TRAVEL ....ARGENTINE AUDACITY
Buenos Aires
bursts with energy — be it in the graffiti-strewn La Boca, the tiny football
fields across the city or in the tango dance that twirls its way through the
night
Don’t cry for me Argentina. The truth is I only had
two days to spend in Buenos Aires, and for a city with so much to offer, that
didn’t seem enough.
We had landed the evening before, on a national
holiday, and had found all banks and currency exchange counters shut. So with
just a few US dollars in our pocket, we set out to make the most of the
holiday. No traffic on the roads was a perfect excuse for a party — a lively
street fair had popped up close to our hotel at the Plaza de Mayo, the most
famous square of Buneos Aires. It is here that the independence movement of
Argentina began, and it also houses the Metropolitan Cathedral of Pope Francis’
former parish as well as the famous balcony of the Casa Rosada — the
presidential mansion from where Evita gave her crowdinspiring speeches.
The city of Buenos Aires, with its natural harbour,
has the distinction of being founded twice. The first was in 1536 by the
Spaniard Pedro de Mendosa, who named it Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen
Aire (Our Lady St Mary of the Good Air), in the hope of favourable winds to
guide their ships to port. This optimistic name, however, did not help it, then
a mere Spanish outpost, survive poor connectivity and general neglect, and it
was soon abandoned, only to be re-founded and revived 50 years later.
The people of Buenos Aires proudly refer to
themselves as Porteños, “of the port”, which is the lifeline of the city. The
next day, we set out to explore La Boca, one of the most famous neighbourhoods
of the city. La Boca, which means “the mouth” in Spanish, is the port area where
the city has its roots. Today it is a workingclass neighbourhood, which prides
itself on being the cultural centre of the city. While the port still operates,
the area attracts hordes of tourists to its multi-coloured buildings and
open-air stalls.
The government actively promotes La Boca as an art
district — it is one of the few places in the world where street art or
graffiti is actively encouraged. From time to time, the administration invites
some of the most famous street artists from around the world and gives them
some of the most spectacular canvases they could ask for — blank walls of
entire buildings and warehouses. Walking along the narrow streets of this
neighbourhood is an exciting experience. Turning any random corner can bring
you face-to-face with unexpected treats — giant murals by Martin Ron, Parbo,
Ice, Tekaz and other names from the underground street art scene.
It is here in La Boca that the world-famous tango
dance has its origins. Influenced by the European and African cultures that converged
in the Buenos Aires port, this lively dance was made famous by a song, El
Caminito, in the early 20th century, which refers to a narrow colourful alley
of the same name.
Have a Ball at Boca
Besides delighting the art lover and the bohemian, La
Boca does not disappoint the sports fan either. It is home to Boca Juniors, one
of the most famous football clubs in the world, with players like Diego
Maradona, Carlos Tevez and Gabriel Batistuta being some of its famous alumni.
The stadium is a pilgrimage centre for the hardcore soccer fan, and at any time
of the day tourists throng its gates. For a not so small fee, you can get a
tour of the stadium and its museum, kick the ball about in the field and pose
with a replica trophy!
To understand just how deeply entrenched the
footballing culture is, one needs to take a walk along the public housing
residential blocks of La Boca. While the identical buildings and the flats
therein are almost Soviet-style in their starkness, each block has one
redeeming feature — tiny football fields where children hone their talent with
the ball. Called “Potreros”, meaning paddocks, these small fields are the
starting point for many who have dribbled out of poverty and into footballing
glory. A sign outside one of these proclaims: “There can be no Maradonas
without Potreros”, and shows the passion with which the residents of the
neighbourhood defend the existence of these grounds in an ever-expanding city.
No visit to Buenos Aires is complete without a visit
to a tango show, and influenced by our history lesson at La Boca, we ended the
day at the famous Café Tortoni, watching a dance performance that traced the
journey of tango from the seedy portside cafes of La Boca to the elegant
ballrooms of today.
The next day we saw a very different side to the
city. Buenos Aires had its heyday in the 1920s and ’30s when, buoyed by a
thriving economy and a strong immigrant workforce, Argentina was one of the
richest countries of the world. A large number of rich and influential citizens
built imposing mansions in the prevailing European styles. While descendants of
some of the original families still hold on to a few of them, a large number of
these mansions are now converted to hotels, embassies and other government
offices. They make for a wonderful heritage walk. The French influence is
particularly prominent in these buildings, and Buenos Aires is sometimes
referred to as the Paris of South America.
