hours bus drive and I'll find my oasis..... An update will follow straight from the shadow of a tall tree, or the bottom of the river.

Time for a beach

The temperature is rising fast, Buenos Aires is a frying pan!
Spanish lessons and lazy days have been the norm this week. Nothing really wild but it's been great fun. I know this might shock you, but I haven't tried the Tango yet! It's too hot, and everybody knows how inept I am with freely jiggling limbs. I will though, promise I will.

I might (or might not) have time for another update this weekend, but it looks like next week I'm gonna have a much needed break in Uruguay. I think I deserve it! A few hundred miles of sandy beaches sound like music to my ears....

Hasta luego!

And of course, we shouldn't forget our daily dose of Diegito (with a side dish of Che, a local lad don't forget):

Loose Change:

Out The Window!

A little note on something strange but wonderful that I neglected. An apparent tradition (?) in Buenos Aires that left me utterly amazed, even though everybody else seemed totally cool about! On New Year's Eve, in the Microcentro, the "City" so to speak, apparently everybody throws out the window all the papers, notes and work diaries of the dying year! It's literally raining paper!!!

Have a look:

The Parana Delta.

Today was a wonderful day. Very very hot and humid I'm afraid, but it was fantastic!

The Delta of the Parana river, less than one hour by train from Buenos Aires is a spectacular water maze seemingly in the middle of the jungle. The river and all its little branches spread and converge and split and meet again forming an endless pattern of small and larger islands. Along the banks there are hundreds of houses, some simple huts, some small holiday homes and some quite grandiose villas, with the only connection with the city being by boat through Tigre.

We had lunch in one of the local restaurants on the bank of a small triangular island and we walked. A lot! The place is just beautiful! The vegetation is so diverse (doubtless not all of it is natural-I cannot imagine pine trees growing on their own in there but I might be wrong), the river and it's canals twist and turn, thick shadows pierced by blazing sun-rays, kids swim everywhere, wooden footpaths and footbridges and so many more things to marvel at. I can imagine this place being a sanctuary of a kind for months!

Here's the place:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Buenos+Aires,+Argentina&ll=-34.33323,-58.52211&spn=0.175774,0.441513&t=h&z=11

Lets change the subject...

It's raining again here. I'm not sure that's what I bargained for..

Anyway, it would be a grave omission if I didn't mention the "Madres de Plaza de Mayo". For those that are not familiar with the subject, the Madres are the mothers of the Missing young people (los Decaparecidos) of the military dictatorship of Argentina of the 70s and 80s, and the so-called Dirty War. Their kids were "disappearing" in scores during those 7 years, either because they were active against the junta or because the military authorities counted them as such. The estimated number of los Decaparecidos varies, but generally is accepted as between 11,000 and 30,000. Despite the end of the dictatorship in 1983, most of them are still unaccounted for.

The "Madres" is an association of the mothers fighting for the right to re-unite with their abducted children. Since 30 April 1977 they protest weekly on Plaza de Mayo. I have participated twice in their protests, and somehow feel very close to this story and every Thursday it is quite overwhelming. Have a look, it is worth it.

Further reading:
http://www.madres.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_of_the_Plaza_de_Mayo

Thunderstorm before The Event!

We had a fierce thunderstorm today. It only lasted an hour, but it was something. I hope it'll stop in time for today's Event!!! An update will follow promptly.

La Boca!

What a fantastic place it is!

Ok, there are no grand avenues, it's not wealthy or leafy, hasn't got 8-10-12 story buildings, no parks and it's mostly known for it's football team. There are narrow little streets, it's poor, has few trees here and there and shabby dwellings, but it's got character, history and wonderful people. And Maradona! I need to come back here, need to meet more locals (after I improve my non-existent Spanish that is), need to spend more time!
I will do all of them in due time.

Rest of the day: I got a suit! I came 9,900 km for my friend's wedding and now I'll even wear a tie! It's my first tie ever mind you, a pure tie-virgin! I don't know what else I'll do for this guy.... Choc, it'd better worth it!

A few pics again, and sleep!

Sunday today.

It might be high summer here but we still have Xmas, with a tree and all. (I suspect it might even be taller than Athens'...)

Day out at San Telmo's today. Great street market, great fun, great people!

A long walk that was..

Today was the first full day out of my hiding place. I was back sooner than expected.
Lessons of the day: 1) Buenos Aires is BIG, 2) It is also HOT, 3) I need new shoes!!!

The above being easy to decipher, I'd like to elaborate on some more interesting parts of my day.

Cementerio La Recoleta es estupendo! I know, I start with a chilly subject but it's worth it. Wonderful cenotaphs, the who's-who of the city's past. Most are a bit over the top for my taste but still a very enjoyable few hours.
The boundaries between upper and lower class neighborhood are easy to miss. Nothing particularly shocking but it's perfectly clear where you are nevertheless. Haven't been that far yet though.
Avenida 9 Julio must be the biggest urban motorway on earth! Right in the middle of the city, 9 lanes each direction! Six zebra crossings to go to the other side. Thankfully, a demo made it so much easier. I love demos!

A few photos will follow. I think I'll stick to photos from now on, it took me 43 mins to type the above. I was never good with (written) words I'm afraid.