Lovely Buenos Aires!

Hola!

After a quick hop and a skip, Trisha and I landed in Buenos Aires to warm air, clear skies and the Spanish language. Flying introduces some perks when traveling; for example it hardly takes time to reach any destination in the world. However it also has its drawbacks. Flying in a pressurized tube next to hundreds of other random souls does not allow one to explore 'the places in between'. It can project your tired, groggy, and cranky human-self into a completely overwhelming (and sometimes hostile) environment. The taxi ride from the Airport to Buenos Aires was long and hot; and if I was a DMV instructor, I'd strip the licenses off half of all the motorists.

The first night was spent at the Palermo House Hostel, located in the "Palermo Soho" bario (neighborhood). Though the accommodation was your typical used-and-abused hostel with no toilet paper, cleanliness, or dignity, it was conveniently located and for only 14 dollars per night, we figured this place was perfect. Without warning, my measly language skills were put to the test. It was here where we caught up on some much needed rest, partook in a late night jam session, cooked our first meal in BA, met great people like the Porteno named Nico (who would later give us a tour of the city), and experienced my first bout of food poisoning! I left the jam sesh early to share some time with the window next to my bunk, sticking my head outside and vomiting a red soup of pasta and vegetables onto the rooftop below me. This continued until about 11am the next morning, when I could finally tolerate standing or walking without vomiting.

Lucila is a bad-ass Tango dancer! 

Cranky kitty standing on someone's mausoleum

Nico giving us a little history lesson

That afternoon we said "adios" to the Palermo House and and taxi'd to the Couch Surfing house located in the city center. Trisha found our new friend Matias on the Couch Surfing website who had very graciously invited us to stay and take over his house for the next 5 days. Matias greeted us at the bottom floor of his apartment building where we crammed into a small elevator and ascended to the 9th floor where he lived. Later that night we were picked up by a friend whom I had met in New Zealand back in 2008. We've kept in touch over the years, and right before my flight I messaged her that I was coming to her county (remembering that she lived in Buenos Aires). Lucila, dove us to the suburbs to a small dance studio to learn Tango! I won't get into detail, but it was a fantastic experience. The 8 other students were already far more advanced than Trisha and I, and because I've never danced Tango (and rarely dance in any formal way, ever) everybody was more than willing to take my hand and teach me the art. After tango we cruised to a local bar with live music and great atmosphere in Palermo Soho, tried BA's famous empenadas, had educational conversations with Lucila and her boyfriend Toto about life in Argentina, and finally returned home for a good night's rest.

Running low on local currency, we decided to start the next day by first exchanging our US dollars for Argentine pesos at a semi-sketch black market "bank". The 13 stop subte (BA's subway) ride provided an interesting experience in using BA's public transportation system. Its rundown look gave me the impression that train maintenance wasn't a priority. Subway tickets are only 0.5 US dollars (rates have apparently tripled over the past couple years) and during the week, the train was packed. After finding our stop and squeezing out of the train, we found the bank where Trisha's x-roommate suggested we used to exchange money. Guarded with two security personnel and glossy windows, we waited in line until we were directed to enter a small closet room where a man behind more glass was waiting for business. Argentina's legal exchange rate is about 4.75 pesos to 1 USD. This guy gave us 6.3 pesos to 1 USD, giving us a huge advantage. We then taxi'd back to check out a very luxurious graveyard near the city center (where Evita Peron of Argentina is buried). After arriving back to Matias' house, we met up with Nico (from the hostel, who happens to have studied tourism) who gave us a walking tour of BA's "Obelisk" and La Casa Rosa (where the president works), breaking mid-tour to drink cafe con leche and eat a delicious snack called Alfajores. After the tour, we ventured back to Matias' flat to have some drinks. It wasn't until 3am 'till we left to watch some live music as this secretive, smoky venue called "Plasma" hidden in the unique San Telmo neighborhood.

Our host Matias eating in La Boca

View from the 9th floor

We woke up that afternoon, and started off on another walking tour given this time by Matias himself. From the city center, we walked to three different neighborhoods (San Telmo, La Boca-busing to and from to avoid dangerous parts, and Puerto Madero), eating 'media luna' croissants in between. The bus taking us to La Boca, the most dangerous neighborhood in BA, dropped us off far from its touristy street with colorful buildings. We ended up walking about 1 mile through sketchy turf where muggings are inevitable, our local guide Matias was even on high alert as young children lit off fireworks around us. Eventually we made it through unscathed! It turned out that I was more interested and entertained by La Boca's sketchy streets than the main tourist drag. Our lunch consisted of a large T-bone steak sandwiched in between two loafs of bread; making walk home very difficult with a stomach full of cow.

Today was a good day to be lazy. We spent most of the day relaxing and napping in Matias' flat and went out for a Pizza dinner (consisting of cheese, onions and a sprinkle of bread). Off to El Calafate, and Patagonia tomorrow!

T-bone sandwich

El Obilesk, the figurative center of Buenos Aires

Mmmmmm, Alfajores...