Last Saturday, we went to the park in search of trees, peace, and quiet. We went to Chacabuco Park, which is  pretty big park, away from downtown, right at the Emilio Mitre subway stop. There are some beautiful parks in and near Palermo, which is a beautiful (and touristy) part of Buenos Aires, and there are some parks scattered here and there throughout the city. Parque Chacabuco is in a residential area, and it’s a pretty popular spot for nearby Portenos to come for a picnic, or to just sit on the benches. We had the afternoon free on Saturday, so we went over there. And yes, it’s a beautiful park, and yes, on most days, it’s a good destination for some green tranquillity, but not on Saturdays. Saturday is the day that the drummers meet to practice with the dance groups.

Murgas are drum and dance processionals. They originated in Uruguay, but have become very popular here in Buenos Aires also. We see them, experience them, feel them, and celebrate with them in our neighborhood in San Telmo. Saturday nights, sometimes at midnight or later, or whenever, depending on where you are, the murgas might be parading down the narrow cobblestone streets, the rhythms colliding against and bouncing off the buildings. Whether people consider them a nuisance and an unwelcome midnight racket, or whether they go down from their apartments to dance with them, there is no denying their presence. They are loud. They are cheerful. The cars have to wait for them. It’s a parade filled with noise and dancing and celebration, just out on the street for the phun of it.

They were drumming and dancing in the park. The drummers do not lightly tap their drums. They bang them as hard and as loud as they can. It’s deafening. The dancers are in front of them, and they make their way through the park.There were three separate drum groups in the park. This one above was made of bass drums. There was another one with bass and snare drums. There was another one with other combinations. The park is big. They parade all through it, for hours. The drummers keep drumming. The dancers keep dancing. There is joy and celebration, but not really any quiet picnics.This wasn’t a holiday. This was just a normal Saturday. There was also a rock and roll band with their giant speakers, trying to be heard over the drummers. There is a difference between life and between parks in the USA and in South America. The USA seems tamer and quieter. The parks are fuller in South America. The public places are used more. There is more life on the streets. Generally, the public spaces are cleaner in the USA, but in Argentina at least, that consciousness is changing a little. In addition to the drummers, there was also a campaign in the park that day to encourage people not to use so many plastic bags, and instead to use durable bags. We see signs in the subways encouraging the same. There are more and more garbage cans on the streets, and people are encouraged to use them. There is a new law stating that all marketing handouts need to have printed on them, “Do not throw this paper away in a public place.” The campaign in the park was giving away durable “Green City Buenos Aires” bags. Monica and I stood in line, got our picture taken in front of the billboard, and we got our bags. Together we can continue growing. Together we can continue evolving. A Green City. Not a bad sentiment for a Saturday afternoon.