Argentina Part 3: Buenos Aires

This will be a monster post as it was just over 2 weeks that I spent there. That kind of gives away the end. This will also be the last part of the blog from the current trip, although it will be regularly update when I step abroad again.

I arrived in BA and walked to the hostel. I could not draw any money. Problems with my credit cards. Well nationwide would have to fuck me one last time or it would not be my trip. Only this time it was my fault. I rang the bank. Nobody had told me that you can only draw half of the value of your credit card in cash. Shit. I had 37 quid left. Nevermind they could extend my limit by 700 quid on the spot, giving me 350 quid more cash. Fucking unbelievable. One month ago they want to take away my overdraft and now they want to give me 700 quid more. Good to see the Janus heads of nationwide are in harmony. No wonder they had a banking crisis. I sorted that out and then found out I had to pay the hostel in cash. Crap. I needed to find somewhere I could stay on my card if I was to find work. This was becoming squeaky bum time. Could I even operate in this environment. I was going to need to live off of my card and use cash only for the essentials. I even wrote 'can I make this work?' in my book. On the plus side there were two Brazilians and a Colombian in my dorm. Excellent. Cheapest dorm in BA and you get cable tv in your room lol. Excellent. Winter olympics were on, not that I ended up watching much of it. I wrote 'Go home or work it? Maybe enough cash to live 1-2 months, 1 month to find it.' Hmm should have guessed where this was going to end. I walked the streets to an English language meeting and the radio in BA is really good. Was a fun little meet up with three English guys and three Argentine girls. One guy had even managed to live in South America for 5 years without really working. Thats impressive. His hoboness far outstrips mine. We grabbed a free drink, though the barman took a while to agree to giving me a coke. Sebastian was the other guy and we would end up hanging out a fair bit in BA.

I walked back around 6am and this would become the norm in BA. In 16 days there I went to sleep before 2am once and that was this day, a saturday of all days. I had no sleep and a bread roll breakfast because I was going to need to start to work. I applied for jobs all day and one company would require a legal visa for me to work. Shit. In summary others offered me irregular hours and crap salaries to work on the black market, others said they had to promise the Argentine government not to assist foreigners who wanted visas. I decided I should apply to Colombia as well, but I left in my cv that said I was applying in BA (my attention to detail is shocking lol) and they got pissy with me. Oh well I killed that route stone dead at birth. I abandoned the days search and went off to meet a ballerina and her friends for a tour of BA. We went to Recoleta cemetary and then to the touristy end of La Boca. Its been scrubbed up and painted for the tourists and did not look too rough. Of course at this point I did not know I had been taken to the sanitised end of the barrio. It smelt of dead fish though. The Belgian girl brought up the topic of the Falklands. Cheers for that. Neither me nor the Argentine really wanted to talk about it much and in the end I was too tired to join this Colombian girl in the evening.

The next day was sunday so I took some rest and went to join another Colombian girl for Chinese new year. She was a really cool girl. I had missed the Colombian relaxedness that the Argentines often replace with histerica. Me and her friend went and saw the dragons dance. I think its a little less big there than in London's Chinatown. We had parilla in San Telmo and I was slowly getting used to BA's barrios. The places where the tourists stay are a little too gimmicky or clean for me, which is becoming a trend. I am really drifting towards the more real and edgy barrios of cities. Not that BA has any barrios that are edgy. San Telmo is a cool Boho neighbourhood to wander around in though and we saw some tango in the streets. I found Corrientes which is the Broadway of BA. Then I returned to San Telmo to meet Karina and a big group of random people. There was an Estonian guy who said I should join him for tango but we never managed to meet up. They were drinking in the streets and eventually we found a Brazilian samba band and shuffled samba behind them into a larger street where everyone was shooting each other with foam for carnival. Was quite the gun fight while I tried in vain to protect my choripan from foam. I was getting lots of offers of help finding work and everyone was failing to deliver lol. Its like those sliding, half meant promises. Damn they annoy me. If I say I will do something, I do it regardless of if I want to, if I am ill or if I am almost dead. Its imperative you keep your word. I was spending too fast and really should be moving hostels but I decided to stay there a couple more nights.

I spent another 6 hours looking for work. By this point I think I had applied to every school there and was becoming increasingly disillusioned. Some companies would employ me if I had a Temporary Residents Permit but I don't think that was going to be easy to get (Will make sure I get one when I go back though). At this point I was concluding it may be easier to regroup at home. Or even take a bus north and visit a few places before flying back from Colombia or Venezuela etc. Or even see Paraguay, Iguazu and Uruguay. Shit system. Helen told me I should just enjoy BA and come home if I have to, because I was not enjoying it while I was stressing over work all the time. I went to La Bomba that evening. Its a really cool drumming show though I am sure the hostel people ripped us off on tickets. There is no space to dance, which is a shame as the music has a really good tribal rhythm and makes you want to move. While we were in there the heavens opened up. Monster rain in 2 hours. The water was above my knee height and you almost had to swim across the streets, littered with rivers of garbage due to the bottom of the bins being punched out. I asked for a little plastic bag to put my passport and bank cards in and then set off wading through the streets. I have never seen anything like it in any major city ever. Laly cancelled on me due to the rain and it was the second time we had failed to meet up. Oh the ironies of fate. I wonder if I would have booked my ticket on the tuesday if I had met her on the monday night. Well the best of things you have to work for and don't always get to follow the easiest route.

I got up on the tuesday and gave up on job hunting. I went back down to Recoleta cemetery to look around. Did not find Evita's grave but did not really care. Found Sarmientos. Was interesting. I once wrote an essay on him, but can't remember what about or even anything about him. He did not have the same lasting influence on me that Jose Marti did. The museum was open late so I took a wander through the grass of the sculture garden. Hmm lots of cobwebs. Ah dammit its fucking grass mosquitoes like in Paramaraibo. I hate those bastards. They don't leave you alone. The MALBA was shut. Dammit. So I went to the Japanese gardens which were nice and the rose gardens which was also a nice place and free. I came back and went round the Museo Bellas Artes. Was cool, though the modern stuff was better than the historical stuff (not usual for me to say that). I was really beginning to enjoy BA and the pressure had come off. I decided to book a flight home via Rome and was sorted. Now I had 12 days to enjoy the city. I had figured I would come back the next year and stay in BA for 3 months, Rio or Sao Paolo 3 months, Caracas 3 months, Cali 3 months and travel in between them for 6 months. Sounded like a great plan and one that was sustainable financially. That may now have changed as I am thinking strongly that I may end up in BA for at least 10 months-1 year and then travel with Laly in Brazil. Anyway I am jumping ahead of myself. Patience is not my virtue. Man City drew which was good for us. I went to Sebastian's flat for dinner in the evening and it was total open plan with a drop pool swimming pool in the hall. Words don't do that place justice. Its superb. I would love to rent it but thats only realistic if the pound starts taking steroids and recovers against the dollar. Stayed for a bit and then went to meet Laly. We were due to meet at Plaza Serrano and I got accosted at first by a tramp. He wanted me to give him money and afterwards to drink a beer. He was shocked that I spoke Spanish and did not drink beer. Must be odd for an Englishman. Anyway he dropped his money on the floor and lost a peso. I was helping him look when Laly arrived and as I always look like a hobo, she probably assumed I was just an other tramp. We headed out to a bar and stayed there, eating pizza until around 4am. Seems funny writing about something when you know where it goes. Its odd how the most innocuous things at the time take on great significance due to the events that follow from them. Every small trickle of fate helps to steer us on a course into unknown territories. One small event or night can change a lifetime or destiny and the smallest things are often cruelly overlooked at times. Now imagine if we had met the night before. Some rain changes the night, but would I have booked my flight? I could well be in London and not Buenos Aires purely due to rain. At least its a typically English thing that played the fateful role. Also it does not seem fitting to discuss my relationship with Laly in the ontext of a timeline and I am also not sure I can do it justice with words. I think I will just describe the night and then I will give it a go in a short an sweet paragraph. I can't sum up all the conversation. Would need the same time back to describe it. We ended up going down to the rose gardens, where we were eaten by mosquitoes, joined by some random hobo dog, observed some strange old men running and walking around in circles, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs. We talked about stealing heads, the relationship of the sun and moon and many other non topics, where saying stupid things illuminates clever minds. I love mind games and I love creating random worlds and private universes. Firstly it is good mental exercise, secondly it if funny and thirdly it bonds you to that person faster. We kissed though Argentines are still terrible at reading symbols and responding. They assume lack of movement signifies interest, whereas us Europeans need some positive and proactive response. We also got stalked by some random museum worker. What was he doing working at 5am.

