Although currently in Mendoza, we stayed 12 days in BA and have decided to write a blog on all of the cultural differences we have noticed...
1. We shall begin with monedas.... donde estan las monedas??
Monedas are argentinian coins. In America, we can't stand pocket change, but in Argentina, monedas are scarce... We learned that when you melt monedas, they are worth more... so apparently, that's where they all go... unfortunately, this makes taking the bus a bit tricky (you need exact change). we usually have to make a trip to the store and figure out what to buy that will give us the most change back...
2. Portenos (ppl who live in Buenos Aires) are generally very nice. They have all been very friendly and are always more than willing to give directions to bus stops, ect. Although we have heard that even if they DONT know where something is they will still try to give directions, which is why its good to ask twice.
3. In the 80's, people wore sweatpants with fitted ankles. Apparently that style is back here... its hard to even describe how terrible these pants are so we are not going to try, but take our advice, they are an eyesore.
4. Walking advertisements. You know how people drive around cars with slogans and advertisements on them? Well here people are paid to hold up big signs in the middle of the road during red lights. Just kind of a funny site to see at first.
5. HEY CHE!! People say it all the time. It's like saying "man" or "friend." If you've ever seen the movie motorcyle diaries they refer to it (CHE guevara).
6.
Yerba mate is a way of life. EVERYONE, and we mean everyone, drinks it. Its a drink, kind of like green tea that tastes earthy and bitter. People pretty much dont leave the house without their gourd, bombilla *straw", and canteen filled with hot water. Here its a religon.
7. You can smoke in bars.. and we dont just mean cigarettes....
8. People sell little useless things everywhere. We will be sitting at a cafe and some guy will just walk in off the street, place something on the table (cookies, stickers, book lights, CD's, phone cards, flashlights, ect). If you aren't interested you just leave it and they will come back around a minute later, collect it, and leave.
9. Night life starts LATE. Dinner at 11. Bars are free to enter until 2. They get packed around 3. You can still here the club music when the sun comes up at 6.30 and you can ride the train home at 7. The train is half filled with people coming home from the club and people starting their work day.
Here are some of our favorite pictures so far...
Beautiful La Boca... one of the most colorful neighborhoods in BA...
A very large flower sculpture in a park in Recoleta. It opens during the day and closes at sundown just like a real flower...
A skyline view of the cemetary in Recoleta where the rich, the famous, and Eva Peron are all buried.
Eva Perons grave.
A grave in the famous cemetary at Recoleta.
besos! xoxo
