This past Sunday, I went to the big Gaucho fair in Mataderos, an area located on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The bus trip took about an hour to get there, and you felt like you were in a completely different city. Nothing looked familiar. It had a very different feel from central Buenos Aires. Certainly not very attractive and poorer. Nevertheless, every Sunday, this section of the city houses a Gaucho fair. It seemed more authentic, more representative of the Argentina that exists outside the capital. By encountering some of the customs and products from outside, one realizes that Buenos Aires is not a microcosm of the country: it's one giant exception. Very cool to see the contrasts.
Anyway, the fair featured many different stalls, each representing a different region within the country. For example, one stall sold chocolates from the province of Rio Negro, another sold sweets from Tucuman, and another with bread containing all of the grasa (beef fat) in the world. Other foods included cheeses, meats, jams, dried fruit...
In addition to the food, as in the other fairs I have been to, vendors were selling different handicrafts, although much more gaucho theme, regarding clothing, kitchen utensils, and appliances like wine bottle holders.
The highlight of the fair, however, were the activities. Several bands came on stage to perform different types of gaucho music, and people in the crowd made room to dance to the different styles- very interactive. On the other side of the fair, gauchos participated in some activity where they ride a horse as fast as they can and try to dislodge a ring from a pole (like a field goal post). It's hard to explain so I'll post a video about it. In another odd sight, 2 little puppies were riding on a pony- very cute, but bizarre. I could only watch the horse riding and gaucho dances for so long. I returned to Belgrano for a rare night of homework.
The following day, I got up first thing and went to Colonia, Uruguay, with my friend Mya for the day. I had missed the group excursion a couple months ago but I was able to use my unused ticket for this past week. Riding the ferry is nothing but a pleasure- almost worth going to Uruguay for that- it beats the claustrophobia of the the subway, the inconvenience of the bus, where you always need to pay with coins, or planes, which always seem to get canceled in this country, especially in light of the recent volcanic eruption in Chile.
Anyway, Colonia contains a historic district, which apparently is a world heritage site, whatever that means. It was founded by the Portuguese in the late 1600's, and it served as an important port city. Ultimately, Spain and Portugal agreed to some land swap, with Spain taking control of Colonia and Portugal getting control of what is now parts of southern Brazil. So many old ruins and historic buildings, such as government houses and such, remain, many of them now being converted into museums.
So we strolled through the area, walking along the coast, stopping at some of the different museums, lookouts, and ruins, taking our time on the cobblestone streets. Needing a break from the cold, we stopped at Freddo ( ice cream chain) for hot chocolate, made simply from melted chocolate ice cream- how brilliant is that?
Here are my thoughts on Colonia, which other people seem to share as well: Pretty boring, very little to do, but a great day trip. It remains a nice place to get away from Buenos Aires for the day, and you can add another stamp to your passport at the same time. Unfortunately, when we went, it was rainy and cold. But I could imagine it being a more enjoyable experience in the summer, touring the ruins, enjoying a long lunch at a cafe, and sitting along the water for a nice sunset.
We stopped at a restaurant after seeing the different museums, and when we asked for tap water, the waitress complied and immediately brought us a pitcher of water. In that small example, I felt a difference between Uruguay and Argentina: Whereas in Argentina, you have to fight and argue and beg for small things/conveniences such as tap water, in Uruguay, they provide it for you- they're content to see you happy. While Argentina leaves you shaking your head, Uruguay accommodates you. In Uruguay, there exists a sense of tranquilidad (tranquility) that doesn't drive you crazy like it does in Argentina. Then again, I've only been in Uruguay for a total of 5 days in my life so my claim could be a little short sighted. But that's been my experience.
So after a nice day off Monday spent in Uruguay, I returned to school for the past 3 days, but with Shavuot and my teacher canceling class and all, it once again seemed like another week of nonexistent school.
Though I've still got my student visa to prove I'm "studying" here.
Mataderos (Top 4)
Colonia pics are after
Ariel
another sweet post from the a-hoff.
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