Today is day six and what a day it was. The weather was perfect today in Rosario. The sun was shinning down and the wind was blowing. It left for a perfect day...the sun and a sweater. I walked down to the river again today. Just me and my MP3 Player. It was so relaxing. I really enjoy being in Rosario. It is a place I would definately say a visitor to Argentina should see, but I don´t think you need more then two days here. Rosario has a lot of monuments. I really don´t know their significants. I will ask Quan (John) today at dinner. If you have a myspace you can look at my pictures. I posted them on there. For some reason I cannot post my pictures on my blog from these computers.
Lunch
I had lunch at this cafe on the waterfront. It was beautiful. The food was not the best, which is unusual for my experiences so far. I think it is because I got chicken instead of beef. I think if I stick with the beef I will be good. Their fries are also kind of funny here. I am not sure what they do to them, but they are not good.
The Dogs
One thing about Rosario is the number of dogs running around the city. In BA there are a lot of cats. In Rosario there are a lot of dogs. You will be walking down the street and there is a dog sleeping on the sidewalk, not even out of the way, just on the sidewalk. When I was eating lunch today at the cafe there were a couple dogs running around. One sat there and stared at me the entire time I was eating. I would have rather not had a begging dog while I enjoyed my meal, but it is all part of the experience I suppose.
Shower
I finally had an opportunity to take a shower today too. I was definately needing it. It was a freezing shower. I don´t know if the hot water just didn´t work in the building or what, but it was very very cold.
Bus Ticket
My first purchase of a bus ticket on my own was a great success. I bought a ticket to Corrientes. It is one of the oldest cities in Argentina. It was the first spanish settlement in the region. Most of its architecture is French though. I am especially excited to see the murals. I guess they are beautiful. I will write about them once I see them for myself.
The Taxi
I am also a pro with the taxi´s now. I really like the taxi cabs. The drivers are mostly pretty nice. It is never hard to get a ride anywhere. On top of that it is so cheap. That is one thing about this trip. It has not been an expensive trip at all. I eat out everyday, generally at really nice resturants and cafes. I hear that the cafe´s are more of a european thing, but there is something about being able to sit there and sip your espresso and read your book for hours without anyone thinking twice that makes the day relaxing. Argentina is so laid back. You are never in a hurry for anything. I like that aspect of it all.
My new friend
Tonight I am having dinner with Quan-John again. I am excited. I learn so much from him. I am going to ask him about the monuments. Tomorrow I am going to spend the whole day on the bus. Hopefully I can get some sleep. That would be nice. I purchased from apples and crackers for the ride, I also have some peanut butter I brought with me. I should have purchased another book, but I didn´t. My biggest challenge will be finding a place to stay tomorrow night. My spanish isn´t good enough to make reservations over the phone yet. I have to do it in person. I am sure I can get dumped off at a hotel though and I will be fine.
Bathroom Appliance
Oh...and I cannot remeber whether I mentioned that I used a boo-day. I don´t know how to spell it so I am sure you can figure it out by my pronunciation. That thing you squat over after you use the bathroom to wash your fanny. I kind of liked it. I think we should have them in the US. If my memory serves me correctly Sue said in France they washed their feet with them.
Soccer
If there is one thing about Argentina is the amount of soccer in this place. People live, breath and bleed soccer here. It is quite amazing. At night the teams run the streets. You see them all of the time. You can just sense the presence. It is interesting. It is kind of cool that an entire country has such a passion for a sport.
My Night
Hung out with John. He is a very good person. I can sense it. I invited him to go to with me to Baraliche (that is not how you spell it, but oh well). He cannot afford to go so I told him I would pay for his bus ride, a hotel room for him or hostel depending on what I find, and food if he agrees to be my translator. He was shocked. For me it would only be about $100-$120 based on my estimates. That really isn´t that much for me. And it would be good for him because he has only been to Patagonia once before. It would be safe too because he would be staying in his own room and we would always be around people. Plus I sense he is a good person. (So don´t worry, I don´t think it isn´t a good idea.) Plus I figure I mind as well splurg. I would have fun. He is a fun guy. He said he would skip school to go because it is an AMAZING opportunity for him, but he has to ask at work. If I decide to stay in Baroliche I can just send him back on the bus.
