Life continues to be relaxed, yet very full, in Buenos Aires. It has been a couple of days since my last post and I have had a variety of experiences. On Wednesday, I finally made my return visit to the Ecologica Reserva. This is a large park on the coast of the Rio Plata beyond the Puerto Madero. There is an amazing story behind this park. Before the 1960's the land on which this park sits did not even exist! At least, not above the water of the Rio Plata. This park is a testament to the ability of creation to heal itself. In the 1960's & 1970's Buenos Aires was engaged in a large building campaign: building a highway system (las autopistas). In the process they had to tear down lots of buildings and tear up lots of old roadways. What to do with the demolition and construction debris became a problem they solved by unceremoniously dumping it in the Rio Plata! This is not all that surprising when one examines the map of the coastline. From the delta to the northwest past the city to the southeast there are no real opportunities to get to the coast because it is all industrialized.
Except for the Ecologica Reserva! What happened after they dumped the construction debris was that nature reclaimed the space. Over the years sand and sediment from the Rio Plata collected and built up on the debris. This was followed by plants and now birds use the area as a prime breeding ground. It is a marvelous oasis just blocks from the city. As you will see in the photos, you can see the high rise buildings being constructed in Puerto Madero, but you cannot hear any of the city noise. (Except for the occasional airplane either taking off or landing at the Aeroparque farther up the coast near Palermo.) Plus you can walk along the coast of the Rio Plata (which residents of Buenos Aires claim is actually a river, but it sure looks like the South Atlantic Ocean to me. You cannot see any opposing shore on the horizon, and there are large, ocean-going ships moving in and out of the port nearby.) You don't want to get into the water for swimming, though, as it is highly polluted!
I first visited the Reserve at the end of my first three week stay in the city the day before I boarded the bus to Cordoba. It was a breath of fresh air for my soul. I had gone three weeks without seeing the ocean (except for a brief, distant glimpse from the upper deck of la Bombanera, the futbol stadium where I enjoyed the futbol match one Sunday afternoon.) I had not realized how much I have become connected, spiritually, to water. One of the things so renewing for me about Bariloche, even more than the strong presence of the mountains, was the comforting presence of Lago Nahuel Huapi. Being able to view that large body of water each day did more to bring peace and comfort to my soul than just about anything else I have experienced on this Sabbatical. I think it is a huge reason why I love the Boundary Waters in Minnesota and always yearn to return as soon as I leave.
Along with the visual contact with the water, the Reserva was also renewing because of the large variety of birds present and very active. I was able to take some amazing photos of birds, some quite colorful. All of this - the water, the birds, the feeling of a wild space that buffered the reality of the city - contributed to lifting my spirit and to leaving me with a desire to return as soon as I could when I moved back to Buenos Aires. It was why I tried for the first two days of the week to get back there. It was why I finally made sure I did on Wednesday. (And that even though I had decided on Tuesday evening that I really did not want to return to the downtown area because of the noise, crowds, traffic, and fumes, very much until Dianne arrived.) But I did go and Wednesday was a glorious day of sun (in fact, I ended up with a sun-burned face) and I did have an enjoyable visit.
I will talk about my other, very different experiences on Thursday and Friday in my next post. To view the pictures I took at the Ecologica Reserva on my two visits, follow this link to the Kodak Gallery Album: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.33z7gfgq&x=0&y=-g6u917&localeid=en_US
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