Last Thoughts on Buenos Aires

Truth: No amount of research could have ever prepared me for Buenos Aires. Part of the slacking in researching before traveling down here could have been the fact that I was being a little arrogant from my previous travel experiences to Europe. Buenos Aires might be the Paris of South America, but it so far from being Parisian. My first experience in South America makes me want to come back again and again until I figure it out.

The biggest shocker for me was the secret bars!  We never needed a password for the two bars we went to, but we did need a lot of direction for finding these unmarked bars. Florería Atlantico and Milíon were pretty freakin' awesome! And like I said before, the bartenders are true artist of the cocktails. At Milíon, our bartenders were characters! Definitely, enjoyed making up stories about them and the other customers. The bar itself gave a speakeasy feel. Super low key, no name, hidden. These types of bars are everywhere and the more I research for them now, the more I want to find them. Especially, the ones with passwords and secret phonebooth doors! Such an adventure..

One thing that really interested me the whole time we were there was their economic status. On vacation, one should relax, but I could only think about how things actually ran in Buenos Aires. Long story short, there is a high import tax. Most of the big name brands no longer have stores in Buenos Aires... That means my dreams of opening a store for A&F in BA was never a reality in the near future I was hoping for... I have much reading and learning to do if I want that career in international business.

Side story: We met an Australian that studied abroad at Mizzou on the Polo Tour! Joe and I have probably crossed paths with each other before because I remember a group of Aussies my senior year, but I could not remember if we actually met then. Now, three years later we randomly cross paths again! If that wasn't fate or destiny, I don't know what is!! 😜 At dinner, the following day, we had a conversation with an alumni from Rolla, before it was Rolla and before S&T. Missourians are everywhere!!

<3

The Stick

Day 5:

Rain, rain go away!! 

We were going to La Boca, but since La Boca would be an outdoor activity looking at the colorful house and it was raining and thunderstorming, we decided to do more indoor things.

First, we went to Teatro Colón. The operas house was quite lovely. The orignal opera house was closer to the Casa Rosada, but this one was built grandeur. Like most of the city, it was designed in the European/Parisi style and made by European materials by European architects. The whole building is quite spendid and the actual music hall has perfect acoustics. Which means every seat is the house is the best!You can even pretend to be the voice of God by climbing in to the chandelier's rafters! Our visit wasn't during season, so there was nothing going on, but it would have been pretty awesome to actually see a performance!

Next, we went to "the stick". It is really called the Obelisk. Picture the Washington Memorial in D.C. That's what it looks like! When we first saw this landmark, we had to do a double take and look around to make sure we were really in Buenos Aires and not D.C.!!

We walked to the Casa Rosada, snapped a couple pictures of the government buildings around the Plaza de Mayo and moved on to Puerto Madero.

Allison asked if I lived in Buenos Aires, which neighborhood would you live? At first, I thought I would find myself in Palermo, because that area is laid-back, young, and hip. Maybe my more grown up side thinks I would live in Puerto Madero. Close to the city center, but quiet with great restuarant options and shopping. One side of the bank has industrial buildings and the other side is modern. Connecting both sides is this walking bridge called Puente de la Mujer. Google it. The bridge itself swings out to let boats through and the high one armed arch looks like a harp with the wires that support it. Pretty much one of the coolest walking bridges I have seen!!

No vacation is complete without a museum visit. We went to the MALBA (Museo de Arte de Latino Americanos en Buenos Aires). The permanent collection is mainly political pieces and modern/pop art/minimalist pieces... Then the temporary exhibit was by Berni. Don't know much about him other than what I read in the museum, but his work with print and recycled materials was really impressive! The exhibit featured his two characters: Juanito and Ramona. Juanito is about a small boy in the slums of Buenos Aires living through the turmoils of life during the 60s and 70s Buenos Aires, but still full of life and hope for the future. Ramona is a working girl that becomes a prostitute after being promised riches. Both were incredible stories and you have to see the print work in person. I am more of a traditional painting/portrait/landscape girl, but these prints were so unique!!

<3

Fería de San Pedro Telmo

Day 4:

Sunday is always market day! We ventured our way to San Telmo again. To be safe, we never ventured off the tourist path. When I envisioned the market, I thought that it will just be in the Plaza Dorrego.. Not the case. From the top of the hill walking north of the plaza, the stalls are never ending on both sides of the road all the way down Calle Defensa. The stalls are filled with different hand crafted souvenirs: leather bags, belts, shoes, toys, wine holders, scarves, drawings, recycled art, etc. I feel like these items you could almost guarantee that it was made in Argentina and being sold by the maker itself. In the Plaza Dorrego, you can find an assortment of flea market items! No two stalls were the same and we only made it down a few blocks of stalls because of time. 

The economic situation in Argentina is not the greatest and we took full advantage of that when we could. It is quite illegal, but it is a widely known exchange! One of the leather works stall we purchased bags from looked at us cautiously and up and down the street before he told me what he would take in USD. The official exchange rate is roughly 8 Ar Pesos to 1 USD. Most stalls and retailers take 12:1. One place in Palermo took 13:1! Carry as much USD as you can if you ever find yourself traveling to Argentina.

Another tip our walking tour guide told us was to stay after the stalls were taken down in the Plaza Dorrego to watch real people tango, not a choreographed show. Just as she said: the stalls came down and in the dusk of the plaza, the tango music played over the speakers and couples came together to tango. I could only watch in awe as a handful of couples danced together and flowed between each other never bumping or stepping on each others' toes. It was so magical watching them on a warm summer night under the lit street lamps.

