Back to Salta and Buenos Aires
I woke up very early in the morning to a sound that most people like - but bikers don’t!
The pitter-patter of raindrops.
It was the steady drumming of raindrops on the roof which had woken me.
There is always that neurotic part of you that screams and chalks out the worst-case scenario. ‘OH NO! IT IS RAINING! THE ROADS WILL BECOME MUDDY! THEY WILL GET FLOODED! THEY WILL GET WASHED AWAY!
YOU WILL GET WET! YOU WILL GET HYPOTHERMIA! YOU WILL GET A FEVER! YOU WILL GET COVID!
AND YOUR FLIGHT OUT OF SALTA IS TODAY! WHAT IF YOU MISS THE FLIGHT? WHAT IF YOU MISS THE FLIGHT OUT OF ARGENTINA? WHAT IF YOU GET STUCK HERE?
COME ON! GET UP AND WORRY!’
The trick is to ignore that neurotic fellow in your head completely and roll over and go back to sleep. Why worry about things you cannot control? The Patron Saint of Idiots will help out.
And indeed, it worked! I completed my beauty sleep - and the rain had stopped by the time I was ready to leave. In fact, the rain had freshened up the air and made it lovely and cool to ride!
The pitter-patter of raindrops.
It was the steady drumming of raindrops on the roof which had woken me.
There is always that neurotic part of you that screams and chalks out the worst-case scenario. ‘OH NO! IT IS RAINING! THE ROADS WILL BECOME MUDDY! THEY WILL GET FLOODED! THEY WILL GET WASHED AWAY!
YOU WILL GET WET! YOU WILL GET HYPOTHERMIA! YOU WILL GET A FEVER! YOU WILL GET COVID!
AND YOUR FLIGHT OUT OF SALTA IS TODAY! WHAT IF YOU MISS THE FLIGHT? WHAT IF YOU MISS THE FLIGHT OUT OF ARGENTINA? WHAT IF YOU GET STUCK HERE?
COME ON! GET UP AND WORRY!’
The trick is to ignore that neurotic fellow in your head completely and roll over and go back to sleep. Why worry about things you cannot control? The Patron Saint of Idiots will help out.
And indeed, it worked! I completed my beauty sleep - and the rain had stopped by the time I was ready to leave. In fact, the rain had freshened up the air and made it lovely and cool to ride!
The ride back to Salta was incredibly beautiful! The weather was lovely, as I said before - and the rain had washed all the suspended particles out of the air, so the visibility was amazing. The mountains looked as if you were seeing them in 4K, after having seen them in SD yesterday. And some clouds were still sitting on the mountain ridges and looked incredibly scenic.
There is nothing as beautiful and evocative as a wet black tarmac road winding its way through cloud covered mountains.
Looks like Salta wanted to show me all her colours - from burning hot to cloudy, thundery, lightningy, windy to rainy and finally - foggy! It was just incredibly lovely! It was so romantic and lovely - I wished that I could sing aloud to celebrate how lovely it was!
I wanted to ride fast to feel the wind on my face, I wanted to ride slow to soak in the scenery, I wanted to stop and admire the views…I wanted everything.
Looks like Salta wanted to show me all her colours - from burning hot to cloudy, thundery, lightningy, windy to rainy and finally - foggy! It was just incredibly lovely! It was so romantic and lovely - I wished that I could sing aloud to celebrate how lovely it was!
I wanted to ride fast to feel the wind on my face, I wanted to ride slow to soak in the scenery, I wanted to stop and admire the views…I wanted everything.
Those multicoloured layer-cake mountains of Maimara with the clouds sitting on them were something to see. I stopped often to take photos, or just admire the view. This scenic part of the ride would be over once I left the mountains and I didn’t want to miss anything.
A flash of colour by the side of the road caught my eye. It was a simple little memorial of some sort, and someone had covered it with bright flowers. Maybe by a parent or spouse in memory of an accident victim? They had kept a water bottle, some flowers …
A flash of colour by the side of the road caught my eye. It was a simple little memorial of some sort, and someone had covered it with bright flowers. Maybe by a parent or spouse in memory of an accident victim? They had kept a water bottle, some flowers …
I continued down that super-scenic route, hardly able to believe or take in the beauty of what I was seeing. The scene seemed totally different in the soft diffused light of the sun filtering through the clouds than it had been earlier under the full bright sunlight.
And suddenly - there was a white-out! Either the clouds had descended, or a thick mist had arisen - and you couldn’t see anything but a solid wall of white! The black tarmac road seemed to be emerging out of a white void! The only way you could make out oncoming vehicles is if they had their headlights on full-beam.
And suddenly - there was a white-out! Either the clouds had descended, or a thick mist had arisen - and you couldn’t see anything but a solid wall of white! The black tarmac road seemed to be emerging out of a white void! The only way you could make out oncoming vehicles is if they had their headlights on full-beam.
While the white-out was scenic by itself - it took away the beauty of the trip, as you couldn’t see anything around you! What a pity - it was like being in a plane - you are admiring the beauty of the view through your little window and then the plane rises above the level of the clouds and all you can see is cottony white.
