Dakar Rally 2009. Sue and I went to the obelisk at 9 de Julio to see the official presentation of the participants. Lots of people. Soon we saw motorcycles, their riders in full colorful gear, blaring through the gauntlet of people who had gathered on the street. The city had shut down several main streets for the better part of the afternoon to accommodate the rally. We headed toward the obelisk at the Avenida de Mayo intersection. The crowd grew more dense. The sun was shining, it was warm, it was like a big outdoor party on a Friday afternoon. We tried to get close to the official ramp where the participants were being introduced but big plywood barriers were set up all around the center.