From La Paz to the Big Apple
Trip Start
Apr 13, 2008
1
14
17
Trip End
Jun 03, 2008
Buenos Aires,
Capital Federal District,
Argentina
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Yesterday I finally went out and bought some tango shoes (they are a rich red in colour - when I tried them on, I felt like a cross between Judy Garland and Norma Shearer)
Last night I had farewell drinks with my hosts, Carla and Sergio and their four legged owners, Frida and Fidel and Jennifer and Peter (the two American post grad students), and -
today I will visit the San Telmo markets for the last time and maybe have lunch at the Bar Britannico..
I love spending Sundays at the San Telmo markets - where else can you find stalls selling first edition books, across the way from a stall selling old maps, across the way from a stall selling brass door handles and then turn a corner and there is another selling fine worked lace?
And there are street performers every few metres - from full tango orchestras, to mime artists, to puppeteers and jazz duos nd African rhythms.
The prime position is at an outdoor cafe in the Plaza Dorrego, near where a quartet of older dancers and guitarists have probably been captivating the tourists for the past 20 years - and you continue down to the paitners and artesans can buy amazing artworks, wood carvings, leatherwork and souvenirs..
And of course now that it is winter you cannot go past the vendors selling bags of freshly roasted nuts and just-out-of the-oven empañadas.
A perfect weekend to cap my time in Buenos Aires.
The markets of Buenos Aires and La Paz reflect the contrasting personalities of these two cities: One dominated by the river and the docks - cosmopolitan, European in culture and style while La Paz is marked by its mountains and jungles - and its indigenous heritage.
La Paz is not a city for walking around. You are either walking uphill or downhill but never very fast because of the altitude. And breathing is doubly difficult because the car fumes from the gridlocked traffic have no where to escape.
The square around San Francisco Cathedral Plaza de los Heroes, is the social and commercial hub of this city. Every alleyway, street and corner is taken up by market stalls. And everything is on sale, from handicrafts, to clothes, silver jewellery, hardware, books, students offering their letter writing and legal skills, and even a witches' market with dried herbs, potions and incense is on sale (along with Catholic icons.)
And the food stalls put a new meaning into open air dining. For a couple of Bolivianos, you can get freshly squeezed grapefruit, orange, lemon, apple or mandarin juice. Next door you can go upmarket and get exotic smoothies including avocado, papaya, cactus fruit and banana.
When my order of banana and milk was delivered to me in a huge glass jug, I asked the friendly lady behind the counter if I could have it "para llevar" or takeaway. So she poured my drink in a plastic bag wrapped around a straw!
I bought a spicy meat empañada from another stall and a sweet pastry from yet another. If I wanted to I could also order a freshly made hot barbecue chicken roll (the chicken is sliced in front of you) with a choice of salads and sauces.
When not dodging the ´´micros´´- the packed mini buses that are the main form of public transport here - you also huve to dodge the street side kitchens, and the cooks who suddenly emerge in front of you with trays set high with platters of meat and rice or bowls of steaming hot soup.
If you are looking for some entertainment while you dine - head down to a small amphitheatre nearby which provides the perfect venue for street theatre.
On the day I was there, a couple of young actors were clowning around in a piece of political satire and if the references went over my head, the crowd loved it. Not far away a middle aged man was drawing his own audience with some passionate denouncement of the Catholic Church.
And you can´t walk a few metres around here without being confronted by La Paz´s notorious balaclava wearing shoe shine boys - according to Lonely Planet, many are university students who need the cash for their studies and choose to hide their identities from friends and family - and the gangsta look is just for added effect.
I wish I had more time to explore this country, which has been my refrain throughout this whole trip. I have only travelled around a small corner of Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia respectively and the experience has just whetted my appetite for more - next time I would like to add Equador (the Galapagos Islands in particular) and Patagonia which is also a stepping off point for Antartica.
I've also learnt that Bolivia is the "in" place for the ultimate in adventure travel. If you are into cycling, I have found the ride for you - a day riding the "Highway of Death". You start at a town near La Paz at a altitude of 4670m then descend down to the jungle at 2500m on this narrow road sometimes staring over 300m deep precipices. At least the cyclists no longer share the road with the buses and trucks but still the ultimate ride is just that for some tourists http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1314018,00.html
Or you can inhale poisonous gases at the Potosi silver mines (tourists are encouraged to buy presents such as soft drinks, dynamite etc for the local miners. ) Not sure about this one. The thought of gawking at third world working conditions makes me feel very uncomfortable. http://www.showcaves.com/english/misc/mines/Potosi.html
I have also discovered that undertaking volunteer work on community and environmental projects is also popular - I met a group of young English women at a pub trivia night in Cusco a couple of weeks ago who were spending part of their gap year helping out a centre for abandoned children.
Which is my segue for the following announcement:
Through Apus Peru Adventure Travel, I have donated most of my 'souvenir spending money' towards helping to build a sustainable future for the isolated community of Chaullacocha in the Lares-Ollantaytambo valley, Peru.
The donation is going to the community's school - namely the purchase of towels and soap for the toilet/shower block at the school and also seeds for the new greenhouse. It's a small gift but will allow Apus-Peru and the Non Government Organisations and other international groups supporting this community focus on some of the 'big picture' projects.
If you are looking for some background on the community and the challenges they face - here are some background articles.
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/library/blPoW071209.htm
http://www.apus-peru.com/weaving_traditions.htm
http://www.worldtravels.com.au/being_able_give.htm
http://news.therecord.com/Life/article/345824
http://www.myproworld.org/projects/project_history.htm
I have asked Ariana of Apus-Peru Adventure Travel to keep me informed of the community's progress - and I can share this news with you through the final version of this travel blog or you can receive emails directly.
Anyway, must go. Next time you hear from me, I will be home.
A farewell wrap - the song that has followed around this trip - from their 1994 live concert - the Eagles and Hotel California
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IBJTNx5qrVU
hasta luego
Debra
