Monkeys

We were awoken to the sound of drums. On the main street of Buenos Aires? Lots of loud hailers and cacophony. Then a gunshot fired, then another. No big deal, just another protest march exacerbating traffic chaos. No arrests. A little gunfire is accepted.

Once the march dissipated we wandered aimlessly around the shops in Buenos Aires just killing time until our airport shuttle.

Then I remembered my flashing watch which needs a new battery so now we had a mission. Oddly, the shops here for a like purpose are all gathered together. On one street we saw 100 or more music shops, on the next hundreds of shops that sell watches, but don’t repair them. However, one did tell me to go another block that way. We did and found a street full of watch repair shops. The one we chose was 1 metre by 2 metres with an old guy in a corner with a wooden desk that had a single drawer. But this was all he needed. A pair of pliers quickly removed the waterproof back and then the waterproof seal on the battery. He tested the battery to confirm it was dead then put a new one in, applied waterproof sealant and secured the back. He noticed my strap pin was rusted and replaced it. All for the princely sum of 25 pesos (6 dollars). I am sure we could have gone to any of the other hundreds of repairers and got exactly the same high quality of service.

There is a simple honesty about this place that I really like.

We chatted a bit with our tour guide of the shuttle bus. It was tricky to properly comprehend her meaning. For instance, at one point she described Buenos Aires as the most European city in South America but its inhabitants (of which she is one) as ‘monkeys’.

I see a modern looking city, with significant air pollution, chaotic but forgiving road traffic, and an emphasis on physical labour over hi-tech. In the main, most people seem happy. They are content monkeys getting along OK, without envy or greed in this concrete jungle called Buenos Aires.

The march location from our room window: