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Tango Culture
Entry 106 of 140 | show all | print this entry |
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Well, I´ve finally made it to South America and it feels a little wierd. I just realized when I looked at the map that I´ve surpassed my circumnavigation of the planet - I´m now farther East than when I started and am two hours ahead of New York time.
Wierd.
The flight from Auckland was largely uneventful and I arrived at my chosen hostel without issue. Unfortunately, the jetlag was pretty bad and I spent the first few days sleeping when I wasn´t supposed to and staring at the ceiling when I was. Twelve hours flight time + crossing the international date line and arriving five hours before you left = grumpiness. The fact that a 10:30PM dinner is early hasn´t helped me to adjust either. I had one good night, but then fell back into the routine of falling asleep at 6AM and sleeping until 2PM. Ugh.
The weather here was great for my first few days. Days were warm and sunny and nights slightly cooler, perhaps 75F with a slight breeze that brought everyone out into the streets and squares. The next few days, however, have reminded me that I'm in South American during summer. Temperatures have soared to over 95F during the days and nights have also been hottt and stikckky.
I decided to stay in an area of Buenos Aires called San Telmo, which is south of the city center but an easy walk to the metro. The neighborhood was a fashionable place until 1870 when a series of epidemics over 20 years drove the rich to higher grounds. What remains is the shell of former mansions and public buildings...many of which have been restored after being subdivided for immigrant shelters a century ago. The tango culture is alive and well here and we caught a show in one of the countless squares while having a quick hamburgeusa y choppe.
I can´t say that I´ve accomplished much more than recovering from my flight and planning my next steps. I had several options on my mind, but basically arrived here without a plan. After discussing my options endlessly (you know how I am), I decided to fly all the way south to Ushuaia and work my way back north through Tiera del Fuego, the Parques Nationales in Argentina and Chile, the Lakes Region and finally up through Mendoza where ~80% of Arg´s wine is produced. So, Sunday morning I fly to the southern-most city on the planet!
I really haven´t bothered to get out & see that much or take many photos. Buenos Aires is shaping up to be the Bangkok of South America for me....I´ll probably be through here two or three times as I scurry around AND I´ve been here briefly before.
Adios!
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