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Published: February 26th 2009
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Welcome!
We had to stand in a que for 7hrs to cross the border! A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.
- Tim Cahill
Getting to Buenos Aires for Christmas was looking a tough job. Our train was overbooked so we had to take busses all the way. Luckily I met some good people in Uyuni who were all taking the same route to BA. As we left Uyuni it started to get dark and we drove in the most rickety bus I have ever been on. It shuddered, rattled and made the most aweful noises frm its engine. The seats were tiny and it was you stereo typical idea of a fully laded cicken bus! What then greated us was a sandstorm and a broken down lorry, we were stuck there for 2 hours. 12hrs on this bus was hell. But we got to our stop and changed onto a not quite as bad bus for the last 3hrs to Villazon, the border crossing. At the border we tried t jup the que by claimng our bus was abut to leave but the guards weren't having any of it, and we qued for 7 hours to get into Argentina! Quiacca was where our next bus was to get to Buenos Aires. Thankfully the Argentinian busses are
Les Mistros!
Tom's self build hot tub very modern and 28 hours on a bus isnt so great but at least it was comfortable. We got into BA on the 22nd and found a hostel to take us. It was awesome to be back here in Buenos Aires, 11 years later from my gap year. My experiance here wasn't quite as fun this time round. Christmas was great, another orphans travellers one and lots of new people and friends.
The 27th however was a night to remember. I have a good friend here in BA and he left me keys to his place in his absence. I was meeting an old friend for dinner when Rob called to say Aaron lost the flat keys. Great. They were going to go to a night club so I went to meet them there after dinner. Couldn't find them and none of them had phones, so, after a lot of wasted money in entry fees and cab rides, I got back to the hostel we had Christmas at. By this time it was about 5am and the hostel bar was still open. Max, the barman took pity on me and eventually persueded me to come with him
KIWIS!
Rowan and cath again here in BA. to a few other clubs. We went to a couple and I started to change my bad mood into an enjoyable one. At ne place I realised I was out of cash, so, asking the doorman where the cash machine was he directed me down the road. It didnt work so I came back and he said that there was another but it was a cab ride away and the cabs here were dodgy so he offered to escort me. Now I thought he was after a tip as thats what seems to be the norm here in south america. Got to the machine and driven back to the club. As I was paying for the taxi he grabbed my wallet and ran out of the cab. It took about 2 seconds for me to realise it wasn't a joke. I shouted at the cabbie to follow him and he drove off slowly in the same direction. I jumped out of the cab and gave chase, catching up with him after he ran round the block. I jumped on his back and with my arm rund his neck, tried to choke him. Unfortunatly he was about 3 times my size
The boys
Tom and Rob in the hot tub. and knocked me off his back when he climbd back in the same taxi window. As it began to drive off I followed and also jumped through the window. He was lying accross the back seat and as I got half in he started to kick at me. After about 15 kicks to the head I was stunned and lost the ability to fight back. The cab was going quite fast now and I ended up being kicked out and rolled on the road several times, two cars behind swerving and braking to avoid running over me. A cop witness it and came running over to me with his gun drawn at the cab, but it had gone too far.
The whole thing was over in about 3 minutes and I was in shock for sometime about it. Clothes bloody and torn and no where to go to change or shower, I headed back to the hostel and collapsed on the sofa. They were great at the hostel and everyone was very sympathetic towards my mugging. Aaron got a locksmith and we got back to the flat the next day, I looked like a bum and was very grateful to shower and change. I ws very lucky my injuries weren't worse. I culdnt walk propery for a few days but nothing long term. Tom arrived back to the flat and we spent the next few weeks helping him build his facilities on the terrace. My parents were due into BA on the 19th for a holiday so I just passed the time helping Tom till they arrived.
Buenos Aires has a very ugly side to it. Every day I hear of new muggings to tourists and backpackers. Rowan and Kath came to BA and it was great to see them aagain, even they got done on the train. They got their passports and $300 US taken from them on the underground. I know of 3 times that people on motorbikes have grabbed bags and sped off. Taxis are constantly giving fake notes for change. Pokets being emptied in train stations. Two backpakers got tied up in a flat and held at gun point. Last night I was told of a stabbing too and even on my last day a cabbie tried to flinch money from me. I wont be sorry to leave here.
I did have fun in Argentina thugh, it wasn't all doom and gloom. chilling on the roof terrace and helping Tom build his hot tub, BBQ and so forth was good fun. huge slabs of meet on the BBQ and drinks to the city lights. It was one night there in fact i witnessed one of the most wonderful sppectacles i ahve ever seen in my life, fireworks from the universe. I went up to clean the roof top, pick up glasses and so forth and noticed a bright ball in the night sky from the corner of my eye. At first i thought it was a plane on fire, or blown up, but after a few seconds i reaised that it wasn't. What I was witnessing was a huge fire ball, orange and in slow trasit through the atmosphere. It took a few minutes to travell accross the whole sky, travelling in a straight line and with a slight grey trail just behind it. I was stunned, rooted to the spot and speachless. It was enourmas. Truelt one of the coolest wonders of the univers to have seen. The next few days I was online trying to find out about it. But there were no reports of any other sightings, I was in disbeliefe that there was no report of this thing. But still, a great thing to see at the end of my time in the city. Mum and Dad duely arrived and we hasd the most awesome 2 weeks holliday (next blog) after which I flew to a land down under!
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