Buenos Aires also boasts the widest avenue in the
world. Called July 9 Avenue, it is named in honour of the Argentine
independence day in 1816. It has seven lanes on each side and is divided by
many medians. Navigating through the numerous traffic signals and the heavy
traffic that seems to stop for no one, it took us over 10 minutes as pedestrians
to get from one side to the other! Right in the middle of this wide street is
the giant Obelisk of Buenos Aires, towering above the traffic on all sides,
built to celebrate 400 years of the foundation of the city.
Mouthful of Asado
A hearty lunch was needed after all the walking, and
as it was the beginning of winter, we were treated to one of the national
dishes, called locro — a hearty stew of corn, potatoes, pumpkins and other
vegetables — vaguely reminiscent of a rich kaali dal or rajma. Some form of meat
is often added, but the vegetarian one we had was just as delicious. Meat is,
of course, the mainstay of Argentine cuisine, and Argentine grills called asado
are a meat-eaters paradise. The world-famous Argentine beef, along with pork
and lamb, is slow-cooked for hours in true barbeque fashion. For those who do
not have hours to wait over a grill, the best option is to grab an empanada, a
small savoury pastry with a wide variety of fillings, including meat, fish,
corn, spinach and cheese. Dessert was delicious gelato from one of the several
traditional parlours that dot the city. The Italian influence is heavily seen
in Argentine food, as a vast majority of the people trace their roots back to
Italy. The hundreds of pizzerias around Buenos Aires are also testimony to
that.
After lunch, our last stop was one of the most famous
cemeteries in Buenos Aires — La Recoleta Cemetery, where a veritable who’s who
lies buried. Mausoleums and statues of every shape and size crowd the
graveyard, which is the final resting place of many of the country’s
presidents, military leaders, politicians and other famous personalities. There
doesn’t seem enough space for any more permanent residents, but we learn to our
surprise that it is still an operational cemetery. To ensure your final resting
place here, you either have to pay a king’s ransom and be extremely
well-connected, or should be to the mansion born and have a centuries-old
family mausoleum here.
There is one grave in La Recoleta Cemetery that has
acquired cult status — that of Eva Peron, wife of three-time president Juan
Peron and famous in her own right for championing the cause of women and the
poor. Rising from extreme poverty to become an actor and later first lady of
Argentina, she evokes strong reactions even today. Beloved as Evita among those
who supported her, she is a populist icon, and her tomb at La Recoleta Cemetery
stands out by the sheer number of visitors surrounding it and the numerous
bouquets and wreaths laid there daily. It is said to be among the most-visited
tourist spots in Buenos Aires.
Like any major city in the world, the poor and the
rich co-exist side by side in Buenos Aires, often without noticing each other;
but sometimes an Evita rises to force these two different worlds to acknowledge
each other.
FACT FILE
HOW TO REACH
There are no direct flights from India to Buenos
Aires. However, many major airlines, including British Airways, KLM and Turkish
Airlines, offer flights to Buenos Aires with stopovers in Europe and Brazil
WHAT TO EAT
ASADO: Typical Argentine grill of steak, ribs,
sausages and vegetables LOCRO: A hearty stew of corn, potatoes, pumpkins and
other vegetables, with an option of added meat
EMPANADAS: Small savoury pastries with a wide variety
of fillings, including meat, fish, corn, spinach and cheese
DULCE DE LECHE: A sweet paste made of condensed milk,
used as a filling for pancakes, or as a spread for toast and biscuits
WHAT TO BUY
The currency rate is quite favourable for Indians approximately ₹4, which gives ample scope for
shopping without too much heartburn travelling to Argentina. One Argentine peso
is
LEATHER ITEMS: From jackets and shoes to gloves and
handbags, you can give your accessories a revamp. Priced to suit all pockets,
from roadside vendors to high-end boutiques
DESIGNER CLOTHES, SHOES AND JEWELLERY: Recoleta and
Palmera are home to high-end outlets, while Florida street is for regular
shopping ART: Buy from street artists in La Boca
WINE: Some of the finest New World wines are in Argentina.
Argentine Malbec and Torrontes are distinctive, while Cabernet Sauvignon,
Chardonnay and others are also good options to take home.
ETM 12NOV17
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