Boaz Kantor

I don´t really like travelling in big cities, and Buenos Aires is a huge one. I do like seeing many people, absorbing a whole city atmosphere, enjoying markets, events and theatres. However, big city populations have margins, and in these margins live poor and desperate people, desperate enough to hurt you just to get a hand in your wallet. The bigger the city is, the wider the margins and the more dangerous it is to travel at nights.
Yes, Buenos is beautiful. We´ve been to several markets of crafts, antiques, souveniers, and saw the most beautiful street shows in several neighborhoods. But what I´m taking from Buenos is a horrific scene we´ve been in.
It was between 10 and 11 at night, and we were quite close to our hotel. I wanted to eat a snack (ok, a large pizza), and so we sat in one of the caffe´s, about 100 meters from our hotel. Although the street was dark, you ould see people walking there, the caffe had some guests, and across the street there was a group of about 10 young people, getting ready to sleep among the garbage bags. A sad view.
There there was this cute little girl walking on the sidewalk, between the caffe house and its tables and chairs, one of which I was sitting on. I told Jenis "look at her", with a smile that says "what a cute girl". Then her mom just walked by. I don´t know what SHE heard, but she started yelling at me in Spanish. I could only guess it wasn´t sweet talking. She continued walking while shouting, then decided to walk right back towards me. I wasn´t looking at her, but at Jenis. She went past us and crossed the street, still yelling. I thought it was over.
But then it happened. I looked across the street and felt cold chills crawling up my spine. Like taken from the movie "Night of the Living Dead", the woman across the street was standing in the middle of the homeless guys, still shouting, and raising her hand to point.. at us!! They all stared at us, and I felt we were the last zombies in Buenos and we´ve just been discovered.
I´ll end the story here and just say this: in big cities, be sure to always avoid the margins. The people, the streets and the looks. Otherwise they will find you.
We took a flight to the Iguazu falls, and that was a whole different story..

Photos
Below: dancing some street tango in La Boca, a socialist poster that says Capitalism has Failed. Go figure..