Day 21 - Day with Kate, Court, and Lisa

Today we were planning on having our big shopping experience. I am determined to find a new pair of black high heeled leather boots, or as Hunter would call them, "hooker boots." He doesn't like my "hooker boots" but I love them. :-)

The Morning
We all slept in today. Kate and Lisa are still getting used to the time change. In the morning, when we got up Courtney cooked us breakfast. We had eggs with avocado and tomatoes with basil. It was very good. My healthy food intake definitely increases when I am with Courtney.

The Mall
After breakfast we all took a trip down to the mall. I ended up purchasing two shirts. The quality is so good. When you do the conversion from pesos to dollars it really seems worth the price. After the mall we were going to go find some shoes for me. Lisa ended up going back to the apartment. She was going to get some sleep because we were planning on going to Florida St. (the main central street in Buenos Aires) tonight.

Lisa
Lisa actually seems to be very scared to be in Buenos Aires. I do not know how she is going to survive Bolivia. One thing I have learned is always look like you know where you are going, always look confident, and never pull out a map unless you are sitting down somewhere and no one really thinks twice about you. If you feel uncomfortable get in a cab. Lisa always looks sacred and like she does not know where she is going. Hopefully she'll shake that off as the trip progresses.

The Shoes
We ended up heading down to Callao, a great place for shoes. I found this gorgeous pair of boots for 300 pesos, about US$100. I love them. After a while Courtney and Kate took off to go back to the apartment, so I wandered the streets of Buenos Aires. I ended up finding a cafe so I indulged in some fried chicken, french fries, and yes, a small bottle of wine. I was actually pretty buzzed by the time I was done, so I took myself and my new boots back to the subway then back to the apartment. I think that was actually my first trip alone on the subway, in Buenos Aires anyway, I used to ride it by myself in Washington D.C. all the time. The wine made the subway ride flow pretty well. Even if something bad did happen I don't think I would have freaked out.

The Nap
By the time I made it back to the apartment I was more then ready for siesta (afternoon nap).

Florida St.
Around 8pm we took our little trip down Florida St. It was fun. The street was alive with people selling crafts along with entertainers, even though the stores were closed. We watched two couples dance the tango. It really is a beautiful dance. You could tell they were having fun. I kind of wish I had been able to take a tango lesson, but time just didn't permit, plus I do not want to spend more time in the city then I have to.

We then proceeded on to the largest intersection in the world. I had been there before, but Kate and Lisa had not. Kate was thrilled. When we got there, there was a protest going on, the farmers of course. Kate was right there in the action taking all kinds of pictures. People kept asking her which newspaper she worked for. She just told them she was from the US. They all just loved having her there. It was fun and very cute. Kate got some amazing shots.

If anything got out of control there were a couple of government officials standing by. The only thing that happened was this little kid who was going through the crowd of protestors picked up a half smoked cigarette and started smoking it. He was being obnoxious so the officials grabbed him and sent him on his way.

The kids here make me nervous sometimes. They are little smarty pants know it alls. They are old enough to know better, but too young to understand the consequences of their actions. They actually make me more nervous then anyone.

My Analysis on Argentina
That actually leads me to another one of my conclusions. I was actually expecting Argentina to be much poorer and less modern then it really is. Most people here walk around with their little cell phones and their blackberries (or something similar if they are not blackberries). They have their I-pods and mp3 players (not as many as in the US, but still a lot). Most people are nicely dressed. You can tell they spend money on their appearances. They have flat screen TV's all over, in the subways, at the bus stations, etc... No one looks like they are starving. They may not have some of the luxuries we have in the US, like the ability to travel, but they have other things they are not forced to spend their money on, like health care or education (both are paid for by the government, including college). They seem like a very content happy society.

I did see some people who were obviously not well off, such as homeless people. I do not think I saw anymore homeless people here then I saw when I had been in New York City or any other major city or small town I have been to. The poorest people I saw were on the outskirts of Salta, but even then they looked fed, had a roof over their heads, and cloths. I am sure there is more then what I have seen, but what I did see was a country well on its way to recovering from its economic crisis.