Category — Argentina

A peacock struts his stuff at the Buenos Aires Zoo.  More pictures from this amazing city are posted here.

“In Argentina, we have a financial crisis every five years, and after each one, we are a little worse off.”

We had wandered into Alejandro’s tour company looking for information on a few day trips from Buenos Aires; the history lesson on the Argentine economy  was a bonus.

“Our last crisis was about five years ago,” he explained.  “My wife had the equivalent of ninety thousand U.S. dollars in the bank.  There was a run on the bank and a devaluation of our currency. Some people lost everything.”

“My wife received a bond that matures in 2013.  It will be worth thirty thousand U.S. dollars – if the government can pay it.”

“Her money vanished, and was replaced by a vague promise. That’s why people here don’t trust banks.  Businesses want to be paid in cash, and when people have cash they either buy property or hide it in their mattresses.  It makes things very difficult,” Alejandro said.

Difficult indeed.

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A Day In Pictures
La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires

Interesting story: When Evita Peron died at age 33, the Argentine military was so afraid of the iconic power of her corpse that they hid her body in tomb in Milan, Italy for 16 years.

Twenty years after her death her body was returned to Buenos Aires in the dead of night and laid to rest in her family’s tomb in La Recoleta Cemetery, despite strong objections from the country’s elite.

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One of the first things you notice in Buenos Aires – OK, one of the first things I noticed – is how attractive the people are.

And not just good looking – really put together too. Women and men. Young and old. Taxi drivers and ladies who lunch.

I was already feeling a bit self-conscious, having worn the same clothes for about six weeks. Walking through the Recoleta I felt positively dowdy.

I finally had a chance to ask someone about this rather delicate subject when our landlord came to return the security deposit we left for our first apartment.

She appeared to be in her late fifties, trim, with a stylish haircut and expensive taste in clothes. She had the presence of a person used to having money and getting what she wanted. Her English was quite good.

After a bit of small talk I felt I had an opening to ask the question that had been nagging me: “Is it my imagination, or is everyone in this city very attractive?”

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