Hey there loyal readers, welcome back to Day 6 of the Argentina trip. So today I had put a couple of free concerts on my calendar, but then sort of late last night I saw that there would be a special Feria de mataderos activity starting at 11 AM but with the main events kicking off at 1:00 PM. I had no idea what this would be like, but I figured that if it was bad, I could just come back for the two free concerts.
At 9:58 AM I left the apartment to grab a bus to the fair, but as I had used my public transport card more than planned yesterday, I first wanted to add more to my SUBE card. As this was a national holiday, Flag day, the nearby national lottery stand where I had recharged yesterday wasn’t open, and I quickly discovered that pretty much all of the recharge points were closed today. As such, I ended up walking to the closest subway station in order to recharge, not being able to do so until 10:35 AM; I put 4000 ARS more on the card.
At 10:40 AM I was finally on a bus going to the fair. One issue I have discovered is that when you get on the bus here, they usually ask you the destination before scanning your card. Today he just asked me if it should be the minimum amount, and I said yes because I didn’t know the stop. It was 300 ARS.
I had to do a bus change, so at 11:00 AM I was off the first bus. I had actually got off the bus a bit earlier than I should have; this wasn’t really a choice, but I seem to be bad at judging the correct stop on buses in Buenos Aires. Still, at 11:02 AM I was already waiting for the 130 bus. Here on the standard street, it didn’t look particularly festive despite being a national holiday. In fact, up until now, the only thing I had noticed that was different today was that I had a hard time finding a place to recharge my SUBE card 🤣.
At 11:08 the bus arrived and this time I properly gave my destination, again with a cost of roughly 300 ARS (ducted from the SUBE card). By 11:38 I was getting off the second bus; again I was off a bit sooner than I should have, but I don’t mind walking since it gives me more opportunities to see things.
At 11:44 AM I walked past plaza de los Mataderos. It’s a very nice, big green space.
Then at 11:48 AM, unsurprisingly, I noticed a bunch of butcher shops in this area (mataderos means “butchers”), and it actually does look like it would be a great place to buy meat. Separately, it seems that this is clearly a lower middle class area, but still a nice looking place to live.
Then at 11:57 AM I saw that parque de los mataderos had a bunch of stands set up. I wasn’t sure if those were supposed to be part of “La Feria” or not, but it was still definitely an area I thought I should check out. This was right next to the arch announcing the Feria de mataderos.
At 1:09 PM I was barreled over! Obviously I’m not Argentinian, but they did such a great job with the genuine street dances and the ceremony that even I felt like an Argentinian patriot! Really, they did an amazing job: video 1, video 2, video 3.
At 1:49 PM there were traditional dance performances and at 1:54 PM I was so happy that I had come here. While this was clearly an activity today primarily meant for local people, it was also outstanding for a tourist like me. All the open air entertainment was nice, and it wasn’t so crowded that you couldn’t easily see.
While I was enjoying things there, at 2:15 pm I decided to go see what was going on in the park. It was obvious that this was clearly the more “common people” feria. For instance at 2:24 PM I noticed lots of clothing was also being sold here. I assumed some of it was used, but it all looked good. Yes, Parque Alberdi was interesting, but at 2:36 I decided to go back to la feria.
Initially I couldn’t handle standing in the huge line, but at 3:04 PM I bought 1 vacío, 1 choripan and 1 glass of wine for 13,000 ARS cash. Then after that I had to get in the line to pick up the food; I guessed it would take me at least 30 minutes. While waiting, I could hear the traditional live music playing behind me.
Finally at 3:30 PM it was my turn at the counter. The food was very good, but it would have been nicer to have someone to eat with. Despite the absurd amount I had bought, at 4:09 PM I finished eating.
I then moved back to the front stage area to continue enjoying the entertainment.
Again at 6:14 PM I was overwhelmed by how great the emcee for this event was. For this sort of patriotic thing he was just phenomenal! Of course all the amazing live music groups were also a big plus. I’m sure it was all carefully prepared, but the way he also recited poetry at different points. . . It was just perfect. I was so very glad I went there.
All amazing things come to an end, so at 6:21 PM I was 18:21 exiting the Feria, having stayed until the absolute last moment. Then at 6:26 PM I was waiting for bus 126, being able to get on at 6:53 PM. It was quite full but we were not smashed together.
Then at 7:38 PM I got off the bus near my apartment, but rather than going back in right away, I wandered around the area until 8:00 PM when I decided to eat at Mostaza, which is essentially a local burger joint. The cost was 6499 ARS (456 INR with my Indian credit card) for a junior double cheddar + chocolate Sundae + coke zero. The restaurant itself was like a slightly upscale McDonald’s, and the food was pretty much exactly what you would expect from the same, except the bun on the hamburger was a bit nicer. If you like McDonald’s, I’m sure you will also like Mostaza.
Spoiler alert, while eating I bought a 4 day tour package in Salta for 15317 INR on Get Your Guide, a service which I’ve used in other countries, generally having good results. Continuing with the theme of slow eating in Buenos Aires, it wasn’t until 9:00 PM that I left Mostaza and wandered around a bit before finally entering the apartment at 9:36 PM.
Despite having entered relatively early, I didn’t go to bed until 12:17 AM since I spent a lot of time working on blog entries. . . I hope you enjoy them, because they take a lot more time than you might imagine.
So, once again, a hearty thank you to the Facebook group Baires Free for having directed me to another incredible free activity. I don’t know if the regular weekend Feria de mataderos is usually this incredible, but for flag day it was an unforgettable, absolutely amazing experience. Let me know what you think about all of this in the comments section below.
Travels with Jay 