Buenos Aires

Day 26: I arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday after sleeping through the flight from Ushuaia. I was in the very last row and was pleasantly surprised when the back half of the plane off-loaded from the read door. I was the first one in the shuttle bus. Waiting for the rest of the passengers to get in took longer than the ride to the terminal, leaving everyone wondering why they bothered with the bus.

I changed some Chilean pesos for Argentinian ones, which reminded me how weird it is to operate with another currency. I'm used to Chile's, where $1 US is about 500 pesos. Now, $1 US is 3 pesos. I have to do some quick mental math every time I see a price. Fortunately, Buenos Aires is a cheap place to be, so sticker shock is rare.

The shock is how bloody hot it is here. I knew it would be, but after spending a few weeks in Patagonia, guess I'd kind of forgotten that it's summer in South America. I'm trying to drink enough water to make up for all the sweat, but that's no mean feat. Being hot is not my favorite and I find it kind of hard to concentrate. I need to figure out how I'm going to spend the last few weeks of my travels, but I haven't made much headway. I think I'll head to the beach in Uruguay. Maybe a dip in the ocean and some cool sea breezes will be just what the doctor ordered!

I'm wishing that I were traveling with someone. Yesterday, I could've shared a cab to the hostel. Instead, I took a shuttle bus, then the metro, then the city bus. Figuring it out was good Spanish practice and helpful for getting to know the transportation system -- things like there's a ticket machine on the bus, so the driver will look at you like you're crazy if you try to hand him the money. Today, I could go out to dinner to take advantage of Argentina's cheap eats. I still might, but it would be more fun with someone to go with.

Maybe I'll try to find some people from the hostel who are going out for dinner. I'm sure I could tag along, I just haven't gotten a good vibe from them. The hostel itself also leaves a lot to be desired. The bunk bed might just be held together by packing tape because it wobbles like crazy when I hoist myself to the top bunk. It has a ladder with no rungs (helpful, huh), so I stole a rickety wooden stool from the patio. The mattress sucks, the air circulation sucks, and the mosquitos had a party on my arms last night. Breakfast is included, but consists of coffee and some stale cookies from a bag. I was glad I'd bought cereal and milk last night!

Today, I got my hair cut, walked through the city for a few hours, then took a nap. I also went clothes shopping, encouraged by a girl in the hostel who was very drunk but told me that she's had good luck. Well, I didn't. Part of it is that clothes hold no appeal for me when I'm roasting hot and sticky with sweat. Hmmm, the beach is sounding better and better!