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As my plane landed at Ezeiza International Airport outside Buenos Aires, Argentina, I found myself subconsciously humming “What’s new Buenos Aires? I’m new--I want to say I’m just a little stuck on you”-- lyrics from the musical “Evita.” Little did I realize how stuck on this city of 11 million I would become.
Often referred to as the “Paris of the South,” Buenos Aires is clearly one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America. From the arts, including Tango dancing, theatre, opera and painting, to flea markets, to fine dining, to a bustling night life, Buenos Aires has it all for the thrifty traveler. Since the devaluation of the Argentine Peso about a year ago, the Peso exchanges at a rate from about $3.00 to $3.50 per one U.S. Dollar. The result is an outstanding travel bargain for American travelers. Upon getting off the plane at Ezeiza Airport, I was met by Ricardo DeFranco of Defrantur Argentina, who I had hired as my English speaking guide for the duration of the trip, and Angelo, our driver. I had found Ricardo’s web site several months before, and retaining his services proved to be one of the best decisions I made concerning my trip. As a single traveler who detests large travel groups and single supplements, I was greatly impressed by the level of personal service provided by Ricardo, who specializes in private guide service and small groups. Ricardo had arranged a private city tour for the afternoon of my arrival in order for me to “get acquainted” with the city. After checking into the Hotel Gran Buenos Aires, a nice 4 star hotel which I rented for $30 per night, we started the city tour two blocks away by driving down the 9 de Julio Avenue (9th of July) which is purported to be the widest avenue in the world. We visited the Obelisk, which greatly resembles a smaller version of the Washington Monument, and then proceeded to May Square, which was bordered by the Casa Rosada, the Buenos Aires Cathedral, Buenos Aires City Hall and a small museum which was a former church. From May Squire, we headed for a quick trip through the San Telmo neighborhood which is famous for its weekly Sunday flea market, and La Boca which is a Bohemian area of the city famous for its street art and brightly colored buildings. No trip to Buenos Aires would be complete without a visit to the Recoleta Cemetery, the final resting place for Argentina’s elite. With many “blocks” of grand mausoleums, it is a common saying in Argentina that “it is cheaper to live extravagantly all your life than to be buried in Recoleta.”
It seems that most Americans associate Argentina with the Tango Dance, which was created in Buenos Aires, and for Eva Duarte de Peron, “Evita“, the former first lady. Tango enthusiasts are certainly not disappointed in Buenos Aires. From numerous street tango performances to Broadway style shows, tango rules this South American center of culture. A Broadway style Tango performance with dinner costs about $30 US and would be a bargain at twice the price. In addition, for those more daring souls, tango lessons are offered at many clubs throughout Buenos Aires at all hours of the day at reasonable prices. While many Americans feel that Evita was an intrinsic part of Argentine history, she does not appear to be the icon I expected in Argentina. In fact, many Argentines are puzzled by Americans’ fascination with her. There is a monument to Evita in Buenos Aires, and a few souvenir hawkers on the streets have magnets with her likeness on them. Otherwise, she does not appear to be a huge presence. “Evita divided people. Juan Peron divided Argentina in a different way. Twenty five years after his death, he still divides people. That’s not good for a country” said DeFranco. It seems that lately there are a few common threads that Argentines agree on--distrust of politicians and the police. When they protest, many Argentines prefer to express themselves with graffiti and therefore many buildings and monuments have been defaced since the collapse of the economy last year.
FOOD Argentina has consistently been one of the largest exporters of beef in the world. Therefore it was no surprise that almost every meal included fine Argentine beef. (Followers of the Dr. Adkins diet would find it very easy to adhere to their diet on this vacation!) Many Argentines start their meals with appetizers consisting of beef empanadas and red Argentine wine. The empanadas reminded me of old time Southern fried apple pies except the filler was beef. Argentine Red Wine is produced in the Mendoza area of Argentina and the “Malbec” brand is without a doubt some of the smoothest I have ever tasted. The “Torrontes” White Wine is produced in the Salta area.
Most main courses consist of either pork or a portion of beef that even the heartiest of eaters can hardly finish, and trimmings that are too numerous to mention. As a typical Southerner who is quite fond of sweetened tea with lemon, I was disappointed that iced tea is not widely served in Argentina, and sweetened tea is almost unheard of. I was therefore left to pick between bottled water, con or sin gas (soda water or regular), gaseosas (Coke or Pepsi), red wine or a local blend of coffee. It was interesting to learn that ice is not commonly served with drinks and has to be ordered separately (at no charge). The typical lunch in Buenos Aires cost about 12 pesos (about $4 US) and dinner at one of Buenos Aires’ finest restaurants including a huge steak, all the trimmings and red wine was 42 pesos ( about $14 US).
