Buenos Aires Part 1

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And then the boat pulled into BA. Leonie was a star so there were no hiccups in getting the buses and boat to BA and as I hadn´t managed to organise myself a place to stay she got me into her hostel and I went about getting one for myself the next morning. BA was in the middle of unseasonably hot weather and my chosen hostel room is pretty much a Japanese sweat box. I haven´t slept under the covers once. Got myself into a spanish school so I started off with a couple of one to ones and will start a small group class on Monday. Mostly I have been walking about the town in 36 to 42 C ! Got out clubbing on Wednesday and then popped over to Leonies for thanksgiving - great spread of food and good session - needless to say I was pretty slow in the spanish class the following afternoon. Headed to Recoleta today for the fair and galleries and the Cemeteria - very blimmin odd - they don´t bury people in the graveyard - they either leave your ashes or your coffin in a crypt which you can see into - very odd indeed. Eva peron is buried here and some boxer - i thought it very strange that there was a big bronze scupture of a guy in his dressing gown until i realised he was a boxer 😊 Anyway after a few hours in the art gallery I started of home once I figured out where the bus picked up. While I was on it the forecasted break in the weather arrived in apocalyptic proportions. I realised we were heading down a street parallel to the one my hostel was on but thought that the bus must turn around and head back my way eventually ....but it didnt and amidst flooding that was swiftly turning roads into rivers we continued out of the centre into less safe neighbourhoods. By this point we were travelling slowly in a rundown area in four feet of water which was filling the stairwell when we passed some hoods and a rock was thrown through one of the windows making a head sized hole in the glass of the drivers door. Other misiles followed as we passed on but the water got too deep. At this stage I was cacking it as people were ducking low or holding up their bags against the window for fear of more rocks and the driver had to reverse back through the flood past the thugs. I hadn´t a clue where we were apart from a bad news neighbourhod and I was praying the bus wouldn´t break down!The idea of having to make my way by foot through floods in my boxer shorts after the inevitable mugging was not appealing. The driver made it though while the passengers roared at the hoods and told them there were babies on board. We were still heading away from BA so I eventually asked the driver if he´d be heading back and he said no. I spotted the same number bus heading in the other direction so I tore across the road but lost a shoe and missed it, fortunately another one (bus not shoe) came along and I caught it..I was never happier to get on public transport 😊

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Comments

[Chiara]

BA
Ciao Alan, hope you'll enjoy the spanish school: at the end we will finally speak spanish-italian together! I'm trying to follow your blog (Silvia does not really agree I spend much time on the web without her): very beautiful pictures and wonderful places love chiara

[Els]

Cemeteria & Recoleta
Hi, I loved it here, especially the beautiful statue of the girl with the long hair and her dog (reminded me of me!) The stacking coffins was unusual, but I didn't think freaky. I found the whole place very peaceful and even brought cat biscuits for the cats (of course!) Unlike you I saw the boxer and didn't picture a poor soul emortalised in his dressing gown-ya fool! The bus trip sounds pretty bizzare, to say the least, but the luck of the irish got you through. Recoleta is cool - think we bought a painting there. Later skater xx