Usually at the end of August the storm of Santa Rosa is announced. This fight of the cold and hot air is taken serious and the wind that will rule Buenos Aires will make us conscience of the fact that man doesn’t rule nature. In the same time, the Santa Rosa storm announces a change of season so just hang on and spring will come soon!
Archive for August, 2008
To move in Buenos Aires with a taxi is another common and of course more comfortable way of transfer. The taxi is relatively cheap, and almost all have a taximeter, which will be set at 3,80 pesos to begin. Most of the taxi’s you just stop in the street.
When you see the red light of the sign in the taxi “libre” it says that the taxi is free. Put up your hand and they will stop.
To enjoy your ride, just sit back and relax, it’s better if you’re not in a hurry with the traffic here in Buenos Aires.
Tip: pay with small bills…..
Relatively unspectacular, officially the sales of Apples iPhone 3G has begun.
Since the prices were a bit higher than in the U.S., it is only interesting for a upper salary class .
At the moment, telephone companies such as Claro and Movistar offers the iPhone in different cities (Buenos Aires, San Miguel de Tucman) of Argentina.
A offer of Claro for example is 119 pesos each month for a 18 months contract period and 1600 pesos for the Apple iPhone itself.
Michael
From the 24th of August until the 1st of September Buenos Aires will be crowded by tango dancers of all over the world. Of course Stay in Buenos Aires is housing several of them and we want to wish them all the luck and hope they enjoy our beautiful city and the always present tango atmosphere.
For more information: http://www.mundialdetango.gov.ar
The obelisk of Buenos Aires you find at the avenue 9th of July. When you see the news on television, it always starts with a view of the Obelisk.
The Obelisk at night
The obelisk was built in May 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first founding of the city.
It is located in the center at the spot where the Argentine flag was flown for the first time in the capital . Its total height is 67 meters (220 ft) and its base area is 49 square meters (530 square feet). Architect Alberto Prebisch designed it and its construction took barely four weeks.
The obelisk is one of the main icons of the city, and a venue for various cultural activities (usually sponsored by the city government) and other events. It is the traditional gathering spot for sports fans to celebrate when their favorite team wins.
Lines B,C and D of the subway have stations near the obelisk, and are connected by a number of underground passages with commercial galleries, a true “tunnel of time” if you wish to see how Buenos Aires looked like 50 years ago…
Next Monday 18th of August will be a National Holliday to remember San Martín’s death, therefore the office will be closed.
José de San Martín (25 February 1778 – 17 August 1850), was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America’s successful struggle for independence from Spain.
In 1812, he set sail for Buenos Aires from England, and offered his services to the United Provinces of South America (present-day Argentina).
After the Battle of San Lorenzo in 1813, and some time in command of the Army of the North during 1814, he started his plan to attack Lima. This involved first creating an army in Cuyo, liberating Chile, and then attacking Lima by sea.
In 1817, he crossed the Andes from Mendoza to Chile, and prevailed over the Spanish forces after the Battle of Chacabuco and Battle of Maipú (1818), liberating Chile. San Martín seized partial control of the viceroyalty’s capital (Lima) on July 12, 1821 and was appointed Protector of Perú. Post closed-door meeting with fellow libertador Simón Bolívar at Guayaquil, Ecuador on 22 July 1822, Bolívar took over the task of fully liberating Peru and declared its independence. San Martín unexpectedly left Perú and resigned the command of his army, excluding himself from politics and the military, and moving to France in 1824.
Together with Simón Bolívar, San Martín is regarded as one of the Liberators of Spanish South America. He is the national hero of Argentina. The Order of the Liberator General San Martin (Spanish: Orden del Libertador General San Martín) in his honour is the highest decoration in Argentina.
Macana [f] 1 a bad thing to happen, an inconvenience, a pity (quite standard and accepted by now); 2 a bad thing that has been done, a screwup, a mistake (esp. in the phrase mandarse una macana).
Macanudo/a [adj, interj] (nothing to do with macana) very good (esp. a deal, an arrangement), nice and friendly, open (a person).
