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Published: September 13th 2006
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On Wednesday Andrew and I signed up for a game of soccer organised by the hostel. There were eight of us all up (me, Andrew, 3 Chileans, an Englishman, a Brazilian and an Argentinean) which meant a game of 4-on-4. Lule (our hostel host) hailed us a cab and off we went to an outdoor inner city futbol turf. We played indoor rules on an area the size of a basketball court and had miniature goals. Our team reigned supreme and I think the other guys were a bit shocked that they lost to a team with a girl on it (granted we did have the silky smooth skills of our Chilean friend Manuel, also the ping pong champion, on our side). The game lasted over an hour and was not only a lot of fun but was also some much needed exercise. We now plan to stay on in the hostel and await our rematch next week.
On Thursday we headed out to Recoleta (a slightly more up market barrio) to check out the "city of the dead" in their famous cemetery where the wealthy lay to rest in these small tombs built to hold their family. The cemetery
was unbelievable, not only in its size and atmosphere but also in the detail on some of the acropolises (see pictures). Unfortunately some of the sites had been vandalised with graffiti and others had been broken into for the small ornaments that were on display. It was a bit spooky to be so close to coffins that contained decaying human remains as some coffins were within arm reach behind glass windows, with some of the windows no longer intact. We ended up leaving the cemetery before we made our way to Evita´s tomb, but there’s only so many graves you can take in.
That night we headed out to dinner with the English couple, Chris and Laura, two German girls and a girl from London. Unbeknown to us we were headed to the best steak house in the city, with prices to prove it. After taking a look at the menu, and after scoffing down some complimentary bread and empanadas, I decided to go with the salad to save a few pesos while Andrew, surprise, surprise, went for the rump. The dinner was alright, although Argentina still hasn’t quite figured out how to make a good salad, and the
company pleasant. But when the bill arrived at a total of $700 pesos we all gasped. Apparently the complimentary snacks were in fact $16 pesos each and the water was also charged out at $5 pesos a bottle. So after staring at the bill for some time we decided not to split hairs and to part with $100 pesos each (even though my meal would have only cost $60 pesos, but who’s counting). Andrew and I have now learnt our lesson and have been eating cheap the last few days.
Friday was a pretty uneventful day as we just went shopping to ensure we had some decent clothes to go clubbing with if we decided to head out that night. As it turns out we still haven’t gone out and the dress code is pretty casual anyway. Friday night was supposed to be burgers at the hostel bar, although it would seem they were not prepared for the turnout with some people having to go without and the two of us only getting a small burger each. Since we were still hungry we headed out to a 24hr kiosco to grab a cheap dinner of super panchos (hotdogs), and
then back to the hostel for drinks.
The next day we went out to one of the city’s nature reserves for and hours bike ride along the river bank and around the reserve. Over here the city is pretty quiet over the weekend as it is pretty much family time for Argentinean families and the do activities together. The reserve itself was a bit busy with families and couples getting their share of nature, although to be honest, the reserve was nothing in comparison to what we have back home, with no decent sized trees and the river was a murky brown from years of pollution. The bike ride was still enjoyable though, and on our way back we stopped off to watch kids showing off their soccer skills.
We’ve also been hanging out in the hostel each day trying to practice our Spanish, but after walking around all day siestas do become tempting so we haven’t practiced as much as we should. We also spend quite a bit of time talking to the other people here and listening to their plans while away from home. At the moment we’re booked in for another two weeks here, so
I guess it’ll be more of the same next couple of weeks.
Until next time.
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Ema
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Futbol and all that
Kia ora Trace, Great to have some more news. Really appreciating the differences in yours and Andrews stlyes of writing. Keep up the chatter. Life is hum drum at home and wish I was there too. However your descriptions are fun and it is like being there with you. Lots of love. Wishing you enough. na Ema