It focussed the mind on the ride - and soon I was out of the scenic areas and on the large highways with its traffic, and soon I was back in Salta and handing over the bike to Esteban at the Norte Rental Alquiler Autos & Motos.
We were all chummy now, and he thanked me for my business and for sending him photos to post on his Instagram.
‘Not at all…’ I said. ‘Thank YOU for trusting me with your bike. It was a wonderful experience.’
And … my ride was over.
I was a pedestrian again. Sigh.
It focussed the mind on the ride - and soon I was out of the scenic areas and on the large highways with its traffic, and soon I was back in Salta and handing over the bike to Esteban at the Norte Rental Alquiler Autos & Motos.
We were all chummy now, and he thanked me for my business and for sending him photos to post on his Instagram.
‘Not at all…’ I said. ‘Thank YOU for trusting me with your bike. It was a wonderful experience.’
And … my ride was over.
I was a pedestrian again. Sigh.
I went back to my hotel and claimed my bag … actually, I first gave him an additional bag to store for a bit while I popped down to the laundry and picked my nice clean clothes …and then I claimed my bags and shoved the clean clothes inside and repacked - to morph from a biker to a backpacker.
Then - it was time to say goodbye to Salta. What a pity. There are so many things to see and do here, I felt that I had only scratched the surface. But then - all the more to see the next time I am here.
I took a cab to the airport and soon I was on the way to Buenos Aires. The flight was longer than usual because they decided to bounce the flight through Jujuy and pick up passengers from there as well.
Then - it was time to say goodbye to Salta. What a pity. There are so many things to see and do here, I felt that I had only scratched the surface. But then - all the more to see the next time I am here.
I took a cab to the airport and soon I was on the way to Buenos Aires. The flight was longer than usual because they decided to bounce the flight through Jujuy and pick up passengers from there as well.
My first destination for the day was … a cemetery! The La Recoleta Cemetery.
If you think of cemeteries as depressingly dark, underground affairs, Buenos Aires’ Recoleta Cemetery will turn that on its head. Aside from being the resting place of the deceased, it is completely unlike a normal cemetery. It is more a statuary or a museum than a cemetery!
If you think of cemeteries as depressingly dark, underground affairs, Buenos Aires’ Recoleta Cemetery will turn that on its head. Aside from being the resting place of the deceased, it is completely unlike a normal cemetery. It is more a statuary or a museum than a cemetery!
It contains the graves of notable people, including the famous Eva Perón, past presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, the founder of the Argentine Navy, and prominent military commanders. In 2011, the BBC hailed it as one of the world's best cemeteries, and in 2013, CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
(Though one might question why there is a global ranking at all for ‘the most beautiful cemeteries of the world’… sounds a bit morbid..)
(Though one might question why there is a global ranking at all for ‘the most beautiful cemeteries of the world’… sounds a bit morbid..)
This place was originally the garden of the convent of Franciscan Recollect monks (los recoletos) in the early 18th century.
Why were they called ‘Recollect monks’ I wondered? What a strange name. The origin of the name "Recollects" is still debated. Some historians attribute it to the recollection houses (retreats). Others credit it to the orders’ practice of accepting only those who possessed the ability of recollection.
(So no one can recollect the exact reason. Heh! )
I would definitely have been rejected by this order - I cannot remember or recollect anything! I would be better in the ‘Forgetting monks’ orders. People used to join the Foreign Legion ‘to forget’ - but I could have achieved that just by sitting at home.
Why were they called ‘Recollect monks’ I wondered? What a strange name. The origin of the name "Recollects" is still debated. Some historians attribute it to the recollection houses (retreats). Others credit it to the orders’ practice of accepting only those who possessed the ability of recollection.
(So no one can recollect the exact reason. Heh! )
I would definitely have been rejected by this order - I cannot remember or recollect anything! I would be better in the ‘Forgetting monks’ orders. People used to join the Foreign Legion ‘to forget’ - but I could have achieved that just by sitting at home.
The order was disbanded in 1822, and the garden of the convent was converted into the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires - and all the nibs and hotshots started getting buried there - and they built fancier and fancier tombs and mausoleums for themselves. It became an arms race - a ‘keeping up with Jones’s’ of gravestones and memorials - and each family competed with each other to make bigger and better memorials! It must have been a most lucrative profession to be a grave-memorial designer!
Then they hired a fancy upmarket architect to make a fancy layout of the cemetery - the guy who also designed the current facade of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral! The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Doric columns - and looks more like a Roman temple than a burial ground! I was most impressed. Hindu cremation grounds are UGH disgusting, muslim burial grounds are shady and unimpressive - but this place! This was the 5 star of all burial grounds. What an awesome place! And it was free! WOOHOO!
The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic - and most materials used between 1880 and 1930 in the construction of tombs were imported from Paris and Milan. Nothing but the best for these dead dudes. Each one is unique, constructed in homage to a wide assortment of architectural styles – you’ll run into everything from Greek temples to miniature Baroque cathedrals.
