Later today (Sunday), Argentina will take on Brazil in the final of the Copa America - the most important national football (that’s soccer, to all you Yanquis) team tournament in the Americas (team news here). As you might have guessed, there is something of a futbol rivalry between Argentina and Brazil (see Arjewtino’s post for more on this). In fact, in the past things have got so heated that the two countries have even resorted to humorous advert warfare…

Back in 2004, Brazil beat Argentina 3 - 1 in a World Cup qualifier, and shortly after, Tulipan, an Argentine condom manufacturer that puts out consistently funny and clever ad campaigns, came out with this provocative billboard of typographical genius:

“WE’RE ALREADY PLANNING THE REVENGE”
(Ya estamos pensando en la revancha)

I don’t think I need to spell out exactly what Tulipan claimed Argentina would do to Brazil in their next match!

Not to be outdone, neither on the pitch nor in creative use of typography, the Brazilian football organization responded with the following ad:

“IT WASN’T THE FIRST TIME. AND IT WON’T BE THE LAST”
(No fue la primera vez. Tampoco la ultima)

Wow. Great comeback! And there was me thinking it was Brazilians like Pele that needed to use Viagra?

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Av. Lisandro de la Torre & Av. de los Corrales, Mataderos

All the fun of the gaucho fair

One of the best-kept secrets in Buenos Aires is the Feria de Mataderos, a weekly event that takes place during the fall, winter and spring months (approximately April to December) on Sundays, from about 11am and into the early evening (during January to March a cut-down version of the Mataderos fair is held on Saturdays nights, from 6pm). You may already know about the ferias in San Telmo or Recoleta, but if you want a real South American experience, come to Mataderos to see the gauchos (Argentine cowboys) and friends, who come from the countryside with their displays of horsemanship, handicrafts, live music, folk dancing, and delicious foods.

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Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento Day Trip

It feels like I’ve been to Colonia del Sacramento (in Uruguay, a short hop across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires) for a day trip more times than I’ve eaten Argentine beef. And believe me, that’s a hell of a lot of times!

Now I know that this is a blog about the city of Buenos Aires, and Colonia is not only a different city entirely, but also in a whole other country… but it is such a popular day trip for people visiting Buenos Aires, that it justifies a few words from me here (well OK, I waffle, so it will probably be a lot of words).

I have always found it funny that in guide books, websites, forums etc, a regular answer to the common question “what can I do in Buenos Aires, Argentina?” is “visit Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay”. This is especially comical for me because it reminds me of a joke I once heard from a stand-up comedian back in Coventry, England. It went a little something like this…

“When I came to Coventry last night I asked at the hotel what there is to do in the city. After a little thought, the only thing they could suggest was ‘go see Warwick castle’. I asked them, ‘but isn’t that in Warwick, not Coventry?’, to which they shrugged and gave a nod.”

“To recap, the quick answer to the question ‘what should I do in Coventry?’ is ‘LEAVE! NOW! GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN’”

So apparently, thinking along these lines, a quick answer to the question ‘what should I do in Buenos Aires, Argentina?’ could be not just “leave the city”, but also “get the hell out of the country“. Just to be on the safe side.

Obviously, given the name of this blog, this is not a sentiment I would fully endorse! However, if you are visiting Buenos Aires for a fairly long period, or are an expat living here (perhaps in need of a 3 monthly tourist visa renewal), then a trip to sleepy old Colonia del Sacramento does indeed make for a nice day trip, to get away from the crazy, busy city of Buenos Aires. Also it’s nice to remind yourself of what the horizon actually looks like.

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