Buenos Aires
Trip Start
Mar 01, 2006
1
253
551
Trip End
Dec 01, 2007
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Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Monday, January 29, 2007
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I got in Buenos Aires late in the morning. All I knew was that I was at the Retiro bus terminal, and that I should look for cheap accomodation in the San Telmo area.
I'm seriously getting in the habit of not planning anymore before I get somewhere. It is quite easy here, as people and services are reliable. So I found a map of the city, walked out of the terminal and found the city buses. I asked my way around, got in the right bus, and ended up somewhere in San Telmo. I walked around, found a hostel, settled there.
After lunch, off for a quick walk in the city center, to Plaza San Martin, looking for a bookshop. I found a real good one, with lots of choice, old and recent books. I bought one to have something to read in spanish. I also got a copy of the LP argentina. It is over a year old, but all I need is the maps and the descriptions of places of interest. I usually don't use the "sleeping" section, and almost never the "eating" or "drinking" ones.
There are huge buildings in this city, large avenues, its a bit of an European feel, with little things that tell you you are in south anerica. The people are a bit less relaxed than in Mendoza, but everything still seems very quiet compared to western cities. The small streets are paved and keep a bit of fresh air, while the summer sun heats up the avenues. On Plaza San Martin there were heaps of people just hanging out, having an ice cream or lying in the grass.
The street from San Martin to my hostel is lined with antique dealers, there are a lot of great stuff there, ancient but less bulky (they don't have all the huge furniture stock) than in Europe).
After hanging out for just 30 minutes in my hostel, I found out that the most widespread language there was... french! Arghhhh, gotta go somewhere else!
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Comments
compared to western cities?
''people are a bit less relaxed than in Mendoza, but everything still seems very quiet compared to western cities.''
pardon???? Since WHEN Buenos Aires is not a 'western' city????????????? I thought it was even more in the west than Paris....
Re: compared to western cities?
Well, I didn't write an encyclaopedia, but rather the way I very subjectively felt everyday.
Maybe a start of an explanation: I realized later that I had arrived in the middle of Summer. It was hot, calm, cool, so pleasant, so relaxed... even more than Paris in summer...