Quarterly September 2007 - Odfjell

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Odfjell LocationsThe city of the good windsBuenos AiresBy Horacio MarquezThe name BuenosAires could betranslated to either“Good winds”or “Good Airs”. Itwas the first meaningwhat possiblyprompted Don Pedrode Mendoza,on that humid andsuffocating summer day in 1536, tochristen the small wooden fort he hadbuilt on the shores of the Rio de La Platawith the name “Santa Maria de losBuenos Aires”.After a fairly short period of living togetherin peace, the natives realizedthat the newcomers’ ideas for their jointfuture were not going to benefit themmuch, so they set fire to the small village.There only remained a few horsesand cows that had been brought fromEurope, which, as is common practiceof most free live beings, happily devotedthemselves to reproducing forthe next forty years. But the “party”ended when a second Spanish expeditionarrived, this time lead by Don Juande Garay, who re-founded Buenos Aireson June 11th, 1580. This free-grazing“craze”, combined with genetic improvementsintroduced by the Britishin the nineteenth century, set the basesPlaza de Mayo (May Square) with el Cabildo, the old town hall26 Odfjell Quarterly September 2007for the now-famous live stock industryin Argentina.Having been a Spanish colony for overtwo hundred years and resisting twonon-requested invitations by the BritishNavy to become eternal devotees ofthe Five o’clock tea, the inhabitants ofthe port city (thus receiving their name“porteños”) achieved independence onMay 25th, 1810. They spent the nexthalf a century fighting each other todecide on a proper form of government.Always succeeding at making thesimple more complicated, they foundedthe Argentine Nation in 1862 under afederal model, which of course, was alwayscentralized at its main port city.From this feature rises the popular saying“God is Argentine but has his officein Buenos Aires…”During its first eighty years of independence,the white skinned citizens turnedtheir backs on their inland brothers anddark-skinned neighbours, always takingEurope as a reference model thatwould define their character. The BritishEmpire provided the city with capital,railroads and an economic model;France showed the way of enlightenmentin terms of intellectual thoughtand also frivolous fashion; but it wasItaly, with its illiterate masses arrivingCalle Caminito (Caminito Street) inLa Bocain the beginning of the twentieth centuryas they fled hunger and hopelessness,that left the deepest impact on thecity’s soul and customs. Together withthe Italians, millions of immigrants fromall over Europe worked endless hours tohelp build the “world’s granary”, thesuccessful agro-exporting model thatwould secure Argentina’s wealth untilWorld War II. Since then, the “AmericanWay of Life” has changed many things,but Buenos Aires continues to proudlyexhibit its European roots like no othercity in Latin America.So, what is the modern city like? Anurban conglomerate of three millioninhabitants that rises to eleven millionwhen the suburbs are included; wheredifferent architectural styles coexist depictingreplicas of Europe at each cornerof downtown: Plaza de Mayo and SanTelmo embracing the colonial spirit, LaBoca, where the Genoese founders builttheir modest houses painted in brightcolours, Puerto Madero unmistakablyreferencing the London Docklands, theAvenida de Mayo portraying a flair ofMadrid, Recoleta with its French styleand finally the broad Parisian-style boulevardsthat lead to the Palermo gardens- a gigantic green space built towardsthe end of the nineteenth century replicatingNew York’s Central Park. Today,
Puente de la mujer in Puerto Maderothe gardens are a Mecca for outdoorsactivities such as bicycling, sunbathing,rowing and jogging and often a spot for“sin” at night. A much less sinful but excitinglyupbeat panorama can be foundin bars, restaurants and dancing clubs invarious nightspots such as Palermo, LasCañitas, San Telmo or Puerto Madero.As in the rest of Latin America, incomedistribution inequalities and the introductionof hard drugs have produceda violent society whose only way out isthrough the eradication of these twocauses. The economic crisis of 2001,the most dramatic of Argentina’s history,worsened the situation and duringthis period unemployed picket linesflourished everywhere giving way to avery socially unkind way of denouncingproblems: street and route cuts, a muchtoo common landscape in today’s downtown.Even if the economic indexes areback to the levels they were at beforethe crisis, the scars it left on the socialfabric are truly deep and it will take agreat deal of work and development toheal them.Argentines value skill over strength,freedom over order and individualismover organization; nevertheless theycan only conceive the sweetness of victoryas a result of team work, that is whythe national preference is ball gamesrather than individual athletic practices.Soccer is the king of sports and matchesbetween the two biggest and oldestteams, Boca Juniors and River Plate, arean integral part of any tourist packagesold abroad.At dusk, La Reina del Plata (The Queenof the River Plate) dresses for successturning on its millions of lights to offera wide variety of entertainment optionsincluding late night dining, nightclubs,art exhibits, and over one hundred cinemasand theatres. The city’s vast culturaloffer includes the renowned Teatro Colon,a majestic opera house built in thelate nineteenth century, the InternationalDance and Theatre Festival showcasingprestigious local and foreigncompanies, and over a dozen museumsfeaturing various art collections.Towards 9 pm, restaurants get busy offeringethnic food from all corners ofthe world at every price point, but localcuisine remains the favourite with itswide array of dishes featuring “the bestmeat in the world” and world-famousMalbec wine. Pizza, pasta and beercomplete the menu reminding us of theItalian heritage. Late at night, His Highnessthe Tango shows up to unveil a delightfulcombination of emotion, musicand movement attracting both foreignersand locals to the dance-floor.When you add to all of the above a muchcirculated rumour about the beauty andsensuality of Argentine women, is it anywonder that airplanes full of visitorssimply cannot stop arriving in BuenosAires?The obelisk on the Avenida 9 de JulioPalermo Chico, stainless steel flower sculptureMeat Argentine styleOdfjell Quarterly September 2007 27
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Quarterly September 2007 - Odfjell

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