After San Telmo, we proceeded to La Boca. La Boca means ‘the mouth’ and that refers to the mouth of the Riachuelo River. This was Buenos Aires first natural port. This is a contrasting port neighborhood with a very characteristic atmosphere: wood and metal low houses painted in very bright colors. The catch of these colorful houses which used to be ghettos in the past for the immigrants coming from Europe. Most of them Spanish, Italian and German. I also feel very curious why the houses painted like that? Well, the tour guide told us in the past the people who lived there (mainly Italian descent) didn't have enough money to paint their houses. So they used to go to the dock (a few meters away) and ask the people working with the ships to give them some of the paint they used for the ships. So they would get a bit of orange, a bit of blue, a bit of red, etc. That's why they had to paint their houses with different colors.
The most famous street in La Boca, Calle Caminito, possesses the best of the painted houses and here is where souvenir shops, artists, street performers and tango dancers congregate daily. Its gives La Boca a peculiar appearance and nature.
3 comments:
i like the colorfully painted houses!! remind me of the Burano Island near Venice.. and i also like the white houses in Greece's Mykonos Island, they are cool!!
SK: oh.... i 1 2 go 2 Greece!!! Its 1 of my dream place...
i also want to go to Greece!! but i think you stand a bigger chance of going there rather than me laa.. anyway, don't expect too much is what i heard from friends that have been there..
Post a Comment