Other then that we had a lot of fun. We had some GREAT wine. I had too much though. My head hurts this morning. It was called Septimbrie Cool Wine (I think) Good thing I brought excedrine with me. :) AND I had some chocolate that was soo good. It was the same kind of chocolate Mary brought home from France. I decided I am going to buy an extra suitcase while I am down here and fill it with stuff to bring home.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Day Five
Today was a much better day then yesterday. I took a lot of pictures and did a lot of walking. I will post them tomorrow. I am still in a city though. I cannot wait to leave the city. My day started out with a receptionist that spoke english. The best english I have heard since leaving Courtney anyway. I took a taxi to a hostel I found. They took me in. Yeah! I also met a couple of new friends!
Rosario is a pretty beautiful place. I would be leaving tomorrow, but I figured I needed a few days of stability. It would refresh me. Tomorrow I am going to try and go over to the river islands. The river hear is so huge. It is pretty interesting.
Memorials
One of the people I met is named Lucas. Lucas works nights at the hostel I am staying at. He is nice. He speaks about as much english as I do spanish though. We hung out for a couple hours. He took me to these memorials. They seem really significat, but I couldn´t ask him about them because he wouldn´t be able to answer me. The extent of our conversations were asking what something meant in english or spanish. It was a beautiful walk though. Rosario is a pretty place with some beautiful buildings.
Cat Calls
One less then pleasing thing was the ´cat calls´I got today. Courtney told me about them. Men shout things at the women, not profain or anything, just yell to them. I guess it is kind of a compliment. I had this man hooting and howlering at me while I was walking down the street. I found him irritating. I haven´t washed my hair in days, I realized today I hadn´t brushed my teeth in a while, I don´t knwo what they think they are howling at. Oh well.
The English Speaker
There is this guy I met today while using the internet. His name is Quan. He is a nice guy. Turns out he speaks english very well. I asked him to dinner because I am ready to unwind and speak some english.
Every day I wake up and it feels like the morning before a big exam. I am learning more and more everyday. My brain feels kind of swollen. Learning another language is very draining, expectially when you do not have a break from it.
I also got a temporary cell phone today. I am glad about that. It makes me feel more secure. Now I can get a hold of Courtney too if necessary and call hostels to make reservations.
I had a great evening. I really needed it. I have been feeling homesick.
I met this guy, Quan in spanish, John in english. He spoke english so I asked him to dinner. We went out tho this place near his work, where I use the internet for 1 peco an hour. He ordered me this friend beef steak and mashed potatoes. it was amazing. Argentines really know their meats. We drank soda and talked about family and government. I am really enjoying the views of people from so different of a culture. We are going to dinner tomorrow as well. This time I will buy though. It was nice because he was able to tell ame a little bit about Argentine´s history, government, and 2001 recession. Argentina really is a fasinating place.
Tonight at the hostel I met a guy from Mendoza. he speaks English. He told me I was really missing out by not going to Mendoza. I am sure we will talk about it more tomorrow when I show him pictures of Alaska. I alsmost didn´t bring my memory stick. I am glad I did. So many people wan tot see pictures from Alaska. I told Jon I would show him the pictures too.
jon wants to take a trip to Alaska. Traveling is near impossible for people in Argentina though. It is too expensive. John was telling me saving up moey to go somehwere in Argentina usually takes about a year. With the 3 to 1 exchange rate from peso to dollar traveling is so expensive for Argentines. Just another ramification of the 2001 recession, fasinating, but truly unfortunate.
I think I am really enjoying the hostel. Right now they are jamming to music, smoking, and drinking wine. This is actually the first night I haven´t drank wine in Argentina. I think my mood was the reason.
Back to the hostel, you meet some really interesting people here. Everyone is pretty warming, welcoming, and are all up to the same stuff, vacationing and relazing. I really like it.
Tomorrow I am going to take a taxi to the bus station to buy my ticket to Iguazu. I am goign to ask that Argentine who I cannot remember his name who can´t speak english to go. We communicate really well, as nuts as that sounds. He kind of weirds me out though. He is really touchy feelly, like most argentines, but I am not used to that and am not acustom to it so what do you do? Oh well.
Tomorrow is my last day in Rosario. I am kind of sad, but excited to move on with my trip.
Rosario is a pretty beautiful place. I would be leaving tomorrow, but I figured I needed a few days of stability. It would refresh me. Tomorrow I am going to try and go over to the river islands. The river hear is so huge. It is pretty interesting.
