argentina: buenos aires goodbye

my flight from Ushuaia arrived in Buenos aires as scheduled, and I took the shuttle and public transport to the hostel i'd reserved before the last time I left Buenos aires..since this was my third time arriving in the city, I felt like an old pro...it was a lot easier to get around (yay for the sube card!!) and I knew where I was going...
the place i'd booked was cheap, so I wasn't entirely surprised when my single room had a smushy bed and a sketchy door...plus, it was cold, and wifi most definitely did not reach...
the next morning breakfast was sorely lacking...no milk, no butter, no sugar...so the only option for the hard rolls was dulce de leche...I don't dislike the stuff, but it's not what I want in the morning...lets just say I was only too happy to pack up my stuff and walk a couple kilometers to a different hotel...

one habit I've picked up while traveling is to treat myself a bit during my last night of a trip...I booked a single room in a nicer area of town, it had a bathtub, a proper bed, cable tv, etc...
after getting settled I met up with Lissette at smeterling, the german bakery i'm sure I've mentioned in a previous post...soooooo good...she and I gorged (i'm very good at influencing people who don't normally eat that much sugar:) even though we were planning to go to dinner afterward...since I knew I was going back to Ukraine, I wanted to eat at much goodness as I could while I could...
we went to la Cabrera for dinner...YUM...a great steak place, I wish I could find something that good elsewhere in the world...(meaning, I wish I could find something that good in Kyiv)...

not my hotel, but it looked awfully nice :)

after dinner we met up with a group of girls at rey de copas...4 americans, 3 dutch, 1 swede, and 1 portena...as they say, great people, great conversation...on our way home in a taxi, the driver asked Lissette where she was from; he said she spoke local Spanish, but he could also hear her speak perfect English to me...that's a huge compliment to her :)
breakfast at my hotel the next morning wasn't all that great, but it wasn't awful either...
I met up with Lissette for lunch at la cocina, I wanted more of the yummy empanadas there...i would be happy to eat empanadas all the time, even though i know they aren't great for you...

afterward, we took a bus to la boca...we stayed in the safe area, of course...when lonely planet actually labels a map with "don't go here" then you know it's bad...the weather was stunning, so I pulled out the camera for a few last photos...Lissette also helped me buy a fake boca jr jacket...I have no idea why I wanted one, but I did...while we were hanging out in the area we met celine, a French/Italian...another awesome chick...she ended up tagging along with us for the next few hours...
sadly, that was the end of my argentine adventure...(this time, anywho)...we went back to my hotel and picked up my bags, then the girls walked with me to the departure stop for the shuttle bus to the airport...I was sad to leave :(
due to long flights and time zones, I actually arrived in Kyiv two days later, having totally lost one of the days in between...

argentina: more BA

my next day started with another morning walk...on the way to the asado I'd seen the Japanese gardens, I decided I would walk in that direction and see if there was anything to see...from what I could see from the outside, the garden isn't big...maybe I will actually enter that garden another day...
I walked backed to the flat, had lunch, then didn't do much of anything for a couple hours...since bei and Miranda are leaving buenos aires soon, they were both trying to figure out exact travel plans; it was interesting for me to listen...if I did hash tags, that conversation definitely would've fallen under firstworldproblems...

I walked with Miranda to her Spanish lesson, then wandered around the neighborhood for a while...recoleta is a well off neighborhood in general...smaller, more boutique-like stores...I visited the bakery Miranda had shown me the other day again...I thought I'd made progress in self control and portion control, but this visit was an epic fail in both of those...yummy though:)
I met up with two other girls at a bar for happy hour while Miranda and bei went to dinner with two of their other friends...this happy hour had been set up by the American embassy as a sort of 'pre 4th of July' event...of course I didn't drink, but it was fun to be there...

