First Impressions: Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires really reminds me of traveling in Asia's developing nations... I know it must be some sort of travel writing no-no to do this sort of compare/contrast exercise, but I guess for me, it really put me at ease since BA seems quite familiar already.
Continuing with my rags-to-riches/hi-lo travel style, I had my hostel arrange a private car pickup at the airport so I wouldn't have to deal with finding the bus or taxi. So when I arrived, there was the guy holding a sign with my name on it! And the drive from EZE to city center involved a lot of lane-swerving and tailgating. Driving strategy- that's the first similarity.
BA has, all at the same time, modern buildings, historic charm, and a touch of nostalgia. It's the touch of nostalgia that really reminds me of Wong Kar-wai's film "Happy Together" which was set here. Things are a bit dirty, a bit smelly, and very humid here!
I love how the streets always have people on them, at all hours of the day. That's one thing I miss a lot in the US. There was sort of a tango dance-off in the middle of a pedestrian street tonight.
I couldn't decide what to eat, and so by about 10pm, I finally settled on a mall's food court - the "safe" choice for tourists. I had a steak sandwich, and then gelato at a chain called Freddo. My three flavors were: dulce de leche, pomelo y torrontes (torrontes is a white wine grape, as I learn now that I'm googling), and sambayon (which I'm also learning now, is some kind of custard/cream with white wine...it just sounded interesting at the time). I wasn't wowed by my Freddo gelato...but hopefully over the next week I can try other gelaterias in Buenos Aires and compare!
