Buenos Aires
Housing many notable figures in Argentine history
Spooky...
Former actress and beloved second wife of President Juan Perón. There was a huge crowd around this tomb so I had time to snap this quick pic then sauntered off.
Buenos Aires was my last stop in South America. I was sad to leave such a diverse and beautiful continent, but wanted to spend the last couple days in Buenos Aires enjoying the Argentinian culture and sites. I ended up taking an overnight bus from Mendoza to Buenos Aires because it was much cheaper and would allow me to save a whole day of traveling between the two. Total Mistake.
I got a seat on the upper deck. The bus left around 7 PM from Mendoza's main bus station and would reach Buenos Aires around 8 AM the next morning. Right from the get-go, there were some men sitting in the back of the bus who were being really rowdy. I thought they'd settle down after a while, so I put my headphones on and zoned out. Later in the night, people began to recline their chairs to get some shuteye; I followed suit. Out of nowhere, I heard a crashing noise from the back. I looked back. One of the guys had punched in the window, god knows why. There was a fist shaped hole in the glass with shattered remains dangling loosely. One of the workers on the bus came upstairs to calm the men down and see the damage. We then had an unplanned 2 hour stop in order to repair the damage. Not super fun when it's 2 AM and you're trying to sleep. Eventually we got moving again. I slept for parts of the journey and we finally arrived at the Buenos Aires bus station around 8 AM.
I was staying at an Airbnb with an American expat named Matt in downtown Buenos Aires. The bus station was located on the outskirts of the city, so I took a cab from the bus station into the city and arrived to Matt's 30 minutes later. He introduced himself and showed me around his place. I decided to take a little nap since I slept poorly on the bus and awoke early afternoon. Before leaving, I asked Matt for suggestions on where to visit. He had a metro map for me and pointed out some interesting spots to check out, but informed me that it was a national holiday for Argentina and some places might be closed. Envisioning an American holiday when everyone is out and about shopping sales and hanging out, I expected a busy day downtown.
Featuring General Manuel Belgrano, who fought in the Argentine independence wars and created the Argentinian flag.
The executive mansion and President's office (Cristina Fernandez) behind the gated exteriors.
In the Plaza de la República. The sky may look bleak, but this structure is iconic of the Buenos Aires night life. This area is also known as the Times Square of Buenos Aires.
DAY 1: NIGHT BUS & DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
TRAVEL TIPS: BUENOS AIRES
Visa needed for Argentina--purchase online $160 repricocity fee
Companies Used:
-Rome2Rio
Didn't have my phone with me to snap photos but the streets were lined with people honoring the disappeared of nearly 40 years. It was a lively parade and there was food and drinks for all. For more information refer to the link from Northwestern's publication.
DAY 2: CITY LIFE & NIGHT TOUR
The next day, I chatted with Matt before heading out. He used to be a tour guide in Argentina and said he could show me around a few places later. I was grateful. I love traveling in places but it adds a whole other dimension when you have inside knowledge of the place.
Multiple people suggested that I visit the parks in Buenos Aires. Apparently park culture is big down there. I decided to head to Parque Tres de Febrero, next to the Buenos Aires Zoo. I used the metro from Matt's place and navigated easily throughout the city. The park was stunning. One on end, there was a densely populated area was littered with excited children frolicking by the zoo entrance. The other end featured a botanical garden, providing an isolated sanctuary for meditators and park-goers. Soon after, I set off and found a restaurant nearby and had a lavish snack (coffee and a plump piece of chocolate cake).
After that, I set off to explore La Recoleta Cemetery, one of the most grandiose cemeteries in the world that has more than 6000 mausoleums containing the remains of Argentinian politicians, entertainers, army generals. I walked among hundreds of majestic structures, resembling little houses, miniature chapels, and fairytale alleyways. If I was a little girl, I'd be in a fantasy land, frolicking in the alleyways and imagining I was a princess of my kingdom. Of course the fantasy would be slightly better if there weren't actual dead bodies contained in those beautiful little vessels. Nevertheless, I spent the rest of my afternoon admiring the enchanting resting places of Argentina's elite. After wandering a bit more, I headed back to Matt's, ready for my night tour.