Hmm ok the paragraph that tests my writing skills. Often with people you can have a connection that is mental, emotional or physical. It is rare that you have all three, rare that it is so good to start with and rarer still that it gets better and better everytime you are with them. With Laly it is that good and it just gets better and better every moment of time we spend together. So it is shit that it is on pause right now. I hate the Atlantic. With her its just very effortless. Everything is easy. We click so well and harmonise on everything. The body chemistry is superb, but so is the mental chemistry as we can talk for hours and time melts away, which would be good in the long term, but sucks short term when you don't have many hours to spend together. Its that obliviousness to external factors that means we got bollocked in Tigre everywhere we went. A lack of willpower to depart, a general killing of time doing nothing. Together we never do anything and yet that time is everything. One of life's ironies. I prefer to write stream of consciousness as its more honest and there is less time for censorship. We decided we wanted to move in together after less than 24 hours. As so often with us what sounds insane just feels right. I think I could go nuts back in London and possibly for the first time in my life I am not that concerned about protecting my freedom. I always said there would be things worth sacrificing freedom for, but you don't come across them often. Right now I miss the intensity, I miss the conversation and I really miss the time doing nothing. I really want her to come to London and hope that she can. Ack it sucks. For now I have nothing more to say. My words are not good enough for it.

The next day I slept all day long as I was dead. I went to play 5 a side football in the evening and we got cained and I played shit. Mind you our team was total crap and I felt like I was Iker Casillas again.

I was now going home in 10 days. I found a hotel to stay in for that night but I needed to find somewhere that accepted credit card as a matter of urgency and eventually I found a shitty hostel for 8 nights. It was fucking horrible with no sheets and 800 insects in the bathroom. I would not recommend it to anyone. I was beginning to really love the city. I know knew I could live there for some time. I tried to find some plays for the saturday night out with Sebastian. Then I went for a walk around La Boca. Dangerous my arse. There are way too many middle class people travelling. La Boca was about as dangerous as Brixton and less so than Hackney or even Turnpike Lane where I have lived and never had any problems. There need to be more travellers from less cookie cutter backgrounds to have some perspective. Hmm they have themed sex hotels in Buenos Aires that look fun to try though we never really got round to it. I spent all say trying to find a blues bar so I could show the music to Laly. Ah I should send her some blues songs to see the style now. At least there are two in London for when she comes in July. They played 'rat in my kitchen' on the radio. Fucking awesome. That is now officially the best radio station ever and it was going out of business the day after I left BA. Timing. Laly was late (not unusual lol) and we ended up in a shitty jazz bar in San Telmo. Afterwards she came and stayed with me and we failed to sleep for the second night. We will probably kill each other from lack of sleep when she comes here. It was our second night together and we were planning London, Edinburgh, Devon, getting Polish passports, living in Argentina and a whole raft of things. I have a feeling this could be a whirlwind in the end.

We had breakfast in a bakery and then she had to go to study. She had an exam the day after I left and I think its partially my fault she did not pass the Spanish bit, although she was thinking of staying in the public university now. Yet another person failed to meet me at the obelisk. It was becoming a symbol of failure. Then I slept through the afternoon for a few hours. Then I grabbed dinner in burger king and the guy working there is possibly the most incompetent person I have ever seen. He fucked up every order and I mean every one. I just accepted my wrong burger as by that point I felt really sorry for him. Then I took the subte. Its shit. Its the shittest subway system I have seen in South America, but its better than Bogota's transmilenio which sucks. An internet place could not break my 100 and a bar would not break it so I got a free coke. Excellent. You should just travel around BA with a 100 peso note if you don't want to pay for anything as noone can ever break the thing. I met Aussie Ben and Monica from Manizales for drinks. Hadn't seen either of them for 11 months. Laly could not make it. I stayed for a while and then left. Monica wanted me to go clubbing with her and decided I was lame when I declined.

I moved hostels and then met Sebastian. Taxis are expensive. I hate them. We decided to watch Agosto, which was a recommendation of a histerica Argentine girl from the night before. I had a Mexican lunch with Sebastian and then met a girl briefly for a coffee. We had kept missing each other and this time only had half an hour as I had to meet Sebastian for dinner and then head to the theatre. Play was really good though I did not understand all of it. Afterwards we headed to Palermo where I had said to Sebastian we could go and 'Pass la pirata' but as I was now de facto attached I told him I would come to the bars but I was not interested in meeting anyone. Palermo has attractive people, but its a little zona rosa style plastic fantastic. Wehung out there until around 3am and then I walked home.

