Left: Another great steak dinner with other travellers in a cozy restaurant. Right: The widest street in Buenos Aires, Avenida 9 de Julio. - PHOTOS BY LISA ROBINSON
IN LATIN America, the city of Buenos Aires, sticks out like a sore thumb ... it's perhaps the most un-Latin of all the countries on the continent. With its wide boulevards, elegant buildings, and its overwhelming abundance of cafés, it immediately strikes you as a copy of Madrid, Spain and like a typical European city; it has a tense atmosphere about it.
On the streets of downtown, I daily dodged stern-looking, suited men and shared cafés with women discussing politics over media-lunas (croissants). Standing back and looking at the seemingly hectic pace of this metropolis, I wondered, "How do the people of this city, and the tourists who flock to it, relax here? Is it all business in Buenos Aires?"
The city certainly isn't short of activities to unwind the mind and body. There is a plethora of museums, picturesque neighbourhoods, grassy parks, theatres and weekend fairs that provide easy distraction. When I'm stressed my favourite remedy is shopping and I found Argentina to be a shopper's paradise. Because it is so cheap, I indulged in shopping sprees for souvenirs at neighbourhood weekend markets and chic clothes on the famous Florida Street downtown, a bustling pedestrian walkway lined with both high and low fashion stores.
DANCING THE TANGO
Dancing is a popular means of relaxation for locals. But not just any kind of dance ... Buenos Aires boasts being the birthplace of the tango, the sultry dance for two typified by fish-net stockings and sharp tuxedos. Professionals perform on the street for public donations but local amateurs frequent Milongas, a late-night social gathering, at a community centre or restaurant, where couples come together to lose themselves in the fluid movements. Fortunately, I had prepared myself by taking classes so I took a few turns on the floor, and found it easy to relax in the flow of being led by my partner.
Argentines love their two most popular sports: football and polo ... and why not? The effects of a hectic work-week are effortlessly erased when you are caught in the throes of a rowdy football match. The nation's obsession with football is warranted ... they've won the World Cup twice (1978 and 1986) and lay claim to Diego Maradona, one of the world's greatest players. Unlike Jamaica, club games are equally as popular as national ones and pack huge stadiums. You support your team by stomping, pounding your fist in the air, singing team songs and berating the opposing team with expletives. I attended a Boca Juniors (one of the two most popular clubs) vs. Brazil International show-down and the experience proved to be an overwhelming one.
Just entering the stadium, my small five foot three-inch frame was squashed, pushed and shoved so much by the mob of over-enthusiastic fans that I honestly feared for my life. The fervour of a football match is the opposite of the high-brow calm of a club polo game, where the upper-crust unwinds. Here, the elite sit on the stands and clap lightly to celebrate a goal. The polo match bears a slight resemblance to our day at the races under the tent, but I found the element of socialising and fun to be sorely lacking.
Eating out is the Argentine leisurely 'lyme' that I enjoyed the most. Now, I'm not a great lover of steak, but I couldn't come to the cattle capital of the world without sinking my teeth into their world famous 'asado' (barbecue). Although Argentines don't season their meat (the waiters grimaced when I added salt) their grilled beef is very flavourful and accompanied by 'chimichurri', a dressing of oil, herbs and chilli seeds. With the tastiness of the meat and the possibility of having a great restaurant dinner for as little as US$3 no wonder the thousands of restaurants in the city are always packed with customers.
If there are still knots in your neck after a good meal, you can check out a play, musical, folk show, dance performance or concert in one of the scores of theatres that line the wide Broadway-style boulevard of Avenida Corrientes downtown. Or you can work off your meal with a stroll in one of the lovely, green parks, the meticulously maintained rose garden or the zoo, all found in the upscale neighbourhood of Palermo.
NOT ALL BUSINESS
All that being said and done, the city of Buenos Aires still felt uptight to me; a relaxed atmosphere eludes the city as far as I perceived. Perhaps it's the absence of beaches or the fact that so few people there listen to reggae music. Maybe it's the lack of the fun-loving African influence: Argentines are almost wholly the descendants of Spanish and Italian immigrants. The city is practically void of dark-skinned people and their energy. However, all these idiosyncrasies add to the distinctive personality of Argentina's capital: A city that although rife with leisure activities can't seem to shake its business attitude. But, with so much to see and do and with a people involved in such a diverse range of fun activities, you can't possibly say, "It's all business in Buenos Aires."
Lisa-Ann Robinson is a media practitioner, currently travelling throughout South America. Feedback at: ellai.camille@gmail.com.
