Alternative Tourism

[Grazie]

I like the photos, per se. I live such a sheltered life here that I want to see these pictures. And I do not think bad about Argentina because I see these pictures, not at all. What I love here are the people more than any landmark. And for that no picture or caption can take away what they mean to me. I think it (series of pics) were posted tongue and cheek, so I take it for that -no more, no less. Thank you.

 

[soulskier]

-no more, no less. Thank you.

And as the late George Burns would say, good night Gracie!

 

[erindanelle]

I like the photos, per se. I live such a sheltered life here that I want to see these pictures. And I do not think bad about Argentina because I see these pictures, not at all. What I love here are the people more than any landmark. And for that no picture or caption can take away what they mean to me. I think it (series of pics) were posted tongue and cheek, so I take it for that -no more, no less. Thank you.

There are many sides to Buenos Aires aren't there? I think lots of tourists come here, hang out in Palermo, party all night at the big clubs and leave thinking this is the most amazing city on the planet. (it is a great city!)

I take the Sarmiento line train to town everyday. It's not quite as bad as the Ezeiza one in the photo, but it is pretty crowded and people force the doors open and hang out in the summer time. Every now and the non-electric trains do pass, but I think they are the trains that go past the end of our line, Moreno, and out further to provincia. My train passes that part of Bajo Flores. I'm pretty certain I recognise it. The villa was actually wiped out by the police recently. No idea where those people are now.

And lastly, my train arrives in Once and I walk from there to Lavalle y Montevideo everyday. It's not a flashy barrio, but it has it's charm. On the weekend you can see lots of families spending the day just sitting and drinking mate in Plaza Miserere. These families live in one room pensions and use the plaza as a place to get some space and air.

My boyfriend would look at these photos and say 'this is the real Argentina, a fairer representation of how and where many people live'.

 

[soulskier]

OK, I got a good one for ya.

 

[steveinbsas]

It would be just as easy to find photos of the countless trailer parks in the USA or a garbage dump or certainly many photos of half finished building in a place like Detroit...and the USA is supposed to be a "1st" world country.

Detroit is an abysmal exception to most US cities. I wonder if anyone posted photos of the denizens of Detroit in the throes of inner city misery with "humors" captions that they would be met with anything but scorn and derision and it would be regarded by most as an exhibition of extremely poor taste (if not racism).

While the US has its share of dumpster divers, there are virtually no municipal dump sites which allow private citizens access in order to "eek out" a living by picking through the garbage, hoping to find something of value. "Half finished" is a term I think will apply even more to apartments currently under construction in BA for years to come as buyers disappear from the Argentine real estate market. Half demolished (abandoned and stripped) is a more accurate way to describe buildings the decaying neighborhoods of Detroit.

Mobile home (trailer) parks in the US are often very nice, with decent sanitation, swimming pools, community centers, and even access to golf courses. Check out the ones in Palm Springs or Malibu, California.

 

[BlahBlah]

Detroit is fun when the Wings play at home

 

[steveinbsas]

It's the sense of humour that keeps long-term expats going...

I agree, but I also think it's better if we expats laugh at ourselves rather than the misery impoverished Argentines. There's plenty of material for humor in what most of us have experienced here.

 

[Celia]

I agree, but I also think it's better if we expats laugh at ourselves rather than the misery impoverished Argentines. There's plenty of material for humor in what most of us have experienced here.

I agree. I was meaning it in an "unbearable lightness of being" kind of way. I live in Constitucion not in Palermo and what I see when I open my door every day is not much better than those pics. It's hard not to be brought down...