There is another woman staying at the hostel with me named Chelsea from Ashland, OR. It really is a small world after all! At least Disney got that right even if they did pervert it ad nauseum.
Anyway, we decided to go downtown together yesterday and see the sights. It was a very interesting experience for me. Certainly the most immediately obvious advantage of this is that I now have some pictures of me taken from more than a foot and a half away (see above and below). Also, you can look out for each other, and share in the enjoyment of a cool cultural moment (contact me directly for more details).
Now as most of you know I´m a very social guy. I found, however, that when walking around with somebody else, I paid much less attention to my surroundings, and the sights. Don´t get me wrong (Chelsea if you ever read this), I enjoyed the day, we told our stories, gave each other advice, she bought us fresh squeezed orange juice, I bought us bananas, it just suprised me that it was such a different experience than walking around town alone. But enough of that - ON TO THE FACTS!
We took the bus (that´s right, I´ve ridden the buses in Buenos Aires - it´s no big deal) down to Avenue de 9 de Julio which is a huge thoroughfare akin to the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Except, instead of an arch, the Argentinians went for the somewhat more masculine symbol of an Obelisk. We also tested out the concrete chairs (above) which were actually quite comfortable, and we went left on Avenue del Mayo. So called because at the end of it is the Plaza de Mayo. I won´t link you to wikipedia for this one, but I will say that this plaza has a rich political history - many events have occured here, and most recently it is where a social movement began. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a human rights group who fight for the right to be reunited with their abducted and "disappeared" children. (despicable casualties of conflicts such as the Dirty War) It also is where the executive branch of the federal government is housed.
La Casa Rosada (that´s right - "The Pink House")
We grabbed the aforementioned glass of fresh-squeezed Orange Juice and walked down
Florida Ave
Which is a HUGE walking mall FILLED with people. (this pictures does not do it justice, but I looked a right fool sticking my hand in the air and taking a bunch of pictures) We ducked into Galerias Pacifico (a mall) to use the restroom. Now this was interesting, you´d think that a mall is a mall is a mall wherever you go. ANd to a certain extent, that was true. I hadn´t however, ever seen a mall with gothic arches everywhere.
Ignore the silly kid in the middle, but note the modern application of such ancient building techniques...truly remarkable!
Chelsea was on the lookout for Tango shoes (yes I might go tonight) so we saw lots of shoe shops as well.
The day finished out true to it´s beginnings - lazily. We hung around the hostel, went and bought some liters of beer (my new British friend Lee opted for the Rum and Coke) and sat around talking culture, accents, education, Die Hard Movies...hmm I can´t seem to remember how we got to talking about that... and much much more.
That about does it for me in Buenos Aires, I am spending one more full day here as I await a package (details to follow) but then it is off to Sierra de la Ventana. My original plan was to go to Mar del Plata, but I put the word out on couchsurfing.org, and the residnets told me to not even bother coming this weekend, as it will be uncomfortably crowded and expensive - Lonely Planet agrees with them. I figured there´s plenty of Argentinian beaches to see, and the further south I go, the better I feel somehow.
Oh, also, if anybody reading this is on couchsurfing.org, please let me know so that we can become couchsurfing friends - it apparently makes it a lot easier to get hosted if you have couchsurfing friends, and so far all I have is this guy:
The bird wouldn´t even vouch for me.
La palabra español DEL dia:
La Playa - The beach
6 comments:
Let me be the first to say - this is looking like a super nice "walkabout" - 'tis a small world - tell the couchsurfing family to call your mom - I'll vouch for ya'- Your next destination looks great - Thanks for the fabulous communication - I feel like I'm a mimi-vacation as I read your adventures. Great pics - Love you
BIG MAC!!
Unfriggin' believable! You are doing it! Pretty cool treck!
You are dragging this Baby Boomer neophyte into the wonderful world of blogging. I am following your adventures with interest, admiration and envy. Thanx for the note and link to your blog! Thanx more for the recent great visit and chance to catch up.
Wherever you go... know that the mesas are calling for you, a stout horse is waiting for you, and Cheyenne and I are anxious for your good company and a ride back here at the ranch.
Via Con Dios my friend,
Tim
Another awesome day; I'll be kind of sad once you leave BA and the prospect of daily posts dwindles. Just make sure you take enough pictures to cover those moments of absence. And for what it's worth in perspective, I'm in a muggy grey city, sitting in a windowless cube, typing on what might possibly be the world's smallest laptop. That is all.
Although, it was kind of a shame that you missed seeing the BA Obelisk covered with that giant condom. You could have walked up to the local officials and been all like "Hey, you mind if I use that thing when you guys are done with it?"
LD OUT!
that cement chair might be comfier than my couch. just sayin'.
I remember reading a book about the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.
Glad the package arrived albeit minus some stuff (boo Fedex boo)
Hope you have fun dancing up a storm tonight.
xoxo
and Jay, don't be silly. I have the world's smallest laptop.
Thanks for sending the cord back
btw. = )
R - I actually just heard back from somebody who is willing to host me near Sierra de la Ventana tomorrow! I also found a long-lost friend Jaya on couchsurfing.org. So that world started to fall into place yesterday!
T - I can´t tell you what that means to me, at least, in this public venue.
J - Thank you
N - Boo to theivery indeed. ANd way to follow up that sexual innuendo, BRAVO!
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