Casa Alfaro B B Buenos Aires

Hola a todos!

Time to start this very overdue blog entry!! I have been beyond busy with the holidays, midterms, Hillel, exploring more of the city and seeing friends that every time I thought about sitting down to write another entry I just wanted to go to sleep!!

Santiago de Chile: A few weeks ago a few friends and I took a 20 hour bus ride to Santiago de Chile for the weekend. The bus was for sure an experience in itself, but for all of you who ...

... somewhere?

On the way back we stopped by a supermarket for some grub, we had discovered that we can ill afford to eat in restaurants every night here so back to basics and student food for tea. Settled in for a night of more metallica etc after our tuna pasta concoction and planned some more of our onward travels.

The next day we did little but I managed to order a steak and a beer at a local cafe which was quite an achievement, now I am set. It has actually been quite ...

... Rolling Stones on our travels, very entertaining. Ken and I managed to get some fabulous cow hides and I love my one but I have not thought of an appropriate name for her yet, need some ideas please. When we got back from shopping I was straight into meetings with James ( My Managing Director) followed by 2 Board meetings on conference call. I then had 3 minutes to change and run out the door for a lovely dinner before getting back here after midnight and ...

... although there was nothing micro about how tired we were after the several hours it took to walk it all!! It was pretty big for a micro centrre! The city is beautiful. We took in various sections of it and including the cemetry where Eva Peron was buried. That was a bit strange as it was huge with lots of stray cats living there. The cemetry is located in quite a wealthy area so in the evenings you see lots and lots of dog walkers walking ...

... 1) Change--as in coins. This is really hilarious. Most of the world just 'throws' these away. Here people hoard coins. There is actually a black-market for them-- you can sell 100 pesos worth of coins for no less than 110 pesos! No joke. See, rumor has it that the government is not issuing more coins. And the only way you can take a bus is to have coins. The bus system is integral to Buenos Aires-- and no, there ...

... been permanently impounded or sent back from whence it came. It all was a delicate game of knowing who, when, and how much to give. In this respect, I view Argentine customs bribing as a traditional art form and an integral part of the culture, something held by locals with the same regard and respect as the Japanese have for their traditional Tea Ceremony. Going in and waving around dollar bills in the customs office would be like your geisha serving you with milk and two and an ...

... impressive in the world not that we have made a habit of visiting many. Last night we visited our first Tango show and Cafe Tortoni, one of the oldest tango cafes in Buenos Aires. It is just as we had imagined with waiters, all in their 60s buzzing around with trays of drinks and foods the only thing that is missing from the 1930s is the smoke filled room as BA restaurants, whilst not completely smoke free, do at least segregate smokers. We both like ...

... beautiful to watch! For 15 pesos per person the dance class was really fun and enjoyable. We are so glad that we did this! www.torquatotasso.com.ar Other students brought their regular shoes with them and changed when the class was over. We, however, walk outside on the cobblestone streets, and I am barely able to walk in these not-quite-the-right-size old shoes. We see a mass of people carrying flags and banners and hear loud drums one ...

... ended when they lost the Falklands War). The saga still has some distance left to run because the husband & wife currently have their remains in different parts of the city.

The guide also explained all about another conspiracy about President Peron syphoning off millions of the ...

... this. We try out the reclining system and find it lies back fully to make a flat bed. The motor coach leaves exactly on time. Shortly afterwards our hot dinner arrives, not exactly gourmet, but of sufficient quantity and quality to satisfy. It's even served with wine, though judging by the taste, it is pure plonk, but certainly good enough for getting you drowsy. The DVD movie is not working well, so with such comfort, we are all soon asleep.