Happy Easter from La Plata, Argentina

We rode the train from Buenos Aires to La Plata, about 40 miles, for only 4 pesos, or about a dollar. We thought we had a round trip but we were in for a big surprise. More later.

Drew said this is one of the biggest cathedral in South America. When the Pope comes this is where he hangs out.

 We took an elevator up inside the spire and this in looking back down the shaft.

Back in the train station we had some time to kill. These girls were very curious about Drew and it made him uncomfortable.

Drew took this picture of me buying a soda to prove that I really do interact and try to speak Spanish with the locals.

This dog is watching a fat man eat a sandwich. The dog is the picture of patience.

We caught the train back to Buenos Aires and I was in the middle of a power nap when they kicked us off the train in some little town. There was lots of confusion but we boarded a bus under a freeway and continued on. It became the ride from hell snaking all over the province of Buenos Aires as the sun set. They recently had tornadoes here so some roads were closed. At one point the road was block by people burning debris right in the road. The bus whipped a U turn and kept going down dark side streets, dodging fallen trees. We were on the bus for two hours before we made it back home. It was kind of depressing to see all the slums but it was an adventure nonetheless.

Every night from my apartment I hear lots of shouting. I went to investigate and found an indoor soccer stadium across the street.



Mis Profesores

These are my teachers at my language school. On the left is German (pronounced Herman) and then Victoria. German has a two-month old baby. Toward the end of one lesson his cell phone rang. Through the phone I could hear his wife's voice, no doubt telling him to get his butt home as soon as the lesson was over. He rides the subte from Boedo, which Drew said is a nice neighborhood. Victoria is still a student and I don't know a lot about her except she wants to be a writer. In my lessons, I mainly try to understand what they are saying and talk with them. They occasionally write things on the white board and Victoria likes to teach grammar. Next Wednesday I will be living with an Argentine family for one week which will be really scary but it will give me a chance to see how much I've learned.

The Heavens Opened Up!

Drew met me after class and we walked back to my apartment together. Around us, the light was fading but the sky was a threatening orange. We shopped at "el Chino" (the Chinese market) and we were upstairs cooking dinner with the balcony window open when the wind began to howl. We are on the 9th floor (they don't count the ground floor here) and we are looking down on the tops of the trees. They were waving like crazy and stuff was flying through the air. Down on the street people were running for cover and the traffic actually slowed down. I opened the shutter on the camera tried to get a lightning bolt but nature didn't cooperate. But I did like the glow of the rain in the air in this picture.

A Subway Ride in Buenos Aires

Here, the subway is called the "Subte" and is pretty big, very crowded and fairly cheap to ride.

You have to buy a ticket first, of course. Each ride, or "viaje" (trip) is $2.50 pesos which is 57 cents.

Let's go down to the platform. Somestair cases have these nice tiled walls. But there's a lot of graffiti too.

Oh man! We just missed a train. No importa. I'll have time to look around.

The routes seem to start at the port, which is the right of the map, and fan out as they go inland. There are only two cross-town lines. 



There's a lot of people who beg in the subte. Here, a child is sleeping while his mother (out of sight) asks for money from passersby.



On the trains, people are selling all kinds of things such as books of stickers and even socks! The passengers are very tolerant and a surprising amount actually buy stuff from the vendors. The portenos (people of Buenos Aires) seem to treat poor people with respect.

Here's an action packed photo from this morning's ride. Here is an ample woman and a man sniffing his armpit. At rush hour the trains are really packed.

 It's a relief to be out of the subte and I find myself on the edge of a plaza with stalls of booksellers and these guys playing chess. Their concentration is so great they don't notice me take their picture.

A Living Spanish Lesson



As you know, I've been taking Spanish classes at a school in Buenos Aires. But Monday was a holiday so I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. I asked Drew to give me Spanish lessons for one hour each day. Of course, I knew that it would be much longer than that because he would give me a "living lesson." We walk around the city together and he points things out and makes comments like, "Here's a useful thing to know in Spanish..." Other times he regales me with observations about how quirky languages can be. In English we say, "I like the plant." But in Spanish it is, "The plant is pleasing to me." Also, quiero is "I want" but "te quiero" is "I love you." He's a wonderful teacher, very patient and determined to help me. Today's class was held on my balcony. And no, that's not wine. It's Coca-Cola.

Moon Over Buenos Aires

Glance at Buenos Aires and it looks similar to New York or Paris or many other cities. But the more you look at it the more you feel it has it's own style. And some of the buildings are old, dark and mysterious. This building is high above the famous Avenida Nueve de Julio. And it has a spire which is common here. It's one of probably one hundred thousand such edifices in this sprawling city.

A Tour of My Life in Buenos Aires

Here are a few photos of my life here in Buenos Aires after three days in the city.

To the right of the white van is the entrance to my apartment building. My studio apartment was arranged by the language school I'm attending.

This is the view from my 8th floor balcony of Avenida Corrientes, one of the main thoroughfares in this vast city.

Two floors above the first balcony is my language school. It's a wonderful building with a cage elevator. I've had two professors so far, German y Victoria. I chatted about futbol with German and books with Victoria. I'm sure I butchered their language but they were muy tranquilo.

I've noticed that many corner buildings here in Buenos Aires are almost Parisian looking. Buildings in the middle of the block have been torn down and replaced with modern concrete monstrocities.

We took a walk in a nature preserve on the edge of the city, on the river banks and found this crazy booth. It looks so South American to me. It's purpose is unknown.

Drew said the Spanish slang for bicycle is "bici" so I call this photo "bici loco" for obvious reasons.

It looks like I've been photoshopped against this background but I was really there. This is the famous Puente de la Mujer or bridge of the woman.

Today, as an exercise, I thought I would explore just one single block, the one across from my building. It was completely packed with stores and bars and restaurants. Just one block! Here is one of many little markets.

Carlos Gardel was an Argentine tango singer from the 30s. This is his street.