Buenos Aires--elegant city of the South



Casa Rosada, Office of the President

Buenos Aires is a beautiful and slightly faded city, suffering from Argentina's latest financial crisis, with a plummeting peso, very active black market for trading dollars for pesos way above the official bank rate, and crumbling infrastructure.  But, it is charming and lively and full of busy restaurants serving lots of meat, some fish, and delicious empanadas.

Caminito with pope

The old fishing area of La Boca sports a new icon on its flagship building, the Caminito, Pope Francis.  Argentines are so proud of the first South American pope who came from their country.

macrame'd tree trunk, La Boca

We highly recommend our hotel, the Hub Porteno, a very small hotel in the heart of Recoleta, Buenos Aires' premier shopping district, with lots of high end hotels.  The rooms are very spacious, the restaurant is excellent and the staff more helpful and thoughtful than any I have encountered in any other hotel in the world (quite a superlative, I know, but true).

La Boca window

We met with U.S. embassy officials--always a must for us and always valuable--as well as an Argentine university professor who also gave us an excellent and informative presentation about Argentina's economy and politics.

We met at the U.S. Ambassador's official residence, a beautiful palace built by the Bosch family between 1920 and 1925.  We enjoyed a tour by the architect in charge of maintaining the palace before our briefing.

salon in ambassador's residence where we met

We learned a lot about the current debt crisis, triggered when several U.S. hedge funds refused to accept a negotiated "haircut" on their Argentine bonds that was agreed to by 93% of the other bondholders.  A U.S. judge refused to let Argentina pay off the majority of bond holders unless they also paid the hold-out hedge funds.  That triggered yet another Argentine default which is still ongoing.  Everyone we've talked to seems to be waiting for elections a year from now when the current president, who is term-limited, is replaced by someone new (though all 3 candidates are from her party).  The hope is that the economic policies that have brought the current slump will be changed.

doorway in ambassador's residence

These policies include both import and export restrictions, so that companies have difficulty importing raw materials for their products as well as goods of all kinds.  Shops have closed because they can't get the products they need to import.  On the other side, companies cannot export products without paying a 35% export tax, hard to understand when the country is desperate for trade and foreign exchange.  So, some companies have resorted to doing an exchange of goods, such as exporting wine in order to import tractors, thereby avoiding the financial penalties of doing business here.  There are also draconian currency controls, making it nearly impossible to repatriate profits or to move money out of the country.  Add to that high inflation and you have a dismal economic picture.

Education suffers from a lack of funding.  Teachers and professors are underpaid or not paid at all, so that the public schools are terribly inadequate.  On one international measure, for example, 80% of Chinese students typically score in the 80th percentile and above while only 3 - 5% of Argentina's students hit those high scores.  Parents who can afford Catholic and other private schools send their kids there, but the vast majority of Argentines can't afford that for their children.

Tango--Argentina's famous dance

The professor gave us an interesting characterization of Argentines:  They are Italians who speak Spanish and think they are British.  Despite the Falklands (Malvinas) War years ago, Britain continues to be influential in Argentine history and culture.  But, the Falklands War is still a real sore point here.  Nonetheless, it was that war that spelled the end of the terrible military dictatorship of the 1980's that resulted in 30,000 deaths of regime opponents from torture and murder.  That, too, remains a brutally sad part of Argentine history and culture. 

Grandmothers' scarf painted on pavement

During this time, young women who were arrested and pregnant were kept alive until they gave birth.  Then they were murdered and their babies given to an Argentine family--not the young woman's family.  For decades, the grandmothers of these babies have marched in the Plaza de Mayo, the central government square, demanding to reclaim their grandchildren.  They would march around the Plaza de Mayo, the central government square in Buenos Aires, because they were not allowed to "gather and protest".  They wore white scarves so everyone knew who they were and now these scarves are painted on the pavement of the square.  Several of these poignant reunions of grandmothers and grandchildren have happened, including the reuniting of the leader of the grandmothers with her grandson several months ago. 

roses blooming in Palermo rose garden

On the bright side, the gardens are in full bloom.  We walked through the beautiful rose garden in Palermo.  The jacaranda are beginning their burst of purple flowers which turn Buenos Aires into a cloud of lavender in November.  Many people feel optimistic about the upcoming elections and expected changes in their country.  Argentines dance the tango with zest and skill.  One person characterized tango to us as "a sad thought that one dances.".  Indeed, we preferred the dancing to the singing.

Stunning Iguazu Falls

long wall of Argentine Falls

walkway over the Brazilian Falls at sunset

Even when the water is low flowing over Iguazu Falls, they are magnificent.  Winding around nearly 2 miles in a huge horseshoe, they are much longer than Niagara Falls, but are not as high and carry less water.

Brazilian Falls on day 1

You wouldn't have known that over the last few days, though.  Our first day there, the water was at normal springtime levels, which is pretty high.  The next day, we could see that the flow was significantly greater, nearly twice the volume of water.  That resulted from what must have been a large rainstorm about 500 km upstream of Iguazu about 24 hours earlier.

The power of the water tumbling over the Falls is mesmerizing.  The noise is thunderous and the mist from the pounding water soaks you through and through in seconds. 

Brazilian Falls on day 2

We took a zodiac up to the Falls our second day.  The goal of the boat driver is to get everyone thoroughly wet.  There isn't even much point in wearing a poncho because when you're nosed up under a huge volume of water, it slithers down your neck, pours through the bottom of the boat and sloshes on your seat.  It is just so much fun.  We were all shrieking with truly uncontrollable laughter.

