Guidebooks for the blind
Trip Start
Apr 17, 2006
1
26
44
Trip End
Jun 14, 2006
Santa Fe, Wild West,
Argentina
Friday, May 19, 2006
I arrived at Santa Fe (oh what hilarity is offered forth by the sharing of place names between the American continents!) as darkness drew in, and paid a visit to the tourist info point at the bus station to get the lowdown. However, lowdowns are obviously in short supply in Santa Fe - in fact, I´m fairly convinced the guy in the booth didn't actually work there, but had just come in off the street for a sit down and a fag
Anyone got a life ring?
. The usual generic touristy questions like can I have a map of the city and can you recommend a cheap hotel evidently proved too much for him so I tried the simpler "where are the toilets?" at which point he asked me where I was from. Not the usual response, I don't believe - are there perhaps different toilets for foreigners? Dirtier ones for the English?Now, according to my guidebook, the city´s tourist offices are "extremely helpful" - the first piece of evidence that the only place my guidebook was guiding me in Santa Fe was up the garden path. After a bit of cycling around a few nearby blocks which seemed to consist mainly of parking lots, petrol stations and garages (guidebook: "this is one of the oldest cities in Argentina"), I found a hotel that I recognised from the cheaper end of the guidebook's list. However, it turned out to be far too expensive. I therefore set out to locate a compansatorily cheap dinner - a couple of empanadas would do the trick perfectly. I set my heart on this quest and stubbornly asked in every sort of shop and eating establishment you could imagine but somehow, none sold them. Then, finally, after asking in about 20 places, I came across "Empanadaland", or its equivalent. Was my search finally over? Alas no - they told me to come back on half an hour.
The next morning I had a look around the old bit of the city which was actually quite nice and almost tempted me to stay another day. However, everywhere I wanted to go was shut (guidebook: "an unforgettable stay") and when I tried a different tourist office to see if they might be able to help me find a more economical bed, it was completely closed down. At this point I decided that it was time to take a ruthless knife to my losses and beat a retreat. But how could I leave without seeing the "beautiful promenade" (said the guidebook)? As you can see from the photo, it was well worth the detour.
Miles munched: about 150 - what a day!
