Unintentional Sights

 I have three main types of sightseeing that I do.  First is when I have particular sights I want to see, like going to the falls, taking the HOHO bus, tours in various places.  I also sightsee when I don't know where I am.  Of course, I also try to find some type of location signal to help find myself, but being lost can be great for finding new things.  I also sightsee when running errands or just hanging out in parks.  I refer to sightseeing when lost, running errands, or just hanging out as unintentional sightseeing because I am not intending to see what I'm seeing.  It's just there or close.  There has been a lot of unintentional sightseeing in Buenos Aires!

One of my errands was to go to Florida Street to change some money.  Argentina has some significant currency controls, and inflation is currently in the 80+% range.  Because of those two things, there is a black market on currency exchange here.  You can exchange dollars (or other currencies) for Argentinean pesos at the official bank rate at somewhere around 150 pesos to the dollar.  Or you can go to the black market, find a "casa de cambio", and take advantage of the blue dollar rate, which is currently sitting around 290 pesos to the dollar.  Some bloggers have made the blue dollar exchange process in Buenos Aires sound sketchy.  I can understand how some may think it is, but it is, in fact, quite safe.  Most of the casas de cambio are on Florida Street, which is a foot-traffic-only street in downtown Buenos Aires.  It's lined with shops and restaurants, everything from souvenirs to leather shops to jewelry stores to sex shops to clothing stores and everything in between.  Just for references, there are also sex shops on Avenida Santa Fe, another major shopping street in Buenos Aires, closer to (and partially in) Palermo, which is considered a good neighborhood.  While I didn't go in any of the sex shops, they appeared to be no different than the adult toy stores scattered throughout the US and most countries.  The money changers will stand in the street shouting, "Cambio," or some version, often including that they'll exchange dollars or euro or other currencies.  To make the exchange, you simply ask them what their rate is, and if you agree with that rate (which does appear to be somewhat negotiable if you have checked the official blue rate beforehand), they will lead you into one of the galleria-type storefronts to their particular office to make the exchange.  Unlike what many bloggers are leading folks to believe, this is not so they can rob you once they get you into their office.  It is, in fact, for your safety.  Just think about whether you would want to be exchanging large quantities of cash in the middle of a busy street in a large city!  Those are your options.  Exchange your cash (the larger the bills, the better the rate) in front of everybody on the street, including the pickpockets and thieves, or go into a private office to count your money in private.  If you are concerned, go in the morning instead of the evening.  Most petty thieves are still asleep, as they tend to be more active at night.  And Florida Street is known for having pickpockets and petty thieves around, but it's an awesome and active place to be.  Lots of outdoor cafes and parillas, or if fast food is more you style, on almost any street in Buenos Aires, you will stumble over a McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Mostaza, KFC, or Kentucky Pizzeria within mere steps.  I could not believe how many there were all over the city.  I mean, there are 5 or 6 within easy walking distance from my AirBNB, which is in a residential area!  There appears to be a higher saturation of fast food here than anywhere I have ever been before. And, I admit to getting an urge for a taste of home. If Wendy's offers a Philly burger near you, I suggest you get it. It's delicious! Anyway, don't be afraid to change your money for the blue dollar on Florida Street.  It's as safe as going to a bank.  You just get a better deal! This picture is in the morning.  By noon, the street is filled with people!  I was there a couple of times at different times of the day.

The first time I went to exchange money, I learned that the monument to the heroes who died in the Falkland War was nearby.  Therefore, it seemed like a fine time to go by there!  In Argentina, the Falklands are known as Los Islas de Malvinas, and the Argentine people clearly believe England stole those islands from them and that Los Malvinas are part of Argentina.  In fact, there are signs on the busses that declare such as well as signs on buildings close to the Casa Rosada.

There are monuments in various places in the country to the heros of the Malvinas, dead and alive. This particular monument is to those who died. The names of the fallen are inscribed on the wall behind the guards. They are sorted by province with the name of the province and the crest for that province in front of that list of names. There are benches for people to sit in and contemplate the fallen and the guards change out periodically. I do not know the frequency, but I got lucky.

After looking at the monument, I was sitting in the park taking pictures of these little green parakeets.

I looked back toward the upper elevation of the park and saw the procession of the new guards coming down the stairs. So, I headed back to the monument. I got there in time to catch the changing of the guard ceremony!

