Life> Travel

Buenos dias, Buenos Aires

By Wang Ru (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-05 10:10

It's the colorful capital of Argentina and it lives up to its nickname, "Paris of the South".Wang Ru spends a day exploring the charms of the second-largest city in South America.

In the 16th century, a Spanish ship arrived on the eastern shore of South America and an excited young sailor on the deck sniffed the wind and burst out with a shout: "Buenos Aires!"

What it meant was "good air" or "fair winds" in Spanish. This is an interesting, oft told, story of how the city got its name. I was not sure if the story was true, since I couldn't smell the "good air" on the flight. But my first impression of the city was hao da a! or "it's pretty huge!" in Chinese.

As we came in for a landing at Ezeiza International Airport, the city lights of Buenos Aires spread out below us like the Milky Way. The size of Greater Buenos Aires, the second largest city in South America after Sao Paolo, impressed even this tourist from Beijing, which is no small town itself.

This is home to 13 million people, or a third of Argentina's total population.

July and August are the coldest months here and the outdoor temperature is around 10 degree C. A jacket or coat is definitely necessary.

After a 40-minute drive through the city, we checked into Alvear Palace , a traditional French-style luxury hotel downtown.

Early next morning, I walked out of the hotel for a glimpse of Buenos Aires before our guide spirited us off to the historical sites.

My first impression was that the city fitted the famous description -"Paris of the South", an impression augmented by the 19th-century architecture and the many French-style boutiques. This is the reason why Buenos Aires is listed as one of the most popular destinations for European tourists.

It is a city greatly influenced by European culture and about 98 percent of its population is descended from early European settlers. English is very widely spoken in Buenos Aires, as is Spanish.

It is also a city where people dress like Italians and make calls from London-red telephone booths.

When I was in Brazil earlier, my guide had told me that people in Argentina are cold and haughty while the Brazilians are warm and friendly. When I put this to my guide in Buenos Aires, he laughed and said it was just because they like tradition and order.

Our first stop that day was El Obelisco or the Obelisk Monument at Republic Square, a Washington Monument-like structure built in 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first Spanish settlement of Buenos Aires. It is also here that the national flag of Argentina was flown for the first time.

Now, the monument is a gathering spot for football fans to celebrate the victory of their national team. But in this year's World Cup, the flag didn't fly in celebration above the square.

Perhaps you've never heard of Recoleta Cemetery and Evita Duarte, but I'm sure you know the story of Eva Peron and the famous song Don't cry for me, Argentina.

La Recoleta Cemetery is where the aristocracy of Argentina is buried, with many members of the upper-class families and important figures of Argentina history resting here. Among them are military leaders, financial gurus, several presidents and Eva Peron.

Walking among the gravestones, there is a feeling of the stillness of time and holiness. Most of the names on the gravestones were unfamiliar, but the delicate white marble sepultures were whispering the stories of the great families of Buenos Aires.

There were many flowers around Eva Peron's tomb. She was the second wife of President Juan Peron, and she died in 1952 at age of 33 from cancer. Sadly, after death, she found no peace in Buenos Aires and was exiled in Europe together with Juan Peron. His third wife Isabel finally brought Eva's body back from Spain to rest in the Duarte family tomb.

Argentina did not want to lose its beloved first lady again, so the government set up a stronghold with two marble trapdoors inside the tomb, which can reportedly withstand even a nuclear attack.

Next we headed to La Boca, another must-go area in Buenos Aires.

La Boca means the mouth in Spanish and is located in the southeast of the city. It used to be a busy port welcoming European immigrants, but now it welcomes partygoers with an assembly of tango clubs, artists, souvenir shops and Italian taverns.

For football fans, it is the home of the famous Boca Juniors club established by Genoese immigrants in 1905, where Diego Maradona won his first Argentina league championship in 1981.

The best-known attraction in La Boca is Caminito Street with its rows of multicolored wooden and iron houses lining the 100-meter stretch.

This was also the setting for Hong Kong director Wang Kar-wai's award-winning film on gay lovers Happy Together (Chun Guang Zha Xie), which brought together lead actors Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung.

In Caminito Street you can also see the passionate performances of tango dancers through the open doors. For around 20 pesos or $5, you can stop and take a picture with them.

The San Telmo antique market is another great place to go in Buenos Aires. It is a lovingly preserved historic district lined with antiques and handicraft shops, cafes and colonial buildings.

Buenos Aires is also known for its vibrant nightlife and we enjoyed a heart-thumping live tango performance at the famous theater downtown named Tango Porteno (Cerrito 570, Ciudad Autnoma de Buenos Aires. Tel: 54.11.4124.9400)

I always thought tango was nothing but a lot of head-shaking, foot-stomping and sexy outfits, but the night's performance changed my perception.

The show in Tango Porteno uses plenty of light and sound effects and it attracts an audience that comes from all over the world.

We were especially honored to be able to watch Juan Carlos Copes dance. The 79-year-old tango master has lifted the dance to an art form over decades and though he may not be as agile as before, his every move is still impressive.

With Juan Carlos' aristocratic moves fresh in our memories, we leave with the spirit of Argentina impressed upon us. It was time to bid this beautiful city "Adios!"