Hasta Luego Buenos Aires

 Some news in English, as requested ;)

Today is my last day in BA, and I feel like there are still so many things I haven't seen here... I have been wandering the streets of BA quite a lot those past 5 days, discovering the markets of San Telmo or La Recoleta, the great bars and lively spirit of Palermo, the sunny docs of Puerto Madero, the almost holy stadium of La Boca and the colorful houses of El Caminito, the colonial churches of Recoleta, La Casa Rosada on Plaza de Mayo...

Well Buenos Aires truly is a wonder city. Much larger than I expected, so rich in history and culture, its people, its rythm, its small streets and larger avenues all coming together in a mix of old and modern. It has also been the stage to so many critical political and economical events, pretty dramatic and pretty recent as well... A town with a soul, where everything seems to be lived to the fullest, from the passionate embrasses of the street tangos to the crazy gatherings for the football games...

Which made me wonder, considering what Argentinians have been through no later than 30 years ago, how could they be so incredibly positive and welcoming? Of course it doesn't take long to find traces of past crisis, and to see how deeply they affected the people ... But put in perspective, they just seem to have this incredible will not to give up their optimism. And even thought things haven't always been easy here, they love their country too much to trade it for any other. And I can understand them...

Which genuinly makes me love the Argentinians. So warm, enthusiastic and passionate, so authentic... I have heard many times that they tend to be proud people. Well yes, in a way they are. But not in the condescending-arrogant way of the French people.
Here people are proud of their origins, of their history, of their country. Proud to have earned their freedom at a price that they know too well... But they are also willing to share it all with others, and whoever is willing to listen will be amazed by how much they can learn.

And so I asked an Argentinian friend, Felipe, precisely about this good spirit and apparent optimism... And he simply answered that maybe, people here have been through so much already that they have lost the capacity to be depressed for every single bad piece of news that comes up..

My opinion is that they just find different ways of expression. And so, as inflation is skyrocketing and the middle class slowly disappears, leaving a huge gap between the poorest and the wealthiest, the Argentinians, rich or poor, gather in the streets and celebrate together their national football team exploits in the World Cup, or dance away their problems in the Milongas (tango clubs) of Buenos Aires...

As I am writing those lines, my Ipod is playing a song from Gotan project: La Desilusion

República Argentina
Argentina de plata
La tierra de plata
La tierra Argentina

Extraño sentimiento
Pasión, desilusión
Como en las serenatas
De Maria Elena Walsh
Me duele si me quedo
Yo te quiero mi amor

Pero te quiero mi amo...

And I think it is pretty representative of what Buenos Aires is to its people..



Another great, great plus of Buenos Aires is its cuisine... I have attempted to try as much as I could of the local specialties, from the bife de lomo, bife de chorizo, milanesa, asados, parilla, empanadas to the Argentinian pizzas ( pretty much an italian one with just a hell lot more cheese) and helados dulce de lece, but I am still far from having tried everything. Well that's alright, I still have a good 2 weeks to try the rest before I leave Argentina!


During my stay in BA I have met a few people who have been on  the roads for some months, and hearing about their whereabouts just made me look even more forward to the rest of my own trip. I am heading to El Calafate today, where it will be about -5·C. Excited to see what this place has to offer, and again I know I won't be disappointed..


So I'll give you some updates from there!
Send you many many besos and hope all of you are well!


xxxLea