We stayed at the Hotel das Cataratas inside the national park on the Brazilian side of the Falls.  We think it is by far the best place to stay in Iguazu--a lovely old hotel first built in the 1920's and now run by the Belmond Orient Express hotel chain.  Wonderful setting right next to the Falls, so you can just wander out and down the path to see the Brazilian falls.  Small rooms, but great service, a charming garden around a huge pool, and good food.

Argentine Falls on day 1

The Iguazu River, host to the Falls, divides Argentina and Brazil.  A little farther downstream, the Iguazu joins the Parana, forming a triangle of land that is part of Paraguay.  The Falls, however, are only between Brazil and Argentina.

Argentine Falls on day 2

On the Argentine side, the Falls are also incredible.  You can walk on pathways and bridges out over the Falls and the river.  There used to be a raised pathway across the river to one of the most spectacular sections of the Falls, the Devil's Throat, which we have enjoyed in the past.  But, last June, torrential rains raised the level of the Iguazu River about 12 feet and washed out the walkway.  While Argentina is rebuilding the walkway, it is far from complete.  Nonetheless, we loved the roar and might of the Argentine Falls.

We also visited Itaipu Dam, the second largest hydroelectric dam in the world, after China's Three Gorges Dam.  It has 20 turbines, one of which is dedicated to Paraguay and provides 75% of Paraguay's power.  The rest of the turbines send power to Brazil, meeting about 15% of that country's needs.  Paraguay and Brazil jointly built and run the dam and generators.  Driving across the dam, you actually enter Paraguay, but the area is considered an international zone.

Itaipu Dam

This is a hot and humid rain forest zone with beautiful birds and many small and large creatures.  There are beautiful jaguars and pumas living in the forest, sometimes seen by hotel guests, but we, sadly, did not see them.  Maybe next time.

Swallows flit in and out of the thundering falls, which seems like a miracle.  They nest behind the falls and seem oblivious to the enormous power of the falling water as they slip behind to their nests.  There are clouds of colorful butterflies everywhere, some even landing on people's hands and arms and going along for a ride.

millipede sunning itself
 

gorgeous butterfly

and another

coati

Monitor lizard

swallows clinging to cliff by waterfall

toucan





 

A small treasure in Rio--Museu Internacional Naif

Mural of Rio

Right at the foot of Corcovado, a few steps from the tram station, is a small museum, the Museu Internacional Naif do Rio, that is a real gem.  It has a collection of 6000 paintings and sculptures by what some would call "primitive" artists, a la Henri Rousseau.  But, the museum defines "naif" as self-taught artists who paint and sculpt their unique interpretation of daily life without formal rules or formal training.  I am putting photos of a few of these wonderful paintings below to give you an idea of how charming and imaginative these very fine artists are.


Family picnic

Artist's view of freedom in a Rio favela

Hunter Being Hunted (a favorite)

Fort at juncture of Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches

Soccer frenzy in Rio



family portrait








 

First Day in Rio

Copacabana Beach at dusk

                                          Inside and outside the Metropolitan Cathedral, Rio
                                         
I've been to Rio 8 or 10 times, but I saw parts of the city today that I haven't visited before, notably the oldest part of the city, with the emperor's palace, custom's house and charming narrow streets.

We started with a visit to H. Stern, the huge jewelry house with global reach and a specialty in Brazilian gemstones--aquamarines, topaz, tourmalines, amethysts, all beautiful.  Though I've been here before, I'm always impressed by how well-done this place is, with its displays showing how the gems are mined, cut, polished, sorted and set into jewelry.

Jeweler at work at H. Stern

A number of years ago, Don and I had the delightful opportunity to meet Hans Stern, founder of this remarkable business.  At the time, he was 83, and died just a year later.  He was a Jewish emigrant from northern Germany who left as Hitler's purges started when he was just 16.  He told us his family got on a boat not knowing where they were going, but knowing they had to leave fast.

The ship stopped in Rio and the family disembarked with no money and no jobs.  Hans went to work for a company that mined gems to the north of Rio and gradually learned the business.  At night, though he didn't really speak English, he taught English, after studying the night's lesson for a few hours before class started.  Eventually, he opened his own jewelry store and expanded into a worldwide company, with stores all over the world, supplied by the factory we visited today.

Hans' collection of tourmalines--1007 different colors--is on display in a small museum along with examples of the raw bands of gemstones solidified in rock.  Well worth a visit.

After seeing excellent displays of the jewelry manufacturing process, you get your first chance to buy, in an elegant room with tables protected by glass partitions giving a semblance of privacy.  The salespeople are low key but persistent and very knowledgeable.  They know just how to get you to buy and keep buying.  Beyond this first room where you can buy the stones, there are several more sales galleries with endless jewelry choices, ending with a shop that sells everything from tiny stones to kitsch souvenirs.  All elegantly presented.

This afternoon, we walked through the old part of Rio, which used to be on a bay that formed a safe harbor.  Over the decades, much of that port has been "reclaimed" so that now there are parks and a highway between the city and the water.

four soaring stained glass windows at Metropolitan Cathedral

One stop was at the Metropolitan Cathedral, which is quite ugly on the outside and stunningly beautiful with soaring stained glass windows inside.  It almost seems as if the architect wanted to set off the beauty of the interior by making the exterior unattractive.  When Pope John Paul II came here years ago, 20,000 people crammed inside the cathedral for Mass and 1.2 million jammed all the streets outside.



emperor's palace in old part of Rio

colonial church

sculpture atop colonial building

singing and dancing in the street


 

Old Rio is full of charming colonial era buildings in varying states of disrepair and restoration, with narrow alleyways full of outdoor restaurants and shops.  We watched a street singer and her band energetically entertaining a happy audience, with middle-aged women dancing enthusiastically in the street as they sang along with her.