Memorials
One of the people I met is named Lucas. Lucas works nights at the hostel I am staying at. He is nice. He speaks about as much english as I do spanish though. We hung out for a couple hours. He took me to these memorials. They seem really significat, but I couldn´t ask him about them because he wouldn´t be able to answer me. The extent of our conversations were asking what something meant in english or spanish. It was a beautiful walk though. Rosario is a pretty place with some beautiful buildings.
Cat Calls
One less then pleasing thing was the ´cat calls´I got today. Courtney told me about them. Men shout things at the women, not profain or anything, just yell to them. I guess it is kind of a compliment. I had this man hooting and howlering at me while I was walking down the street. I found him irritating. I haven´t washed my hair in days, I realized today I hadn´t brushed my teeth in a while, I don´t knwo what they think they are howling at. Oh well.
The English Speaker
There is this guy I met today while using the internet. His name is Quan. He is a nice guy. Turns out he speaks english very well. I asked him to dinner because I am ready to unwind and speak some english.
Every day I wake up and it feels like the morning before a big exam. I am learning more and more everyday. My brain feels kind of swollen. Learning another language is very draining, expectially when you do not have a break from it.
I also got a temporary cell phone today. I am glad about that. It makes me feel more secure. Now I can get a hold of Courtney too if necessary and call hostels to make reservations.
I had a great evening. I really needed it. I have been feeling homesick.
I met this guy, Quan in spanish, John in english. He spoke english so I asked him to dinner. We went out tho this place near his work, where I use the internet for 1 peco an hour. He ordered me this friend beef steak and mashed potatoes. it was amazing. Argentines really know their meats. We drank soda and talked about family and government. I am really enjoying the views of people from so different of a culture. We are going to dinner tomorrow as well. This time I will buy though. It was nice because he was able to tell ame a little bit about Argentine´s history, government, and 2001 recession. Argentina really is a fasinating place.
Tonight at the hostel I met a guy from Mendoza. he speaks English. He told me I was really missing out by not going to Mendoza. I am sure we will talk about it more tomorrow when I show him pictures of Alaska. I alsmost didn´t bring my memory stick. I am glad I did. So many people wan tot see pictures from Alaska. I told Jon I would show him the pictures too.
jon wants to take a trip to Alaska. Traveling is near impossible for people in Argentina though. It is too expensive. John was telling me saving up moey to go somehwere in Argentina usually takes about a year. With the 3 to 1 exchange rate from peso to dollar traveling is so expensive for Argentines. Just another ramification of the 2001 recession, fasinating, but truly unfortunate.
I think I am really enjoying the hostel. Right now they are jamming to music, smoking, and drinking wine. This is actually the first night I haven´t drank wine in Argentina. I think my mood was the reason.
Back to the hostel, you meet some really interesting people here. Everyone is pretty warming, welcoming, and are all up to the same stuff, vacationing and relazing. I really like it.
Tomorrow I am going to take a taxi to the bus station to buy my ticket to Iguazu. I am goign to ask that Argentine who I cannot remember his name who can´t speak english to go. We communicate really well, as nuts as that sounds. He kind of weirds me out though. He is really touchy feelly, like most argentines, but I am not used to that and am not acustom to it so what do you do? Oh well.
Tomorrow is my last day in Rosario. I am kind of sad, but excited to move on with my trip.
Day Four
Today was the most difficult day I have had so far. Everyone I met has spoken Spanish except one who spoke spanish and some bad english. It has been frustrating, but quite exciting.
My day began at 730 am. I was really nervous about taking the train by myself then walking to the bus station. When I got up I had to finish packing my stuff. To leave I had to run to the outside door of the complex, open the door, run back upstairs to the apartment, grab my stuff, drop off the keys and leave.
BA was beautiful this morning. I had no problem walking to teh train station. When on the train I sat across from this nice Argentine man. He asked me something, but I had to tell him ´no espanol.´With the little spanish I have learned I told him I am from Alaska and on my way to Rosario. He did what everyone else does when I tell them where i am from, looked at me funny and astounded then says ´freo´. When it was time to get off the train I was putting on my bag. This other guy helped me put it on.
The funniest thing about Argentina. I always thought patagoina was the same as alaska. That is not correct. Alaska is way colder then Patagoina gets. Juan Pablo, who I had met a few days before used to live in Patagonia. I was asking him about it. He told me it got very ´freo.´ I looked in my Argetina book to see the comparison from celcius to F and turns out it gets way colder in AK. When I showed Juan he was like ´WOW´. It was pretty funny.
