Dispatches from Buenos Aires: Part II

A fragment of license plate found on the beach in Colonia, Uruguay

Wednesday 04/22: Andrea and I heard about a less “touristy” flea market on the edge of BA, where local deals and artisans buy and sell. All I can say is that it was a big market with some great items. Unfortunately, it would require a shipping container, since most of the items we liked were furniture. I found a kick-ass Bally pinball machine from the 60’s, which we could have gotten for AR $1,600, which is about $400. That’s a steal! If it were in the US, I would have done it, but shipping from BA would have been a small fortune, not worth the bargain. Now, if it were a photobooth….maybe! We also met a really cool “outsider” artist there named Tony. He makes some insane art hats and other accessories. At the end of the flea market tour, I walked away with a few found photos for the collection, and a great experience. It was nice to find the real deal flea market!

After the flea, we made out way back to Palermo for a bit more shopping and walking. After which, we grabbed a quick drink and headed back to our apartment to enjoy some Malbec and cookies! From there, we hit a neighborhood joint for dinner, where we had some spectacular traditional steak dishes. We were stuffed, and the bill was still very cheap for steaks, nice bottle of wine, and deserts…

Side note: As Mr. Matz alluded to in a previous post, things do indeed start late here. Most people, on a weekday, don’t even go out to dinner until about 10-11PM? People are out late, and yes, they do have to work in the morning. Maybe that’s why everything is slow here? People are tired from staying out all night? But hey, at least they are having fun!

Thursday 04/23: Travel to Uruguay: We embarked on the “fast” boat to Colonia, Uruguay. Colonia is a quaint little coastal town. It was a nice little day trip to escape from the diesel fumes of BA. Upon arrival, we had the choice to rent a scooter (motor bike), or mountain bikes, we opted for bikes, since we felt the need to get the blood pumping. Plus, given our vacation diet, some shedding of calories was in order.

We started our trip in Colonia by stopping at an outdoor market where local artisans sell their “handy crafts”. I should note, before departing for Uruguay, I changed $300USD into Uruguay Pesos. I had NO idea how far that would take us. All I can say is that it was actually hard to spend all of it! I didn’t want to have to take back or change more Pesos. Anyhow, at the market, we purchased some jewelry, shirts, ceramics, etc. and went on our way. From there, we found a beach side café for lunch…where once again, I had raviolis, because they are made fresh here, no matter where you go! Andrea got a seafood plate, which was overflowing with goodness, and faces. After our lunch, we strolled leisurely along the beach where we found sea glass and part of a license plate?? I liked that… Then, we walked through the town, climbed the lighthouse, and checked out some small local museums. The historical museum had an excellent natural history sections, with some pristine fossils, skeletons, etc. Their misc. artifacts from the region though were quite funny. They had things that seemed to just be kind of old, with no relationship at all to the city or it’s history? Andrea and I had a good laugh, because we have better pieces in our personal collections! Colonia, much like BA, has deep roots, but the majority of artifacts and construction really isn’t all the old, circa 1850. Of course, there are also older mission pieces, native art etc., but the majority of artifacts are quite recent?

After the Historical Museum, we walked and shopped a bit more, and found some time for Gelato! Then, we went to a local spa for massages. It’s was no KOHLER spa, but it did the trick to help loosen the muscles! From there, we returned our bikes and took a taxi back into town for a light dinner on the water. The taxi cost less than $2 USD. When I gave the driver a $1 tip he was astonished? So, we asked him to return in a few hours to bring us back to the boat. Once again, the fare was about $2. I gave him AR $2 + $5 USD, which was about a 400% tip. The driver was entirely gracious for the tip, which in my mind, was more than reasonable for the pick-up service. Like I said, I had a hard time getting rid of $300 USD, about $6,500 Uruguayan Pesos. I guess it puts economies into perspective?

**Colonia was a short trip, but probably one of the best parts of the entire vacation, thus far.

Friday: 04/24: We changed apartments and moved back to the center of San Telmo. The new place has 3 rooms, a cool wine cellar, tub, and 3 bathrooms. It also has a beautiful pool and patio (but too cold to swim). It’s connected to the first apartment we stayed in. At less than $60/night, the price can’t be beat compared to a decent hotel.

After changing apartments, Andrea and I went back out to explore some of the San Telmo dealers and antique stores that we missed on our first round. As is typical, the best deals are found in the markets, and not in the stores. And, the less organized and polished the market stall, the better the prices! And often, the better the finds? I think this formula must be universal, since it seems to apply to flea markets all over the world! I found even more photos for the collection, including some decent memorial pieces. Andrea has been collecting antique pharmaceutical / laboratory bottles and paraphernalia. She picked up some crazy bottles and an awesome glass syringe in its original case (unused…).

I’ve been looking for some good prints, but am sad to report that I have found none! I’m shocked by this! The antiquarian books and prints that I’ve come across are either uninteresting to me, or in horrendous condition. I see a lot of photos, but not finding as much as I expected to take home. There are plenty of antiques cameras, for which the prices are quite good. However, good is still expensive. I’ve found some antique stereo-view cameras for $200-$400 USD, which might typically sell for $800-$2000 USD in the States. But, even at BA prices, I’d go broke if I bought them all!

For dinner, we tried a Middle Eastern restaurant across from the apartment. The food was great, but the service, as usual, was BAD. For desert, we went to a super fancy gelato place….muy fantastico!

Over & out.