To flesh-coloured Christs that glow in the dark...

Buenos Aires Highlights Part II

Having neglected to write a blog for over a month we have returned with an updated and new look blog, and with the long awaited continuation of some Buenos Aires highlights we started long ago!

So here it is. For anyone whose been on the edge of their seat unable awaiting part II, apologies for the delay and I hope the wait was worth it!

Ok if you've only got a few days in Buenos Aires then maybe a religious theme park wouldn't be on your list of things to see.  But not only is Santa Tierra the only religious theme park in the world, but it hosts the world's largest (and I suspect only) all year round animatronic nativity scene.

And if thats not enough for you it also hosts an emotive, life size antimatronic reconstruction of the Last Supper, a kitsch (if not very life like) electronic recreation of the Creation and - to top it all an - 18 metre high Jesus who is ressurected every hour, on the hour.

I should at this point clarify that Tierra Santa doesn't have rides - it's a park with a theme, more than a theme park  - but it is however a fun and educational day out for all the family.  And a bargin at just over a fiver (Nuns and Monks take note - you get a discount if you belong to a religious order).

The whole park is a plastic Disney World style reconstruction of Jerusalem around 30AD. All the staff are dressed as Roman soliders or put upon Israelites, there are tasteful Arabian dancing shows and you can enjoy a beer and a kofta in the Road to Damascus Cafe.

Throughout the park there are life size statues of Jesus at different points in his life, from the time he turned water into wine or Palm Sunday he was greeted by crowds riding into town on a donkey. You can even get in on the action and get a photo.

Quite bizarrely, perhaps as a step towards inclusiveness or for educational purposes, there are some other relgious big hitters in plastic form as well, including Martin Luther and Ghandi. And of course, no Jerusalem would be complete without a Synagogue or a Wailing Wall, though I did wonder if the Mosque was a bit before its time. All down one side of the park you can see the Stations of the Cross, culminating outside Jeruselem in the true to life (if plastic) Cruxification on the hill... with the Argentine flag blowing in the background.

I think it's fair to say that if you've been to Disneyland - or even on the Bubble Works at Thorpe Park - you may find the animatronics a little limited, especially the Nativity. That said, if you're an Argentinian Nun then your unlikely to have visited either, in which case you'll find the Creation recreation pretty magical. The nuns sat behind us certainly did.

And yes - there really were real life Nuns there. Lots of them. Ironic as it may seem ,this park is not a joke - Monks, Nuns, Priests and families alike take the whole day very seriously. There were people moved by the Last Supper, gasping at the appearance of a gorrilla with a moving finger during the Creation and stood in awe and amazement at the Resurection, although that could be because the resurection was cancelled twice the day we were there due to a technical fault.

Kitsch and crass as the whole thing may appear on the surface, and far from the Bible's teachings as it may seem to many, it's easy to see the whole park has been put together with well intended love and devotion. It also achieves some quite frankly harmless Jesus related fun.

Luke, our friend Jo and I planned to spend an hour or so at the theme park, but six hours and a bottle of wine later, we finished off our perfect day with a photo with a giant Jesus and view from the Cruxification hill out of Jerusalem at night.

Tacky, inappropriate... or just what Jesus would've wanted? I'll let you decide. What I can tell you is that its a fun, if not rather bizzare, day out.

Stay warm, until next time.

Louise and Luke

(Posted by Louise)