The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums. These mausoleums are still being used by rich families in Argentina that have their own vault and keep their deceased there. While many of the mausoleums are in fine shape and well-maintained, others have fallen into disrepair. The ones with no family to support them and pay for upkeep are in bad shape - filled with broken glass and littered with rubbish. But most of them - OOO LA LA! These are works of art! What sculptures! What carvings! What architecture!
It must have cost a pretty penny - many many many many pretty pennies - to make these mausoleums. In fact, it must have bankrupted many families to make and maintain this stuff. And if it didn’t bankrupt them, then they had far too much money! The site contains almost 5000 vaults, all above ground, of which 94 have been declared ‘National Historical Monuments’ by the Argentine government and are protected by the state.
The biggest star here is the final resting place of the nation’s iconic first lady, idolized by the public until her death from cancer in 1952, is actually not that remarkable – a rather dull, bronze affair, really – but it’s still a must-see. The most interesting thing about her grave has to do with how long the-then military government hid her body before finally interring it in the Recoleta Cemetery – it only took, um, 20 years!
Then I decided to go to a most unique place - the most unusual and grand bookshop in the world - the El Ateneo Grand Splendid! An opera theatre turned bookstore!
This building was originally a theatre called Teatro Gran Splendid. It opened in 1919, and had grand ceiling frescoes painted by a prominent Italian artist! The theatre had a seating capacity of a thousand,, and staged a variety of performances -including appearances by leading tango artists. In the late twenties the theatre was converted into a cinema, and in 1929 showed the first sound films presented in Argentina.
But in due course of time, it shut down - and The ornate former theatre was leased by the owners of a chain of book stores as well as the El Ateneo publishing house. The building was subsequently renovated and converted into a book and music shop! The cinema seating was removed and in its place book shelves were installed. Following refurbishment works, the huge El Ateneo Grand Splendid became the group's flagship store! How cool is that! Over a million people walk through its doors annually.
Customer seating has been installed throughout the building, including the still-intact theatre boxes, and a café has been created at the back of what was once the stage. The ceiling, the ornate carvings, the crimson stage curtains, the auditorium lighting and many architectural details remain. Despite the changes, the building still retains the feeling of the grand theatre it once was.
The Guardian, a prominent British periodical, named El Ateneo Grand Splendid second in its 2008 list of the world's ten best bookshops. In 2019, it was named the "world's most beautiful bookstore" by the National Geographic.
This building was originally a theatre called Teatro Gran Splendid. It opened in 1919, and had grand ceiling frescoes painted by a prominent Italian artist! The theatre had a seating capacity of a thousand,, and staged a variety of performances -including appearances by leading tango artists. In the late twenties the theatre was converted into a cinema, and in 1929 showed the first sound films presented in Argentina.
But in due course of time, it shut down - and The ornate former theatre was leased by the owners of a chain of book stores as well as the El Ateneo publishing house. The building was subsequently renovated and converted into a book and music shop! The cinema seating was removed and in its place book shelves were installed. Following refurbishment works, the huge El Ateneo Grand Splendid became the group's flagship store! How cool is that! Over a million people walk through its doors annually.
Customer seating has been installed throughout the building, including the still-intact theatre boxes, and a café has been created at the back of what was once the stage. The ceiling, the ornate carvings, the crimson stage curtains, the auditorium lighting and many architectural details remain. Despite the changes, the building still retains the feeling of the grand theatre it once was.
The Guardian, a prominent British periodical, named El Ateneo Grand Splendid second in its 2008 list of the world's ten best bookshops. In 2019, it was named the "world's most beautiful bookstore" by the National Geographic.
I was bowled over by the awesomeness of this book shop! What a place! A serene temple of books! The lighting is soft, with accents that showcase the best in early 20th-century craftsmanship. Conversations are hushed, as if in a grand library, yet the space is so warm and welcoming that the raised café at the back of the cavernous room is filled with patrons reading and sipping cappuccinos and chocolate submarinos.
The store is so gorgeous that many people stop in just for a look, including tourists. And the staff seems completely comfortable with that. I took my selfies - and then went to the cafe and had a sandwich and a beer to toast the place. Though I am a Kindle man now, and prefer reading ebooks to physical books - I love the sight and feel and smell of a good bookstore. May their tribe increase! May both ebooks and actual books thrive!
The store is so gorgeous that many people stop in just for a look, including tourists. And the staff seems completely comfortable with that. I took my selfies - and then went to the cafe and had a sandwich and a beer to toast the place. Though I am a Kindle man now, and prefer reading ebooks to physical books - I love the sight and feel and smell of a good bookstore. May their tribe increase! May both ebooks and actual books thrive!
And just like that - my Argentine trip was done!
I would be entering the airport now, and clearing immigration and boarding my flight to New York.
Goodbye Argentina! It was an absolute pleasure knowing you!
I would be entering the airport now, and clearing immigration and boarding my flight to New York.
Goodbye Argentina! It was an absolute pleasure knowing you!
