The Legendary Carteneros of Buenos Aires and the Crises

I am not sure who said recently that this economic crisis shows no mercy to anyone, but he was right for sure. No matter who you are - both rich and poor are affected. No doubt about it I am one of the lucky ones in this world. I own a beautiful estancia and have a great life – yes the crisis has affected us but I know I am not feeling the same effect as the famous Carteneros here in BA. When I feel like complaining I just need to go out on a miserable rainy night and see these Carteneros and their families working the streets and know that there but for grace of God go I .....................

The Carteneros are a phenomenon who appeared after the crisis here in Argentina in 2001. Unemployment was 60% and life for many was tough. However it’s amazing how resilient some people can be. The price of paper, plastic and cardboard was high and almost overnight the army of Carteneros appeared on the streets at night collecting these materials to sell so they could eat. Whole families worked the streets in all weathers looking for these materials to take to recycling plants to sell. They became such a strong movement that the Government even gave them a train to take their wares to the Tigre recycling plants to sell. Sadly the Government decided to stop the train and they now have to rely on lorries coming to get them to take them and their hard won produce to their destination.

Over the past 6 months I had noticed that the number of Carteneros in BA seemed to be diminishing and I wondered why - was it because life was easier and they didn’t need to do it. I decided to ask a few Carteneros and see what was happening. What was happening was the crisis - it has badly affected them. The price in 2003 for a kilo of cardboard was 3 pesos (about 1$US). Whilst I am sure they weren’t driving around in BMWs the living was not bad - dangerous yes and hard certainly but they earned enough to keep their families in food and clothes. Sadly with the crisis all that has changed. The price for a kilo of cardboard has dropped by 10 times less from 3 pesos to 30 centavos. Plastic, which was 2 pesos a kilo, has now dropped to 70 centavos. Cardboard had dropped to 7 centavos at Christmas but thankfully it has now risen slightly. With the crisis came the abandonment of the help from the Government – nice one guys!! So I now I know why there are fewer Carteneros on the streets – it’s still tough and it’s still dangerous and the rewards are now even less. Even the price of transport to get it to the market has increased. Yet in spite of this there are still over 5000 Carteneros still doing it – I raise a glass to you guys

What can I say about those people? - brave and resilient that’s what. While I am happy sleeping or having a nice glass of wine they are out in all weather scraping a living – yet they can still smile as witnessed by the lovely smiles I received when I told them I was writing a blog about their labours last night. Next time you come to BA take a photo of a Cartenero and give him or her a few pesos for the photo – he or she will love you for it and reward you with a big smile.

This is David Cummings alias the English Gaucho thanking the universe for dealing me some winning hands
Hasta pronto

Life doesn’t frighten me by Maya Angelou

Suzie sent me this sometime ago - she disappeared and left us behind but she left some great memories and words xx - not sure if this street family on the Buenos Aires streets can understand it but it doesnt matter they seem happy enough - more on them in my next blog ..................... hard to understand but it gets easier

Life doesn’t frighten me by Maya Angelou

Through an ascending emptiness of night,
Leaving the flesh and complacent mind
Together in their suffciency behind,
The soul of man went up to a far height;
And where those others would have had no sight
Or sense of else than terror for the blind,
Soul met the Will, and was again consigned
To the supreme illusion which is right.

"And what goes on up there," the Mind inquired,
"That I know not already to be true?"—
"More than enough, but not enough for you,"
Said the descending Soul: "Here in the dark,
Where you are least revealed when most admired,
You may still be the bellows and the spark."

Time for a small change

Those of you who have been to Buenos Aires know full well how hard it is to get hold of small change here - yep I can almost see you nodding your heads. Ever tried giving a kiosk owner a 100$ pesos note for a can of coke? Yea it’s like you had asked him to move in with him.

The look on the faces of shop owners, taxis drivers and restaurant owners is a sheer delight when you try to change that 100 pesos note with them. Most simply won’t do it – telling you to push of with your 100$ pesos note and take it somewhere else – hey don’t these people know it’s their responsibility to get change from their bank before they open their businesses? Don’t they also know there is a crisis and that every penny counts? Answer here in BA evidently is no, no, no. No change, no buy seems to be the motto.

All sorts of theories have emerged why there is such a shortage of change in BA but the most likely is that it is hoarded by the bus company who then sell it to the banks or who ever else wants a pocket full of centavos. The thing is the bus companies have a machine which only takes small change – if you have no change you walk or queue for an hour to get 20 pesos worth of change in Constitution before getting on your bus.

Well hey, hey there has been a small amount of progress in eliminating this problem. The Government has introduced a card which can be re-charged with money and used on the underground and a few bus lines. There was the usual hour-long queue to get one and the usual form filling in, but I shouldn’t knock it because it is progress.

Forget the fact that they could have done away with the form filling in and just sold the cards at Kiosks – oh yea sorry, I forgot, Kiosks have no change, so if you have no change they won’t sell you a card, which would mean you would need less small change because you have a small change card – umm sorry I lost myself at bit there.

This is David Cummings alias the English Gaucho walking around with loads of small change jangling in my pocket because the toll booths on the motorways always have change - lucky for me!