The start of our adventure and Buenos Aires

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So finally after a long long wait for redundancy, we have packed up our life in idyllic Butterleigh, distributed our belongings and embraced life with no fixed abode or employment. Whilst it may take Liz some time to get used to unemployment, Ross is already well practiced having spent the summer as a bum, sorry "home maker".

Having anticipated our trip for so long, and having very nearly missed a flight home from France not so long ago, we decided to set off nice and early just to make sure we didn't miss the plane. Arriving about seven hours before our flight departed was probably a little excessive but at least now we both know terminal five of Heathrow intimately and could maybe apply for a job on their information stands in the future (could come in handy when we return penniless!).

We finally boarded our plane, feeling like we'd already flown half way around the world, ready for the night flight to Buenos Aires. Thirteen hours of flight time and one hour of sleeping time later we touched down in Buenos Aires.

Dazed and disorientated we made our way through immigration and customs. We'd read many stories about travellers being denied entry to Argentina due to not being able to prove they are planning to leave the country, but fortunately the friendly lady on our immigration desk just smiled, asked us where we were staying and wished us a good trip. First hurdle over we then just had to find our apartment in Buenos Aires.

Having had months to research, Liz had formulated a detailed plan of how to get to the apartment that we'd rented for our stay in Buenos Aires. This all went out the window when we learned of the much cheaper, although maybe not safer option, of jumping on the airport staff shuttle. Within 45 minutes we'd checked into our apartment and were left to get used to the idea that it is morning and we're in South America.

Feeling that a very tempting quick nap might turn into an entire day's sleep, we decided to venture out and with little to no sleep the night before, we attempted to do what is probably the most dangerous thing in Buenos Aires.... cross the road!

Four full days later, having visited all the major BA tourist sites (the colourful houses of La Boca, the Recoleta cemetery etc), as well as many of the very non major sites (a very interesting old ship from the Argentinian Armada that had sailed around the world many times, as well as the very small and slightly underwhelming City Museum where the staff seemed surprised to see us), we are fully getting into the swing of Argentinian life and have learned the following things:

- Buenos Aires is a fantastic city to visit and feels like a Spanish/Mediterranean city but with a bit more of an edge.

- Being a pedestrian is a challenge.

- Evita is buried somewhere in the Recoleta cemetery (if anyone knows where then let us know).

- There are very few coins as the bus companies only take coins and then apparently hoard them (Ross has begun hoarding coins as well and is very pleased with his very small, almost worthless stash but is yet to decide what to do with them).

- Porteños (the citizens of BA) are very friendly but speak a type of Spanish that is quite hard to understand.

- Beware of hanging branches when on open top buses... particularly if drinking a bottle of water and wearing light coloured trousers.

- Argentinians like drums.

- The red wine is very good and cheap, the cheese and ice cream is expensive.

- If you order a sirloin steak, you will be served almost an entire cow and you will eat it all because it is amazing!

Tomorrow we begin a week at Spanish school where Ross hopes to progress beyond ordering two beers in Spanish.

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Comments

[Geoff]

Hi I've only just realized that there is a section on your blog which gives us the opportunity to comment. I've been logging in and reading your blog randomly to-date but have now gone back to read from the start. Buenos Aires looks and sounds fantastic beats the flooded West Country hands down. Love your humour, keep it up. Geoff