Buenos Aires

Phew. Our 9th and final bus ride brought us into Buenos Aires (BA) this morning. The bus arrived at 9:30am and we took a taxi to our lodgings. Thanks to Travelocity, I was able to find a hotel for around the same price we'd pay for two in a hostel-and this hotel was in Recoleta neighborhood, had carpet, and pictures if the bathroom looked like a piece of heaven. 

For me, this is my 3rd time in BA. I worked on a project here less than three years ago. Since I stayed in Recoleta when I was here last, I wanted to be in the same neighborhood for a reference point. I remember being able to walk to everything and feeling safe. Besides, I know where to get ice cream and when lost, the Recoleta cemetery is a well known reference point. In retrospect, it is also the expensive part of town and thus even with a cheap hotel room, restaurants in the surrounding area are out of our price range. 

Although check in wasn't for another 3 hours, our room was ready and we were allowed to check in. I am so thankful for early check in. Again and again they afford us a full day of sightseeing. This hotel room feels like heaven to me. It is clean-really clean. I can walk around in my socks without my black socks turning white from dust/dirt. I can relax in this space. Now, this is probably only a 3 star hotel but remember, I've been in freezing cold hostels. I should probably mention that the hotel room was nice and warm when we arrived. Check our this bathroom. (Yes, another bidet.)

And Chris says the bed is the biggest he's ever seen. He decided to spread out so you could see the size of it. 

I know. I know. To all you reading the blog, doesn't look like anything special. In fact, the odd placed headboards make you wonder. But there is full water pressure. Maid service. Bath AND hand towels plus one for the floor. Civilization-here we come. 

The Castilian accent is VERY STRONG in BA. I've had trouble understanding folks and I'm familiar with the accent. The language is fast and syllables are swallowed. And the "ll" is more of "zh." For those of you who speak the language. 

We then headed out to see the city-really in search of a place to get laundry done. The past few days had been so chilly (in Chile), that we were both out of layers. We could smell ourselves as we arrived into BA. We walked up the street in search of a lavandería, which we found. $5 for 3 kg. I could get used to this. Chris needed some coffee (which consumption has increased in this "cafe" culture). We stopped in this adorable cafe for the AM coffee/tea special with Medialunas (crossants).

Since the cafe had free wi-Fi, we both read up on BA. We bought & downloaded a kindle guide to the city, hoping it would provide us with up to date information. It's written by the guy who writes the gringo in BA blog. It was not what we were looking for, but alas is what we have. (We are not "night out on the town" type of people and couldn't care less about nightlife.) But we both sat there, Chris on his iPhone, me on my Kindle reading away. Sometimes i wonder what strangers think of us when we both sit together at a cafe, engrossed in our technology. 

Off we headed to Taco Box for lunch. I was hungry hungry. Plus, love me some Mexican and I was flustered with prices. We walked about....25 blocks to Taco Box. And this is the fabulous lunch we had. 

I was so excited. We got a meal for two. It was delicious. And the meal was going to be under $20-a price point we have not been able to hit while in Argentina. Again, we used the internet to upload blog posts. To look at map and to find a place for dinner. The bill came and I was apalled!! Look at this bill (yes, so upset I took a picture).

For those of you who do not read Spanish-we were charged 24 pesos as a sitting fee!! This was not high real estate. And it's not like we didn't order a full meal. We were charged $3 for using a table!!! I did NOT hit my price point. 

Since we were near the Parque 3 de Febrero, we decided to walk around. I told Chris stories about last time I was in BA (we had just started dating long distance and had not yet seen each other in person since starting to date). We walked pass embassy row. Past the MALBA (museum) and up into Recoleta, to the area in front if the cemetery. Quick stop by the tourist office for an up to date map & then I showed him the cafe where I used to sit outside and work. 

And there it was-the ice cream shop on the corner. I'd frequent it most nights to get my dulce de leche ice cream fix. Oh that place was good to me. 

We walked down the street my hotel was on. Some things were the same (the Asian run grocery store across the street) and other things were new (souvenir shops). It was nice to be in a familiar place after the last 3 weeks of unfamiliarity. However, without the corporate credit card, I can no longer afford the familiarity. 

As the sun was going down I needed more layers do we returned to the Wilton. We took a break. Chris watched TV. I read my book and we waited to be hungry to go to dinner. We checked out the hotel's amenities and the 14th story "deck." We also discovered free bottled water in the fitness center and filled up our bottles. 

We ate at Cumana. A local favorite in Recoleta. We were so proud-going to dinner at 9pm with the locals. In the past we've been the first or second couple in a restaurant at 7pm. There was a line but we got right in. The place had ambiance. Wooden tables. A candle. Crayons to color on the butcher block paper table covering. There was a Moscoto on the menu. Chris did the math and said a bottle was cheaper than a glass. He was willing to drink white wine with me, sweet white wine. 

To be truthful, I'm not sure what I ordered. The first thing I ordered had olives in it. I've learned to ask the waiter was we've had olives on strange things. He suggested something else-pointed to the neighbor's food for reference. It looked good. I ordered it. When it came, I was even happier. 

In a clay pot, hunks of steak, sweet potato, spaghetti squash all in a sauce with cheese on top. Chris, however was not so fortunate and had tenderized chicken (flat chicken) breaded with cheese on top. 

I enjoy the long, leisurely meals. The waiter isn't attentive-you flag him down if you need something. A bill is not brought until you ask for it. There is no rush. We had a 2 hour dinner, without appetizers or dessert. 

The best part of the night (besides the appropriately priced dinner) was returning to our hotel room. I'm not sure how to express the joy of returning to a space where we both feel relaxed. Where our belongings can sit on the bathroom counter and we are not afraid of our stuff touching the floor. 

This is me, with new statues in front of Recoleta cemetery. 

Other point of interest: when in Mendoza, Chris was really craving juice. Since we were at the Supermarket, he bought some. I do not do well with juice on a good day, let alone when on public transportation so I never had any. I asked Chris how it was and he said strong. That when we arrived in BA he would probably add some water to it and like it better. In the hotel room in BA, I looked at the label and noticed it said 6L. Ah, the pieces all came together. Chris had been drinking concentrate. We needed that good laugh first thing this morning.