Cycling Tour of Buenos Aires - Day 3

Our bikes - the start

The forecast said rain, the clouds said rain so we packed our rain jackets in anticipation of it in the event we did not need them.

I estimated that it was going to be about half an hour walk from our apartment to the meeting point at the car parking garage so we headed off after having had our morning coffee.  When we arrived there was no one there with bikes.  B looked at the booking and found that 10:30am was the time.  There were no cafés open so we wandered around and found an ATM instead.  B's card worked mine did not so no refilling the coffers.

Half an hour later we met Luana and the other riders at the designated spot.  We quickly adjusted our three speed commuter bikes to fit us and then we were off.  BA has this wonderful network of separate bike lanes. Unlike the ones in NZ or Australia there are no cars parked alongside them with random door openings to knock you off your bike.  Despite the traffic if felt really safe cycling in the city as a result of the lanes.

The route took us through one of the major thoroughfares which we negotiated easily.  My bike was a commuter style bike with a slightly crooked front wheel.  It ran on "run flat" tyres so it was quite a hard ride.  We went through a series of very nice parks.  The picture shows half the ride.  Where we finished is where we started and the green areas with the lakes are the parts we rode through.

About to negotiate a busy road

A closed road in the middle of the park. Luana is the red head.

Luana grew up  and still lives in Palermo.  It was a run down neighbourhood blighted by prostitutes and drug addicts plying their trade.  About 15 years ago the local government moved them out to an area in the parks to the north.  There is a picture of us under a tunnel of trees (which are in  one of the parks) and this is apparently where they all go now.  Luana despaired a bit about the gap between the poor and rich which had  been shrinking under the Kirchner regime but with a new right wing (right hand in Spanish) President they are focussing more on user pays.  It seems that some of the reforms that are now occurring are more like those we had in 80's and 90s under Labour and National.  She was of the view that most politicians go into politics for the purpose of enriching themselves and that corruption is endemic.  Apparently they have a free health and education system which is a constitutional guarantee but the current President wants to change it.  Poor pay is an issue for Argentinians.  Average salary is about $A15,000 a month which is not a lot with inflation quite significant at the moment.

The tunnel of trees

Luana took us through the grounds of the University of Buenos Aires and it was here that one of the party managed come off.  She had attacked going up kerb the wrong way and managed fall off rather heavily.  She was very lucky she did not hit her head as helmets were not supplied.  It feels weird not wearing one.  I guess it is the same as not wearing a seat belt in a car or plane.

At about the half way point of the bike tour we visited a memorial park to the "disappeared" and those killed under the military Junta during the 70s and early 80s.  They have a wall there that is full of names with the ages of the person who disappeared or died.  I saw a 15 years old girl's name   on the wall and that was just a glance, it made me wonder what threat she was to the state.  Most of those on the wall were in their late teens and early 20s.  A stark reminder of how in some countries torture and murder have been legitimate instruments of the state.

A disappearing face and part of the wall with the disappeared names

We had lunch at one of street food vendors a chorizo (sausage) which was very large and far more than I could eat.  It was very tasty.  

The city is this mixture of severe neglect (the footpaths are full of holes) and refurbishment especially in the posh areas.  It seems the wealthy areas are well looked after with the police providing security.  At times it made for a very bumpy ride.

We went through one of the very ritzy barios (suburbs) where there is a lot of money and where the embassies are located.  It was a lovely leafy and quiet area right next to the CBD and behind it was a slum area.

Dog walkers

Our final leg was up the main shopping area and back into Palermo.  The riding was very easy and very slow.  One of the women commented that she was surprised about how fast we went.  Luana was always having to stop to wait for a couple of them to catch up.  Later she said to us it was nice to have a couple of people riding with her who had some experience of cycling.

The food truck

Afterwards we all had a drink with her and chatted with three woman who were travelling together. Two were of India origin and the other of Chinese heritage.  All three had been educated at the same schools in Hong Kong and then had gone on to university in the UK.  They were delightful.  I chatted to one who worked in international tax law for a London firm.  She was a delight. 

Group in the cycle lane

On the way back to our apartment we called into a rather nice wine shop where I got the names of a lot of boutique wineries which hopefully we can visit when we are in Mendoza.

When we got back to the apartment I spent a considerable amount of time trying to sort out my debit cards so that I could use them.  One was not going to be useable as I had been issued with a new card and they could not update my current one.  Eventually I got it sorted and will be able to use one of them. 

For dinner we tried out a very nice hamburger restaurant just around the corner from us which were very good. Apparently hamburgers are a big thing in BA at the moment.