Day 1

Well, I have arrived in Buenos Aires in good, if not very sweaty, health.  I´m serious, it is MUGGY here!  I pulled a bandana out of my pack at 130, when I was putting it on my back to leave the airport, and 5 hours later, it is soaked to the bone.  Just as any good researcher would, I am taking "field notes" as well as mental notes.  Some of my blog posts will be directly from these notes.  Like today´s:

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18/1/2010

Arrived in Buenos Aires.

Went out the the curb to catch the shuttle, & right as I walk up, the man packing away bags under the bus informed me and two other passengers that the bus was full, and we´re gonna have to wait for the next one.  Deep down I´m bummed and not looking forward to 15 more sweaty minutes on the curb, but I smile and say "Ok, Gracias"

Lo and behold, not 30 seconds later the"next bus" shows up, and it´s not a bus at all, but a regular car.  The driver loads up our stuff, looking suspiciously at my enormous back pack, and guess what, nobody wants the shotgun seat!

The 2 other passengers in the back consist of a bio-chemist who is just coming back from Rio, & a guy from Southern California who´s starting a 10-day trip in Buenos.  Both are very friendly - she´s from Russia, but has lived here for 20 years - they are talking in the back about all the places to go Party and/or tango here in town.  As I´m listening, I realize that I may go out and tango, but really, I´m here for something else...

We transfer downtown and my very first travel companions and I part ways.  Now, if I thought I was lucky with the 1st car, I had no idea what pleasures awaited me in the 2nd.  3 people were sitting in the back, so I again was sitting shotgun, and guess what - AC!!  I find that I am able to communicate with this driver a little less than the 1st, but it´s probably for the best as this one is bobbing in and out of traffic as if a taxi-eating monster had been released on the city that they have refrained to inform the tourists about.  Whatever his reasons, I let the man do his thing.

He drops me 7 blocks from my hostel (nearly 20 blocks in any other city I´ve been in).  I´m feeling pretty capable, so I tell him "aqui esta bien".  As he unloads my bag (and puts it on me no less) I mumble something along the lines of "conduces muy bien, gracias" as I make a mad grab in my pocket for the mixed handful of change that is his tip.  I fixed the steeliest look of ease and familiarity that I could muster on my face, and set off.

I come upon La Casa Esmeralda, reach through the gate to hit the intercom (hoping that the big black dog staring at me senses that I´m a canine-lover and harmless to boot) and the hostess Cecilia comes around the corner.  She confirms that I am "McLean" and she lets me in to show me around.  I take a long, cold shower, wash my socks, spend a bit of time in my room reshuffling and organizing my money and papers, before I head out for my first Argentinian meal - at a French restaurant called        "Oui Oui" (no joke)

The tables and chairs are all painted a light salmon color and the soundtrack in the place sounds like an old record of a woman singing in French, accompanied by a 3-piece brass band and piano.  I see the sign advertising the menú (set lunch for the day) and something stirs in the back of my brain.  I remember reading something about ordering the menú because that was going to be the cheapest way to go.  I panic slightly when the waiter comes up to me (gimme a break here people, it´s my first day!!) and I blurt out "quiero el menú por favor" without even reading the sign fully.

As I sit here and nibble at my 3-course lunch, I find myself staring longingly at the croissant & cup of tea that the woman across the way has ordered; no doubt quite calmly, and in full awareness of what it is she was ordering.  The food is delicious, and since I´m paying 30 pesos for it, I eat slowly and take int he details of authenticity at Oui Oui.  Their glass-front case with meats and cheeses to be sliced up and bought might have been enough to send me into a Parisienne reverie, but the countertop filled with fresh muffins and the occasional free-standing candle completes the picture.  Now all I have to do is figure out how to shove this meat pastry into my bag without drawing disdainful stares.  First meal in Argentina - 32 pesos including tip.

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But of course the day didn´t end there.  I met 3 travelers who started out individually, but ended up together.  1 is from France, 1 from sweden, and 1 from New Zealand.  The have been on the road for 3, 6, and 9 months respectively, and were very encouraging of this trip of mine, and friendly to boot.  The only other event of note for the day was the enormous rainstorm that came through town all of a sudden.  Right around sunset, lightning started to flash, and then the sprinkles started and before we knew it:

I don´t think it comes across clearly, but that is a RIVER where the STREET (and a little bit of sidewalk) used to be.  Once the rains stopped, the torrent subsided but still...whoah.  I suppose the good thing about this is that it will probably wash away most of the dog poop that can be found every 4 feet or so in this neighborhood.  Don´t get me wrong, this barrio is beatiful - cobblestone streets, plants hanging from the buildings, and lots of parks around - you just gotta watch your step!

That about brings Day 1 to an end.  My dorm-mates are from Switzerland and went to bed about 2 hours ago, so I think I´ll go sneak in there, grab a book and...hmmm nevermind, maybe I´ll go try and find those three and see what we can get up to.

Also, I missed a palabra español on the last post, so here´s two for ya:

barrio - neighborhood

equipaje - bag or luggage