after happy hour we went to dinner...I think we got to a restaurant around 2130, and our food arrived at 2200...or maybe both of those times were later? Argentines eat dinner much later than any other culture I've experienced...the restaurant we chose wasn't particularly argentinean, but we enjoyed the evening...
I was expecting a friend to arrive in the early morning hours, so I slept on the sofa...unfortunately, arrival time came and went, but no friend...I ended up being in and out of sleep until 1100...Miranda was awesome, and had set up an appointment for me to get my hair cut...it was very much needed, I hadn't had a haircut since the end of last September!! A lady from Northern Ireland did the trimming, I loved it:)

When I got home from the haircut, Bo had finally arrived...he spent 4 days on a bus to get here from southern Peru!!! It was only supposed to be a two day trip, but it didn't work out that way at all...
After resting for a bit, we went to dinner at a place called la Cabrera...so good...we ate at happy hour, (1900) which gave us 40% off, woo hoo...lizette joined us near the end of the meal...then we walked to a nearby bar, the other three split a bottle of wine...from there we went to one more bar, I think the name translates to king of cups? The interior decor is supposed to be Moroccan...I had a yummy non alcoholic cocktail, the others split another bottle of wine:)

The next morning I slept until 0930!! That's the latest I've slept in a while...eventually everyone else got up as well, we started shopping...Miranda and bei were planning to host a goodbye party that night, Bo was going to be doing the cooking...in Argentina you don't usually get all your groceries from one location...we went to two vegetable shops, a cheese and salami shop, a pasta shop, a supermarket, and the butcher...it took hours, but I had fun taking a few photos and watching Miranda and Bo and food...Miranda and Bo are both foodies:)
After returning home, Bo started to prep...chopping and mixing and whateva else...

I ended up taking a 4hr nap, oops...I only expected to sleep an hour or two...people started arriving after 2100, and after figuring out how to lower the grill closer to the coals, the grill was started, and everyone had fun:)
I think I went to sleep around 2 in the morning?
The next morning I was up earlier than anyone else, I'm used to this...eventually Bo and I hopped on a bus so he could see la boca...the weather was completely different from when Miranda took me, but there were more people wandering around...we both took a few photos, enjoying the colour of the area...in some ways the tourism of the area ruins the awesomeness of what is there...the buildings are lovely, but the photos would be heaps better if you didn't see the souvenir shops and outdoor cafes...oh well...

There had been thoughts of going to a wine tasting that evening, but Bo's tummy was playing games, and I needed a night with a 'normal' bedtime, so we stayed in...
the next day i needed to exchange money (have i explained the blue market in argentina?) so we started the day on florida st...from there we walked to plaza de mayo, then to the congreso nacional building...in the plaza de mayo is a small tent area set up to let soldiers who faught in the falklands war hang out...the issue is still very raw for many argentineans, and you have to be very careful talking to them...

at some point as we were walking along the street between the plaza de mayo and congresso nacional, we crossed avenido 9 de julio...argentineans like to say this is the biggest street in the world...i don't know how these things are measured, but it certainly is a big street...lots of lanes...somewhere along our walking path we stopped into a small pizza place for an afternoon snack...yum...
across the street from congresso nacional was an old abandoned building that must've been amazing in it's heyday...you can still see the rundown yet amazing exterior decoration...at that point we looked at the map and realized we had a nearly straight walk home, down avenido callao...if i had been by myself, i don't think i would've walked home, as it was dark, and i didn't know what kind of area the street would go through...

that night bo and i joined lissette, rafael, bei, and miranda at a yummy italian place for dinner...
the next morning bo and i went for a morning walk, stopping first in the cemetary...bo hadn't seen it yet, and since it's huge, i was keen for another wander...after a bit of searching, we found the tomb of eva peron, who is buried under her maiden name of duarte...
after a nap back in the flat, and an afternoon snack of ice cream, bo and i hopped on a bus to get to the ferryboat office to buy tickets...it took us a while to find the building (oddly enough, lonely planet had a better map than google!) and we bought tickets for the next day...

from there we walked to the neighborhood of san telmo...it's pretty touristy, and is mentioned in the guidebook as having a street market on one day of the week...by the time we got there, the sun had gone down, the market was winding down...bo found a bookstore in which he could exchange his peru guidebook, i enjoyed looking around...no matter how convenient a kindle is, nothing will ever replace the feeling of a real book...as we walked around the neighborhood i didn't have a great time...i'm not sure what it was, but i was rather creeped out...
dinner that night was some sort of quiche...we hadn't eaten much all day, and i wasn't at all hungry, but i know better than to skip food...

