Don't cry for me..

Argentina has had it's fair share of problems. Before the Spanish arrived it was doing alright but only in a hunter gatherer subsistance farmer type of way. After the first wave of Spanish attack things changed with the left over horses and cattle that have now become Argentinean staples. The cowboys of Argentina, 'Gauchos', and the quality beef (actually British cows) have become Argentinean trade marks the world over.
Once the Spanish finally did command Buenos Aires they banned trade with all countries other than Spain. This was pretty crippling as other parts of Argentina were doing well from Bolivian exports. The Brits had an attempt at taking Buenos Aires but were soon beaten off. Eventually Argentina, by the hand of the now South American hero General San Martin, declared independance from Spain. This cleared previous trade embargoes and made Argentina a decent export force.
In more recent times cruel dictators have lead the way. Before this however, the famous Peron's set about improving the welfare state on one hand and destroying the right to free press on the other. Economically Argentina began to suffer and needed to borrow heavily. A debt which they still haven't paid off.
The dictatorship which ruled the country through the dirty war of the late 70's was harsh. Up to 30,000 people went 'missing' for declaring any kind of disdain for the leader. Funnily enough it was the Brits who put an end to the dictatorship by fending off the Argentineans attempt to regain the Falkland Islands, named Las Malvinas in Argentina. Low on funds and over stretching himself the dictator lost the war and leadership of the nation.
Argentina have had so many ups and downs in the last 30 years. From being the second richest country in the world to the Argentinean Peso being worth absolutely nothing. Prompting people to queue with sack fulls of cash to buy enough food to feed themselves.
Now it seems things have come good and the economy is more stable. People on the street are friendly and genuinely happy. It's a good place to be, if it lasts.
Being British I did expect some stick from the Argies, either it be football or regarding the Falklands, but not a jot. I did notice that on maps of Argentina the Falklands are still considered part of the country although no Argies live their. Near the train station is a monument donated from Britain in a kind of peace agreement. This has graffiti strewn across it reading, 'Volvemos Las Malvinas'. To the effect of, 'we will get the Falklands back'.
Back on the street and Buenos Aires continues to impress. Full of neo-classical buildings such as the grand 'pink parliament'. This is where Evita Peron gave a famous speech of which I know zero about. I couldn't stand to watch the film of constant warbling starring Madonna. Unless she was naked at any point, then I may consider it.
Many a business man struts along the business districts and smoke havana cigars in the smoking cafes dotted around. Many places reminiscent of the best of London.
We cross the widest avenue in the world, the Avenida de Julio 9. It's huge. I think there's 16 lanes and it takes a while to get fully across the other side on foot. There's a famous obolisk in the centre that you can see clearly from the plane as we leave.
But before that there's still much to see. We ran out of time to watch a football match and visit La Boca. This is an edgy area even in daylight but one street is for the tourists, brightly coloured corregated houses and live street tango. Just don't stray off that main street. Definitley one for next time.
Buses here are superb. Well they're rickety and a bit uncomfortable but the maximum you pay around town is 'ochenta', 0.80 Pesos. About 13p to the Brit. Considering the bus rides can be up to an hour long it's resonable indeed.
We visit the flash district of Recolleta. There's supposed to be another grander area, Palermo, but time isn't on our side. The reason for visiting Recolleta is the graveyard. Sounds grim. In fact this is one of the grandest graveyards in the world. It's huge. Giant crypts and sarcophigi and statues line up next to each other in countless mini-avenues. Some incredibly over the top stuff. Famous Argentineans are buried here, including Evita, from poets to presidents to humble nobodies. It's worth a visit just to see the scale of the place. It does show a problem with the society here though. The gap between rich and poor is enormous. On the way to the airport you see the sprawling slums of tumbledown crammed in concrete and corregated iron hovels. Bare footed kids ambling dirt streets not a million miles away from well-to-do business men puffing on havanas.
We finish off our Buenos Aires visit with a traditional Argentinean grill, a Parilla. Meat, there certainly is. What meat I'm not 100% sure. I think I ate intestine of some sort(some places actually advertise themselves as 'Intestine Specialists', no thanks), a nice tasting blood sausage, a bit of steak and the oddest ribs I've ever seen. It's like they just randomly hacked into a cow and left half of it's vertebrae on my plate!
Off north we headed still high on Buenos Aires and looking forward to returning. I still can't get over the odd Argentinean mentality of littering though. It was the same in Mendoza. A beautiful place but people of all ages and backgrounds think nothing of throwing any rubbish they have onto the street, or in Mendoza's case into the vast gutters. Then every night cleaners come round and clean it all up for the next days onsluaght. Maybe they think it's keeping people in work. It bugs me either way.
However, Buenos Aires has to be one of the greatest cities on this earth. Amazing food, music, art, culture, people, neighbourhoods and districts. Please go, but try and forget about the rubbish.