It was busy alright. It was March 24 and after messaging my good friend Nigam, who studied abroad in Buenos Aires for 6 months, he informed me that it was the National Day of Remembrance. It was a day to honor the 30,000 people who disappeared in Argentina during the military dictatorship, Última Dictadura, that ruled 1974-1983. Essentially anyone who expressed or exhibited anything anti-government was taken or illegally arrested. At the time, it was reported that 9000 people disappeared, but after recognizing that that all cases weren't reported, the figure rose to 30,000. People still don't know what happened to their friends and families that disappeared. If parents were kidnapped, their children were given to new parents, some with completely new identities. It was a messy time and people are still living the horrors that resulted from it. Very heavy stuff.
I wandered over to the Plaza de Mayo of Buenos Aires (the central square), where all the hustle and bustle was emanating from. There were thousands of people buzzing in every direction. Scattered across the square, hundreds of vendors were selling food and other knick knacks. In the center, there was a band playing on a massive stage. Their backs were to a huge screen facing the audience, flipping through picture after picture of those who had vanished 40 years ago. The scene in front of me captured the duality of light and dark, of vibrant celebrations and the sobering realities that caused it.
I spent the remainder of the day walking alongside notable sites in Buenos Aires before finding a dynamite empanada place for dinner and calling it a day. I crashed early that night and awoke early the next morning, the beginning of my last day in South America.
Luckily, by the time I got back to Matt's he was done with work and ready to go. We started off by visiting the water pumping station a couple blocks from his place. I was amused to learn that it was Matt's favorite building in Buenos Aires. But the joke was on me; the place was stunning!
My picture at night didn't turn out well. Attributes of this picture goes to: By HalloweenHJB (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
While showing me around, Matt explained how he landed up in Buenos Aires. Matt was originally from New York and came to Buenos Aires on vacation. He fell in love with the city and decided to move. The process, he said, was difficult and tedious, involving wiring money from a bank in the US to Argentina and physically transferring bags of cash to acquire his apartment (the days before everything went viral). When he initially arrived, he worked as a tour guide. Lucky me, I was getting a tour from an official guide! I asked about his life in Buenos Aires and how he felt about his move now. As much as he loved it, he explained Argentina's complexities and why he was considering moving elsewhere.
He explained one of the most recent political events that occurred in January of 2015. Alberto Nisman, a prominent attorney in Argentina, was convicting President Cristina Fernandez for covering up the culprits of the 1994 terrorist bombing that killed 85 people in Buenos Aires. Nisman worked tirelessly for years to uncover the secrets involved in the case. Only 4 days after he announced convicting the President, he was found dead in a locked apartment. No one has been convicted of his murder, but many believe the government was behind it. No matter who it was, it has created a tense environment between the people of Argentina and their government. To read more, refer here.
Despite its twisted politics, Buenos Aires has incredible architecture. Matt took me to some really charming places near his place. One was a theater converted into a bookstore. We also walked through an elite neighborhood, lined with extravagant hotels. There was a clear distinction and separation, he explained, between the rich and poor class in Buenos Aires. Anyone considered poor would be escorted out of that neighborhood. He then took me to a street and started pointing to buildings saying "Here's where Ralph Lauren used to be" and "Here's where Louis Vuitton used to be". They were spectacular buildings. I asked him why the stores weren't there anymore. Uh-oh, we stumbled into another sticky topic.
Argentina is extremely strict about what they import into the country. The Argentinian government, under President Fernandez, instated an import policy that restricted global brands from selling in the country if they didn't exchange goods for importing clothes into Argentina. This essentially means that in order for Louis Vuitton to import clothes into Argentina, they would be responsible for exporting an Argentinian good out of the country in order to "protect domestic producers". Because of this outlandish restriction, many luxury brands ended up abandoning their stores. President Fernandez's term ends in December and many hope that the policy will end and the brands can return.
The next morning I woke up early to run a couple errands before I left for the airport. I needed to withdraw cash to pay the cab driver and my bus ticket. Ezeiza (EZE) airport, where I was departing from, is 22 kilometers from the heart of the city. Matt suggested that I cab it to the bus station and buy a bus ticket from the station to the airport. Apparently a cab from downtown Buenos Aires to the airport would cost me a fortune. The process was easy enough and soon I was at the airport boarding my flight to Rome, Italy.
It was my farewell to South America: a beautiful continent enriched with warm people, incredible landscape and a fascinating history. I was looking forward to Europe but a bit sad to leave. Till next time, mi amor!
