Wintertime in Buenos Aires

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Hola Amigos..

I know I haven't been writing for a long time again but I have good excuses ;-) After I left Montañita last Wednesday I wasn't so happy at times - first I had to leave Ecuador, then they stole my camera in the bus to Guayaquil (at least I nearly have almost all the photos on my USB stick!!) and then flew to cold Santiago. There I already had booked some tours (another stupidity of me besides letting someone steal my camera) in advance. "Normally" I NEVER book anything in advance!! Well, at least I met lovely people in the hostal (three crazy guys who are touring through whole South America with their bikes - I am so jealous! ) with who I went to the next shopping center to look for a camera. And after some discussions about the price and some sad stories about my stolen camera later..I got my new camera (which is shitty compared to the old one) much cheaper as expected. :-P Cameras and everything electronical is so expensive in South America..but in Chile still cheaper than in Argentina or Brasil! In the evening we went to another crazy guy one of them met over the homepage of couchsurfing as he had invited us for dinner - very good dinner and much wine and fun ;-) On the other day I had my previously booked city tour. As it was in a car (with just another couple from Peru) it was quite private but therefore also very embarassing for me as I almost always fell asleep in the car ( I really was tired!! :-D) I would have preferred to go with the guys on foot..and for FREE (yeah, there was a tour for free..arrgh!) Anyway, my tour two days later to a winery was being cancelled, which was good, although the people could have told me BEFORE I went to this hotel where the pick up was supposed to be. At least the guy from the hostel helped me to get some money back of the taxi ( when I went to this hotel where the tour was supposed to start the taxi driver basically ripped me off - we had a discussion - but wouldn't switch on the taxometer which is law in Chile) Sooo..Ivan (the guy from the hostel) phoned the taxi company and ..they gave me money back and fired the guy...HAHA - Idiot. Don't mess with Ivan and Janine ;-)
After leaving the guys in Santiago (they will come including Ryans girlfriend) in about two weeks time to Buenos Aires too!) I had a transfer flight over Mendoza - which is the f*** smallest and most boring airport in the world..oh, and there I had another ( and the 1st experience with the people of Argentina ) pain in the a** moment - you always have to fill in a form if you carry fruits or anything like this when you enter another country. I had apples in my bag. Normally they never look in it. Not the Argentinians - they even had this machine which detects anything biological..although I wanted to eat them in Mendoza - I didn´t want to leave this stupid airport. Arrrgggh...
Later in the evening when I finally made it to Buenos Aires I felt the first time I went to this hostel (because the woman in Germany from my organisation of the school hadn´t given me the direction of my homestay:-S) But I found it although I didn´t book anything in advance because the computer on the airport in Mendoza didn´t work. On the next day I had another experience with an Argentinian person - the owner of the hostal. He wanted 70 pesos although over the homepage it would have been 65. He told me it´s because I was just staying for one night and I told him ok but he has to change that in the internet. He told me he can´t so I offered to write to hostelbookers.com..then he freaked out and hold a speech about how nice he was to open the door for me in the middle of the night (erm, he has a hostel and it was 11 pm!???) Well, that´s how some people are here - a bit arrogant and not so openminded BUT always well dressed. I didn´t know that before but obviously the porteños (people from B.A.) are known for their good taste in clothing. Anyway, it´s very european and therefore a great culture shock for me :-D It´s winter at the moment, therefore raining a lot and I want to go back to some warmer places :-( It´s also the first time that I really feel that I am travelling alone..people in my school (which is so much more sophisticated than the other schools before - it´s actually better than the one in London!) are boring and I haven´t found anyone so far to go out so far. But at least the people I am sharing a flat with are cool. Carolina, she is from her and studying, shares her flat with two brasilian girls (one is leaving soon) and with her boyfriend who is swiss and arrived in her flat 6 months ago like me :-) So he is obviously staying with her - international love affairs...have seen loads on my trip so far :-) I think I will be going out with them this weekend..and tonight I´m going for sushi with the brasilian girls - one is from Sao Paolo and she already offered me to show me the city when I´m there in two weeks time. :-) AND I think I´m going to the gym..Fabian, the boyfriend of Carolina, just recommended his club and I really need to do something. And in Buenos Aires you don´t really have much possibilities to do something outside..the city is really big. Prices are like in Germany I would say but you can find cheap and expensive places which is normal for a city of that size. I´m just a bit overwhelmed of so much choice..I need to acclimatize myself first..and then I will go shopping ;-) Ok, I am late for my classes...

Hasta luego xxx Yanina (that´s how the call me here)

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