Once I got to the oumnibus I ended up having to wait two hours to board a bus. While waiting I met these other two old men. We talked the best we could, mostly with hand gestures since no one understood each other. Some how I ended up missing my bus to Rosario so they put me on the 1130 am bus to Cordoba, which stops in Rosario. There wasmuch confusion, but the bus driver took me under his his wing and got me on the bus,e ven though we couldn´t speak.
The bus ride was crazy. Like I said before, people here are really bad drivers. We were stuck in traffic for hours. At onepoint I looked out the window, while we were standing still of course, and I noticed a bunch of kids standing in the grass on the other side of the guardrail being roudy and hooting and howlering. A moment later I saw a coach bus following thekids, then another. I thought the bus was going to tip over, but it didn´t. It was very weird. That would never happen in the US. Turns out it was a soccar team by the way.
Once we arrive din Rosario the true cayas began. We didn´t get dropped off at the bus station, but in this sketchy part of town. I asked a girl and boy how to get to central Rosario. They flagged down a cab for me because turns out it was a dangerous place to be. The taxi cab driver did what they do here, take tourists the long way to make more money. Jerk, oh well. I still tipped him well though, I figure I would like to have karma on my side this trip.
By the time I made it to my hotel and got settled in it was 830pm. 5 hours after my estimated arrival time.
I have had fun with the guy at the front counter. I can understand written spanish, but not verbal so we communicated on paper.
I stopped by another hotel to check the price for the next day. The kid there spoke some english and he let me use the internet to let everyone know I made it and was safe. He also gave me the name of a hostel. I am going to stay there next.
For dinner I sat down to a bottle of red wine and a hamburger, consisting of a slice of ham, slab of beef, and a ton of cheese. A very fitting meal considering my day. If you end up here though, I wouldn´t recomend it.
I took one picture today, but I need my camera cord to hook up to the computer and get my picture, so I will put it up later.
Love you, don´t worry about me. I am in a very safe place now. Next I am going to go to Iguazu.
My day began at 730 am. I was really nervous about taking the train by myself then walking to the bus station. When I got up I had to finish packing my stuff. To leave I had to run to the outside door of the complex, open the door, run back upstairs to the apartment, grab my stuff, drop off the keys and leave.
BA was beautiful this morning. I had no problem walking to teh train station. When on the train I sat across from this nice Argentine man. He asked me something, but I had to tell him ´no espanol.´With the little spanish I have learned I told him I am from Alaska and on my way to Rosario. He did what everyone else does when I tell them where i am from, looked at me funny and astounded then says ´freo´. When it was time to get off the train I was putting on my bag. This other guy helped me put it on.
The funniest thing about Argentina. I always thought patagoina was the same as alaska. That is not correct. Alaska is way colder then Patagoina gets. Juan Pablo, who I had met a few days before used to live in Patagonia. I was asking him about it. He told me it got very ´freo.´ I looked in my Argetina book to see the comparison from celcius to F and turns out it gets way colder in AK. When I showed Juan he was like ´WOW´. It was pretty funny.
Once I got to the oumnibus I ended up having to wait two hours to board a bus. While waiting I met these other two old men. We talked the best we could, mostly with hand gestures since no one understood each other. Some how I ended up missing my bus to Rosario so they put me on the 1130 am bus to Cordoba, which stops in Rosario. There wasmuch confusion, but the bus driver took me under his his wing and got me on the bus,e ven though we couldn´t speak.
The bus ride was crazy. Like I said before, people here are really bad drivers. We were stuck in traffic for hours. At onepoint I looked out the window, while we were standing still of course, and I noticed a bunch of kids standing in the grass on the other side of the guardrail being roudy and hooting and howlering. A moment later I saw a coach bus following thekids, then another. I thought the bus was going to tip over, but it didn´t. It was very weird. That would never happen in the US. Turns out it was a soccar team by the way.
Once we arrive din Rosario the true cayas began. We didn´t get dropped off at the bus station, but in this sketchy part of town. I asked a girl and boy how to get to central Rosario. They flagged down a cab for me because turns out it was a dangerous place to be. The taxi cab driver did what they do here, take tourists the long way to make more money. Jerk, oh well. I still tipped him well though, I figure I would like to have karma on my side this trip.
By the time I made it to my hotel and got settled in it was 830pm. 5 hours after my estimated arrival time.
I have had fun with the guy at the front counter. I can understand written spanish, but not verbal so we communicated on paper.
