Since we missed a whole day in Buenos Aires (which means Fair Winds or Good Air), we checked into the hotel then went to the opening reception at the VTECH 2009 conference. We were treated to an evening of music. A famous Argentinian guitarist entertained us with everything from tango and flamenco to popular folk music. A violinist and tenor joined him on various pieces. We dined at 9:00 which is early for most in this city. It was nice to spend the night sleeping on a bed.
Yesterday morning we tried to get a refund on the city tour we missed with no luck but could book a spot on the accompanying person's city tour. Who knew I could have had these tours for nothing?
While Glen attended the presentations, I headed down to the canals that join the Rio de la Plata to the sea. Buenos Aires was first called City of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Fair Winds and was founded by Pedro de Mendoza in 1536. Although these days the air of the city is pretty polluted, one can feel respite by walking along the newly refurbished canal walkway. It is clean and has a big security presence. I enjoyed seeing the city from afar and getting an idea of what it was like. The mix of old European-style architecture and modern steel and glass buildings is unique.
I had lunch with Glen at the conference and it was neat eating flat sandwiches (it was like the bread had been flattened with a rolling pin) made much like British 'tea' sandwiches. As we learned later on our tour, the Argentinian people love the British and regret that their government started the Falklands War. Many young men died needlessly.
Glen and George took the afternoon off to join me on a tour of the city (Tom had to man his poster). It took 3 hours and we viewed the most popular sites. We saw the famous Eva Peron balcony and stood in the square as many did during her speeches. We also saw where she is buried but the cemetary was closed so we couldn't see her actual mausolem. Glen wants to go return to the cemetary on Friday so we can go inside.
We stopped at a very colourful street designed for tourists and saw a couple dancing flamenco. It was neat to see. When we tried to return to the bus, we took a turn that got us out of our comfort zone. Turns out we only had to walk a few more feet and we would have been back where we were to meet our bus. However, our guide had been careful to tell us not to wander away from the area as we were in a poor section of town so it was a wise move to turn around.
Our guide did not try and gloss over Argentina's less than stellar past. She mentioned the Lost Children and the many people who have gone missing. It reminded me of my friend, Alida, who escaped Argentina in the late 70's to make a new life for herself in Canada. Her son had escaped with her but got homesick so returned. She never saw him again.
The poverty we saw as we drove through the poor districts was heart-wrenching but our guide was pragmatic about it. Apparently the government pays these people a wage until they get work and some just never find work. She said many Argentinians are lazy and that immigrants work harder than the native population.
Glen had to man his poster for an hour after the tour but no one came to see it (they had it on a back wall so perhaps no one couldn't find him). He ended up talking to a gentleman who was visiting Argentina to take tango lessons. Apparently this was his incentive to travel. There is a tango school in the complex that houses the conference. It also has a high-end shopping mall complete with food court so I guess you can't avoid places like this, even in Argentina. The interesting thing about this place is the original architecture has been preserved with additions of modern glass and steel which I think typifies the new Buenos Aires.
The weather has changed so I am thinking I should have brought warmer clothes. It rained yesterday and it looks like this pattern will continue.
We had dinner with one of Glen's old friends at a local pub. When we asked for the bill, we got another round of drinks so I'll have to dig out my Spanish for Dummies book. Thanks, Melissa, for providing us with communication tools. We'll have to take Spanish lessons in the fall if we are to continue travelling in Latin America.
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