| La Boca and the final day... |
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| Written by Keith Rhoades | |
| Friday, 26 November 2010 | |
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WEll, this is it...the final hours before I head back home. I am sad to leave and dreading the first week back. THe first week back is so hard emotionally and physically getting back into the regular groove, adjusting to the jet lag, and the emotional withdrawl that I go through...the only thing that helps is time and start planning or at least thinking of where to go next. I called mom last night to wish her a happy thanksgiving....it was nice to talk to her and to know everything is alright back home. Last night I had some drama but it is all ok now. I woke up this morning and decided to walk to La Boca. Now I am not that educated on La Boca..but everyone says there is a river walk ¨"Caminita" that is really cool and touristy....yet the travel books I have said that La Boca is downright dangerous to walk through except for that little touristy area. Well, I walked there....and lets just say La Boca is the rough and tumble part of the city. It was like me walking down Hoover Street in Los Angeles. I was very nervous but alert. I finally reached the Caminita of La Boca which was the old port and where the italian immigrants settled....it is a colorful part of city with bright pains and houses thrown together with tin. The best way to describe it was Venice Beach California meets Venice Italy meets New Orleans French Quarter. Charming...bustling with tourists and shotzky gift shops. Outdoor cafes, street dancers and performers, tango shows and music flowing into the streets, reggae music and rastas, beer and pot. Everyone said "its too touristy"...but I am a tourist and I LOVED IT! It was everything Buenos Aires conjures up in the mind...romance, tango, music, hustle and bustle, I roamed and shopped for hours captivated by its charm. It was an apropos ending to a whirwind trip. I had lunch at an outdoor cafe with a live tango show which was entralling...such a sultry and sexy dance, filled with intensity and passion. As afternoon approached I figured I should head back. One of the shop keepers warned me that "the tourist area ends here and beyond this it is muy peligroso...very dangerous" But I walked past the La Boca soccer stadium surrounded by all its grime...street children, gangs, prostitutes, people sitting on the sidewalk loitering and drinking 40 oz beers....and I was being stared at the whole time. Unshaken...I just kept walking alert to what was going on...though I have to admit...I was glad when I got to the San Telmo Barrio border line...I felt safe again and could put my guard down. But I am glad to see that seedy and rougher side of life. It was about an hour walk there and an hour walk back. Plus I lost control shopping for souvenirs..I vowed I wasnt going to buy much because it is always such a hassle to pack and get back. Oh well...so now I am just relaxing and will start to pack....get rid of some of my stuff that I have worn out and replace with the souvenirs, go to dinner, and then try to figure out if there is a departure tax. Its always a game leaving the country...trying to figure out if you have enough money to get out of the country but not too much so that you end up losing money on the exchange rate. My flight tomorrow leaves Buenos Aires at 11;30 AM...and goes to Panama City..change planes and then on to LAX....17 hours of transit....please God dont let anything get cancelled or changed. The transit home is hard enough as it is without additional drama. Well...I will let you all know when I make it home safe and sound and when I get all my photos posted on either facebook or my website. I really over did it this year..Usuallly I average about 500-600 photos...I have exceeded 1100 photos and that is because before I left I got a new 3GB memory card to replace my puny 128 mb card!!! So thank you for letting me take you along with me on this journey and for being a part of my life.....now I just need one of you to go with me next year...Egypt? India?? Baltic States??? Russia?? South Africa??? With much peace, love and gratitude... |
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