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:)
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