Buenos Aires - The People and Quirks

Demographics - Upon landing in Buenos Aires, and making my way through the airport, it was clear that the population was predominantly of European ancestory. I saw faces that would be common in Italy or Spain, and if my plane had secretly flown to one of those places, I'd believe it. No one was quite as white as me, but if they had to check a box on the census, most would check "caucasion." I think I was surprised by this. I expected it to be more like Mexico City, which has a much more diverse mix of people.

I should also add that black people were rare, and a tour of the Zujon (old 17th century building built on a creek) explained why. Most of the first black people (slaves) in Buenos Aires died in a yellow fever outbreak, when they wern't allowed to leave the infected area. The ones that did survive were sent to fight in wars, and shortly after slavery was abolished. I've always been curious why the soccer teams in the rest of South America had a lot of black guys, but Argentina doesn't. Now I know.

Another thing that surprised me was the weight people carried. Having seen the diet of meat, potatos and sweets, I'm not surprised any more, but Argentine waist lines are very similar to American waist lines. Even in the city where everyone walks, a big chunk of people could have used a little more exercise.

Language - Spanish. Duh. There is one quirk that intrigued me. Argentines like to pronounce the double "L" with a "sh" sound instead of a soft "y" sound.

Llama (as in como te llama, what is your name) is normally "yama", but Argy's say "shama"

Sevilla is "sevisha"

Pollo (chicken) is "poysho."

I? have to give myself? a pat on my back for my Spanish skills. I nailed most coversations with cabbies, vendors, and strangers. There is something about the Argentine accent that makes it easier for me to understand the language than if someone from Mexico or Peru is speaking it.

Style - There's no exotic dress in Buenos Aires. It's a mix of European and American styles. Since it was summer, dudes wore shorts. Gals wore skirts. If you're looking for interesting shopping, you probably won't find it if you already come from a big city.

Haircut -I can add Argentina to my list of Mexico, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland as lands where I got a haircut. My experience in Argentina was very similar to what I'd get in the USA. There was a shampooing, then a cut. The lady who washed my hair used 4 different products to do it, which seemed like a lot. I was a little dirty from having just played polo, so maybe she sensed that. The guy who cut my hair didn't make any converstion with me. He gave me tiny Euro-side burns and I don't like that. It cost $12.00, including tip.

The Poor - The impoverished who slept on the street rarely interacted with me. A few begged for change, but they mostly stayed to themselves, and dug through trash. As stated before, trash bags are all over the city, and the poor spend a lot of time digging. Many poor kids run into traffic when the light is red and perform a juggling act or dance. Then they run between the cars looking for tips. I wasn't sure whether or not they should be encouraged. Some of them were good performers.

The Rich - The neighborhood I stayed in for the second half of my trip was where the upper classes live. They wern't interesting.

Tango - I'm not sure if the tango industry in B.A. exists solely to satisfy tourists needs or if it's something Argentine's actually do. The commercialization and high prices of everything related to tango made me feel that no local would partake in it. Of course I definitely wasn't savvy enough to find a true local tango club, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

Dogs - The people of Buenos Aires love dogs. It was common to see dog walkers escorting a pack of 15 large canines down the street to a local park, which would be filled with fenced off areas for everyone's dog. Dog poop is all over the sidewalks, and no one cares. Stray dogs are even treated decently. On multiple occassions I saw strays being fed and hydrated by locals.

Politics - Political statements are all over the place. A lot of the time it's in grafitti form. I was amused at how much of the grafitti was anti-American. I wasn't surprised though. When you're number 1 at everything, everyone else gets jealous ;) Other political sentiment was in the form of protests. My trip conicided with the 10 year anniversary of the collapse of the economy, and ensuing riots which lead to the massacre of many citizens by police. Huge pictures of that event flanked the Pink House, Congress, and the main avenue.

Argy's don't want us building bases in Colombia.

More protests signs...Down at the bottom, Fuerra Kristina is in reference to President Kristina. If you like her, you spell her name with a "C." If you don't like her, spell her name with a "K."

At least one person likes the USA. No, I didn't write that.

Dog walkers discussing how they can blanket the sidewalk with even more poop.

The police were always around in good numbers near the main streets.

In mid hair-cut, the barber (white haired guy in the background) asks his cohort if my sideburns can be made any thinner. The answer was, "si." Thankfully, they've grown back.

Not even the zoo is safe from anti-Yankee sentiment.

This little stray at the San Telmo market got a lot of handouts from everyone. He mastered the sad puppy look.

Veterans from various efforts live in camps outside the Pink House. Many have lived hear for 10 years.

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