Buenos aires first days

Since I was completely confused about time, and went to sleep at 0600 my first night in buenos aires, of course I didn't sleep long...I was wide awake 4 hours later...so I putzed around for a while, reading a little, catch up a bit on email, etc...Miranda and her flattie got up around noon:)...
Miranda is a foodie...she loves good food...no matter where she goes, she finds places to get good food...we went to brunch at 3 in the afternoon (this is typical, as I found out later)  at a place that mostly caters to expats...the idea of weekend breakfast/brunch is a Canadian/American idea, most countries don't do breakfast like we do...I ended up ordering corned beef hash...it wasn't at all what I expected, but it was good:)...a friend if hers joined us, he is Canadian...good food, good people, good conversation...

Eventually we left, and ended up waking to the subway, taking that to a shopping area of town...we didn't want to shop, but this is also an area where people can change money...there is an official exchange rate, but this is not the best rate you can get...the official exchange rate is approximately one US dollar to 5.3 argentinean pesos...the current black market rate is one US dollar to 7.8 argentinean pesos...in other words, it's a very good idea to bring dollars and change them here instead of using a bank card and ATMs, which is what I usually do while traveling...counterfeit money is (unfortunately) common here, so one has to be careful when exchanging money...

After money, we went to Starbucks...I wanted hot chocolate, and Miranda needed a bathroom...I ordered a small, and tried to pay with a 100 (approx $12USD) peso note...they didn't have change!!! A 24 peso drink, they didn't have change for a 100...apparently, this is common...what is not common is what happened next: the cashier told me I would get the drink free, because she couldn't make change!!! Wow!!!
On the way home we stopped in a big grocery store, then dropped everything in the flat...then we took Miranda's dog out for a walk...I went with her, and she showed me how to get to the recoleta cemetery...she knew I would be awake earlier in the morning, so now I knew where to go to see something:)

I did wake up earlier than anyone else, it was good to know where to go...I got to the cemetary around 1040 Sunday morning...not many other people were there, I love exploring in quiet, by myself...the tombs are impressive, to say the least...big, ornate, and very crowded...Eva Peron is buried there, as are former presidents and other important historical folks...I should point out that there is no grass in this cemetery...many coffins are actually underground but that is because there are sets of stairs inside many of the tombs/mausoleums...too many fancy, ornate, overdone tombs...or maybe this is not my style...i wonder how often family and friends visit these tombs?

After the cemetery, I walked through the weekend market just outside the cemetery...lots of leather, jewelry, etc...much of it appeared to be made by the folks selling it...a touristy market, but at the same time there were many unique pieces...
I got back to Miranda's flat to find she and her flattie jast getting up:)...breakfast was at 1300, hee hee...an hour later Miranda and I were picked up to go to an asado...
Argentines have tight families and communities...it is normal to spend a weekend day with your family or group of friends, usually around a BBQ or other food...the gathering is called an asado...

we went to the flat of another friend...he is American, and has been in Argentina for 4 years...his girlfriend is Bolivian...he did all the cooking, and it was awesome...I think we arrived at 1500, started eating around 1600, and didn't stop until 2000!!! Flank steak and filet mignon, two salads, cheesecake, corn on the cob, blood sausage, chorizo...good people, good conversation, good food...needless to say, we didn't eat any more after arriving home:)
The next morning I woke up early, as usual...after hanging out a while, I went for another walk...as i mentioned earlier, no one gets up early here, so a morning walk is really quiet...

on the way home from the asado I'd seen a couple memorials/statues, I figured they might be good for photos...they were good for photos, and I found a couple more places worth walking to...I made it back to the flat in time to go with Miranda to meet a couple other ladies for lunch...we had empanadas, a typical argentinean food...(I'm pretty sure heaps of countries have a variation of this food, and they all call it traditional)...yum! Good food, good conversation...
After lunch and chatting, Miranda and I went walking...she showed me the casa rosada (pink house,) which is like the White House in the US, only the president doesn't live in the casa...she lives in a big mansion, and is flown to the casa by helicopter quite regularly...this is all paid for by tax dollars, of course...

