Argentina is worlds different from Bolivia and Peru. We have started to compile some of our observations...these are not meant to reflect positive or negative emotions, they are just mere observations....
1. overweight people.
In Argentina, we think this observation means that people are eating a higher fat diet, but more likely, the food they are eating gets digested rather that running through their bodies because of illness.
2. road infrastructure.
The highway system is intricate in Argentina. in addition, the roads are well paved.
3. more water.
More of Argentina is located in lowlands where water is plentiful and agriculture is easier.
4. buses.
Argentinia bus seats are covered in leather. There are always two drivers who take regular shifts while driving. the buses are newer and in better shape. The drivers are less aggressive. There are stewardesses onboard serving tea, snacks, and meals. Some buses even have seatbelts!
5. indigenous culture.
There is less indigenous culture interwoven into general customs than Peru-Bolivia.
6. white people.
We blend in with the people of Argentina. Leigh´s blue eyes do not stand out, and our skin color does not immediately label us as foreigners.
7. consumerism.
There are many more stores selling goods here in Argentina. The economy is strong enough here so that people have excess money to buy goods they do not necessarily need for everyday survival.
8. taxis.
Cabs in Argentina have meters. In Peru and Bolivia, the cab fares were negotiable and as gringos, we sometimes had to pay a little more than non-gringos.
9. tall people!
We are no longer tall here in Argentina! People have height here. This is either due to nutrition (see #1) or genetics... (see Daniela´s notes in the comment section...)
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5. indigenous culture.
There is less indigenous culture interwoven into general customs than Peru-Bolivia.
6. white people.
We blend in with the people of Argentina. Leigh´s blue eyes do not stand out, and our skin color does not immediately label us as foreigners.
Yup, Argentina is known fot these things. The colonisers pretty much just killed off all the native people. So mostly just people of European descent left there. Moreover, not just or over-whelmingly Spanish-descent types (who are heterogeneous in and of themselves anyway with respect to hair/eye/skin color). And I have the vague sense that Argentina had a huge influx of European immigrants around WWII....
okay from wikipedia...
"The majority of immigrants, since the 19th century, came from Europe, mostly from Spain and Italy, but with a substantial influx of British and Germans. Also notable were Jewish immigrants escaping persecution. Between 1860 and 1930, newcomers from Spain and Italy countries accounted for 80% of the total immigration. [1] The total population of Argentina rose from 4 million in 1895 to 7.9 million in 1914, and to 15.8 million in 1947; during this time the country was settled by 1.5 million Italians and 1.4 million Spaniards, as well as Poles, Russians, French (more than 100,000 each), Germans, Portuguese, Ukrainians, Yugoslavians, Czechs, Irish, Dutch, Scandinavians and people from other European and Middle Eastern countries."
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