I stopped by another hotel to check the price for the next day. The kid there spoke some english and he let me use the internet to let everyone know I made it and was safe. He also gave me the name of a hostel. I am going to stay there next.
For dinner I sat down to a bottle of red wine and a hamburger, consisting of a slice of ham, slab of beef, and a ton of cheese. A very fitting meal considering my day. If you end up here though, I wouldn´t recomend it.
I took one picture today, but I need my camera cord to hook up to the computer and get my picture, so I will put it up later.
Love you, don´t worry about me. I am in a very safe place now. Next I am going to go to Iguazu.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Day Three
I couldn´t figure out how to rotate the pictures. I think computers are a little more difficult here. Oh well. Today Courtney and I went to Evita´s grave. A pretty funny thing about Evita, she is very loved in S. America. But Courtney said her grandma said she was nothing but a gold digger. It is funny to get the two different perceptions. Gramps may remember her...I´ll have to ask. The cemetary was pretty interesting. You would not believe how elaborate the graves are. It is pretty amazing. We also went and got my ticket for the bus to go to Rosario. We went to the market too. The market was very amazing. There are so many cool things to buy. I know I cannot purchase anything right now because I would have to carry it around, not something I want to do. All in all the day was wonderful. Court and I watched motorcycle diaries before going to bed. It was about Che, a very important person in S. America´s history. He is the one Bolivia killed and showed his body to the world. Gramps may remember him too. Anyway, day three was a success.
Courtney at the cemetary. There are a lot of cats there. They are laying around the trees, on the graves, everywhere. They seem pretty well feed too.
Me at the cemetary.
Me and Carlos. Courtney and I walked FOREVER today. We ended up at this cafe in a really nice part of BA. Carlos was our waiter. He was so funny. He spoke okay English. He asked us what the word for ´no sin´water was (water without bubbles or non'carbinated bubbles). Courtney told him flat. We could hear him walking around the cafe saying flat water flat water flat water. It was pretty funny.
I really don´t know what this monument is. It is right near the largest road in the world. Something like 16 lanes...maybe more, I cannot remember.
This is me at the pizza place where Court and I ate dinner. I ordered my own botalla de agua and copa vinto tinto (bottled water and red wine). I accidently told her ´no sin´which translates no without. She laughed at me. I meant to tell her sin gas.
Courtney at the cemetary. There are a lot of cats there. They are laying around the trees, on the graves, everywhere. They seem pretty well feed too.
Me at the cemetary.
Me and Carlos. Courtney and I walked FOREVER today. We ended up at this cafe in a really nice part of BA. Carlos was our waiter. He was so funny. He spoke okay English. He asked us what the word for ´no sin´water was (water without bubbles or non'carbinated bubbles). Courtney told him flat. We could hear him walking around the cafe saying flat water flat water flat water. It was pretty funny.
I really don´t know what this monument is. It is right near the largest road in the world. Something like 16 lanes...maybe more, I cannot remember.
This is me at the pizza place where Court and I ate dinner. I ordered my own botalla de agua and copa vinto tinto (bottled water and red wine). I accidently told her ´no sin´which translates no without. She laughed at me. I meant to tell her sin gas.Day Two, April 25, 2008
Today was a beautiful day, once it got started. I spent most of the day trapped in the house. Courtney's apartment has two doors, the apartment door and the door to leave the complex. Both doors use a key to get in and to get out. The door to get out of the complex is the door I couldn't get out of. Turns out what I was doing was turning the key right instead of left. Doors are opposite here, righty loosey lefty tighty. Lacey and Courtney got home around 6 - 6:30 pm. I was finally able to escape. Being locked in wasn't too bad of a deal though. I forced me to finish my paper that was due and it forced me to take a nap...which I needed.
Courtney's apartment is actually very beautiful. When you are on the street you must use your key that looks like the key used in The Secret Garden to get through these metal and glass double doors. The doors are about four feet wide and twelve feet tall. You walk through the doors into a hall. There is no roof. It has a real openness to it because you look up at the sky, but a tight feeling too because two people have a hard time walking side by side. It is very narrow. You walk to the end of the hall where you take a left and walk up three flights of white marble staircases. When you get to the door you must use another Secret Garden Key to get in the door. Once you are inside to lock the door you must close it then push aside the small metal cover that covers the key hole then use the key to lock the door.
The inside of her apartment has really high ceilings. The walls seperating the bathroom and bedrooms are painted bricks. There is a sliding glass door that they always leave open. There is a spiral staircase outside of those doors that take you to the roof. It is a beautiful apartment with beautiful architecture.
