It´s funny how everything changes just by the crossing of a border. One moment you are in the environment you´ve gotten used to, but only a few steps and two stamps away, things are drastically altered. So we have said goodbye to Bossa Nova, Caipirinhas and Portunhol and were welcomed with Tango, steaks, wine and Spanish!
Although we only stopped speaking Spanish for a month (and spoke some kind of a mix of Icelandic, English, and Portuguese instead), the language changing really messes with your head. I don´t know how many times I´ve been about to say "Obrigada" instead of "Gracias".
The day after crossing the border, we went to the Argentinean side of Iguazu. Wow, THAT was impressive! I think I could have spent the whole day watching The Devil´s Throat. But I didn´t.
The day after, we took our first Argentinean long distance bus. We had heard so many stories, and god-damn it, they´re true. The 16 hour bus ride we spent in our lazyboy seats, being served with chocolate, food, wine and champagne. Argentinean buses ftw.
Would you believe me if I told you that that day we left South America and entered Europe? That´s at least how we felt entering Buenos Aires.
Now I understand perfectly what people have been saying about Buenos Aires being the most European city of South America. But in a certain way, I´m not even sure that is in a good way. Buenos Aires has that same big-city-atmosphere as the European big cites. Being more for nature and small communities, it didn´t fascinate me as much as it should have. But still it was nice to "escape" into European-ish culture for a while. And not to mention that we stayed with Mikjail, a Venezuelan friend that is studying there, which was super nice! Finally we stopped being super tourists in hostels, and stayed with "locals". It was kind of like putting the backpacking on a pause for a moment, a small time out. Which is necessary once in a while, to restore energy.
If it wasn´t for the overwhelming big-city-rush, Buenos Aires is a place where a culture-vulture like me could get stuck in. There is a thriving arts-, food- and activities culture, and if you have the time and money, Buenos Aires is a place where you shouldn´t get bored.
There were two nights in Buenos Aires that stand out from the others. One of them we spent blindly, closed up in a totally dark room among with approximately 30 other people. We were in Teatro Ciego or Blind-Theatre, where we used all our senses, except for our sight. We listened to the play, sensed the actors around us, smelled the aromas and ate a delicious 3 course meal (yet again, blindly) during the play.
It was interesting, being blind for a whole evening. You feel how all your other senses become more aware, how they try and replace your eyes. It is still nothing I would like to get used to.
Btw, I´m quite sure the theatre staff had a laugh, mixing up the texture of the fruits for dessert - either that or Argentinean peaches taste like banana.
The other night that stands out, was when we went out to a place called La Catedral. It´s a Tango place and a restaurant, with a bohemian atmosphere. I can´t say that we did much of dancing, not having learned any Tango and all, but it really was enjoyable watching the others - and not to mention the shows the professionals put on.
These two nights stood out, but we still did a lot more in Buenos Aires. We did a city tour, we went to concerts, visited the AMAZING cemetary (we went 3 times - no joke), looked for a good coffee (without success) and, believe it or not, ran into our Hawaiian friend again! What are the chances of Icelanders and a Hawaiian to run into each other in South America, TWICE? Hahah, life is full of surprises.
But the coincidences kept on coming, because only a few days later, we found ourselves in Cordoba, having dinner with a nice, Icelandic couple, which we stumbled upon doing a University/Museum-tour. I still think the tour guide was more amazed than we were, since they never had received Icelandic people before, much less four of us! Like I say, life is full of surprises.
Well, so, all in all, we were in Argentina for two weeks before heading over to Chile to go to the music festival Lollapalooza. Two weeks is not nearly enough time for such an immense country like Argentina, so we will return soon enough, to tour around the notorious wineyards of Mendoza..
Until then!
-Svandís
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