Mango [m] 1 fig. a unit of currency, esp. in the phrase No tener un mango ‘Not have a (single) mango’. Etymology uncertain, probably related to the fruit of the same name (though not widely known in Argentina at present). 2 [fixed phrase] al mango (of a machine, a domestic appliance, a car, a recorder) at the maximum possible setting (at full speed, at full volume, etc.); saturated, at the most, al palo.
Ma’ qué [interj?] [not polite] surely a rapid speech-form of mas, ¿qué…? ‘but, what…?’. Difficult to explain except with an example: –Fuimos al shopping y… –¡Ma’ qué shopping, si es un supermercado grande! ‘–We went to the mall and… –What mall? It’s a big supermarket!’. Note: if you can explain this better, tell me! This phrase is plain Italian, though its usage is somewhat different.
Metejón [m] a passion for an object, person or issue; a strong yearning. From meterse ‘to get oneself into [a place]’ = ‘to fall hopelessly in love’. Used as tener un metejón con ‘to have a yearning with = for’.
Meter [vt] [fixed phrase] meter la pata ‘to get one’s leg in’, to do something stupid, to make a mistake, to manage a situation badly. Can be completed with hasta el fondo ‘down to the bottom’ for emphasis.
Continue reading ‘Some Buenos Aires’ slang & expressions (Part 3)’
To snack in Buenos Aires in the street is funny and you have a few options. To begin with the salty ones there are hotdogs or panchos, sausage on bread or choripan and hamburgers or paty. It will cost you about 2,50 pesos until 5 pesos and you have various additive sauces to decorate you snack with. If you want to be sure that the stand with the offered food is a good one, just watch the movement a while and if you see a lot of people attacking the standkeeper to have a quick snack, you can be sure of a “healthy” fast food snack!
If you prefer to snack something sweet, there is a choice between an sugar topped apple and a sugar tenon.
To eat something quick just standing in the food shop, the most easy thing to do is to buy a portion of pizza. Also very popular and a nice “bad” habit in Buenos Aires. Just add a “faina” to your slice of pizza and at least you will be satisfied for a while. And for me there is no better pizza than the pizza in Buenos Aires. When you are at holidays you can take the pizza away with a classical moscata, a sweet wine drink.
Cheers!
Dedo [m] lit. finger; hacer dedo hitch-hike; a dedo (appointed) by the will of someone in power, without consulting with anyone else or following criteria for selection (as if merely pointing at the person with the index finger) — as is routine for the designation of non-elected political officials; A la mitad de la Corte Suprema la puso Menem a dedo ‘Half of the Supreme Court was appointed by (former President Carlos) Menem…’. Journalists popularized the cult alternative digitar, lit. ‘to key in with a finger’ for the same meaning.
Despelote [m] a mess, an occasion of great confusion, an organizational disaster. Etymology: from the privative preffix des- (English des-, de-, dis-) and pelot- ‘ball’ (fig. ‘testicle’). The ending -e is curiously found often in words of occasion with a negative connotation (see embole and despiole).
Embole [m, usu. sing] (a place, lapse of time, or activity involving) boredom.
Engranar [vi] to become angry; lit. the action of a gauge (engranaje) setting others into motion. The corresponding noun is engrane. The etymology, though, must be related to grana ‘red, crimson’ (whence granada, the fruit, and Granada, the Spanish city).
Engrupir [vt] [becoming old-fashioned] to deceive, usually by using nice words; to get someone to buy into a not-so-good idea.
Escrachar [vt] to ruin the cover of, to uncover in public, to show (someone) as having an illegal or evil behaviour. This word has been lately applied to demonstrations (escraches) of some human rights groups in front of the houses of officials of the last military government. These demonstrations are intended to increase the public awareness towards the impunity of the crimes of these officials and denounce their places of residence. People next door of these criminals and collaborationists sometimes don’t know of their past. Etymology: probably imitative/onomatopoeic.
Continue reading ‘Some Buenos Aires’ slang & expressions (Part 2)’
Opera Pampa
This show, developed on an open air stage of 3300 square meters, represents the gaucho-like adventure and its traditions, from the arrival of the horse to America up to the birth of the Argentine Republic. 50 dancers and riders take place in this event. With a great unfolding scenography and time wardrobe.
Where: La Rural
When: May 4th through December 30th
Thu., Fri., and Sat., 8.30 pm
Av. Santa Fé and Av . Sarmiento
