Where the Porteños (people born in Buenos Aires) call sweet talkers 'chamuyo', use Vos for Tu (you) and where aqui (here) is aca (over here).
The sound 'yeh' (as in yellow) is replaced with a soft Ch (as in shell). Yo (I) becomes 'cho', mayo (may) becomes 'ma-cho', and llama (it is called) becomes 'ch-Ama.' I know understand why Ernesto Guevara is known as Che!
My first impression of Buenos Aires was how European and eclectic it is. I often felt as if I were walking along the streets of Paris, Madrid, Florence and sometimes London. The Microcenter and San Telmo are impressive with their beautiful homes but are crumbling with graffiti, cracks and holes in the sidewalk. This part of the city, must have been very grand indeed, and reminds me of the slightly dilapidated Mumbai.
On the other hand, Recoleta and Palermo are elegant and very Parisian with have the most incredible parks and boulevards.
The people are eclectic too. The majority of the population is a mix of Spanish, Italian and other European nationalities while indigenous people make up only 1% of the population.
The history, I also find fascinating. From Jose de San Martin, to the controversy of Evita and Peron in the 1940-50s, to the dictators and the Disappeared in the 1970s and up to today with the devalued peso in 2002.
To remedy the most recent economic blow, Argentinians are not allowed to save in U.S. Dollars. This is why there is a 'blue' market. As one walks down the once elegant Florida street, men and women, one after another, ask for ' Cambio, cambio, Cambio...' hoping to exchange pesos for dollars or to make a profit by selling dollars to the Argentinians.
It was a pleasure to explore Buenos Aires and to discover the Argentinians love of food ( asadas or bbqs, to name a few), drink (mate, coffee, wine), music, tango, dulce de leche, football and their little dogs.
My Top 12 Buenos Aires:
1. Cathedral in the Plaza de Mayo and resting place of Jose de San Martin
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