Argentina

Visited: May 1997 – June 2001 – August 2019

Duration of visit: 8 days

Capital city: Buenos Aires

Population: 45 million (2019)

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

• Bocas Junior stadium and museum in working-class, Italian area of Buenos Aires.
• Magic tango performance with dancers and orquesta típica.
• Tasting pizza, pasta and empanadas.
• Walking around Puerto Madero one of the newest neighborhoods, created along the water bank.
• Political dialogues with my Airbnb host can be profound, but always lead to the conclusion that the current leaders are failing to perform.

Argentina’s history is fraught with political instability and economic turmoil from which often new political options, promises and written-off debts are the final outcome. The eighth-largest country in the world is famous for gauchos as a symbol of Argentinean culture: traditional cowboys or horsemen who lived in the plains (pampas) of Argentina are responsible for asado – Argentinean barbecue, an iconic dish that typically features beef or lamb that is cooked over an open fire.

Argentina is the birthplace of tango, a popular type of music and dance that originated in the working-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires in the late 19^th century. What about country’s passion for football, by far the most popular sport in Argentina?

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi have defined not only the history of the most popular sport, but also the meaning of life for many Argentinians.

There was never deep love between me and Argentina. Maybe it is because of my initial interest in pre-Colombian civilization on the continent or vast areas, combined with high costs to explore the country. Even after my third visit to Argentina, I didn’t go further than Buenos Aires. It would be unfair to proclaim my diary representative of the country, since there is always a big difference between the capital and countryside or other cities.

My three visits to the capital of Argentina couldn’t be different.

• In 1997 I was ending my 15-months American Big Tour backpacking from New York through the Americas. With little money left I was not welcomed in Argentina, at that time one of the most expensive countries in the world with the exchange rate 1 peso = 1 US$.
• In 2001 I visited Buenos Aires as a businessman, running a Slovenian power tools company, based in Ecuador. We were looking for new opportunities in South American markets, but Argentina was the most challenging. Import duties, complicated paperwork and stubborn Argentinian businessmen deprived us of any hope for success. Nevertheless, it was a useful experience in my personal growth as a manager.
• In 2019 Argentina was the last stop on my South American trip that lead me from Medellin through southern part of Colombia, the Andes of Ecuador, northern desert of Peru, navigating Amazon river to Manaus, flying to Brasilia, overland drive to Rio and Uruguay … to Buenos Aires. The winter was approaching, I was running out of time, but still had a good chance to explore the Argentinian capital for four days.

I arrived to Buenos Aires on a luxury ferry from Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay, after travelling overland from Medellin, Colombia for 2 months. What a change to dock in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America, where the Río de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean!

Its neoclassical European architecture, cafe culture, atmospheric neighborhoods and international vibe give the city a strikingly European feel, earning it the nickname Paris of South America.

But Buenos Aires is also decidedly Argentine, with culinary focus on Pampas grass-fed beef, asado, milanesas, empanadas, wine and mate, tango salons and shows, creative clothing boutiques and football. Whether we are looking for history, political controversy, designer fashion, exquisite cuisine or nightlife that doesn’t stop, this vibrant Argentinian metropolis leaves little room for disappointment.

This was my third visit of Buenos Aires and one topic has always been the same in the last 20 years: la crisis. Argentina is consistently experiencing crises; economic crisis, political crisis, corruption issues, football disappointments, Covid-19 outburst or only general discontent. When visiting Buenos Aires for the last time in 2001, Argentina was the most expensive country in South America; the one-peso = one-dollar policy by Carlos Menem was financed by international debt, that would never be paid back. People were rich, they could afford anything and, especially when travelling abroad, their purchase power made them feel supreme to citizens of any other country in Latin America.

There is a joke about Gauchos that goes like this:

The best deal is to buy an Argentinian for what he is worth and sell it for what he thinks he is worth.

Argentinians have always felt proud; the way they speak sounds so self-confident and sometimes even arrogant.

A lot has changed since than: Argentina has lost his supremacy in football and purchase power; confidence to peso was gone a long time ago and many people lost all their savings through devaluation.

I booked a room with Flor through Airbnb very close to downtown and only a minute walk to the metro station. Flor is a young entrepreneur who struggles to get by through the crisis that has slashed down her income in the last year. She works from home and comments me that it was much easier to survive in the era of Kirchners – first Nestor and then his widow Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Identified as Peronists and progressive, with their political approach called Kirchnerism – left-wing populism, they defended human rights, economic policy of industrialist developmentalism and protected local industry by tariffs for imported products. They strongly opposed multilateral and bilateral free trade agreements pursued by The United States and strengthened Argentine relations with countries of Latin America. On a long term, this protectionism of local economy doesn’t work; therefore, the country is in troubles every few years.

Flor keeps saying that high inflation increases their monthly bills, but the income stays at the same level. So, it’s very hard to survive while Mauricio Macri is in power; businessman, politician and ex-president of Boca Junior Football Club is the new president. He identifies himself as a moderate centrist and liberal. Since he replaced Cristina, the country could not move forward.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Argentina would return to old path of Kirchnerism under a new leader. Most of the conversation always ends on the politics managing Argentinians life. Such a difference from neighboring Uruguay which stands as a model of democracy, liberalism and success.

Moving around by metro is extremely efficient, inexpensive and quick. Buenos Aires metro system El Subte is the oldest in Latin America, opened in 1913. The weather in the beginning of August was quite cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop me from visiting the most interesting parts of Buenos Aires and meeting fascinating people.