The irony of the whole thing is that directly across the street, facing this monument, is a clock tower that was a gift to Buenos Aires by the local British community back in the early 1900s. After the war in 1982, the name of this tower was changed to Torre Monumento from Torre de los Ingleses. I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees the irony here. In fact, it is said that sometimes anti-British grafitti is painted on the tower. I have to wonder if the placement of the monument to the Malvinas was intentional. Fun fact, planes from Argentina are not allowed to land in the Falklands. If you want to fly to the Falklands/Malvinas, you have to fly from Chile or some other country. With the animosity, I'm surprised cruises from Argentina are able to dock in the Falklands, though cruise ships that are flagged from Argentina may not.

I spent time in lots of different parks, just people watching and enjoying the beautiful weather. Did I mention there is statuary everywhere? They even have a monument to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a small park close to my AirBNB!

By far, the most popular and well known is the monument to the Magna Carta and the Four Regions of Argentina. Unfortunately, the base is covered by scaffolding, as they are doing maintenance on it, but since it is a multi-dimensional monument, I took photos of all sides from which it was safe. It sits in the center of a roundabout in one of the major streets of the city.

There were multiple other random statues and monuments that I thought were worth showing, too.

On the evening I planned to take a tango lesson, I had heard that there was a milonga (community tango dance) with lessons before at La Glorieta in Belgrano. So, I caught a bus and headed to La Glorieta. When I got there, a group was using it as a place to work on their Cyr wheel acrobatics. It was amazing to watch!

I asked around, and there was no milonga there that night. Only on the weekends now. But never fear! In Buenos Aires, there are ALWAYS tango lessons available (usually at night) somewhere! So, I found a lesson for that night followed by a milonga in a small studio basically across the street from the Plaza Inmigrantes del Armenia! I didn't get videos of the finished product, after I got the hang of "the cross" (which is the most basic of footwork), but here is an early attempt, learning more of the dancing together, but side-by-side, without being a line dance! I'm pretty proud of myself!

 

And now, it's time to rest. There is still a lot to see of Buenos Aires, but I must take some down time, as there is still a lot of this trip to go.  I must be content to know I simply cannot see it all. I'm taking some rest time, doing some laundry, and repacking everything. Next stop - Antarctica!

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, By Ferry

I've been doing a pretty good job navigating Buenos Aires by bus, but if I was late for my ferry, I simply wouldn't be able to go to Uruguay, and that wasn't an option.  Therefore, I ordered an Uber, who arrived a few minutes early.  When I bought my ticket, the lady said for me to be there 90 minutes before time to leave, and Google maps said it would take between 30 and 45 minutes to get to the terminal from my AirBNB by car.  So, 6:00 a.m. for Uber pickup it was.  I got there at 6:30 for an 8:30 ferry.  I can't reconcile why I had to be there 90 minutes early.  They didn't allow check in until 7:30, and we weren't allowed to start immigration and boarding until almost 8:00.  But, it is what it is, and I was happy to be there.  The interior of the ferry looked comfortable, but if you know me, you know where I headed.  Yup.  Straight to the deck, up against the rail.  There was a little metal bench in front of the windows, but nope.  I spent the whole ride over standing against the rail.

Pulling out of the harbor, the Buenos Aires skyline was lovely fading to the distance.

You could easily tell when we passed La Boca!

Finally, we made it to open water. I put the camera away and considered going to the bench to sit when the captain picked up speed, and I was stuck. I wasn't going anywhere! The wind was blowing into my face, my hair whipping around behind me wildly even in its ponytail, and if I had tried to turn around, I felt like I would have fallen flat on my face. So, there I was - old and weak and riding Against the Wind! It was exhilerating, though.

As we neared Uruguay, the captain slowed the boat. I guess I could have sat down, but pictures needed to be taken! I just loved that one tree towering above almost everthing else on the island!  I never saw it on land, though.  I stayed in the historic district of Colonia del Sacramento, the side of the island with the old lighthouse.

We got off the ferry and went through Uruguay - who actually stamped my passport!! Yay!! Two for Four! Four countries, two stamps!  I made a bee line for the information desk and armed myself with a tourist map.  Then I set out for my self-guided, self-paced walking tour.  I was glad I chose to do the self tour.  I saw the pace the guided walking tour was taking!  And you know how it's difficult to walk well on cobblestone roads even when the stones are uniform in size and well leveled?  Well...

They're not so uniform and level here!

