February 3 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cruising into Buenos Aires
This paragraph above is a very romantic description taken off the internet. Was I to describe this city today, not too many of these descriptive words would be used. Buenos Aires is a very large city, and when cruising into port, one is reminded of Miami. Old building mingle with lots of skyscrapers, some really architecturally creative. But once on the ground and driving to the hotel, one realizes that it is a city in trouble - well, actually the whole of the country is in trouble.
Streets are very dirty. The city, 19th largest in the world, is filled with graffiti not much of which is artistic, but just an awful mess. Buildings are swaying with age, roofs are in need of repair, broken windows need replacing, and I could go on. The sidewalks are obstacle courses, all in need of repair. Huge holes are in the common path - you could lose a leg!
When there's a break in the sidewalk, just plunk in some rocks, stick a couple of sacks on it and pray that no one falls over. No yellow tape, nothing to warn you that there trouble ahead.
Then there's the wiring. It's tangled up in the trees, wound around trunks, broken and then tied together. The trees are pretty healthy and green, but one wonders if there is ever a spark and a tree suddenly fires up! . . . and dogs poop all over the sidewalks!!
Old, new and decay are all mixed together in this melange of a city that is a wealth of history. It seems a shame that this socialist government has ruined so much. There doesn't seem to be any initiative to make it better - very sad.
Before we left the ship we were each sent memos of what not to do in Buenos Aires - no jewelry of any kind, no wrist watches, take care of your belongings, and if possible, when you go out on the street, have what you need in a deep pocket and leave a purse in the safe of your hotel. Not much incentive for us to out, but we did!
Our hotel, Be Jardin Escondido by Coppola, is the former home of Francis Ford Coppola. When making a movie in the early 2000's, (believe the name was "Tetro"), he bought this property, fixed it up and lived there for two years. After the movie was done he turned the home into a small hotel. The pictures on the website looked pretty nice, but for me it was a disappointment. Its saving grace was the beautiful courtyard and inside garden around a small pool - so small in fact, that it should be turned into a koi pond.
The floors in the hotel are uneven, waxed brick, and as slick as a ski slope - so dangerous. There is no elevator, so lugging up big suitcases is very tricky. Stairs are uneven and very narrow - one has to be very careful. I had Sofia Coppola's room - okay - but not kept up. When one turned on the hot water, the cap of the faucet came off in my hand. The fan in the bathroom sounded as though a chopper was landing in the tub. There were scatter rugs on the slippery floor that added to the danger factor.
The manager of the hotel had a very relaxed attitude - the kitchen not only needed refurbishing, it was absolutely filthy. All we had was coffee in the morning.
The hotel is filled with antiques, some quite pretty, buy when it comes to polishing the furniture, all that is done is the surface! Upholstered furniture has seen better days, is soiled and sagging. Vases of pretty flowers from the garden are through the hotel, but the water hasn't been changed in days and is brown! Okay, enough all ready! I feel so much better for having put it all down.
I have one more post which will reveal the fun we had the two days in Buenos Aires - even though we'd been spoiled rotten on the ship and the hotel had fallen short of what it should have been. Will write the last episode on the plane - we board in 20 minutes for our first leg to New Jersey, and hopefully post it when we get to the east coast.
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