Behind the casa is an area of town called puerto madero...it's a new district, with new flats and restaurants...it doesn't have the soul or charm you feel in the rest of the city, it could be in any big city of the world...after walking through that area, and to the edge of an ecological reserve, we took a cab to another area called la boca...a much poorer part of town, you can really see the difference in the condition of buildings...oddly enough, la boca survives as a touristy area, despite the neighborhood all around...the area is supposed to be big on tango...the buildings are all brightly colored...there are shops selling souvenirs and a few restaurants...after walking around a bit, we found train tracks...

crossing those tracks would literally have put us on the wrong side of the tracks...you could see the stark contrast between the tourist area and the rest of the neighborhood...at times, there are police officers standing guard to make sure you don't cross the tracks!
We took a bus back to Miranda's area of town, and had dinner...well, I had dinner, she just had a bit, to tide her over until her dinner plans later in the evening...(argentineans eat dinner at 2200!!)...not that I needed it, but we stopped at a bakery on the way home...SO GOOD!!! I will definitely be back for more:)

welcome to Argentina

Landing in buenos aires, Argentina means I've now visited 6 continents...woo hoo!!! (The last continent, Antarctica, is going to take a few more years to get to, and a good amount of saving)...there is no convenient way to get from Ukraine to Argentina...:(...I flew from kyiv to Istanbul to São Paulo to buenos aires...the first and last flights were in 3 hours, but Istanbul to São Paulo was 13 hours...long...
after my first flight i had to spend the night in the Istanbul airport...there are heaps of people in that airport at all hours, and there are some benches good for sleeping...I dozed for three hours or so...not great, not awful...
Turkish airlines is a good airline...decent food, good personnel, etc...
The fun started when we landed in São Paulo...I had to stay on the plane while some passengers disembarked, and new passengers boarded for the last leg...since we bad just finished a 13hr flight, it would've been nice to wander around an airport for an hour...oh well...then we landed in buenos aires, and the captain said there were no open gates, so we had to wait...not only were there no open gates, but they didn't know when there would be an open gate...this is not what a big plane full of people wants to hear...people made their displeasure known at this announcement...we ended up having to wait an hour...
Then I got to immigration...the lady took my passport, and the form showing I had paid my reciprocity fee and disappeared for a few minutes...I guess she didn't know how to verify that confirmation? I don't know...even though she was working in one of the booths designated for international arrivals, she spoke no English...hmmm...finally, I got through...then I got to wait 3 hours for my luggage!!! 3 hours!!! (I found out later there was a short strike by baggage workers)...I took comfort when I saw that others in my flight were also waiting and waiting and waiting, but it was still frustrating, because I didn't know why we all had to wait...at various times, people pounded in windows, chanted, clapped, whistled, etc...it was fascinating to see crowd behaviour, I've never seen anything like it...lots of people, including me, sat on the conveyor belt of the baggage carousel...
Finally, our baggage came through...I bought a ticket for a service to get me to Miranda's flat, it was scheduled to leave at 0200...(my flight was originally scheduled to land at 2115...that was when the plane actually landed, but with all the waiting, I didn't get to leave the airport until 0200!!!!!)
The service delivered me to Miranda's flat at 0300...my body was confused as to what time it was, of course...Miranda was still awake, thank goodness...we ended up staying awake another 3 hours...(maybe not the smartest thing to do, but apparently it is normal for people to stay up all night:)...by the time i went to bed i was soooooo tired, i figured i would sleep for hours and hours...