Buenos Aires 5

Today we stayed around the Plaza Mayo, the main square in BA.  As we were walking around a guy started talking to us and we had met George.   For a small cost he would give us a guided tour of the square and its history, and we took him up on it for some reason.  Interesting guy, he had been shipped off the the US when he was 18 with his brother during the Junta.

The generals had walked into the university and arrested hundreds of students... they were never seen again. Later the families found out that they had all been shot, dumped in barrels, filled with concrete and dumped into the sea.  they have never been recovered, and the government, if they know have never revealed the area.  His father saw it coming and shipped them out.  He lived and married in the US, and only came back when his parents were ill needed looking after.  He was very interesting, and we talked about history, politics and the economy, too much to talk about hear, but we learned alot.

Every Thursday the mothers of the murdered students (Madres of the Lost) hold a singing demonstration in Plaza Mayo in front of the Parliamentary Building (Pink Palace where the president works and where Eva Peron gave her addresses).  In the hope of the memory never fading.  It was heart wrenching, they don't have hope, they know they're children are dead.

The Cathedral

George took us into the oldest newspaper in Buenos Aires, a beautiful old building with stunning wood panelling.

After we left him walked down Avenida Mayo.

They have statues every where, great fun.

I couldn't get over the wide streets, one we went up have six lanes on either side.

But the one thing you do learn quickly here, is that drivers have no regard for pedestrians, wherever you area.  Green lights and zebra costings mean nothing, they still keep coming.  You have to be so careful when crossing the road, you take your life in your hands.

We wandered into San Telmo again tonight to a small parilla and had supper and a beer in our little pub near the hotel.

One thing I am getting angry about is the poverty here, especially when it is also apparent that there is phenomenal wealth, there should be no need for it.  But it has become apparent that the corruption at every level in society is endemic, and that the wealthy and politician bleed the country dry.  We saw people going through the bins tonight, and every night, looking for things they can sell on.  Whole families doing it.