Buenos Aires

After many flights we have at last arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We are going to take a few days just chilling out, staying in the San Telmo area, the older part of the city, where most of the action happens. Turns out the weather is chilly too. A bit like Melbourne weather in the winter.

San Telmo is in the old section, lots of antique book shops and we have found a lovely cafe/wine bar that favours literary academics and is dedicated to a local writer Jorges Borges. It is called La Poesias (The Poet) and has a warm cosy atmosphere and just right for coffee or drinks before dinner after long touristy walks in the afternoons. We have also found the restaurant with, we think, the best Argentinian steaks in town. They are very big on steaks here.

We are going to take a different section each day.

Sunday morning is the time for the outdoor antique markets in San Telmo square. The whole place is given over to these small antique markets and there is tango music and dancing demonstrations happening all over. Also lots of antique shops in and around this area.

La Boca. This working class area originally populated by Italian dock workers is a colourful center of art and tango restaurants. The brightly coloured metal houses were inspired by the painter Benito Quinquela Martin after he painted his own home which has now become an arts museum in the area. It has a lovely party atmosphere even in the afternoon.

The Puerto Madero or port area with the four diques (dikes pronounced here deeks) is reminiscent of our Southbank area; very trendy restaurants and tango clubs overlooking the waterfront and has a much more modern commercial look than the rest of the city with its new high rise buildings dominating the area.

Recoleta Cemetery Area is one of the great cemeteries of the world. Many of Argentina's notables are buried here in this city of mausoleums including Eva Peron and her family. Pretty spooky to walk around these streets of mini buildings. You can look through the glass and wrought iron doors of the individual family crypts at the coffins sitting on shelves. Huge amounts of money would have been spent on these structures.

We have worked out how to use the Subt (the underground subway). It costs p$1.10 (26 cents Australian) per viaje (voyage) anywhere in the city and is very efficient.

Plaza San Martin is a nice shady plaza in the heart of the city dominated by a huge 300 year old Morton Bay Fig tree. Apparently Borges lived near here. We sat on the grass and watched a World Cup futbol match between Uraquay and Spain on a huge screen next to the plaza. Then we walked back via the Calle Florida the 'Paris of the South' with its exquisit leather shops, international fashion boutiques and fabulous old mansions. Nice place for window shopping.

This afternoon we attended the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. On thursday afternoons at 3.30 pm the mothers of the disappeared still march every week, after 10 years, in the Plaza de Mayo. There is a short speech afterwards and the long list of names of the missing is read out in memory of those who mysteriously disappeared during those turbulent times. I was very emotionally affected by the sad plight of these mothers. Ten years ago it would have been dangerous just to have been seen in the plaza with them.

Went to a Tango show tonight. Starts with a Milonga, Salza classes then tango classes, then the show comes on at 2 am (too late for us). The classes were great though. Ray has decided it`s not his thing.

Getting ready for our trip to Venezuela.