Republica de la Boca

Today was a beautiful day, a full day of exploring Buenos Aires and taking in this amazing city in all its glory. The most overwhelming impression I have now is the vast size of this city. Traversing it on foot, or in a taxi, or even on the subway, I see the endless urban landscape stretching out in all directions. In addition to being vast in area, Buenos Aires is also very dense, with highrise apartment blocks lining most streets.

I started the day off with my morning ritual at Café Dorrego. A warm sense of well being swept over me as I sipped my café con leche at my usual table. The warm dark ambiance of the café, the tango music crackling through the stereo system, the world of early morning Buenos Aires going by outside the window, it all felt so good. At one point, the cleaning woman was outside, washing the window directly next to my table. She moved her washing rag in a circular motion across the the glass, just inches from my face. She was oblivious to me, it was just another day doing her job. When she finished, the world of Plaza Dorrego was even brighter, an illusion cleansed of any pretensions.

After the wild exuberance that was emanating from Boca last night, I knew I had to go visit that barrio today. I walked down to Paseo de Colón, the same intersection where so much chaos was erupting the night before, and caught a taxi down to el Caminito, in the heart of Boca.

El Caminito is a small area along the waterfront of the Riachuelo, a rough and tumble working class neighborhood that has an undying allegiance to the local futbol team, the Club Atlético Boca Juniors. While much of La Boca is grimy and forlorn, Caminito is bright and colorful. The houses are painted in garishly bright colors, adorned with flowers and mischievous statues that look down from the balconies.

This small area of a few blocks is an artist's colony, a burst of creativity along the industrial Riachuelo. The area takes its name from an old tango song, Caminito, written in 1926 by Juan de Dios Filiberto and Gabino Coria Peñaloza. I wander through the streets of Caminito, taking in the whimsical displays built into the buildings. Mosaics, bas-relieves, and friezes adorn the walls, while small statues stand in cozy alcoves all along the street.

After seeing the brightness and color of Caminito, the Riachuelo waterfront stands out in stark contrast. It's a very industrial area, with warehouses and factories lining the graffiti-covered banks of the river. Groups of schoolchildren were on field trips, dutifully listening to their teachers explain the history of the area. I saw them leaning over the railing, looking down into the river with fascination, and wondered what could have them so enthralled.

I leaned over and took a look myself, immediately recognizing a group of small turtles perched on a floating log, some of them trying desperately to emerge from the filth and pollution of the river. It was a sad sight, but inspiring to see the children so concerned about the plight of the turtles. Maybe their generation can start to undo the damage caused by their elders.

When I left Boca, one of the liveliest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, I made a trip to an area that is the complete opposite.

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