The Austins' Travel Blog: Buenos Aires Post II

Pot-Banging – “Cacerolazos

It was after supper and we were just settling in, when like Chinese water torture, an intrusive, repetitive, and very irritating banging grew louder, somewhere out there beyond the balcony.

Irritating as it was, the beat somehow seemed harmonious and purposeful, and growing ever louder.

Stepping out onto our balcony, I found my Argentinian neighbor armed with a large pot and a wooden spatula, readying to join in.

What was going on? Within the quarter hour, all of Palermo seemed to be on their balconies banging pots. This was our introduction to the the chorus of the “Cacerolazo”.

Political life in Argentina never gets boring and on this January 20^th, B.A.'s population was out again, and again, it seems, another Cacerolazo was just confirming Argentine's tenuous relationship to political power.

Be it a protest against political upheaval or the devaluation of the Argentine peso, or, as was the case here, pot-banging accusations that the current president might have been involved in a huge cover-up involving a very recent "suicide", whatever the case, it appears that Cacerolazos are here to stay.

Argentine Joke

A conversation between two friends:

Jose: Hola, Jaimito. How are you holding out in this latest economic crisis?
Jaimito: Oh, wonderfully! I sleep like a baby.
Jose: Really?
Jaimito: Well, ya! I wake up every three hours crying.

Interested in reading an article about Argentina's economic woes? Here's a link.

http://www.economist.com/node/1010911

The Recoleta Cemetary – All that's missing is the door bell

Taken from McDonalds, just across the road

We had heard about this necropolis, this over-the-top city of the dead with its avenues of incredible mausoleums, both ancient and new,.... and understood that we had to go there.

The Barrio or neighborhood of La Recoleta prides itself on being a monument to the wealthy and powerful, when they're alive.

But the question remains: How does one keep one's status after death?

The answer?

By taking up residence here in the Cementerio de La Recoleta, this “uber-cemetary”, situated in the very heart of the neighborhood, with its network of avenues and labyrinth of narrow streets .

What a novel idea?

After decades of dining on rich 5-star food, your memory can live on, thanks to a lot of money (and you can't take that with you) and a very fancy ceremony that rolls you right out of that restaurant and right into your new 5-star Recoleta home.

Who gets to live here?

From Evita Peron, to Junta Military Generals, to the Super Wealthy, the “Cementerio” serves not only as a testament to their power but also as “the” symbol of Buenos Aires’ golden age from the turn of 19th and 20th century. Only the finest architects from around the world were ever commissioned to build the incredible miniature churches, chapels and palaces for the mortal remains of Argentina's elite.

Headlines: Feral Cat Has Way With Cemetery Security

Hmmm! What to do now?

Entry was free but crossing the main gate of the Recoleta cemetery, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge investigation involving a ferret cat and two of Buenos Aires' finest.

"Breaker...Breaker! Come in Central!

Perplexing problem...please advise!"

Five interesting facts about the cemetery:

1) From street lamps to paved streets, to majestic doors, and stained glass windows, but....

....there were no doorbells, so no one answered.

Take a look at the roof.

Rich or poor, they come
to be with their loved ones

2) The concept of death is very different here and families sometimes like to spend quality time with their departed loved ones, you know, have a glass of wine or just listen to the radio with them.

As a result, it is said that some of these mausoleums even have air conditioning.

3) Most structures had large stair cases leading to the family crypt.

4) Many are new but many are old and decrepit.

It isn't unusual to be centimeters from a casket.

5) Most times here, only the date of their death is mentioned, the belief being that after all, they're nobody when they're born.

Eva Peron's rise to fame and glory was so exceptional, that an exception was made here.

In short, it has been said that the walled 5,5 hectare El Cementerio de la Recoleta” is one of the three most important graveyards in the world, right along side Pére Lachaise in Paris and the Cimitero di Staglieno in Genoa (Italy).

To these wandering eyes, that has to be right.

We shall certainly return.

And Just Outside the Walls of the "Cemeneteria"

While inside it's gates, a monotone-coloured parade of amazing tomes and pillars took the lime-lite, the real colour of the day awaited us just outside.

For the next few hours, we were serenaded by musicians........,

Free Hugs

....hugged by adventurous happy youth,

...and bathed in the vibrant colours of Argentine artwork....all at the Recoleta Outdoor Market.

The only thing missing was a very cold beer....and we didn't have to wait too long for that. As they say down here:

¡Salud!

The B.A. Japanese Gardens

One Sunday when the sun was already promising a hot summer's day, we took our first taxi ride. All I said was: “Por favor, nos lleva al Jardín Japonés” and off he went.

Our driver was in fact of Japanese orgin, a classy guy that hummed to the classical music playing on his radio. Once there, I tipped him so that our bill would round off to 50 pesos, all in all, about $4.00.

El Jardín Japonés commemorates the arrival of many Japanese immigrants over a century ago.

All of us who crossed those bridges, stepped on those islands, walked those trails or sipped a cup of green tea with jasmine, could feel the close relationship that has been built between these two countries.

Linda and I are great friends of the ginko tree and even have one growing in our front yard. The ginko is a unique species of tree, in fact, it is called a living fossil, because, gifted with the most incredible will to live, it dates back 270 million years.

To that, what we were most impressed with was the presence of three ginko trees, growing from seedlings of ginko trees that survived the bombing of Hiroshima. Just imagine!!!

I think that ginko our front yard will outlast us. :)

An encounter with a pickpocket trio –

Linda saves the day – 1000 pesos in pocket

There’s no denying that pickpockets in Buenos Aires are both plentiful and good at their jobs.

Why in 2006, then-First Daughter Barbara Bush was robbed while eating at a restaurant in broad daylight (her purse and cell phone were stolen) despite being surrounded by a detail of Secret Service agents. You just have to respect those kinds of skills! But they hadn't met Linda....yet.

Sure, for as long as people have had pockets there have been pickpockets.

The “art” is popular because it’s non-violent, doesn’t create a scene, and usually there’s plenty of time for the perpetrator to get away if they don’t pull it off.

Like magic, pick pocketing often relies on misdirection. In other words, you don’t notice that a hand is going into your pocket and your wallet while in a crowded environment, like a subway.

We were on our way down town when at a crowded stop, in walked three young men. One was dressed in a business suit and carrying a cashmere sweater completely covering his right arm. He stood close to me.

The car lurched forward a bit, only to stop again, leaving the doors open. There was some jostling but Linda was

keeping her eye on the arm covered by the light brown sweater....and by the way, ….what's a guy up to in a suit and sweater in a subway where the temperature is about 100°?

No good, that's what!

As the hand moved toward me, Linda simply slapped it and waved the “naughty, naughty finger” at the “gentleman”. Sleepy Charles, finally looked up only to see the trio running from the car.

Way to go Linda! Did I mention that Linda means “Beautiful” in Spanish?