Bumpy flight this morning in from Iguazú. We had a lovely leisurely breakfast and spent a wonderful hour walking the circuits of the falls before leaving. It was a lovely morning: sunshine, crisp & clear. We paid a small fortune for this accommodation within the parque nacional but nothing beats the convenience of stepping out the door early & having the circuit walks to the falls on your own (almost) - before the crowds arrive.
Fantastic to see the falls in all conditions. We met up with this little fella, the coati:
I liked the email from a friend (Sandy R.) overnight in which she told me that Eleanor Roosevelt apparently said when she saw the Iguacú Falls: "Poor Niagara !!!" So true.
By the time we reached the airport, the weather had come in dull & it was looking like rain once more. In Buenos Aires, our driver at the airport there told us it had been raining heavily for 3 days. The evidence was there with huge puddles & everything quite drenched but we are very lucky & have arrived in sunshine & it is quite warm - probably mid 20s.
Yes, security is an issue here; we have been much warned. Robert our host tells us that Argentina is in economic crisis having been ruled in default of its debt in July and with 40% inflation; many are desperate for a change in leadership at the next elections. There are those without money - and those with (but they don't keep their money here in Argentina!). This is a good read:
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21596582-one-hundred-years-ago-argentina-was-future-what-went-wrong-century-decline
We set off immediately to re-charge our supply of Argentinian pesos on the black market. With the peso in free-fall the 'dolar blue' as it is called can be purchased at nearly double the official rate offered by the banks. With the $US exchanging at 8.5 we obtained it at 13.5; you can probably get better, but hey! who's squabbling??? That takes the cost of a leather handbag down from $125 to $75 roughly.
We found the informal "bank", a plain little office behind a grilled gate. We carefully checked the watermarks & a couple of other markers of counterfeits that we were told about by a young woman also buying currency there & she affirmed that this was a "good" office; we were pleased to avoid the cambio touts on the streets.
From here we walked to the nearby Rosedal: a beautiful rose garden with pergolas & a lake. The roses are out right now & everything looked lovely in the late afternoon sun.
Even though it was by now about 4:30 p.m., fortunately MALBA doesn't close until 8:00 p.m. so a long walk brought us there where we rested our weary legs & fortified ourselves at the chic cafe attached to the museo with a red wine (vino tinto: malbec of course) for me & a cerveza (beer) for My Friend before embarking on the exhibition.
MALBA is the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires with major works by Latin American masters including Xu Solar, Diego Rivera, Antonio Berni, Frida Kahlo and Jorge de la Vega. It currently has a wonderful exhibition of Antonio Berni featuring 2 of his famous characters Juanito & Ramona. Wonderful, especially his style of print-making: xylo-collage-relief. Wow, wow, wow!!!! My Friend took this:
Read more at:
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/173513/berni’s-characters-star-in-malba-show
The permanent collection was good too, 3 standouts being a Frida Kahlo "Self Portrait with Parrot & Monkey" (1942), Fernando Botero's Los Viudos ("The Widowers") 1968)) and Berni's wonderful Manifestación ("Public Demonstration") (1934).
Took a taxi home as we didn't have coin for the bus. Crashed into bed.
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