Since my arrival in Buenos Aires, I have taken a tango lesson and seen live tango music, gone to see jazz, rediscovered the cool neighborhoods (Microcentro, San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, etc.), went to eat at night at the beautiful and new Puerto Madero (historically Buenos Aires`s Ellis Island, now a porteño version of Inner Harbor, except more beautiful and ritzy, except wait is that a HOOTERS restaurant in between the trendy Argentine restaurants? yes it is...aww no), went to see a Japanese art film (not very good), went to a bunch of ferias de libro to scour through used books, went out to dance clubs almost every night/early morning, found the best and cheapest pizza in the city (Guerrin, go there, love it), met loads of cool Brasilians (all the porteños have gone to the provinces or Mar del Plata for vacation, or Miami if you`re really rich), etc.
I also went one day to see the AMIA building (Argentine Israeli Mutual Association, bombed in 1994 by people who are still under investigation - look it up on Google, it`s crazy). I was sort of surprised and sort of not surprised to see that the security was super tight. There was a big bomb proof (?) wall in front of the building with the names of all the victims written on it. Two guards and a policemen were on permanent watch outside and told us we couldn`t go in without having a prior interview to determine if we could take a tour. A Brazilian friend I was going with told me that after the bombing, her (Jewish affiliated) high school in Sao Paolo put in metal detectors and got a security guard. We`re talking about a pretty serious terrorist attack. You could still see the scratch marks on the side of the tall building next to it, it was like a smaller version of Ground Zero in NYC. Yeah.
I also met with the Fulbright Commission in Buenos Aires. At first I thought I`d need to get a bunch of documents for the student visa but as I understand it they`re going to give me a Visa de Cortesìa, which I guess is easier to get...? So hopefully I won`t have to go back to the US last minute to get my fingerprints taken and get a copy of my birth certificate (cruzate los dedos). THe Fulbright people are SO nice and SO helpful and they really have their stuff together! They even let me store my excess bags (thus converting into hippie backpacker mode) at their office until I get back from my pending road trip (itinerary to follow).
URUGUAY
THis morning I walked down the street to the port and got onto a ferry. It was really nice and organized like an airplane. I took the boat across to Colonia, Uruguay then caught a pretty plush bus (semi cama, a lo chileno) to Montevideo, where I am now. In the land of Jorge Drexler, Carlos Gardel (depending on whom you ask, by which I mean, he actually is from Uruguay), and chill people who are basically Argentines`more chill, totally mate-addicted cousins.
THe first second I got into the Albergue Juvenil where I`m staying, I was offered matè, chips, and beer and met a whole bunch of really nice Brazilians who are doing a Spanish language immersion summer course. I went with two of them down to the closest beach and we talked about life and they convinced me of how much I have to go to Brazil. I`m sold. Brazilians are really legao! They just invited me to eat dinner with them (they cooked because they think Uruguayan food has too much fat) and early tomorrow morning I`ll probably go with all the Brazilians to Punta del Este to spend the day on the beach maxing and relaxing.
I plan to be back to Buenos Aires by Sunday, give or take. It`s only about a 2 hour boat ride. Then I will be off to:
Lima, Peru (I fly there on wonderful LAN airlines from BsAs on Feb. 2, where I will-if things go according to plan- meet up with Lena and Alex and then go to Machu Picchu, Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, etc.)
That`s as far as I`ve worked it out so far. From there, we will either go into Bolivia through Lake Titicaca and then on the Chile, or just go straight to Chile if there isn`t enough time.
Then in mid February in Chile I`ll meet up with my former housemate, Marcela, in Santiago and we`ll hang around Chile (maybe take an overnight bus to Valdivia even and then cross over to Bariloche? Who knows). I``ll keep the updates coming.
Overall impressions so far: If Buenos Aires thinks it`s a big deal, that`s because it is. It`s pretty much the nicest city I`ve ever been in. Uruguay is more casual and more Brazilian, which I like a lot. Everywhere I`ve gone so far I`ve been surprised by how much people treat me like I fit in, which is a big change from the atmosphere in Central America. All of a sudden people on the street are helpful, people start conversations with the assumption I`m from Buenos Aires or the vicinity, nobody treats me like I`m a Martian or calls me racist names or tries to charge me double the actual price for things. Taxis have meters, toilets flush, sinks have hot water, customs charges you the same amount every time (exception: computers, err), men and women alike kiss you on the cheek, bookstores are everywhere, etc. Argentina isn`t as cheap as it was 2 years ago when I came (peso up, dollar down) but you know what? Good job, Argentina! And it`s still considerably cheaper than the US or Chile considering the quality of the things you can buy. OK, enough rumination for now.
Book recommendation: Puto el que lee. The funniest introduction I`ve read ever. ¿Viste chè?
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