John:
Everything was shut on Monday. Except the bigger cafes, so, after a lazy start, we strolled down to the Plaza de Mayo because it was May the first and there were going to be a lot of workers parading.

As usual, we were early. But that was okay because the streets had been closed off to traffic and it meant everyone was taking advantage and taking pictures in the middle of the road. So we did too.

As we walked up Avenida de Mayo, the road that links the Casa Rosada to the Congresso building (President's house to the government building) the demonstrations started coming down the other way. They were good natured and loud. There were loads of families and a not inconsiderable amount of drumming (and some truly awful chanting- distorted through cheap speakers, and out of tune).

It seemed a little small, for a demo, but after we crossed the Av 25 July (in one go, because it was closed off too, that was a first, normally it takes two changes of lights to get across) we met a street full of demonstrators. It was made up of loads of small groups, socialists, union branches (someone even tried to sell me trabajador socialismo) a biker group (who had the loudest fireworks).

Unfortunately, it's a little weird taking shots of this sort of thing with your tiny minolta... it seems wrong, like you're only a tourist. It was one of those situations where a whopping 35mm SLR was the way to go.

At the edges of the street people were spraying walls (lo mismo hambre, lo mismo represion: the same hunger, the same repression) and posting up pictures of skeletons.

After eight or nine blocks we took a side street and walked for a while, revelling in the quiet...
  ¶ 1:31 PM