Geo: -34.5886, -58.4299Hi...I will post my next proper blog entry very soon, but for the time being, I just need to post some info for friends back in the UK to explain how they can phone me. (Sorry for boring those of you who don't need or want to hear my dulcet tones!)After a few awkward conversations in Spanish and a dodgy deal with that man in an overcoat, I finally managed to get a mobile phone sorted in Argentina. So there are two ways to phone me now:Option 1: phoning my Skype number (this costs you the same as it would for you to call any London landline, but the downside is that I need to be logged onto the internet when you call, otherwise you'll go to voicemail...plus the call quality is pretty up ... read more

Geo: -34.5886, -58.4299Nineteen of them in total:1. Some things are very expensive in Buenos Aires (e.g. the cheapest iPad - U$D1100/£725), some things are priced at a comparative level to the US and UK (e.g. Whopper meal in Burger King - U$D6.90/£4.55) and some things are very cheap (e.g. a ticket on the subway - 28 US cents/18 pence)2. People in Buenos Aires do not like it when you accidentally say "Spanish" when you actually mean "the form of Spanish spoken in Spain". They make a joke about it, but you can see the murderous seriousness in their eyes.3. You may, if you're anything like me, find it as difficult to buy a 'pay as a you go' SIM card for your phone in Buenos Aires as you would to pass a kidney stone through your ... read more

Geo: -34.5833, -58.4The end of my first full day, and I figured I should start meeting some people. So, taking up a recommendation from Luke (gracias, Luke!), I booked a seat at Casa Saltshaker (www.casasaltshaker.com). It's a 'closed door restaurant' ('restaurante a puertas cerradas'), for which the chef opens up their home so that punters can come and share a table, a meal, some wine and chat.It was strange turning up at someone's house for dinner. Dinner parties are odd at the best of times, even when you know some of the people there. However, I recommend the Casa Saltshaker website, which contains all the info you need to make you feel more familiar with the concept before you get started.I'd also worried about being the only English- (or rather non-Spanish-) speaker there, but I needn't ... read more

Geo: 51.5002, -0.126236Right, well...through the mental fog of a mild but persistent "Erm, so why am I here exactly?" feeling, I'm writing my story. It started with a voluntary redundancy scheme. My employer, the University of Leeds in the UK, offered its staff voluntary redundancy, and, much as I loved it there, the timing was right to do something different. So, I've come to live in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a few months.I don't speak any Spanish (apart from an occasional and hesitant "Una Coca-Cola, por favor" followed an hour later, when I realise I really do need to go, by an even more hesitant "Dónde está el baño?"). Thankfully, I've got some Spanish classes here in BA starting next week. Will say more about those later.In the meantime, here's how I got here.I flew with ... read more