Tuesday, October 24, 2006


Did you know?

It takes 10 hours from Atlanta to fly to Buenos Aires?


Buenos Aires is home to a population of more than 12 million people? This is more than 1/3 of Argentina's total population (37,032,000)

Dinner is late! Most restaurants are empty until 10:00 p.m. when the crowds arrive. We've been eating at 8:00 p.m. which feels a lot like the early bird special hour of Florida!

The tango is the national dance; you can see it performed on many street corners by local talent. Of course, the nightlife of Buenos Aires is filled with Tango Clubs--should you be able to stay awake after your late dinner!

Did you know that Buenos Aires is home to the largest avenue in the world, Avenida 9 de Julio, which runs through downtown Buenos Aires--sixteen lanes wide, requiring three stop lights to cross?

Did you know Buenos Aires is NOT on the ocean? Looked like it to me! However, after two days here looking for it, I've finally been told the ocean is 360 kilometers away....too long for a morning walk. So--I have discovered another kind of walking....dog walkers.

Paseadores de perros are all over the City! They captured my attention the first morning walk: with many of the Buenos Aires residents living in high-rises, this must be a job in demand. What talent, what skill, what a great job!

Did you know that you can enjoy an evening of TV reading the English sub-titles? After four years of Spanish, it seems my Spanish speaking language ability was stored in my short-term memory banks. Since I am over 50....nada! Sin! Vamoos! Gone!

Did you know that many of the Argentine people speak dual languages? They put me to shame! Thankfully, they are eager to put their English to practice...and I am more than willing to help! After all, I can only ask for "Agua" and "la toilette"....so many times each day! "Hola" is a good start....but how many times can you say, "no espeaka Espaniol?????" without feeling a bit "stupido!"

Did you know that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks? While getting lost looking for the La Recoleta Cementery, I walked up to a group of Police Men. My husband didn't think we should bother them, I told him with grand assurance....that certainly the Policia would know how to speak English. As I approached them, I smiled as I said, "Buenos Dias." I casually announced I did not speak "Espaniol." They smiled back at me and said something in Chinese, maybe Japanese...no it couldn't have been Spanish! Now, I was sweating! My husband was tucked safely a block away from my humiliation and I still needed to prove my point. So I pulled out the old "cut and paste" type of translation: "Eva Peron....Cementerio?"

"Ah.....si!" All four Polocia Officers started speaking to me, this time in Thai!!!! and pointed me in the direction I was to go.

Who would have ever thought, this old dog would be thanking God for Madonna! Her portrayal of Evita left a lasting impression in my mind. Thankfully, I was able to cut...Eva Peron.......paste it with Cementerio.....and Viola! We found our way. Of course, we will never speak of this again, especially if my husband asks if the Policia spoke English!!!!

Just wanted you to know!

9 comments:

Dawn said...

Thanks for the little bit of travelogue! Sounds like you're having a great time.

Please pray for Kev - he's struggling with what to do, whether to go to school spring semester, or head back east. He's really in a quandary right now.

Barb said...

My goodness how blessed you are to experience this culture. I love the photos and it's so nice of you to share your experiences there with us.

C. H. Green said...

I loved the rundown on your trip! Makes me want to go there. I also got a good laugh out of your language barrier issues. Glad to know you finally arrived where you were headed. Miss you.

Brigitte said...

Wow - what a beautiful place!! Looks like a country I would like to visit. Here in Souht Africa most of us are bilingual too. I am fluent in English and Afrikaans, and some people can speak up to three or four languages. We have 11 - yes that's ELEVEN official languages here. No wondering as to why we are called The Rainbow Nation hey.
Looks like you sure are having a good time!!

Heather Smith said...

Sounds like you're having a great trip! I'll have to put Buenos Aires on my "must see in my lifetime" list!!

Gardenia said...

Wow, what a trip. Many of my blog group are day dreaming, revisiting old trips, planning new ones. I loved the musical about Eva! How wonderful to be there seeing everything.

Cheryl said...

Looks like fun...by the way, I continue to pray for more good news...

Dawn said...

I hope you're having a wonderful time!

Anonymous said...

The forum will host scientists, doctors, engineers and academics in order to compare notes and
[url=http://www.planetnana.co.il/forumnews02/cheap-generic-viagra.html]cheap generic viagra[/url]
[url=http://www.planetnana.co.il/forumnews03/index.html]Looking for acne+medicine? Webdirectory about acne+medicine, and related topics[/url]