Buenos Aires
We have been here only a week, sheltered away from everything in our beautiful neighborhood in Palermo. We have restaurants, bars, beauty parlors, and shopping right around the corner.
We have been exploring only around our area, taking walks every day and enjoying the scene. At night, it seems you only have to be careful not to step on dog poop (seriously people, pick up after your pup!).
Yesterday we decided to take a bus and explore another touristy place, the painted houses of the famous El Caminito in Boca. I’ve seen pictures and wanted to go take some there. However, we never got there. Something happened and our bus ride re-routed. We were paying attention now, since we were obviously not on the main street, and a few blocks away you could clearly see something was happening, police vehicles blocking the streets, people in the distance with banners. I asked one of the passengers what was going on, and she said that it was a peaceful protest at Congress. So, we obviously jumped out of the bus and started to head towards the chaos.
We got there and it was a scene from a movie… armed police and armored vehicles. The press was there and a lot of people protesting right in front of Congress against IMF (International Monetary Fund).
It did not seem safe so we were pretty cautious about the way we started to approach the scene.
We saw what could only have been burnt debris on the street right in front the Congress building, and rocks in the middle of the road. The protest was not moving but they seemed to be getting more and more excited. On the loudspeaker, a woman was demanding justice, asking for “El Pueblo” to get together and stop Congress from approving the IMF refinancing.
Loud drumming was everywhere and the overwhelming feeling of anger mixed with despair engulfed us. We both felt it and had to move away to take a breather.
We discussed leaving because it didn’t feel safe to be there. I felt bad because I haven’t seen the news in so long, I had no idea what was happening around us. The contrast of the most beautiful architecture, the most exquisite buildings that I would be enjoying and taking pictures of, now seemed hollow and dark.
While we are enjoying a life full of color and beauty, there is another side… people are feeling desperate, and desperate people act.
I read the news this morning, for the first time in over a year. I wanted to get informed on the IMF, and why people were so angry and frustrated. The protest turned violent and people got hurt, while we were safely back at home.
Here are a couple of articles if you are interested in getting the story behind the pictures:
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