The first thing on the map was the City Gate.  The walls around the city were necessary because of the continual attempts to overtake the city, being at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, the widest river in the world, formed by the confluence of the Rio Parana and Rio Uruguay.  Uruguay, itself, is bordered by Brazil to the north, Argentina to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south.  It is, in fact, prime real estate.  All of those various influences can be found in Colonia del Sacramento, and there are museums displaying influences from various lands.  Hence, the city walls and the City Gate.

Just a little past the gate, beside a Portuguese museum, is a little side street called the Street of Sighs, or Calle de los Suspiros. Nobody seems to know for sure how it got its name, but the prevailing thought is that it housed the town brothels back in the day, and when sailors and soldiers came home, many sighs were heard from this street. It still boasts the original paving and drainage from the first colonial period by the Portuguese.

About a block past that is the ruins of the Convent of San Francisco, which was destroyed by fire in 1704. Instead of rebuilding or finishing tearing the convent down, Juan Manuel de Rosas decided to build a lighthouse smack dab in the middle of those ruins! Lighthouse construction began in 1845 and was finished in 1857, after being interrupted by war.

The next group of buildings are a Spanish building, housing many different artifacts from different periods, set next to the ruins of the Viceroy's House of Portuguese construction.

In front of these buildings and by the plaza, I spotted a lady selling magnets and cards that she had painted. I would always prefer to buy my souvenirs from a local artisan than to just purchase mass produced items when I have the opportunity. The problem was that I had intended to use my credit card in Uruguay and didn't exchange any money. She said she would take Brazilian reals or US dollars. She cautioned against trying to pay for anything in Uruguay with Argentinian pesos, though, because the exchange rate is very bad. So, I bought my hand painted magnet for $2 US. A lady from Ecuador was making a purchase at the same time, and she wanted to pay with a Sacagawea dollar coin. I had to vouch for her that the coin was, indeed, a dollar and is valid as US money. I did offer to exchange a bill for the coin if she preferred, but she chose to keep the coin. I think my offer to exchange the bill for the coin was what convinced her that it was real. Then, the waterfront caught my eye, and I strayed a hair from the map. Such beautiful beaches. All of them only accessible by staircase!

I walked past the yacht club

And an abandoned old building with some really nice graffiti on it. As I was approaching it, an agent was showing this gem of a location to a potential buyer.

As I was walking back up the hill toward the church, I stumbled upon this old car, up on wooden blocks and driven by a fish with his family in tow!

And finally, the Basillica of the Holy Sacrament. They asked that photographs not be taken inside and that you only enter for prayer, and then only if you are Catholic. I didn't take pictures. It was not the ornate churches you usually see. It was very spartan, almost like the old country churches, with nothing but rows of bare pews inside, except this one did have one ornate carving of Jesus on the cross in the front and a confessional over to the side. The front door was broken and had a panel missing.

By this time, my legs and feet decided they had had enough. My legs didn't always want to move as I was telling them to do, and my feet were getting floppy. It's not good when a foot wants to slide instead of step, but it's even worse on uneven cobbles. It was about lunch time anyway, and I was getting hungry. So, I ducked into a little parilla and got some steak and fries. It was about a normal sized meal for asadas that I had gotten in Argentina. The meat covered most of the plate, usually with the except of a small section with a little bit of vegetable, salad, or garnish. Then, there is a great big bowl of fries (maybe about a half pound or so). And a big bowl of bread choices. Don't let anybody tell you the US serves the biggest portions. That simply has not been my experience in most countries unless you're eating in a fancy, expensive "tiny food" establishment. The food is, however, exquisite!

After killing a couple of hours here (and still not being able to eat everything on my plate), my lower extremeties were feeling a little more cooperative, so I decided that would be a good time to head back to the ferry terminal. It would be early, but I had seen about everything the historical section of Colonia had to offer, and I wasn't going to see anything else unless I rented a car. So, I headed back to the terminal. I did have to stop and get a picture of this guy. I felt kind of sorry for him in his blanket. It was HOT out, even in the shade!

