We certainly got the most out of our first hostel where we enjoyed free Spanish lessons, then jumped on a walking tour of downtown BsAR with an experienced guide named Nicolas Goscilo. We ended up improvising our plans over the last two days after meeting some interesting folks who steered us in the right direction.
Nicolas walked us from the oldest building in BA, Manzana de las Luces, to Playa de Mayo where we explored the Catholic Cathedral and the Mosoleum del San Martin, as well as the surrounding government buildings. There were periodic booms resembling canon fire from the streets surrounding the downtown Plaza de Mayo and small groups of protesters with banners blocking the streets, but Nicholas explained that this is common place near the capital, and no one seemed to be surprised, including the numerous police.
Nicolas did not sugar coat the violent history of the 1970s and 80s Dirty War. He explained to us in detail the regime changes, the detainment, torture, and disappearances of 30,000 gorillas, leftists, unionists, politicians, students, intellectuals, and bystanders that the military regime deemed ‘subversive’.
We visited the Evita museum and learned the history of Maria Eva Peron’s leadership during her husbands time in power. Then Nicholas brought us to a memorial plaque outside a large police station that served as a detention center where atrocities were committed during the military regime.
Following the heavy history, our tour group went to a bar for beer and a brief Tango show in San Telmo. All and all it was a great intro to downtown Buenos Aires and Argentinian history.
After checking into our new hostel in San Telmo, we explored the local area and found a small Argentinian BBQ joint for dinner where we enjoyed pulled pork, incredible ribs, and a bottle of delicious Mendoza Bornarda vino. Our adventure continues with Che Guevara and Tango dancing on Thursday but we need to run now. Larissa will fill you in on the rest.
Vision Quest: Sudamerica 