Entre boludos y pelotudos

After missing Rafa in Salta (he stayed in bed in Tucuman with a cold) and visiting some wineries in Cafayate, I flew back to Buenos Aires last Wednesday evening.In my first visit to the city I didn't get a very good impression of it. But that was because didn't have much time to walk around. I'm taking my time now, and I must say I quite like it. I'm visiting some of the barrios, Palermo, Recoleta, San Telmo ... There are some amazing old buildings spread around the city. This must have been an incredible place back in the 1920s. Unfortunately some areas have not been taken care of since then, and others would have better been left alone. Old and new mix here without any logic. Or should I say old, older and oldest, with some newer bits here and there. I cannot decide whether this is a decadent or a lively and modern city, because it's both at the same time. As Fito Paez sings in a song, everything here has been used a houshand times, but that doesn't seem to affect the selfsteem of the porteño, which remains at its highest, where else would it be.
Cafes everywhere, noisy streets, bread with your meals (at last!), confiterías, night life, shoe shops, Telefónica, BBVA, ... this could be Spain or even Paris, but it is not. The city has a spirit of its own.
It also has some mega posh areas. Hermes, Louis Vulton and Cartier have their fans here too (practical knowledge straight from the International Marketing course), and I've just visited a shopping mall only of design shops. Brussels wishes it had such a thing. Unfortunately, as somebody told me, real Argentina lies only a few "cuadras" from all that. The poorest people of the contry live within a radius of 25 km of the city centre. I haven't really met them, but I'm well aware that they are not far.
In the mean time, politicians keep doing what they are best at, blaming others for the country's problems and trying to make up a fairy tale for their voters. From today's newspaper: The president has decided to charge a fine to the main supermarket chains for rising their prices, and Suez (Electrabel), a French multinational in charge of the water distribution in great Buenos Aires has decided to leave the country asap because of the ridiculously low tarifs been set by the government. It seems that Kirchner has found his way to prevent the inflation from rising. An artificial method as the one to one exchange rate with the dollar they know so well here. Will politicians ever come to their senses in this country? I guess it's difficult to resist the temptation when piqueteros are walking around making noise. And my goodness, they are noisy. I saw them today, hitting with hammers any metalic thing they would find in town, trafic and street lights, road signs, water pipes, ... and their noise is being amplified with the coming elections in a few weeks time. Things are getting hot.
So this is Argentina. A fantastic country with endless endemic problems. Forever optimistic, pround about itself, and forever doomed with foreign debt and irresponsible politicians. I think I'll have to come back and spend some more time here. Buenos Aires is nice, but I want to visit more of the country side. I keep seeing pictures from Patagonia, and they are so amazing... I'm tempted with changing my flight and staying here another month. It's even the right season, as spring is waking up the hibernating life ... Anyway, I've made up my mind already. I'll go back to Europe, find a job, work for a while, and then take another break some time...
I think this will be my last post from this side of the globe. Unless I am bored, something very interesting happens, or I miss my flight, I will be writting again next Tuesday from Brussels. Count on a photo reviewing session next weekend in Belgium (perhaps even two, Leuven and Brussels), and an addional one in Pontevedra the following weekend. Let me know who is interested, so that I can sort it out. And by the way, I need some software to edit and put together all the small pieces of video I've recorded so far. Somebody can suggest me something I can download for that?
So, see you all soon, and thank you very much for reading, sending your comments, e-mails,..... I did appreciate them all.