Courtney and I went out to a beautiful resturant for dinner. She had salmon and pasta and I had salmon and salad. We shared a bottle of white wine from Mendoza, Argentina and talked US and world politics. I never realized howmuch the rest of the world follows American politics until she pointed it out to me. The night before, when we were out with Juan Pablo and Luis, Jaun had asked us who we were voting for in the next presidential election. Courtney was telling me how people ask all the time who she is voting for and when I meet new people they will ask me as well. It is an interesting reminder as to how much the US does effect the rest of the world.
After dinner I realized how much money I do have here. For our dinner we paid $106 pasos which is less then $20 dollars each for what is a top end meal. I could eat like a king everyday here. It is an odd feeling.
Following dinner we had icecream. The icecream in Argentina is truly incredible. Courtney said that wasn't even the best icecream place either. I am going to hit another one when I get back to BA at the end of my trip.
I didn't take any pictures today because I forgot my camera. I am kind of bumbed, but that is okay.
Courtney's apartment is actually very beautiful. When you are on the street you must use your key that looks like the key used in The Secret Garden to get through these metal and glass double doors. The doors are about four feet wide and twelve feet tall. You walk through the doors into a hall. There is no roof. It has a real openness to it because you look up at the sky, but a tight feeling too because two people have a hard time walking side by side. It is very narrow. You walk to the end of the hall where you take a left and walk up three flights of white marble staircases. When you get to the door you must use another Secret Garden Key to get in the door. Once you are inside to lock the door you must close it then push aside the small metal cover that covers the key hole then use the key to lock the door.
The inside of her apartment has really high ceilings. The walls seperating the bathroom and bedrooms are painted bricks. There is a sliding glass door that they always leave open. There is a spiral staircase outside of those doors that take you to the roof. It is a beautiful apartment with beautiful architecture.
Courtney and I went out to a beautiful resturant for dinner. She had salmon and pasta and I had salmon and salad. We shared a bottle of white wine from Mendoza, Argentina and talked US and world politics. I never realized howmuch the rest of the world follows American politics until she pointed it out to me. The night before, when we were out with Juan Pablo and Luis, Jaun had asked us who we were voting for in the next presidential election. Courtney was telling me how people ask all the time who she is voting for and when I meet new people they will ask me as well. It is an interesting reminder as to how much the US does effect the rest of the world.
After dinner I realized how much money I do have here. For our dinner we paid $106 pasos which is less then $20 dollars each for what is a top end meal. I could eat like a king everyday here. It is an odd feeling.
Following dinner we had icecream. The icecream in Argentina is truly incredible. Courtney said that wasn't even the best icecream place either. I am going to hit another one when I get back to BA at the end of my trip.
I didn't take any pictures today because I forgot my camera. I am kind of bumbed, but that is okay.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Day One, Pictures
This is me at the Cafe Courtney and I went to. I was trying something new. It was good...whatever it was. Courtney and I sat at this cafe four a couple hours just working on homework, drinking our bottled water and snacking on food. It was wonderful.
This is a picture in front of the Congreso building in Buenos Aires. It is some sort of education comment. Something about the number of schools effecting people or something like that. I cannot remember.
This is Courtney and all the pigeons. I love this picture. It reminds me of the pigeon lady in Home Alone 2.
This is kind of a funny picture. Here in BA some people make their living off of retrieving trash and pulling out the valuable stuff. Essentially they are the same thing as "dumpster divers" in Alaska. The owner of this cart was off getting some more trash so we hurried and snapped a picture.
This is Lacey, Lois (a friend of Juan Pablo's, Courtney and Lacey's old neighbor), Courtney, and me of course. We were at a local bar. It is really interesting here. Not many people seem to get really drunk. The five of us (all in the picture plus Juan who was taking the picture) shared two beers and that was all we drank, other then wine with dinner of course. It was really interesting.
The City:
Buenos Aires (BA) is a very interesting place. Even thought I am in another country I don't feel like I am. BA has the characteristics of many other big cities. If I had to explain it I would say it is a mix of Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. Chicago because everyone is so stylish and skinny. New York City because of the traffic and the people on the street selling stuff. And Washington D.C. because of the elegancy of the buildings.
