Friday, May 29, 2009

The most amazing 20 pesos I have spent yet...

I spent 13 pesos on fruits and vegetables...this gringa needs her healthy food. Let me break this down for you. For 13 glorious pesos I purchased:
1 Pear
1 Tomato
1 Avocado
1 Tangarine
1 Lemon
3 bananas
Let me take it further. Today, according to xe.com, 13 Pesos is equal to 3.47. For a paltry 3 dollars I am in verdura paradise, in fact as I type this entry I am kicking myself for not buying a few more pears, I've already devoured this one...the lady did tell me they were muy rica, always listen when they tell you something is muy rica, they're right.

As for the other 7 pesos, I bought a Mini Guia. Now for all you extranjeros, a Mini Guia is my savior, it is my primitive GPS system for Buenos Aires and each of its suburbs...it is my Argentine Anado (related to my American Anado...thats my GPS for those lost right now). Anyhow, in this tiny pocket sized booklet are maps, metro lines and schedules, train routes and schedules, Colectivo (thats what they call the bus here) schedules and routes. I'm not focused on the schedules because everything is late here. I care about the routes. Since Thursday I've felt like they dropped me off in the middle of no where, which is kind of true. With my amazing mini Guia I have achieved emancipation, when I feel like leaving the house that is.

So there, these have been my most prized 20 pesos spent so far and that was the best pear I've ever eaten. Hands down.

Day One, or two,,,depending on how you look at it.

So this is my second day in Argentina and I have yet to meander out of my nice, quaint, quiet suburb but that will soon change. But first a little update.

Yesterday I arrived at this house that would go for a fortune in the U.S. and is super upper class by Latin American standards. We have 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a maid room, a guest house, a pool, and heated floors so the house is always warm, a rarity in Southern Cone winters. But what did I do...you guess it take a nap. A glorious nap. Then I hijacked some glorious internet, and decided hey, maybe I should eat. So I went to Carrefour. 177 pesos later I only had a handful of items and was confused as to how people around me were spending a mere 40 and 50 pesos, I must learn their secret. I made an Argentine-esque dinner at home of milanesa, pasta, and some kick ass pasta sauce and called it a day with an amazing $3 bottle of Malbec by my side. Yeah, be jealous...that wine was delicious.


Today, I had all intentions of waking up early and heading off for a run then seizing the day and that kind of happened. I woke late (my phone was on silent, so the alarm didn't go off) and was almost deterred to run, but the fact that I've done nothing but eat here lately motivated me to strap on the ipod and put on the running tights. I'm glad I did. On my run, aside from an in traffic marriage proposal, I found the train station, Santa Fe Avenue, which has all the buses, a fruit and veggie stand, and for the bad days that will inevitably come...a chocolatier. So my run paid off and I burned a few calories.

I have the following goals for today/the weekend, I'll keep you posted on their attainment:
1. Buy juice, fruits, and veggies
2. Buy a cellular
3. Find the water front
4. Venture to the microcenter
5. Make a decent dinner under 20 pesos
6. Maybe go to the movies, I'm still so tired from my flight

Next week I think I'll go to Uruguay on Saturday...its like a 50 minute bus ride. Insanity.

Miss you Kiss you.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Blogging Blind

Because I feel that paying 7.95 for internet in an international airport is ludicrous, I’m blogging blind (a la Yoani Sanchez’s GeneraciĆ³n Y blog…check it out) and will post tomorrow. So despite what the blog says, this entry is for May 27th, my day of departure. How exciting is that?! So, I’m actually amazed by the number of people of color that are in my little terminal area! I think they’re all Brazilian, but whatever…hooray for melanin.

So I find it amusing that my flight had a 17 minute long tarmac wait in COLUMBIA, yes Columbia’s Metropolitan Airport with a whopping 16 gates had me sitting on the grey for 17 minutes waiting for clearance. What a way to start my trip…So on the flight I got an exit row (score! Extra legroom) and no see partner (score! No pointless conversations); the one downside of my journey was the screaming British child behind me who made plan noises the entire 44 minutes of the flight. After arriving in Atlanta, considering I have 2 hours to kill, I have actually walked the concourse instead of taking that metro thing. There’s actually some pretty cool artwork in there…NASA photos of the universe to be exact, a very odd thing to have in the airport but I guess we’re just going for an overall sky theme.

Sidebar: Listening to an Argentine woman ask a Japanese man “Esta chino”…shakes head. I look forward to the political incorrectness of Latin America.

Back to my blog entry, passing through the Concourse there was a ton of troops in uniforms, and I mean a TON…they occupy over half of the concourse. I guess they’re off to you know where as well as Korea, which may be the next “you know where” at the current rate. That depressed me but they’re in my thoughts.

So, what to expect in Argentina. Clearly more fanny packs, bad hair cuts, and puffy pants form judging from my waiting area. And…of course. Conversation, as strangers chat up one another, I’m always amazed by the openness and simultaneous conservatism displayed by Latin Americans. Anyhow, enough blogging. Off to talk to my darling, have a glass of vino tinto, and give one last beso to the U.S. before getting on my flight.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Calm Before the Storm

Number crunching. Nail biting. Packing and Repacking. Packing and Unpacking. These are all of the signs of pre-travel anxiety, excitement, and eagerness for the adventure that lies ahead. I plan on chronicling my travels, adventures, and experiences in Argentina. Even though I'll be working...I plan on travelling and eating a lot, hence the blog that will sometimes be singular words, videos, pictures, whatever...the important thing is that you'll get the point.

So, tomorrow my flight leaves at 5:34pm from Columbia, then to Atlanta, then off to the mystery that continues to be Buenos Aires. I have a few days to kill before work so I plan on taking care of the logisitics: buying a drink, map, food, and confidence...thats's what the drink was for. On Friday I plan on doing a walking tour of the city, buying an Argentine cellular device, and taking some photos...maybe even figuring out my trip to Iguazu Falls.

Yes, Igazu Falls. Will be my first solo adventure on my first long weekend. I plan on bussing up and flying back, as with my trip to Mendoza as that saves me money and time. Its a comprimise, plus in Latin America you can buy one way flights that are literally half the fare of the normal fare. Smart huh?


Fears: Despite the awesomeness of this adventure there are some il(logical) fears that I have that include:
Being mistaken for a Brazilian and having people speak Portuguese that I can't respond to very well to them, not being able to run because of the cold, ordering some random beef part instead of steak, getting lost on the subte, getting bitten by some mystery bug in the Amazon, and the list goes on.

Excitement: Being in Buenos Aires so I get a European vacation and a Latin American adventure rolled into one, which guarentees absurdity, good food, and a good story to tell you all when I get back. See you in 3 months!