I’ve had just short of two weeks to make an impression on Buenos Aires. Some would say it’s had just short of two weeks to make an impression on me.
Either way, time has been ticking and I figured it’s high time I let you in on a few of the things I’ve taken note of when it comes to BsAs. Firstly, they were not kidding… Argentina is incredible in a lot of ways. Beef, Wine, Women, Pizza, and Ice Cream are but a few of the highlights… I’m still waiting to get to a Tango show but I’d be willing to bet that will be amazing as well.
Culture shock was predictably less intense in Argentina in comparison to Indonesia; the country is quite a bit wealthier over-all. For reference I’d say that an Argentine ghetto is similar economically to the whole of Indonesia, though plagued with much worse drug use from what I’ve heard and seen (my first-hand experience is extremely limited due to the safety hazards of Buenos Aires ghettos — I’m playing the safe & secure card)
I’ve relocated from a lovely little hostel to a small barrio (neighbourhood) called Palermo Soho (For you Google Maps users/abusers: http://tinyurl.com/hort-in-ba) which is definitely upscale in comparison to most of the City, surrounded by lots of fashion shops, bars, etc. I chose it because most of the friends I’ve made live here, as well as there being a good nightlife scene and it being a “younger” part of town in terms of habitants. Truly a nice area and somewhere most anyone would be happy to stay, I’d wager.
I moved in on March 1st so as of this posting I’ve been here three days, and so far so good. The landlord and his girlfriend are nice people who have allowed us to stay out of the way for the most part. Who’s us? Before moving down here I was perusing Expat forums and made a few friends ahead of time to make sure that I could hit the ground bars running, and so one of those friends and I live together here in perpendicular doorways to each other. Estibaliz and I have become good friends, and seeing she’s from Mexico, I’ve had a leg up on the competition when it comes to getting around the city, what with her being fluent in Spanish and all. We have the entire bottom floor to ourselves, a connecting staircase to the second floor where a kitchen is shared, and from there one more balcony connects us to a huge patio — life is good.
More to come; specifically on Wine, Beef, and Pizza.