The People:
BA also has some really beautiful people. I only saw two overweight people today, and believe me, I saw a lot of people today. Many of the women here wear silver jewelry. I have yet to see anyone other then Courtney's roommate Lacey wear diamonds. Even wedding bands are all silver. The ones with open toed shoes on mostly wear their shoes too small, so their toes stick off of the front of the shoe slightly.
This is also a place of much affection. Friends seem to walk arm in arm down the street (mostly women and women). Couples show affection in an appropriate yet very romantic manner. They hold each other in public and gaze strongly at each other like no one else is there.
Second Café:
Argentines are so nice to tourists. As long as you attempt to speak their language and are polite they treat you wonderfully and try to speak English to you...if they know it. Me and Court's waiter, Luie, from the cafe spoke English to us and we spoke Spanish to him. It was fun. Court tells people her name is Lynn when they ask. Down here not many words start with "c" so Argentine's cannot pronounce her name at all. It just makes things easier. In addition to speaking English he brought us bread and this very unique sauce. Court had never had it before either. It was spicy and delicious.
Also tonight I learned a lot of Spanish. Courtney, Lacey and I were out to dinner at this steak restaurant. Their old neighbor Juan Pablo and his friend Luie arrived while we were getting our meals. They ended up joining us. It was really fun talking to them. We ended up going out to a bar where the five of us shared two beers. People here do not get drunk they just drink and socialize. It was really warming and fun. The bar was beautiful. We were upstairs where this is no roof, just walls. Juan and Luie helped Courtney a lot with her Spanish pronunciation and I tried some.
My First Ride in a Car:
Drivers are terrible in comparison to the US. I am not sure how bad they are in comparison to other countries. I had a gentleman, Carlos, about 60 years old, from Tienda Leon drop me off at the 1816 cafe on 11 de Septiembre. It was my first ride in a foreign country. I paid US$36 and gave him a 10peso tip. Not bad for a 45 - 50 minute ride. He drove on the shoulder and weaved in and out of traffic the entire way. He had really bad English and I have really bad Spanish, but we arrived in one piece. The funny thing was with our communication difference he thought I needed to go to the address 1816 not a cafe named 1816, but we figured it out. He was great. He actually reminded me a lot of my gramps, a cute old man, except for skinnier...and he could drive. After Carlos left me at the cafe I realized I forgot my email from Courtney with the driver. The email had Courtney's information on how to contact her if I got lost...oops. While I was thinking about it he showed back up. He realized he had it and brought it back to me at the cafe. After he gave it to me he wished me luck...I think, I couldn't really understand him, then he kissed me on the cheek and left. My first, of what has turned out to be many, Argentine kisses.
Another thing I noticed that made me chuckle was the trucks that carry fruits and vegetables. The one I saw was an old flat bed pickup truck with crates of lemons and bags of potatoes on it They looked stable, but at the same time looked as if they might fall off.
There are many mopeds here. I would be too afraid to drive one here. It seems as if you could easily be run off the road or hit because there is so much aggressive driving. One thing about the mopeds is for certain, they have the easiest parking. Half of them seem to just park on the sidewalk, but then again cars just stop in the road and park there while they let passengers in and out. That happened with me when I was with Carols. Cars beep at you, but you just ignore them and you beep at them when they do the same thing you did.
Speaking the Language:
I didn't have too much trouble getting my bottled water "botella agua" and coffee "cafe" which I know now is actually straight espresso. I didn't learn that until later in day so needless to say I have been wired all day. I speak terrible Spanish so I am keeping my pen, paper, and dictionary handy.
Buenos Aires (BA) is a very interesting place. Even thought I am in another country I don't feel like I am. BA has the characteristics of many other big cities. If I had to explain it I would say it is a mix of Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. Chicago because everyone is so stylish and skinny. New York City because of the traffic and the people on the street selling stuff. And Washington D.C. because of the elegancy of the buildings.
The People:
BA also has some really beautiful people. I only saw two overweight people today, and believe me, I saw a lot of people today. Many of the women here wear silver jewelry. I have yet to see anyone other then Courtney's roommate Lacey wear diamonds. Even wedding bands are all silver. The ones with open toed shoes on mostly wear their shoes too small, so their toes stick off of the front of the shoe slightly.
This is also a place of much affection. Friends seem to walk arm in arm down the street (mostly women and women). Couples show affection in an appropriate yet very romantic manner. They hold each other in public and gaze strongly at each other like no one else is there.