When I got to the ferry terminal, I asked if I could change my ticket to an earlier return, but since I had bought a promotional fare, it couldn't be changed. That was okay. I got an orange juice and sat in the chairs in the terminal waiting for my time to check in. Apparently, I was not unique. Lots of people came up asking to change to an earlier return. Some were able to. A couple of guys with English accents got a bit huffy with the girl at the ticket window, and she did offer to sell them new tickets for an earlier return, but those tickets cost more than the round trip promo fare tickets did! They bought them! When I finally boarded my ferry back to Buenos Aires, I decided to just sit in a window seat this time. It was comfortable, and I think I took a bit of a nap. Before we docked, I picked up a couple of Reese Cups from the duty free shop, and then I caught a bus back to my AirBNB. About half way home, a woman was boarding the bus when a thief reached in, grabbed her purse that was just slung over her shoulder, and ran. A couple of people in line ran after him, but they weren't able to catch him. At home, I usually wear my purse like that. However, when traveling or when carrying something important in a potentially high risk area, always wear your bag cross body, please. I made it home just fine, though, so please don't be concerned. Just be aware that a cross body bag is much more difficult to snatch that a shoulder slung bag, and a backpack worn on the front is much more difficult to access than one on the back. These are just tips for high risk areas, whether at home or abroad. Even if you don't follow these tips, though, any thefts you may be victim to are the thief's fault, not yours.

When I got safely back to my AirBNB, I took an extra of my neuro meds (doctor's orders to do it that way) and went to bed.  Planned for just hanging at some parks and running a couple of errands the following day.  With that Antarctic cruise coming up, I have to keep my legs and feet happy!

La Boca - Color and Whimsy

The La Boca neighborhood sits at the mouth of the Riachuelo Matanza River, which is what gave it its name.  The neighborhood is home to the Boca Juniors Futball Club, one of the most popular leagues in the country.  The stadium (La Bombonera) and the area around it are decked out in the team colors of vibrant blue and gold.  They say the colors were chosen based on the first ship to dock in the river after the team was organized, which happened to be a Swedish ship.  I don't know how true that is, but the colors match!

The other big draw for the neighborhood is El Caminito, a small grouping of streets and alleys known for the artists and artisans who display and sell their wares there.  The area retains its initial charm with building construction primarily still consisting of corrugated sheets of zinc painted bright colors.  You can get souveniers, unique, one-of-a-kind artwork, street food, fresh juices, and so many more things here.  The neightborhood is an absolute charm, even when the Juniors aren't playing!

The fresh juice was on par with Simply or Florida's Natural.  It wasn't, however, "Costa Rica bridge" good!

It doesn't take long to stroll through the neighborhood, and it is well worth the bus fare to come down or just get off the HOHO bus for a while!

Buenos Aires - The Paris of South America

I'm not sure I like that nickname.  It's supposed to mean that Buenos Aires is a well-developed city based on European standards, full of culture and modern conveniences.  And Buenos Aires is, in fact, all of those things.  It does, indeed, remind me of Munich and Augsburg and other European cities with all of the ornate architecture, walking areas, public transportation, green spaces, and statuary.  Buenos Aires has a personality all her own, though.  So I prefer La Reina de Plata, the Queen of the Silver River.  She does sit at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, and she is very regal!

I decided to get my bearings and start scoping the place out by doing my favorite first activity - the hop on hop off bus.  These busses give you a great overview of some of the history and signficant places in an area, usually with stops at the most popular sites.  I went to the stop closest to my apartment and sat and waited.  Finally, the app started giving arrival times, and I decided I just wasn't going to wait that long.  Checking Google Maps, I found there was a subway station not far from that stop, and I still needed a Sube card.  I had been told that subway stations tended to have the cards.  So, I walked to the subway station and got my Sube card.  And from there, I walked to the next closest and timely stop for the HOHO bus, Plaza Italia.

The bus took me around Palermo, which is the neighborhood I'm staying in, downtown, past Casa Rosada (the Presidential palace), the National Congress, the La Boca neighborhood, and many parks and sites, some of which I explored more thoroughly later.  To begin with, though, I just rode the bus and listened to the stories.

Some of the highlights of the HOHO bus that I didn't explore more closely are below.

Distrito Arco is a shopping block.  The walls are on the outside, and most of the perimiter stores are fully enclosed with open air shops and kiosks in the center.

Some statuary that signify people or events that I can't remember

The National Congress

The square across from the National Congress.  There was a protest for sex worker rights going on.

A mural made of fully recycled materials at the entrance to the La Boca neighborhood.

The "Ghost Tower" that is said to be haunted by a woman who threw herself off of the top of the tower.

The side of the stadium for the Boca Juniors.  Their colors are blue and gold because they decided to use the colors of the first ship that sailed into the harbor - Sweden.

Puenta de la Mujer (Woman Bridge) in Puerto Madero, where women's accomplishments are celebrated and most streets carry the names of significant women.

More statuary

The Ministry of Public Works building, where many of Evita Peron's social programs continue to be carried out today.

Statue of Don Quixote