Whenever it started to rain, I didn’t look for Starbucks coffee or McDonnalds, but rather stepped into one of many bookshops. Argentinians really like to read, be it newspapers, magazines or books. According to a study by the World Cities Culture forum, Buenos Aires is the city with the highest number of bookshops per person in the world.

One of the most remarkable sites in Buenos Aires is Avenida 9 de Julio, the world’s widest avenue, named for the day in 1816 when Argentina won its independence from Spain. The avenue has up to seven lanes in each direction and runs 3 kilometers long. Residing in the most important intersection of the avenue, el Obelisco de Buenos Aires has caused so many controversy and intrigue that it deserved the award of the unofficial center, symbol and rallying point of this sprawling metropolis.

Puerto Madero is one of the newest neighborhoods that have been extremely well planned and has grown in the area of old port.

This neglected area transformed into a modern business, cultural and living area through recycling and refurbishing warehouses into elegant houses, offices, lofts, private universities, luxurious hotels and restaurants.

New residential high-rises of up to 50 stories have been built facing Rio de la Plata. It is all perfectly planned, pleasant to live or work. I visited this area three times and every time found something new and exciting. Combination of remains from the old port are nicely incorporated into modern infrastructure; I didn’t see any traffic jams. Having money and choosing to settle down in Buenos Aires, I would definitely locate myself in Puerto Madero.

One of the most outstanding barrios in Buenos Aires is La Boca, with colorful houses and pedestrian street, the Caminito street, where tango artists perform and tango-related memorabilia is sold. Caminito was actually the neighborhood where many poor immigrants from Europe took up residence and used leftover ship construction materials to start their new lives.

Various unused paints from the dock workers were applied to a creation of a multicolored neighborhood. In the meantime, the famous street has been turned into souvenir stores, selling lots of tango related merchandise. Other attractions in the barrio include La Ribera theatre, many tango clubs and Italian taverns.

La Bombonera or The Chocolate box is the stadium where the most famous Argentinian football club, Boca Juniors, plays its matches. One of the most emblematic stadiums of the world has two specific features: the pitch at La Bombonera is the minimum size required under FIFA regulations; due to its unusual shape, where the crowd can be extremely close to the pitch, the acoustic is excellent.

Unfortunately, there were no games scheduled during my visit. The closest I could get to the legendary club was through the Boca Juniors Museum, Hall of fame, a large mural of Diego Maradona, a giant statue of Bocas all time top scorer Martin Palermo and the most remarkable player Román Riquelme. These were three players that marked Boca’s history the most.

It is fascinating that Diego Maradona played for Boca only for three years: between 1981 and 1982 and, at the end of his career, in 1995 to 1997.

Tango is culturally important, national tradition that expresses and celebrates Argentinian heritage and national identity. Even though tango first appeared in 19^th century, probably in brothels in the lower-class districts of Buenos Aires, it really kicked off in the beginning of 20^th century and shifted from the lower class to the high society dance palaces in the 1920’s. Tango is a light-spirited variety of flamenco, derives from the Cuban dance habanera, Argentinian milonga and Uruguayan candombé.

There were two things that I didn’t want to miss while in Buenos Aires: tango show and Boca Juniors game or stadium and museum.

There are many options for tango shows in Buenos Aires. From an informal street dancer to a high-end performance with luxury dinning in opulent halls, and many between.

I decided to attend two shows in different theaters. I am obviously not an expert in tango, but what really called my attention was that, in both performances, I didn’t see any non-Argentinians visitors and I was one of the youngest in the public. So, I assume, that the quality of the shows was not made for uneducated tourists that would overpay for a mediocre performance full of glamour, but lack of essence. Instead of paying for an expensive diner, I had a slice of pizza in a recognized El Palacio de la Pizza, and then enjoyed the show.

The official leaflet described the show as the following: Madame Tango with Andrea Ghidone is a tango musical that, through dance, stories and melodies, tells an unconventional love story. Accompanied by Orquesta típica in an atmosphere of passion and sensuality, encounters and disagreements immerse a story where each choice of life is a vehicle that leads us to freedom.

I rarely visit cemeteries during my travels, but Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires has been listed among the top cemeteries in the World. I didn’t know there was a list of top cemeteries! So, I had to check it out. Approaching from the southern part, it was very easy to locate it, surrounded with high walls. It was much more difficult to find the entry, so I asked the policemen who orientated me to the northern entrance, which was almost 10 minutes walking distance.

The cemetery looks more like a museum with monuments, luxury houses, statues and well-organized avenues.

It contains graves and mausoleums of notable people, including Eva Peron, ex-presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, military heroes and a granddaughter of Napoleon. It is an exhibition of Neoclassical, Neo Gothic, Art Nuevo and Art Deco architecture. I noticed some tourists walking around with maps and spotting the most famous mausoleums. You can easily get lost, but it’s pretty straightforward to find Eva Peron’s grave, since there is always a group of people in front of her tomb.

Argentina is the eight largest country in the World with spectacular countryside, people and culture. I will definitely come back one day and travel all the way south to Patagonia to visit glaciers, wildlife, mountains and lakes.

Football, politics and eternal crisis will still be a part of gauchos life, while the discussion about the best football player of all times could be ended, if Argentina becomes a World Cup winner with magician Lionel Messi as the main star.

Messi could be the best football players of all times, but Diego Maradona will stay the god in Argentina.