Rosario

Map here.   I was quite happy to get out of B.A. Yes partly due to the robbery, but mostly because I had enough of the big city. The irony of it is, that Rosario is one of the three largest cities in Argentina. Truth be told, it doesn’t feel that way. Most of the places of interest are close to each other and the centre is well maintained. Its streets reminded me of New York, but smaller and with more trees. But my main goal of my visit had changed to resting out and regrouping. I spent much time reading, watching movies and sleeping…a lot. I didn’t realise how tired I was. Being sick in a big city and not sleeping much had taken its toll.
I was surprised at the amount of mosquitoes. This is probably due to the Parana river that runs past Rosario, which also gives the city a very relaxed feel. Every Sunday there are many stalls along the river’s promenade. My timing was great as the day after I arrived was Sunday. So spent the afternoon walking along the river and checking out the stalls. The most impressive was an artist that painted a scene of a panda at the foot of a snow capped mountain…by using only aerosol paint and a couple of basic tools like a dishwashing sponge, a knife and some basic stencils.
Rosario is where the Argentinean flag was hoisted for the first time. There is a beautiful monument overlooking most of the stalls and unlike our monuments, locals congregate here to enjoy some Mate (a South American traditional tea) and good company. The place has a warm feeling due to all the people. I was honestly not really up to going to all the museums, but spent a day cycling around the city. It was refreshingly different way of seeing the city.
Having rested out I was able to think clearly about where I would like to go next. I would head south to Patagonia. As luck would have it, travelling from Rosario was quite expensive, so I had to head back to B.A. Eish. At least I was able to catch a bus the same day of arriving in B.A, so I wouldn’t have to go looking for accommodation again.