Second Café:
Argentines are so nice to tourists. As long as you attempt to speak their language and are polite they treat you wonderfully and try to speak English to you...if they know it. Me and Court's waiter, Luie, from the cafe spoke English to us and we spoke Spanish to him. It was fun. Court tells people her name is Lynn when they ask. Down here not many words start with "c" so Argentine's cannot pronounce her name at all. It just makes things easier. In addition to speaking English he brought us bread and this very unique sauce. Court had never had it before either. It was spicy and delicious.
Also tonight I learned a lot of Spanish. Courtney, Lacey and I were out to dinner at this steak restaurant. Their old neighbor Juan Pablo and his friend Luie arrived while we were getting our meals. They ended up joining us. It was really fun talking to them. We ended up going out to a bar where the five of us shared two beers. People here do not get drunk they just drink and socialize. It was really warming and fun. The bar was beautiful. We were upstairs where this is no roof, just walls. Juan and Luie helped Courtney a lot with her Spanish pronunciation and I tried some.
My First Ride in a Car:
Drivers are terrible in comparison to the US. I am not sure how bad they are in comparison to other countries. I had a gentleman, Carlos, about 60 years old, from Tienda Leon drop me off at the 1816 cafe on 11 de Septiembre. It was my first ride in a foreign country. I paid US$36 and gave him a 10peso tip. Not bad for a 45 - 50 minute ride. He drove on the shoulder and weaved in and out of traffic the entire way. He had really bad English and I have really bad Spanish, but we arrived in one piece. The funny thing was with our communication difference he thought I needed to go to the address 1816 not a cafe named 1816, but we figured it out. He was great. He actually reminded me a lot of my gramps, a cute old man, except for skinnier...and he could drive. After Carlos left me at the cafe I realized I forgot my email from Courtney with the driver. The email had Courtney's information on how to contact her if I got lost...oops. While I was thinking about it he showed back up. He realized he had it and brought it back to me at the cafe. After he gave it to me he wished me luck...I think, I couldn't really understand him, then he kissed me on the cheek and left. My first, of what has turned out to be many, Argentine kisses.
Another thing I noticed that made me chuckle was the trucks that carry fruits and vegetables. The one I saw was an old flat bed pickup truck with crates of lemons and bags of potatoes on it They looked stable, but at the same time looked as if they might fall off.
There are many mopeds here. I would be too afraid to drive one here. It seems as if you could easily be run off the road or hit because there is so much aggressive driving. One thing about the mopeds is for certain, they have the easiest parking. Half of them seem to just park on the sidewalk, but then again cars just stop in the road and park there while they let passengers in and out. That happened with me when I was with Carols. Cars beep at you, but you just ignore them and you beep at them when they do the same thing you did.
Speaking the Language:
I didn't have too much trouble getting my bottled water "botella agua" and coffee "cafe" which I know now is actually straight espresso. I didn't learn that until later in day so needless to say I have been wired all day. I speak terrible Spanish so I am keeping my pen, paper, and dictionary handy.
Even though I have only been in BA for a day I have fallen in love with it. This is a city where you can walk forever and never see the same thing twice. Courtney and I went strolling to find a cafe to do our homework at. On our way, with no particular destination in mind, we walked by hundreds of buildings and hundreds of people until stopping at a cafe next to a park with some statutes and palm trees near the "Congreso" building. The funny thing about BA is the liquids that fall from the sky. Courtney says you should just try to ignore them. It is probably from an air conditioner or something. One would think this would be a city with a lot of pollution, but the winds seem to blow the pollution out of the city. I heard that you also burn a lot faster down here because the ozone layer is thinner, possibly because of the pollution. I did not burn today though.
PoliticsThere are also some very interesting conflicts going on between the farmers and the current president. First of all, for a little background...what I was told anyway...is the current president is the first woman president in Argentina. She was the wife of the last president. She was voted into office by rural Argentina. BA residents do not like her. She decided to implement a 43% tax on the farmers. The farmers, in protest, blocked the roads stopping the meats and fruits and vegetables from going into the city. Courtney said there were empty spots in the markets and the city was actually running out of food. The president decided to hold off on implementing the tax until negotiations with the farmers. Once the time came for the burning of the fields, like they do every year to kill off something, the winds shifted. Generally the winds blow from North to South but this year they blew west to east causing the fires to go out of control. Apparently a couple of days ago you could hardly breath in BA the smoke was so bad. Rumor is the president was upset at the farmers so refused to help control the fires; kind of interesting. It will be interesting to see what happens since they still haven't come to an agreement with the tax.
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