May 24, 2003
We had the best of intentions to visit the cemetery where some of our relatives are buried and to visit the museum, but somehow it just didn't happen. We spent most of the day with Gladys and left in the afternoon to visit República de los Niños.
The taxi ride took us to the outer edges of La Plata past the superstores (Carrefour and Wal-Mart) and through the suburbs. Central La Plata may not have changed, but the outer area certainly has. The taxi dropped us off at the entrance, after handing us a card so that we could call the taxi company again when we were ready to leave. Margarita and I each paid a peso to enter.
The República de los Niños was a golf course before it became the closest thing to Disneyland that Argentina has to offer. We know this because Margarita's aunt used to play golf there. The Argentine government used appropriated it (whether by eminent domain or otherwise) and created República de los Niños.
The weather was windy and by the time we got there, it had gotten noticeably colder. It had been raining the past few days in Buenos Aires and the questionable weather had resulted in what appeared to be a relatively empty park. There were just a few cars and even fewer buses in the parking lot.
From far away (say at the entrance) some of the buildings give it the appearance of the Magic Kingdom - I think that this is intentional. However, it is clear that this is not Disneyland once you get closer. The main area consists of buildings that recreate national institutions like the government, legislature, a church, a bank, and a mosque. The mosque, however, contained a doll museum, and since Michaela is not yet very interested in dolls - and there was a separate admission fee - we decided to pass on the doll museum. There were also restaurants and stores, but most of them were closed. We set Michaela down in the "street" area of the buildings to let her chase a pigeon. She enjoyed crawling around and waving at people.
The offices in the government building generally consisted of a child-sized desk and chair with some cabinets. We set Michaela down in one and she had a blast, mainly because she could get her entire body into one of the cabinets. Of course, she found all kinds of trash, which we had to tell her not to put in her mouth or take away from her. The handles on the cabinets had been removed and bolts and replaced them. Electrical wiring was coming out of one of the walls near a very old outlet with two holes large enough for Michaela to put her fingers into. Fortunately, she didn't find these. We used the desk to change Michaela, since she needed a clean diaper.
The best room for Michaela turned out to be a mini-legislature room, with a raised desk and seat in the front and lots of chairs surrounding it in a semi-circle. There were lots of different floor levels (mini-steps or stairs) and plenty of things to hold onto as Michaela moved around. Even better, there was a steady flow of people and children, which provided endless entertainment for her. Meanwhile, Margarita had started talking to a woman who had come with her husband and four children from Buenos Aires. Judging from their stroller, and video and SLR cameras, they appeared to be pretty well off. And they were, compared to most people in Argentina. She complained to Margarita that since the devaluation of the peso, they could no longer travel abroad and could only afford to travel within Argentina.
We made our way next to the train station, which looked like it wasn't functioning at all, but it turned out that they were and you could take one around the park for a peso. We decided to pass and check out the rest of the park and come back later. On our way from the building area were three statues devoted to cartoon characters: the first was Manuelita, the turtle from the song of the same name by Maria Elena Walsh. The second was Mafalda from the cartoon of the same name. The last was one whose name I don't remember but I know that the artist recently died.
Just outside this area of buildings are what are basically two amusement parks - one for little kids and one for bigger kids and adults. The one for little children consisted mostly of carnival type rides that looked like they could be picked up at any time and moved to somewhere else. This included a ferris wheel-type ride with enclosed seating area, a small train, those inflatable bounce all-all-over-the-place things, and plenty of things that go around in a circle. We bought some tickets, which varied in price between 1 and 2 pesos. You could also get a ticket good for unlimited rides on all of the kiddy rides for 10 pesos. We first tried to put Michaela onto a ride where rockets go around and then up and down. Unfortunately, the ride was designed for slightly older kids and the restraints weren't good enough to keep Michaela in her sleep. Scratch that. Then we went to the ferris wheel, where Michaela and I went up and down and around and around for a good long time. We really got our money's worth for a peso. Michaela still shows absolutely no fear. She managed to stand on the seat while holding onto the bars and looking out while waving to anybody who could see her. Meanwhile, Margarita waited on a nearby bench and made periodic contact with Michaela. Next, Margarita took Michaela on the kiddie train ride, which consisted of a flat track in a figure-8 configuration. Not much to speak of, but Michaela seemed content with the movement while Margarita held her and we periodically waved at each other.
Then we went to the carousel, where Michaela and I sent to the second floor of the carousel where the smaller horses were located. I picked one and off we went. Michaela still doesn't quite get the need to hold on, so I basically held her for most (but not all) of the ride. She spent most of her time looking up at the mechanism that moved the horse up and down. She did however, manage to both hold on by herself for a while and to glance out at people. Chalk up another fun experience.
