Wednesday 10 November 2010

what's new, buenos aires!

I'm going to try to keep this one short, for a number of reasons: 1) cos there appears to be a 20 minute limit on the hostel computers, 2) cos I am fookin' KNACKERED and 3) this Argentinian keyboard confooses me.

I have arrived, but ee by gum did it take a long time. The flight was 12 hours of overnight non-sleeping agony, complete with leg cramps and screaming children (of course, for what longhaul flight would be complete without it?), followed by a 3 hour wait at Sao Paolo and then a 2 hr delayed transfer flight to Buenos Aires. Once I arrived at Buenos Aires I had already missed the free shuttle bus I booked to take me to my hostel (d'oh). The airport is set out like a bloody wibbly wobbly worm, so it's not immediately obvious where the hell you are when you emerge, spat out and bleary eyed at the international arrivals bit.

So basically, I floundered around for a time at the airport, squinting and shuffling backwards and forwards ineffectually and continually zipping and unzipping my bag in search of... something. Intense sleep deprivation basically turns me into an old lady. I managed to cobble together some bits of Spanglish and exchange some dollars and book a shuttle bus into town.

I made a nice friend on the bus. He started talking to me when he saw me whip out my Lonely Planet guide and realised I was English. His name was Sebastian and he was a lovely Argentinian engineer who was visiting Buenos Aires for the week on business. He told me he's actually from a small province to the far north east of Argentina, and he seemed to have the same attitude towards BA as I do towards London - mainly that people are much friendlier where he comes from, and that he finds that in the city, it's far too hectic, and though people as individuals can show kindness, en masse they're much 'colder' (his word). He very kindly walked me to my hostel from the bus station, even though it was totally out of his way, and did not sleaze on me in any way.

I also made a nice friend on the flight to Buenos Aires. He was a 'porteƱo', from Buenos Aires originally, but had travelled in from London like I had. When I mentioned how much I was looking forward to eating steak he was very happy to give me some restaurant recommendations. Then it turned out that he's actually a chef! He told me he'd worked in Buenos Aires for ten years, but then moved to Europe for a change, first working in tapas restaurants in Spain in the Costa Brava, then in London, and now Hampshire. He was telling me about how he worked in a few Michelin starred places in London, and basically left because it wasn't sustainable for him to be working 12-14 hours a day 6 days a week with no free time or energy to enjoy the city. He also mentioned a restaurant called Murano which is an Italian restaurant but headed up by an Argentinian chef, a friend of his. Note to self: must check it out!

Oops, I digress. But anyway these two guys basically gave me a good first impression of the people of Buenos Aires.

As for the city, I haven't had much of a chance to explore, but from the little I have seen it feels that Buenos Aires is a majestic, grandiose, but also crumbling and shambolic city. As Sebastian remarked, the city is made up of a really interesting, hotch potch mix of architectural styles, of the old jostling up against the new, and I saw as much on the bus ride in. Beautiful, towering colonial buildings sit side by side with gleaming skyscraper monoliths and broken down, graffitied shells that have seen better days. It definitely feels European too, and reminds me of Madrid, Paris, Rome, and even London, all smushed together.

My hostel is awesome. My room is clean with huge lockers, it's a 4 bed dorm and has its own bathroom decked out in pretty mosaic tiles and a massive mirror. There's a lot going on here and I'm right in the centre of town. I also have a BA 'night pass' which I intend on using this week to sample the nightlife. Not sure if the little old English lady in me can manage beginning a big night out at 2am but I guess I'll have to try!!

Not had any steak yet, but I did try a local delicacy called empanadas which is basically the Argentinian version of the pasty. Mmm. Cheap too! About a pound a pop.

I tried to have a nap earlier and failed miserably, but now, after two apple martinis in the downstairs bar, I'm feeling pretty wiped out so I think I'm going to shuffle off to bed now.

Bit sad that it doesn't look like I'll be able to illustrate this blog with photos but if I figure out a way I will definitely sort it out.

Tomorrow will hopefully see me in more of a gung-ho, happy-snapping tourist mood. I want to see jacaranda trees, and the Recoleta cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, and the multi-coloured corrugated iron facades of La Boca, and the more upmarket gentrified Palermo district, and lots of other stuff.

Will try to update again soon!

3 comments:

  1. oh i love empanadas, I first tried them at field day festival and they are far superior to the pasty.

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  2. I totally love empanadas!!!
    Near my Buenos Aires apartments there was a place where I used to go almost everyday!!!

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