Rides bikes, paddles sea kayaks, takes pictures. Life on the road & my home in Cornwall.
Mostly Buenos Aires
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Some street photography from Buenos Aires and Villa Mercedes to wrap up seven months of bicycle travel from Peru.
It’s perhaps appropriate that the final journal entry for this journey comes from the departures lounge in Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport. The past two weeks, although not on two wheels, have left me somewhat worn out; a busy social schedule with friends both here in BA and Villa Mercedes, quite a change of pace after months alone on a bicycle, followed by a 700km overnight bus journey west. I’m hoping I can catch up with some sleep on the flight. In the meantime however I thought I might sling some street photography at the internet, see if it sticks so to speak.
I didn’t photograph in Villa Mercedes aside from an hour or so of wandering one hot and sultry evening. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, acquiring something of an extended family of family and friends of friends.The town has little to draw tourists but is a very liveable place, overwhelmingly friendly with a strong community and relaxed vibe. I liked it. I also enjoyed a fine send-off from the bus station last Tuesday night for the 11hr overnight ride to Buenos Aires… without my bicycle however; many of the bus companies here won’t accept bikes so it was necessary to ship it separately as freight earlier that day. Happily it arrived in Buenos Aires before I did. It only cost £12, no big deal.Villa Mercedes also has the usual complement of vintage American metal. Of course.Before turning east at Amaicha del Valle back in October I had little knowledge of the provinces away from the Andes; there is much to explore. Much like Córdoba province, San Luis has a range of beautiful mountains to the west. In this case a hot and sweaty hike to a perfect swimming hole buried in the sierras.The sierras of San Luis.Buenos Aires (San Telmo). There are two versions to this photo, subtly different, that I am unable to decide between so perhaps you tell me which one should go in my portfolio… this one has the smile..
… and this one has the pose. Difficult…I don’t generally photograph much in black and white, my eye is very much drawn to colour, however Buenos Aires reversed things and for whatever reason I found myself very much seeing purely in terms of light and dark. This is a bar near the entrance to San Telmo market.I visited the famous Recoleta cemetery last time I was here. I went back to see if I could find fresh inspiration. I couldn’t; I took just one picture…I find living people far more interesting then dead ones…Batman t-shirt.Lots of bicycle deliveries, something that I’m always overwhelmingly happy to see.Smoke break in Monserrat, the CBD. I saw very few people smoking out in the ‘campo’; it seems a popular habit in Buenos Aires however. As with many other aspects of life in the capital, the city feels very much an island within the nation. It is hard to reconcile the city, the ‘New York of Latin America’, as being of the same nation with the often impoverished villages of the Andean northwest.Father and daughter… and some fine street art.Not entirely certain what is going on here.Fashionistas, Plaza de Mayo. As I walked through most of the tourists seemed a pretty bland bunch, but this glam pair with their almost-matching sunnies were something of a style standout.When I was a child I used to give my friends ‘backies’ on my bike. It drove my father nuts.. as did most things I did with my bike that he didn’t consider ‘appropriate’. Kids and bicycles go together like fish and chips.I liked this…Parts of the city are just perfect for finding a pavement cafe and watching the turbid river of life pass by.Running…I enjoyed the mornings when the streets were just easing themselves to life.Finally, just to wrap the whole thing up on my final day, some friends here in the city invited me along for an afternoon of sailing on the Río de la Plata. A wonderful way to escape the downtown and enjoy an alternative view of the city from the historic waterway. We ended up at a bar afterwards hence my somewhat sleep deprived state. I don’t know if it’s because of the bike that I’ve acquired so many genuine friends around Argentina during this and previous visits, or just that they are a wonderfully welcoming bunch. Probably a bit of both. I feel lucky, and I will miss the place and its people immensely.
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10 thoughts on “Mostly Buenos Aires”
…… both photos dear boy (as Gary would say) – why choose just the one.
Your bed is ready (for your stop on the way back to Cornwall from Heathrow) – one in a bedroom and one on the Verandah (minus 3!) – the choice will be yours! I’m guessing the bedroom, as this time we don’t have noisy guests.
The wine is chosen along with fish pie for sustenance.
:-) -3 sounds positively sweaty after those nights on the Puna de Atacama… but you’re right, this time indoors sounds highly agreeable, as does the pie. Looking forward to a catch up!
hey.. haha good question. Mixed feelings though there always are after a good journey. At times I feel more at home in Latin America on my bike than I do at home. I’m pragmatic about it however, there’s rarely a perfect time to return to Cornwall, it’s a choice between the wet. dark winter days or the tourism hell of summer. Winter is pretty short, by March spring should be well underway and there are future plans to think about… The political situation is depressing, for me anyway, but not much I can do about that and I do welcome the opportunity to vote.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed the trip too, cheers for the feedback, much appreciated.
…… both photos dear boy (as Gary would say) – why choose just the one.
Your bed is ready (for your stop on the way back to Cornwall from Heathrow) – one in a bedroom and one on the Verandah (minus 3!) – the choice will be yours! I’m guessing the bedroom, as this time we don’t have noisy guests.
The wine is chosen along with fish pie for sustenance.
What more could a man want!
Glad your bike arrived okay at the airport.
See you soon.
Shirley and David
:-) -3 sounds positively sweaty after those nights on the Puna de Atacama… but you’re right, this time indoors sounds highly agreeable, as does the pie. Looking forward to a catch up!
Hi Mike,
How are you feeling about coming back to the UK? It’s been an epic adventure!
The pictures, as always, are great. So I agree use both if possible.
Have a safe journey back and thanks for all the interesting blogs.
Best, Andy
hey.. haha good question. Mixed feelings though there always are after a good journey. At times I feel more at home in Latin America on my bike than I do at home. I’m pragmatic about it however, there’s rarely a perfect time to return to Cornwall, it’s a choice between the wet. dark winter days or the tourism hell of summer. Winter is pretty short, by March spring should be well underway and there are future plans to think about… The political situation is depressing, for me anyway, but not much I can do about that and I do welcome the opportunity to vote.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed the trip too, cheers for the feedback, much appreciated.
I agree with your friends but if you must pick one – the smile.
Safe travels and thank you.
thank you too!
The pose is the better picture. Images excellent again.
super feedback, thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
Welcome back – you picked your moments to return. Come north if you need sanctuary.
haha yeah, and thanks! Much appreciated.