Curtains on Buenos Aires

Our short lives as portenos draw to a close this week - just as we have discovered the best cafes (with Cosmo in English!!), where the buses usually go except when they´re making unannounced detours, the best combination of flavours at Amaretto and more importantly in which order to ask for them (chocolate alpino, coco & chocolate mousse armago mmmmmmmmm....), how to get your bus change into the slot in one go, where to buy cherry tomatoes and basil and the best method of dog poo removal from the shoe. Feel as though we have come to know Buenos Aires and its quirks pretty well in 4 weeks.

A grey and drizzly Friday seemed an appropriately morbid op. to check out the rich and famous dead of Argentina. Recoleta Cemetry could easily be confused with an historical town with each mausoleum grander than the next. Our apartment was dwarfed by many of these. Seemed a bit strange queuing to photograph Evita´s mausoleum but when in Rome, or Buenos Aires as the case may be. Stu let rip with his artistic black and white photographic skills.

Later on visited another shrine to the former president´s wife - the Evita Museum. Beautifully presented with newspaper clippings and loads of her clothes - the actress, radio host and feminist was fashionable but as one tourist wrote in the visitor´s guide "propoganda never looked so good" it did seem a pretty blinkered version of her life.
.


.

On the other side of town, (geographically and socially) we visited the colourful La Bocca home to the Bocca Juniors, tango and technicolour buildings. Stayed long enough for a few pics, an authentic parilla, Brazilian dancing and to buy a woolly shawl.







.
.
.
.


.It took time, stamina and many attempts with our spanish to finally secure 2 seats (not in the popular section) to a Copa de Libertadores match between Paraguay Libertad and Argentinan, River Plate. It was worth the effort if only to see the whole stadium jumping up and down to "River Plate, River Plate, River Plate". The "Popular" section is a Bay 13 during a test at the MCG. Soon saw why no one was sitting in the stands below when they passed around flares and shot off bird scaring explosives. After many attempts the home favourites finally scored and set the crowd off jumping again. Thought we´d skip a potentially scary human crush after the match and snuck out with 5 minutes to go. Unfortunately there was a line of police stopping everyone leaving for some unexplained reason. When they did finally step aside it was every man and dog for himself and the nearest cab. In sheep like mentality we copied the locals and ran all the way to the subte (underground train). Still not sure why but it was good exercise.

More exciting and loud things involving a cheering crowd were afoot when we went to Santiago´s first birthday party. (Chico Cumpleano with mum and dad -photo to the left, friend´s of the birthday boy, Stu, Dani & Mum, right) A puppet show, singing keyboardists in overalls, silly hats, a Barney birthday cake, dulche leche everything and 2o toy whistles falling out of the Pinata all added to the fun. Yet again Santi amazed us with his even and happy temperament throughout the festivity´s action and noise. What an angel!

Its not all lazy days and dulche leche. We have been working hard (admitedly over a coffee or two) with our surrogate Grandfather, affectionately know as Bugalugs on our spanish. It took a while to warm to our nutty professor who has passionately shared his views with us on everything from mate (Argentinian tea) sharing to Coco Chanel´s fashion sense and of course his favourite topic of all, Jazz. But "Que mas? Karen Johnston" (american accent required) and "Oh Boy Stuart!" These unconventional lessons have been great for our confidence in being able to get just about anything across eventually despite constant interruption from aforementioned bugalugs (momentito). Yesterday we spent the day in his burrow of Accasuso and San Isidro on the Rio Plato. Dined at CASI "Scott can you remember what that stands for?"; took some unusual snaps and chatted about whatever. Next stop - Uruguay.

.
.
Kaz & Stu

Sight of the week:La Sylphide - short but sweet.
Meal of the week: Courtyard at Central - sipping wine on sun lounges in the sun inbetween entre and main.
Arse of the week:2 different styles of tango lessons and its still dangerous to dance in public.