Thomas and Marie headed north to Brazil, while Ben and I hopped on another long bus south to Buenos Aires. We arrived in the morning and took the subway to the hostel. Our first view from the subte was 9 de Julio-seven lanes on each side with two parallel streets of two lanes each on either side. You are only able to get half way across during each light.
welcome to a city of over 12 million people!
McDonald's is everywhere...
underneath a bridge
this giant metal flower closes when the sun goes down
I like you Argentina.
oh, just part of the view from the terrace of our sixth floor hostel
meh, not bad for a hostel view
the old elevator up to the hostel
old elevators are so much cooler
Ben and I explored the city and went to the massive graveyard. I never seem to get tired of seeing where the dead sleep. The cemeteries here are all so amazing!
a city within a city
lots of the tombs just had the caskets stacked on shelves
we found Evita's grave-she is very popular
The next night, we headed out to watch a tango class and have some food and wine. We took the subte and rode on the oldest subway in South America.
1913
tango and delicious vino
In the morning, I got up and headed to La Boca. It's a very poor neighborhood and the walk there was pretty boring and gross.
bienvenidos!
Riachuelo-the smelly, brown water welcomed me to the neighborhood
Puente Transbordador-the old ferry bridge built in 1914
view from the art museum
another view from the museum
this famous image was not at all what I expected-
this street just felt like Toon Town in Disneyland
On Sunday, I caught a bus with a Canadian girl out to Feria de Mataderos, a market I had heard would be amazing. It was! handicrafts, music, dancing, asado, and a pony! We spent a few hours there and then went to another market closer to our hostel. Street fairs just never get old.
On my last day in Buenos Aires (and South America), I went on a walk with an English girl, Anna. We wondered to Palermo and then to some nearby gardens. Right when we sat down on a bench to check her guide book for places to see, I saw a man lean his bike against a trash bin behind us and start walking up to us. My first thought was "fuck, he wants to sell us some socks or ask for money" but then I saw him reach in his pants and pull a gun up into his jacket. Fuck... My heart was pounding as he told us to give him our phones. I just kept staring at his gun. "I don't have a phone!" We both repeated this about five times before he gave up on that idea and told me to give him my bag. His gun was pointed into his jacket with only the handle peaking out. It looked like an old western revolver. I didn't take my eyes off it. I finally decided it wasn't real and if it was, maybe he should point it at me. I stood up and started calling to two guys sitting on a nearby bench. The men didn't even turn around. I think I scared the guy by standing up right in front of him. He immediately turned to his bike and started yelling at me not to tell anyone. Anna and I walked as fast as we could out of the park and to a busy road at the edge. Our hearts slowed down and we went out for lunch and coffee with all of our belongings still on us. I can now say I've been robbed with a gun, but luckily it was just a toy.
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