Day Fourteen

Guess who went in search of street art today? Most of my favorites from the day are in RAW and because they reproduce very small in the blog I'm not including them. These are interesting.

Day Fifteen

Last night I went to a place called La Catedral - called a milanga because it is a place where the serious tango dancers go, often those who appear in the shows for the tourists. The last lesson ended at 11:30, I got there a bit after 12. No sign on the door. And it was not in San Telmo or La Boca where most of the tango clubs are.

This was so much a better experience than my first one watching people trying to learn. The highlight was when the guy responsible for selecting the music began dancing with one of the women. My goodness it was cool.

Many pictures but I took them in RAW so I can develop them effectively, which means that they will show up here as a thumbnail. Tango is too grand for thumbnails.

Location:BA

Day Thirteen

The antique seltzer bottles are a big hit at the San Telmo Sunday Fair.




So is dancing. Let me share with the blog what I wrote to a friend when asked if locals cared about tango.

What I believe is that there is a strong community interest in tango. Some who live it, some who can take it or leave it, some who resent the tourist attraction to it, as if that defines the city. My local friends, who have been living here for about two years, have not gone once to see it. I met an artist last night (bought one of her works) who clearly respects that slice of BA but is put off by all the chatchkas (sp?) that are sold with a tango theme. Does get stupid because there is so much of it.

I've had a bit of an accommodation to the culture - so sophisticated, the people are so fit and attractive, yet my pocket was picked on the subway and yesterday just before noon in front of a museum next to a boulevard a man ripped my watch off my wrist and sped away with his accomplice on a scooter. So when I went to the dance lesson I wanted to take pictures. I could not figure out what to do about my fanny pack with the camera, so I just watched. It does not - NOT! - warm one to tango to watch amateurs trying to learn. Beyond that my exposure to it is during the day in San Telmo and La Boca where it is nothing more than a hustle to get tourists to buy music or pay for photos.

What I want is to go (without camera) to a sleepy bar very late at night where people in love are dancing with each other. Effortlessly, focused on each other. Still a few days left to make that happen.

Location:BA

Day Twelve (supplement)

This is my lucky. My other favorite. This picture gives you a sense of the size and it continues on with the rest of the body and the snake coiled around it.

Location:BA

Day Twelve

My favorite piece of street art. Anywhere. The wall in front of a restaurant that is known by the wall. No indication of the restaurant name. This is not all of it but it gives a sense of it.

Yesterday I went on a tour of street art conducted by graffitimuno.com. It was in english. Melissa, the guide, conducted the best tour I have ever been on. Her explanation of the street art in BA is that it started in the 1950s with political messages, that attracted politicians so they even began using walls to get out their message.

The current wave of activity she traces to the political and economic upheaval of 2001. People lost their savings and homes overnight. Some took to the streets, writing on walls. They created art as well.

Authorities don't bother the artists, so it makes it seem permitted. Some establishments even commission pieces.

Anyway, after hours of trying I finally got it into the blog.

Location:BA

Day Eleven (supplement)

I can not begin to cover what I photographed today and this device knows which are my favorites because it will not allow me to show them. So here are a few that I do like.

Day Eleven

Here are a couple of images. I'm having a very hard time downloading the ones I most want you to see.

Location:BA

Day Ten (supplement)

Here, I hope, are a couple of pictures from La Boca and San Telmo.








Last night I found the mother load of street art in BA.





FOR SOME REASON THE APP IS NOT ALLOWING ME TO DOWNLOAD THE PICTURES I ENCOUNTERED FOLLOWING THIS PROFILE, THAT I LIKE A LOT. I WILL KEEP TRYING.

When I was photographing at the walls surrounding a bus depot, I ran into a woman conducting a tour in english of "graffiti hotspots" in BA. Her group is called graffitimundo.com - Urban Art Tours in Buenos Aires. She told me about another site not too far away on Avenida Cordoba.




It is a terrific piece of work. What it says in spanish is "your trash is my treasure." Right behind where the image is, I was taken to meet Niz Ricardo Omar (its creator, I think, my spanish was challenged). Along with his colleagues and friends we had an animated conversation about the work of El Camino Cooperativa de Trabajo, that collects and separates trash into its usable and recyclable parts. They are on Facebook.

Location:Buenos Aires

Day Ten

The legacy of the "dirty war" haunts this country. I went to the Barrio of Once to see if there were any interesting remnants of the oldest jewish settlement in BA. Couldn't find any, but near the Plaza Miserere I stumbled on a corner devoted to the memory of what happened.

Today (Thursday at 3:30 Plaza de Mayo) also was the weekly demonstration of the mothers and the grandmothers (abuelas).









