Tendi hurts, huge shopping mall, subway orphans...
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2008
1
13
28
Trip End
Feb 08, 2008
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Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Monday, February 4, 2008
Day Seven Monday Feb 04, 2008
Each day we are prompted, properly and quite naturally to promptly arise, address and acquiesce to 17 or more hours of a life-cycle reversed from that of home - not that we require the prompt. There is an alluring seascape of blues overhead with occasional spotted wisps of wave-cap whiteheads breaking the monochrome. The construction crews in the city take their turns at solos and combinations repeating the phrasing of the season's score. An elevator in the passageway of our building gives off a sort of 'contented when used' purrrrr and finally in succession one can hear the faint reminder of other occupants herein as water is disposed of signifying night-time urges have been relieved or showers are running. A dog barks; few birds are heard in this district, yet we are surrounded by trees.
Breakfast is eaten in, mucho fresh fruit, cereal of the land and whatever surprises we dug up at the local grocery stores. One find yesterday was fresh figs and they are consumed ravenously as we hadn't had one for years. Oh, that is correct we haven't. Where can one get a fresh fig in Canada? Where can one find an non French speaker who can understand the French language spoken in Canada? Same answer to both and rhymes with nowhere.
A peaceful place to rest in the morning.
After breakfast I am on the telephone arranging a boat and bus tour of Montevideo in Uruguay and a night out to explore Famous Criminals, Ghosts and Tragic Love Affairs. Afterward, it is a slow morning as it should be in this country. The unwritten non-rules are that one lives for the night and spends the morning sleeping in, drinking coffee with a continental breakfast a newspaper and at all costs be outside at a corner cafe in order to do this. This is where the Paris of S.America comes in - in part; there are many other similarities as I am reporting. Ingrid is now off shopping for 1/2 hour or so, across the street, giving me time to ice my ankle, elevate it and stuff and wait for the return confirmation calls. Then we plan on visiting the Argentina's largest duty free shopping center/factory outlet where I hope to do some internetting whilst Ingrid does her favorite thing.New problems from my fall. Inexplicably the left uninjured ankle is swollen considerable and the instep is bruising strongly. It is concerning both of us, as it can restrain our walking and visiting if it gets worse. Also, with little sustained sleep, I do need to catch up but don't want to as it means missing an hour or more of this amazing vacation. Finally to conclude my complaints, my head is pounding from too much sun! I wore 50 sunblock lotion and my hat often; but now I realize that I didn't wear it often enough. Anyway, nurse Ingrid continues stoically to change dressings to ensure I don't get infected; she puts up with my moaning (sometimes serious), and of course wonders if I fell purposely in order to avoid taking Tango lessons!
On other matters, I find it relatively simple to keep track of days, the formula goes like this:
If I hear Ingrid vacuuming, then I know it is not Tuesday or Friday because those are the days the maid comes; if I recall her doing it the day before then it must be Wednesday or Saturday, (she is cleaning what the cleaners didn't clean to her standards of course).
Fig
Thursday the apartment would be clean by her standards!. Why wouldn't I think it is Sunday under the same logic? Simple, Sunday is bereft of the cacophony of construction noise humming like traffic at a lower pitch outside. And, it is a day of rest and Ingrid wouldn't want to disturb other tenants. So today must be Monday, having accounted for all the other days. OK, shopping center is now done. They offer free transportation which we found out once we had taken a taxi out at a cost of 1/4 of the Argentinian GDP or thereabouts (actually taxis are relatively cheap in
BA; however, it did take us a good 1/2 hour to get there door to door). The 'place' is called the Unida Center and is west of the city passing through Las Canitas. In addition to free bus service-return, they also provide a free lunch to all visitors. Now, THAT is marketing. Mind you, the center is to BA like going to see the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa. About the same distance, just no free lunch or nuttin' at Senator games.And what a center, it is worth the visit just to see how they approach their marketing and the different types of products offered. We did buy. I purchased a pair of flip-flops to replace the ones I bought in Brazil almost 8 years ago and haven't been able to find again anything like them in Canada. Also acquired at a very good price a pair of leather hush-puppy moccasin loafers and two t-shirts made of wonderfully soft Brazilian cotton that again cannot be duplicated by anything available in Canada. Ingrid picked a t-shirt also, a sleeveless vest-jacket in white and then, THE item every woman wants to acquire from here: an Argentinian Leather Handbag. In this case, it is a very stylish and contemporary slouch bag in dynamic red.
Supper tonight is Argentinian fillet mignon at the corner restaurant, eating outside with a bottle of local red to drink fully, partially or not at all. Ingrid drank it all. We return at 10:30 pm in time to prepare for tomorrow's trip to Uruguay and also for the ultimate romantic epilogue to the day: putting a load of laundry on. Fortunately the laundry room is on the penthouse floor next to the pool. Can't ask for anything more enticing that that. We thought of puring detergent into the pool, jumping in and having a clothes fight -but then one of us sobered up!
