Photos 1.2: Buenos Aires

Since I'm a sneaky bastard and now have access to an equivalent of 450mm focal length, I thought I needed to catch ordinary people doing perfectly ordinary things in Buenos Aires.



Some of the dangers of biking in Buenos Aires include the incredible amounts of soot blown out of the exhausts everywhere. I'll not get into a comparative study of blackened Q-Tips emerging from ears, but they tell me summer is even worse.



Flagging down the bus on Córdoba con Florida.



Crossing the road - I think it's the Diagonal Sur here. I wasn't too shocked at the traffic and at pedestrian behaviour. The rules are clear: if you're stronger, you go. Which is why you just have to keep your eyes peeled as a pedestrian.





Street vendors everywhere, from Mate cups to shoe shining! Even in front of Graffiti that reads "No te vendes" (Don't sell yourself)



There are a lot of homeless people about, even if you just stroll about the touristy areas and don't go out any further than that. Parks always have a few people lying about with their belongings strewn around them. The sun was out in force that day and these two were enjoying their Mate tea.



I loved these two blokes, but was too chicken to take a frontal shot or put some time into composing it. One was holding up a piano by leaning against it and the other seemed to be holding up the tree. Strange thing is they were just lounging about in front of a tire shop (don't buy your tires there, please!)



Dogwalkers are quite common, even in San Telmo. I liked the neighbourhood, because you could just as well have a great steak at the Desnivel as go into a Parrillada and eat the same chorizos as the workmen from the tire shop.



The very highbrow shopping mall Galeria Pacifico (I think that's what it's called), just off the Peatonal Florida had some intriguing artwork in its basement level. I wondered what those wretches on the walls were thinking of all the D&G stores, Tommy Hilfiger outlets etc that they looked down upon.



Here again, I love the light! For some reason, it appeals to me :-)



Walking across av 9 julio (the BIG avenue with a dozen lanes), I followed on toward Recoleta and came by a lonely little wretch sitting with her back to the sunlight. Unfortunately I had a date at the MALBA museum and couldn't hang around.



After screwing with the few settings that irfanview allows me to tweak, I think this facade in San Telmo came out rather nicely.



Looking up into the sky in built-up areas of Buenos Aires, this is what you see: cables stretched everywhere for no apparent purpose.



The shutters in my room in the Hostal in San Telmo. I don't know why ;-)



I ended up buying a disposable camera for the game Boca Jrs vs Tigre, but the fotos came out so crap (well 90% did), that I can't even begin to think how to rescue something recognisable from them. So I went for mucking with the negatives and trying to at least get something artistic from them. Hmm...





Oh, and please remember to bring along your own music and headphones if ever you go into one of these Internet cafes, or fly LAN or just go shopping in Latin America; incredibly cheesy music blasting out at you from all angles, everyone outdoing each other in volume... I don't think it's good for me ;-) Need to find me some lonely mountaintop!