Earlier I visited the barrio of La Boca. Its football team - one of the teams I saw play Saturday - is one of the most famous clubs in the world. The barrio is noted for its colorful architecture.





I've tried many times to show another La Boca image, as well as a photo of iconic wall art in San Telmo. Likely will require a supplement.

Maybe I am limited in how much can be in a blog???

Day Nine (supplement)

A few pictures I was not able to include yesterday.

Went to watch people trying to learn tango. I don't get it. If tango is the answer, tell me the question.

Location:Buenos Aires

Days Eight and Nine

The main reason for doubling up today is that I hardly did anything newsworthy Day Eight. I did walk to and take a tour at the Ricoleta cemetery. My favorite images are this spider web lock at one of the crypts




and the patina on this aging metal.




Today was primarily spent photographing Luchi, her boyfriend Chris and street art.









I intended to show a lot more pictures here but it is not allowing me to do it.

The dogs are lovely to be around. In my neighborhood and in most of the places I have been they are pedigree breeds and well cared for.

A lot of people smoke, especially the women.

It seems like every time I ask for directions my target is going to be four blocks away. Often they do not know what they are talking about, but that does not stop them from forcefully giving the directions.

The basics here are cheap. A ride on the subway ("Subte") is one peso, ten centavos, which is slightly more than $.25. The Internet cost me about a peso or two each time I used it.

The people follow rules (for example, when they are driving, unlike New Mexico) except for jaywalking which is done by everyone.

Location:Buenos Aires

Day Seven

Most of the day was a "photo shoot" in Tigre, about an hour train ride from Buenos Aires. My primary accomplice was Ceci Gallo. These european names knock me out. I met Ceci when she led a tour for BA Free Tours. She also teaches english part-time in a high school. Her two older sisters are nuns and her younger sister is an eye doctor.













I guess we are back to small pictures because I was shooting in raw.

Ceci brought along her boyfriend Cue who is as good looking as she is pretty.

Location:Buenos Aires

Day Six.Five

I forgot to mention that I went to a soccer game last night, between two of the 10 neighborhood teams, Boca and Racing (where I sat). Just a few pictures to give a flavor.

Location:Buenos Aires

Day Six

Much of the day I spent in San Telmo, the neighborhood in BA that is considered the epicenter for Tengo and antiques. Sunday (today) there is a huge market. Many antique dealers, artists, crafts people. What was available was original and interesting. The farther you get from the center of the outdoor market, the more repetitive the stuff becomes.









The street art is the best I have found in the city thus far.





Lots of music and a tango dancer or two. Best I can tell about tango is that it - like most cultural and social change - seeped up from the streets.





You can even have the opportunity to spend money for the shoes you will wear to dance in.

Location:Buenos Aires

Day Five

Sometimes I come across Street Art I appreciate. Haven't seen any yet to rival what I found in Ecuador.













Today I visited The Recoleta cemetery, where the rich and famous are buried in mausoleums (sp?). Saw the place where they claim Eva Duarte Peron is biding her time but those in the know are sure she is with Elvis. They claim there are no religious restrictions but I hung out for a while and did not see any stars of David.





On Saturday and Sunday there is a market in front of the cemetery but a lot of booths were empty as it was threatening to rain. Fairly nice, mostly new stuff.

I got my pocket picked on the subway. Small pocket with a closed zipper. Got the money and left my credit card and bank card. Everyone was pointing to me and talking about me and I did not have a clue what it was all about until I spoke up and asked.

Off to a soccer match tonight between the two best teams in BA.

Location:Buenos Aires

Day Four

One of the reasons I picked BA is that I have two friends here - Aurora and Diego. We met in Mexico (San Miguel de Allende) when I attended my first Santa Fe workshop. Diego was in my group and Aurora was one of our models.





The day before I got here she suffered burns on her face from hot war stewing tomatoes. She is getting better by the day. Auro is a jeweler and originally from Kerrville, TX. She is the subject of one of the best pictures I have ever taken.

Diego is a working artist who also is a tattoo artist. Today I got to be in his studio as he was completing the second stage of a tattoo on a 19 year old boy.









See, aren't the people beautiful.





It was a small space and the light was tricky but my new Nikon D7000 rose to the occasion. The tattoo series is wonderful, even unedited as all of these pictures are (unedited).





It did not seem to be all fun.

They have a beautiful 7-year-old daughter Trini.










That is Aurora's arm. I haven't gotten my tattoo yet.

I have proportion problems with my pictures when they are in the fullest RAW format.

Location:Buenos Aires