SHOPPING Buenos Aires boasts some of the best shopping in South America. Since beef is such a large commodity in Argentina, naturally leather is a big product. I visited the Silvia y Mario leather factory and was impressed by the quality and the price of its leather goods. For instance, a leather jacket could be bought for between $100-$150 US and genuine leather shoes for about $50. In addition, great deals could be found on boots, bags, wallets and belts. One of the most interesting articles for sale was a coat made from the hide of a carpincho, or water pig. The carpincho is purportedly the largest rodent in the world. In addition to traditional malls, Buenos Aires has closed at least two downtown streets and converted them into pedestrian malls. The most popular among tourists is Florida Street, which boasts a wide array of specialty shops. Perhaps the best known shopping in Buenos Aires is every Sunday at the San Telmo Flea Market. Vendors come from all over the country to sell their wares ranging from antiques to junk. The market long ago outgrew the square, and now several city streets are closed to accommodate the sale. The consummate pack rat, I bought several items, including a book titled “Evita, her life in pictures.” Of particular interest to antique hunters are European antiques being sold by descendents of European immigrants. Many antiques are being sold at a fraction of the price they can be bought for in Europe.
DAY TRIPS
Several options are available to the budget traveler to see both the Argentine country side as well as Uruguay. On the third day of my vacation, I took a ferry across the Rio De Plata to historic Colonia, Uruguay, one of the oldest cities in that country, and then took a two hour bus ride to the capitol Montevideo. Although much smaller than Buenos Aires, Montevideo is just as cosmopolitan and boasts several miles of beautiful downtown beaches. At the mouth of the Rio de Plata, the beaches of Montevideo alternate between fresh water and salt water from the Atlantic Ocean, depending on the tide. While it would be easy to mistake the Uruguayan countryside for South Alabama, Montevideo has a style of its own including a bustling night life and large shopping malls. For the night trip back to Buenos Aires, I traveled on the relatively new hydrofoil, which is a high-speed boat with all of the amenities of a luxury liner. What in the past has been about an 8 hour boat ride has been reduced to just over an hour and a half.
One of the best excursions I made from Buenos Aires was an hour flight to beautiful Iguazu Falls. Located in Northern Argentina on the Brazil and Paraguay borders, Iguazu Falls consists of about 275 water falls along a crescent shaped ridge that is about 2.5 miles long. The 269 feet high falls create a spray that can be seen for several miles and generates numerous rainbows. While the falls are beautiful in their own right, they are made even more beautiful by the lush jungle which surrounds them. Many exotic species can be found here including bamboo, palms, tree ferns, wild orchids and begonias. The wild flowers compete with brilliantly feathered parrots, macaws and toucans for the most dazzling colors. While the best view of the falls is from the Argentina side, the Brazil side of the river offers a more panoramic view. While it is possible to enter Argentina with simply a passport, Brazil requires a visa which it makes difficult to obtain. After visiting the Brazilian Consulate and being told that a visa would cost $100 US, and that they would hold my passport for 48 hours, I decided to remain in Argentina. A taxi driver in Iguazu Falls offered to “drive” me into Brazil, but cautioned that if caught I would be subject to a fine of $250 US payable in cash at a local bank before I would be permitted to leave the country. Since it was Saturday and the banks didn’t reopen until Monday, I again opted to remain in Argentina.
Another great day trip from Buenos Aires was to a “Fiesta Guacha” at a ranch in the countryside called La Bamba. A 500 acre ranch, La Bamba was built in the 1830s and today is open to the public for visits and extended stays. On the day of my visit, the guests were treated to…you guessed it…a grilled beef lunch complete with red wine and all the fixings, including empanadas, salad and a delicious potato salad. The gauchos (cowboys) at the ranch still dress as they did in the last century and the menu for the Fiesta Guacha (ranch parties) has remained virtually unchanged. After lunch on the patio, I was off for an hour horseback ride around the ranch. Some other guests opted for a dip in the pool and still others simply did nothing but relax in the shade. (Remember, summer starts in Argentina on December 21). Since it had rained the day before, and the road was virtually impassable, my host drove me the five miles back to the highway in a four wheel drive vehicle where my driver was waiting. On my next trip to Argentina, I will definitely be visiting La Bamba again and next time will take advantage of the $80 per day rate for both room and board including all food and activities. For those who enjoy boat riding, the day trip to Tigre and the Delta del Parana would be an exciting trip. On the way to Tigre, I visited San Isidro, one of the most upscale suburbs of Buenos Aires. At times it would be hard to distinguish San Isidro from any of the upscale communities “over the mountain” in Birmingham. On the day of my visit to Tigre, the city was experiencing a flood and during a one hour boat ride around the delta I noticed that several buildings were flooded. When I remarked that it seemed that the city didn’t need any more rain, the boat captain responded that it hadn’t rained at all. It seems that this area floods on occasion when the wind blows just so from the South and the river water cannot flow against the tide. The return to Buenos Aires was an easy twenty minute ride by high speed train. Although a huge city, Buenos Aires is relatively flat, safe and easy to tour on foot or bicycle. With its numerous attractions and activities, as well as outstanding day trips, Buenos Aires alone could very well keep a visitor busy for weeks on end. For More Information:
A panoramic view of Iguazu Falls.
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