Yo Hablo Español... un poco
Trip Start
Oct 14, 2005
1
60
71
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Buenos Aires,
Capital Federal District,
Argentina
Thursday, April 20, 2006
I got off my overnight bus from Mendoza and got the Subte to Avenida de Mayo in the heart of the city, there seemed to be a good smattering of hostels and this area, and not having booked anything I guessed that one would be able to house me for a night or to. Exiting the Subte it started raining so I headed to the nearest hostel in my LP, which was Millhouse, I didnīt want to go to Millhouse because I had met that reccomended it were, to be blunt, dicks. Also Millhouse being first in the LP usually meant that it would be full, and I got the impression that I wouldnīt like it, big and souless kinda place, but like I said it was raining.
I was right Milhouse was full of dicks, the biggest being the staff, who would openly mock any attempt to use Spanish, try everything to get you to part with your hard earned pesos, and make you switch rooms every night, and try and build a new bathroom when you are trying to sleep...
On my one night in Millhouse I did meet Shaun, someone I had met in Santiago, and he was having Spanish lessons so I went with him to his Spanish school, and a couple of hours later I was having my first class, at 24 Pesos an hour, (4.80, thatīs less than a Mcdonalds wage) it was a bargain.
Back at Millhouse, after my first class, I bumped into Andy, a guy I knew from University that was very strange, the first person I have met that I knew before, Buenos Aires seems to be a good place to bump into people, as a few days later I was walking down one of the main streets and I walked passed a a mop of long blonde hair, and heard a familiar English accent, after a double take I realised it was Sarah who I had been diving with in Koh Tao 5 months ago, and her boyfriend. This was really, really, bizarre so we went for a meal and swopped stories about crazy Israelis.
Apart from random encounters Buenos Aires isquite a cool place, although after over a week here now my throat is wrecked from the pollution, a huge sprawling city, with numerous suburbs the size of Sheffield, 13 million people live in BA, and it is a city that doesnīt sleep with night clubs kicking out at 8am, unfortunately you do get a lot of tourists who are here just to get drunk all week, one guy in particular, a Canadian called Rocky, was in my room and basically he would be passed out on his bed when I woke up, and stay there most of the day and then go out and start drinking at around 6. Although after one particulaly heavy night when he wet the bed in his drunken stupor he clamed it down a bit, but that still didnīt stop him waking me up when he stumbled in and fell out of his bed, repeatedly.
Apart from the nightlife, there are plenty of cool interesting areas of BA, including the Casa Rosada, (Pink House) the presidential palace where Evita made her famous speech from, the government building at the other end of Avenida de Mayo, and lots of little art galleries, that randomly occur in some of the more bohemian areas. There is also the area of Recoleta with itīs hippy markets and the huge tourist attraction of a cemetary, being a tourista nd with nothing better to do I decided to check it out and see what the fuss was all about. The Cemetary was very similar to the one in Santiago, except Evita was buried here, and there were lots of tourists and tour guides taking peopel round, I didnīt really know whether this was a good thing or not, despite the tourist guide saying that the people appreciate the monuments to their lives becoming an open air museum. I decided that this was a slightly crass affair when I saw people queing up to have there picture taken outside the mausoleum of the family Duarte, Evitaīs family, and then sticking there heads in the door and peering between the railings, Iīm not sure what they expected to see, but they all did it, and then all said they couldnīt see anything.
The highlight of my time in BA was going to the football. I went to see Boca Juniors, who the more sporting inclined of you will probably have heard of, play Velez, who most of you wonīt. Boca are the Chelsea of Argentina, except instead of using their money to buy the best players they use it to bribe the refs and the officials. This is a conspiracy theory held by many fans of opposing teams as Boca have won title after title, aided by dodgy reffing and their army of loco aficionados. It was with these "loco" fans that we wanted to sit, but the match was actually an away game for Boca, and was at Velezīstadium, and all the Boca seats were sold.
So we sat with the Velez fans, just as passionate as the Boca fans complete with fireworks, and huge banners, and jumping for 90 minutes (well 87 but I will get to that) so it felt like a minor earthquake in the stands. The game started well enough with every trick and turn greeted with an olé from the Velez fans and an early goal for Velez set the place rocking, and converted all of us to Velez fans for the day. It was not long before Boca were back in the game aided by a dodgy reffing decision. The linesman signalled for offside, but play continued and Boca scored, all the Velez players ran over to the ref pleading for him to disallow the goal, but, after a quick chat with the linesman he over ruled and Boca were level, Boca's second happened while I was searching out a toilet just before half time, not the best experience. Mid-way through the second half and Velez equalised the crowd went crazy the atmosphere was electric, and it was all set up for a grandstand finale. On 85 minutes Boca were awarded a freekick, for nothing, and after it was taken and the ball had sailed harmlessly out of play the ref blew his whistle and consulted with his linesman, who indicated an off the ball incident. The ref then booked 2 players, one from each, and then ordered the free kick to be taken again, instead of a drop ball, which should be awarded if play has been stoped for an off the ball incident. The free kick comes in and Boca get a shot away, but it is scrambled of the line. From my vantage point I couldnīt see if it had crossed the line, but the linesman gave it as a goal. This incensed the Velez fans who promptly pelted the hapless chap in black with anything and everything they could find, bottles, coins, seats, a dustbin, until the ref called a premature end to the match. This angered the Velez fans even more, and they turned their attention to the Boca fans, and seats were flying across the stands and the fans from the other stands all rushed over to that one corner to join in the melee. We calmly observed this from our vantage point as flaming seats were frisbeed into the seething masses. Eventually the riot police came in to bash a few skulls, they also brought out a giant fire hose, but alas they did not use it.
As we made our way back to the hostel, after having to wait 45 minutes for all the Boca fans to leave before we were permitted to exit, we decided that it was a perfect South American football match, great atmosphere, 5 goals, lots of controversy, and ended in a riot.
After more than a week in Buenos Aires it was time to leave, with my Spanish knowledge furthered but still pretty inadequate.
Hasta Luego, mis amigos...
Comments
Nice footy match
That sounds like a great day out. You dont get matches like that in England any more.