"Cacerolazos", Cacophony & Community

Last week I did a blogpost around the theme of the spanish word "Solidaridad" meaning "kinship" or "fellowship" Solidaridad is something that can happen to you spontaneously but when you are abroad there are little things you can do to create a sense of community and rapport.  A few things happened in Buenos Aires that increased the tension of living in the city. The government began putting restrictions on the influx of foreign cash particularly american dollars.

To make a long story short, you can change your foreign cash into pesos but you cannot change your pesos into foreign cash. A desperation for USD began to develop. And it was in that moment that I found out what a "Cacerolazo" was. A "Cacerolazo" is when Argentines take pots and pans from their home and take to the streets banging them in a peaceful protest.  Understand that Argentines aren't the stereotype of what you imagine Latin American countries where they get violent. No, they don't get violent..........they get NOISY.

Getting Picked Up While in a Taxi

Some of you out there may be speculating that there is a grammatical error in the title of this blogpost but it was completely intentional.  Upon  arriving back from one of my trips to and from Colonia, Uruguay for the day, I did the usual and when I landed back in the ferry terminal in BsAs, I stepped out onto the side of the main road to hail a taxi.

Todays blog will incorporate several themes including how to stay safe and get to know strangers while avoiding sending mixed messages that can happen when two cultures colide. The first tip I want to share with anyone travelling to and from Uruguay via ferry from Buenos Aires is when you land in back in Buenos Aires and are in the ferry terminal again, there will be some taxis waiting for you right outside on the grounds of the ferry terminal.

Unless you cannot walk another step, don't accept an offer from a taxi driver. They are operating at a fixed rate of at least 70 pesos to wherever you want to go in the city. Instead, walk off the ferry grounds, find a main road where a stream of traffic is coming towards you and stand there and wait until a taxi comes along. Those taxis aren't contracted by the ferry terminal company and are just normal taxis so you will get a much lower per minute rate. Making that effort to walk those 5 mins out to the main road and catch a regular taxi is gonna save you 30-40 pesos

But lets get to the interesting part, I picked up a taxi and I ended up nearly getting picked up while in a taxi. It was driven by a handsome young 25 yr old who struck a conversation with me. Although I was tired, I remembered enjoying the conversation. There was a really nice vibe between us and at the end of the ride, he said he would like to continue to get to know me and we could exchange numbers if I wanted. I was OK with it so I gave my number and we decided to be in contact soon

Flirting with Fair Prices in a Feria

There is no doubt in my mind that if the government and the people of Argentina had a fb page where they had to set their relationship status, their status would be set to "complicated". It seems as if every single time is ready to throw in the towel and give the "It's not you it's me" speech, the other throws a curve ball to keep them at arms length.

One of the places I hadn't been to on my last few trips was a little park called "Plaza Almagro". Sometimes exploring even the tiniest and most insignificant of places can bring gigantic results and this day was no exception.  It somehow worked out that my first visit would happen on the weekend. Unbeknownst to me there is a large open air market that happens in Plaza Almagro only on the weekends. Prices for food are dirt cheap and as a result lineups are long and getting there early is an absolute if you want first dibs.

The Culture of Argentina Beyond the Boundaries of Buenos Aires City

Cityscape to the south of Cordoba, Argentina. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 




The culture of Latin America is often associated with the words "friendly"  "open" and "hospitable". At times those three words seem synonymous with one another. Being friendly and open automatically means being hospitable too.....right? After extended experience here in Buenos Aires and multiple conversations with expats that have lived here, I want to challenge that idea.

First lets define "hospitality" or "hospitable". The dictionary defines it as actually welcoming guests or strangers into ones living space and hosting them well. It's more than simply being nice to someone in the grocery store.  Hospitality denotes creating an environment for someone where they feel loved and taken in and I am not so sure that definition really accurately describes Buenos Aires.