Horseracing and Polo Day

I had hit a bit of a low patch on Friday afternoon. I had just finished switched hostels and had walked through busy crowds and a small protest with my pack on. The afternoon heat and smog took its toll. I had bought a cheap cell phone with my minimal Spanish. It was successful but the salesperson was visibly frustrated with me. The cellphone was not working. On top of that I was very tired and my search for a homestay was going nowhere.This is one of the typical lows of traveling, at least for me. It's rough but it's temporary. The highs that follow more than make up for it.

Those highs have been the events of this weekend so far.  Friday night in Palermo was excellent. With new friends, American, German and Mexican, we started off with a pisco sours (pisco, egg whites and lime) and a variety of meals.

Saturday I returned to an area of Palermo for a Polo game. In the time before the game, we went to watch horse races and went an expansive park with a colorful flower garden. There were many people out running and rollerblading as the weather was clear and so seemed the air. I finally took out my camera and we went a bit nutty with flower and other posed photos. It was a perfect day and as I've been told, an excellent season to be in the park. There were many different demographics including the affectionate couples which typically pepper the landscape.

Upon returning to the polo field, we lined up for tickets. A larger gentleman, who spoke Spanish but appeared German, approached me directly and gave me a free ticket. Shortly after that, a father approached my friends and offered them excellent tickets,  for which they gave him 100 pesos ($28). We were separated but I don't mind sitting by myself. It wasn't until I walked around midway through the game that I realized what a high class affair the polo game was. There was a Mercedes Benz dealership on sight, along with champagne lounges and designer polo apparel. Most impressive and memorable was the people who attended. They were beautiful people and were immaculately dressed. It was enough to make you want to climb the social ladder. In a way, my friends did. Their seats were some of the best in the stadium. They said the other spectators in their area were very well put together and it was a subdued environment. No one spoke during play and only moved during breaks.

We ate dinner and returned home by subway, which is dirty but runs well. It was an uplifting day.
Today with these same friends, I plan on going to a famous and massive market in San Telmo, then going to a soccer game in La Boca, a rougher area of the city.