Next was the best part - the farm, which was essentially a petting zoo. As you paid the separate admission fee of 50 centavos, you could also buy a sizeable bag food to feed the animals for 50 centavos as well. We found our first animal, a goat, in the area where we paid for our admission, as well. Once you enter the main area, you immediately see....animals...everywhere. The main area is a combination of grassy, paved, and muddy areas with a small donut-shaped pond in the middle containing an island. Animals roaming in this main area included a llama, two Ñandus (large flightless birds like a rhea or emu), goats, including one with two kids, chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, pigeons, and a muskrat. As soon as we revealed that we had food, we were swamped. The goats were the most aggressive, getting up on their hind legs and putting their fore legs on our bodies. The llama was also pretty aggressive, but would always move away when one particular goat came near. We had taken Michaela out of the stroller, and I feared for her safety as the goats pursued the food. And they weren't content to just eat out of your hand. They went for the bag!
Michaela, of course, was loving this! Animals animals everywhere! She could reach out and grab them, touch them or just look at them. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the Ñandus to eat out of our hands, but everything else did. There was also a small pony in a separate area, which would eat out of your hand. A large boar in a separate area had what appeared to be a bandage or cast on its right front leg and we were unable to hand feed it. However, it did put out its hoof against the fence, as if it were trying to shake hands. Very cute. There were also separate areas for more pigs, including some very cute small ones, two cows, a small deer of some sort, and a variety of normal and bizarre-looking chickens. One of the small cages featured a chicken and about a dozen chicks that had hatched relatively recently. We ended up buying two or three more bags of food because it was so much fun to have all the animals around. But because of the aggressive goats, it was also frustrating to be unable for some of the smaller animals to get close to you.
While at the petting zoo, I saw a go-kart track and left Margarita and Michaela while I paid 5 pesos for 8 laps around the track. Unlike the US, safety (and liability) isn´t a big concern here. That was evident in the condition of the track, the kart, and lack of concern about whether or not I was wearing a helmet (which were available) or a seatbelt. Of course, I used a helmet and seatbelt, but I had seen people who didn't. The 8 laps went by quickly and I had a great time sliding around the two sharp corners and doing by best Aryton Senna impression.
I made my way back to the petting zoo, where I saw Margarita trying to escape without me seeing her. She failed. From then on, we walked by the lake, where there were bumper boats available, as well as a ride on a large boat that made its way around the lake from the Naval Prefecture Argentina building. That's when I spotted the best thing for Michaela - an empty amphitheater with tons and tons of stairs. We quicky got Michaela out of the stroller and she made a beeline up and down the stairs. Unfortunately, there was broken glass around, so I kicked some out of the way and kept a close eye on Michaela as she navigated the stairs. Sometimes, she would try to climb down the seats or climb on the seats towards the wall. I wonder what caused her to do this sometimes and not others. It didn't seem to make any sense. All I know is that she had a blast and cried when we finally picked her up to get going.
There was a group of people banging on drums in one large grassy area. They were of all different ages. I wanted to take Michaela to join in, but as they danced in a coordinated way to the drums, it appeared that they were part of an organized group.
By this time, Michaela was getting a bit more cranky and it was getting colder and windier. In fact, it looked like it was going to start raining soon and we were unprepared, so we started heading for the exit. After Margarita visited what she thought was the wrong bathroom (no lights and no toilet paper), I confirmed that it was because the bathroom I visited not only had lights but it also had an attendant selling toilet paper.
We called the taxi company from a public phone near one of the buildings for just 20 centavos. Then we walked the 100-200 meters to the entrance where we prepared Michaela and the stroller for being placed into the taxi. A very short while later, the taxi appeared, and we started heading for it. However, another family leaving also saw the taxi and assumed that it must have been their good fortune that a taxi pulled right up to the entrance as they were leaving. Margarita politely informed them that we had called this taxi and we entered and made our way back to the center of La Plata. I must admit that we held Michaela in both taxi rides and have been doing so for some time. The car seat we brought is a pain-in-the-ass, but I think about the danger of this a lot. Fortunately, we won't be taking too many more taxi rides, but I must say we've been lucky so far.
Back at the hotel, we looked out the window at the ominous clouds approaching. It was a mass of black headed straight for us and there were areas to the side, where it was obvious that it was raining. A short while later, the downpour began and we were glad that we had decided to leave when we did. Almost as quickly, the downpour ended and the skies cleared once again.
Dinner that night was at a nearby restaurant where we were the first patrons at 8pm. I had pork and Margarita had beef. I chose the pork because 1) I haven't had much while I was here and 2) it was more expensive. I should have chosen beef. Oh well. Michaela was ok for a while and then we had to set her down to roam around. Fortunately, only one older couple had appeared in the time that we ate, and Michaela didn't make it all the way over to them. I'm looking forward to a time when we can eat dinner at a more relaxed pace and without worrying about Michaela being loud, making a mess, or getting underfoot.
Tomorrow - off to see Lia. Chau.
Posted by mike at May 25, 2003 08:27 PM