<3

When in Argentina...

Day 3: 

Apparently, the game of Polo is pretty popular here. When in Argentina, do as the Argentines do and play Polo! We went on the Argentine Polo Day Tour. It was held at a polo club about an hour outside of Buenos Aires. We started the day with homemade wine and empanadas! Learned a bit about the game and the rules while we watched professional polo players do their thing. After their match, we had asado!!!!! Oh. My. Gosh. It was so delicious! Nothing beats a homemade barbeque picnic on a patio and perfect weather! There was beef and chorizo and fresh grilled vegetables! Yummmmmy! My stomach is happy just remembering it. Then we had our turn on the horse to play polo. It was a slow game, but my team won!! I am pretty sure my horse had only one speed (walking), but I still got to hit the ball a few times.

Later that night, we went on the Argentina Pub Crawl! Started in San Telmo and I couldn't tell you where it ended because we left after the second bar....... Pretty much felt like the oldest people in the room, but I didn't care. At the first bar, I asked a couple of the locals that were on the tour for a drink recommendation. What is the one drink all the portaños drink????

Fernets y coca!!

It was disgusting... Apparently it's an acquired taste.......

But when in Argentina, do as the Argentineans do!

<3

Brush with Fame

Day 2:

Started off the morning poolside. Nothing much to report there.. 

We went back to Recoleta Cemetery after lunch to actually explore the mausoleums. A few observations:

1. I can't believe people would desecrate a mausoleum by throwing trash in the ones with broken glass!

2. I could totally visualize a zombie apocalypse. I think the Walking Dead binge changed my imagination.. 

3. These mausoleums are works of art!! The stone work, the statues, the stained glass.. It is all so impressive to keep a body.

4. After the walking tour the day before, I am happy to see Evita buried properly. If you don't know what happened to her, you should Google it. Here is the condense version: After she died, her body was displayed for everyone to see. Then it got kidnapped. Stored at in the back of a van. Then one of the men who kept her body for a period of time, heard someone moving around in his apartment, thinking it was someone coming to steal Evita, he killed that person. Turned out to be his wife! Then the military had it where they cut parts of her embalmed body off and raped the body. Her embalmer had her and used her body like a real person believing she was alive.. At one point, she was buried in Milan to keep her safe. After all this and 16 years later, she is finally put at rest in the Recoleta Cemetery with her family.

After giving our respects to Evita, we went to Soho Palermo. I would decribe Palermo as hip, young, vibrant, and the place to shop for Buenos Aires brands. Let me tell you a little bit about the fashion here. Very European style of clothing. Crop tops, high rise shorts.. Clothing made breathable in this scorching heat. And then there are the platforms! Yes. PLATFORM SHOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Platform sandals, boots, vans. They are everywhere and everyone wears them everywhere! I mean... Of course I had to have a pair.. 

... And then we literally ran into the Foo Fighters.

<3

Bonitas en BA

The last two days feel like 4 days have passed.. Time seems to have stood still for all of us. Maybe it's because we don't have a set schedule for anything or maybe because it is the summer here and daylight seems to go on forever. Either way, Buenos Aires has been an unique adventure so far and keeps getting better.

Day 1: 

After we landed, we took in the scenery.. I was a bit shocked at how run down the city looked going from the airport to the city center. I pictured "the Paris of South America" to be so glamorous... The parts of the city has the European/Parisian glam and architecture and then you look at the next building and it's like how does this work? But that's South America for you.. Sometimes it's on and sometimes it's off. You just never know and you just go with it.

We took a cultural walking tour that started at the Momument Liberatador San Martin to the Recoleta Cemetery. Along the way we encountered so many beautiful buildings, learned bits and pieces of their history, and introduced to the life of the Porteños (local Buenos Aireans). So much PASSION in this city. When I meet a man here, I am definitely going to be wooed and swept off my feet. 

After the tour, we asked our tour guide for a bar recommendation. She recommended: Florería Atlantico. We got ready and told the taxi where to go.. We show up.. It is a flower shop. Lucky for us, there was a guy taking a smoke outside who told us that we were at the right spot, just had to go through the freezer door. Um.. WHAT?? We opened the door, walked down the stairs, and there it was. A long narrow room with a bar and tables being serviced with seafood!! The drinks we ordered were so artistic. The bartenders put in a show making the drinks and the drinks where garnished with things like reeds in my summer vodka drink. Low key and secret. Pretty awesome!!

<3

New Year, New Me, Same Wanderlust

Remember when I first started this blog four years ago...

I took a flight with unfamiliar classmates to an foreign land that I only ever dreamed of visiting: Spain.

Now, I am on another flight with two of them experiencing deja vu since we started the new journey in Dallas. Sometimes I can't believe I am headed to the one country I have always wanted to go to since I learned to speak Spanish. I keep thinking we'll land and we'll be at Barajas, Madrid. The map ahead of me keeps in check. We're really headed to Buenos Aires!

The thing about Argentina that made me want to visit it since my first Spanish class in high school was Patagonia. The southern part of the country is so majestic, picturesque, and beautiful. I am going to be so close!!! I am going to finally visit the country that kept me going in my Spanish classes and I won't be able to see the part I fell in love with in pictures snd documentaries!! How tragic is that?

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Buenos Dias, Buenos Aires!

Every year I travel somewhere new... So it begins again with the girls that started it all! The trio (Allison, Katie, and I) are going to BUENOS AIRES!

Nothing is packed.

Nothing is planned.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

Stay tuned for the next week and a half to find out what is happening down in Buenos Aires! :)