Accounts from Argentina

La Boca, Buenos Aires

When I look back and think of Argentina my mind goes to two different worlds: Patagonia and the rest of the country we have been to. Our days in Bariloche were too good to be true, but the same I cannot say for Mendoza and Buenos Aires. In Mendoza there is absolutely nothing to do but getting tipsy from its worldly known wines (which certainly it is per se a reason to visit Mendoza)! But thing is that in this increadibly hot city, some super soft and fast thievery hand decided to steal our camera...and all our photos and memories of the previous two weeks evaporated in one split second! Very sad and unfair. After leaving Mendoza we went to Cordoba, which to me looked ten times nicer. 

Our stay there was quite short, but we had time to reach Alta Gracia, where the familia Guevara and Ernestito lived for some years and that nowadays hosts the 'casa-museo of Che Guevara'. The house was well maintained and the museum very well made. I liked that by focusing on the childhood of Ernestito the museum shows a generally unknown side of what later became a hero. For the first time I also learned that Che Guevara had two wives and five children. I could see his school report, see how good he was in geography and history and how bad in ortography and calligraphy. I could see his child letters addressed to his aunt in Buenos Aires and read about the travels he made first through Argentina as a student. El Che has been a son and also a father, a thinker, a philosopher, a political leader, a revolutionary, and a man above all. This museum alone was worth the ride from the beautiful south towards the north of the country!

Then we went to Buenos Aires...which we rebaptised Malos Aires. I think I have been wondering for days what all the fuss about this city is about. Despite Argentinians are said to be the Europeans of South America I saw nothing that could ever resemble Europe or Europeans. Most of them are proud of having some European (mainly Italian) blood far in their DNA, but when it comes to behaviour or way of living...sorry bro but that ain't European at all! Moreover, Bs As is a city thought around an ever-present mean of transport, the car, and nothing is left to human dimension. Big avenues of ten lanes (ten one-way lanes!) are something of the USA rather than Europe. What I couldn't stand the most is the remarkable difference between barrios, neighbourhoods. Those from the aristocratic barrio of Palermo barely consider the popular San Telmo to be any safe! In Palermo the richness of its residents is visible in its palaces with their large, glass and shiny premises...surrounded by the nicest parks of the city. Wealth more than poverty has been disturbing to my eyes.

But all in all we left the capital with a nice feeling. The day before we left, we visited the barrio where Italian immigrants (especially from Genova) use to settle, la Boca. There we had a walk through the famous and colourful Caminito, and that persuaded us that also Bs As has colours like the whole South America does...That night we went to an afro-pub which seems to be quite popular in town and we enjoyed a night of drums and salsa. After all, Southamericans do know how to make a fiesta! :)

And so we left for the neighbouring, unknown Uruguay!