Beautiful Air and gibberish

So onward to Buenos Aires.

Jack and I went to Buenos Aires in late October. It was a rollercoaster of a few days, mainly walking the streets for hours on end. The city is gorgeous. It is no wonder it's name means 'beautiful air.' There were parks galore. One of the major attractions for us was the nature preserve located on the Rio de la Plata. It had miles of walking trails, all closed to vehicles and reserved strictly for bikers, walkers, or rollerbladers. It was also full of birds and other wildlife; in general, it was spectacular.

I broke down on the second day and just had to go see a movie. It didn't matter what exactly, just as long as it was in English. You see, at this point I was having difficulties. My spanish is non-existant, and Jack, well, if you know Jack, you know that he's beyond gifted with languages. It's annoying at times. He never claimed to know spanish very well, "Just a few phrases to get by," he claimed. Yeah right. We're in Costa Rica for a few days, and he just picks it up! Although this is fabulous overall, it meant that in South America I was glued to Jack's side. I couldn't wander because if I got lost, I couldn't ask for directions. I couldn't read menus, which meant Jack was ordering for me. And in general, I was mute in conversation. It was frustrating.

This leads us to the movie. We went to see, of all things, Invasores, or the Nicole Kidman flick based on "the Bodysnatchers" or something. It would not be my first choice by any means, but options were limited in English. That was the low point.

We were only in Buenos Aires for a few days, but as luck would have it we happened to be there during the Presidential elections. It was interesting to walk the streets and read the signs (well, Jack read them) that were mainly about communism or abstaining from voting in order to prove a point. What point is that? I've never understood those who abstain from voting. Plus, its a bit ironic that they'd call for non-voting when voicing a rejection is permitted in a democracy. Communist countries don't generally allow you to do that. The very thing they abhor is what allows them to voice objection in the first place. Oh well.

We also got to see my friend Antonio. I worked with him at the UN for a few months last winter. It was great to see him and catch up. Although Brazilian, he's working in Argentina and was able to give us a bit of an insiders perspective. He took us to this great restaurant, full of meat! Really Argentina is known for its beef, so it was nice to enjoy a steak for a change. Vegetarians beware!

Here are photos:




I've been taking photos of recycling around the world as we've traveled. These, by far, are the largest recycling bins to date (right outside of the Pink House, Argentin'a White House):