I was knackered the next day as the hostel bed was total shite. I met Laly while half dead and we had some media lunas on the way to Tigre. We spent another classically quality afternoon doing nothing lol. We carried on planning july and january and then got bollocked by everyone in the town. We got heckled for sitting on a wall inappropriately, for kissing in an internet cafe, by a pharmacist woman for asking for protection (Laly did not want to ask and I don't have smooth enough Spanish, so it was quite direct) and a policeman and ice cream woman tried to send us to a sex hotel. We ended up getting eaten by a few mosquitoes on the river bank and then a dog climbed all over us, seemingly trying to hump one or both of us. Spurs won, Villa won and Man City and Liverpool drew. We spent time wandering around the town and eventually found a nice hotel but we never got to use the swimming pool. This was the first time together we actually slept at all as well for about 4/5hours. I can't honestly say after 2 days and a night up in Tigre that I really know what the town looks like at all.

We left the hotel around midday and decided we would maybe visit Paris lol. Then we eventually took the catamaran tour. It absolutely opened fire from the heavens like the day we had failed to meet. Everyone on the boat was hiding. We got drenched but I sat wind side to take most of it on my back. Still we got drenched and saw parts of the canal. The photo on my wall is just before it battered down. We should have had a before and after. Laly is very fashionista and I am a tramp, so muddy arses and wet clothes are more normal for me. Seriously though, it does not matter how many times we are drenched, scolded or bitten the time is still good. BA flooded again. We eventually made it back to the town and fed a blind dog some lasagna. Have to find crazy dogs in London as they seem to follow us everywhere. There wasa French beardy man as well. Laly had to go back for classes and I just went to watch Invictus in the evening. Was a good film, but nothing special. It has got me to start reading Mandela's biography though, which is good so far.

I slept a long time into the afternoon and then finally met Agus to go for dinner. Was quite amusing. We have been friends online for 4 years and when I get to BA she is not there but on holiday and eventually we finally get to meet. We went out for dinner and it was a nice night, although we had the famous parilla and I can see why offal was banned in 1986. Its fucking horrible. I prefer the choripan to the beef we often got. Very chewy stuff in some places.

I spent all of this day applying for jobs in the UK. Change of tack. Ended up with lots of offers and have too many interviews. I am starting work with St Giles on monday and then can start to slowly add more hours and more jobs as I feel comfortable doing so. I met Sebastian and the Aussie girl at his flat and they cooked dinner. Laly was a little late coming over, but that's standard in BA lol. We had a veggie dinner and then went out to get some ice cream. After a few bars, Laly and I went to the ghost playground which is kind of freaky and near the Japanese gardens. We got bitten loads again. I got attacked so much in that week, but we had fun down in the park and then got breakfast before she needed some more time to study.

I got up at 5pm. My sleep pattern was really all over the place at this point and it was thursday of my last week. I met Agus again and we ate before seeing 1001 Nights which was a decent enough musical. We had dinner afterwards and then I went home to drop dead as I had had my third night with Laly without sleeping. It was almost as if neither of us wanted to lose any of the time we could spend together, as well as it never being dull, never an awkward pause or with my talking any pause lol.

The next day I woke up and went to see Peter. He had made it all the way here and this was the last time I would see him on this trip and the first time since Cuenca, so naturally I apologised first. We met at the obelisk and walked around all night before Laly joined us an hour late lol. We went to a square in San Telmo, got accosted by a drunken Colombian and then Laly stayed with me. I had gone to the MALBA as well, but they had the Andy Warhol exhibition on and would not take card payment. Fuckers.

My last day I got up and met Peter having not slept at all on friday night. I was struggling a bit. We fixed all the logistic stuff and then took the suburban train out to the Jesus theme park. I figured it was a fitting end to the trip. Its not actually that great, but it was cool to travel on trains again. They have a giant jesus who pops out of the rock and moves a bit, a nativity where only one wise man and a sheep moves and a last supper with a freaky jesus moving like he wants to create a Chun Li fireball. The creation is quite cool though, with the green laser shows and the Arabic dancing was probably the highlight of the place. Peter even made us move for a better view lol. Afterwards we headed back past a memorial to the lost people of the dictatorship and with a view of the River Plate at last. I met Laly, a Romanian girl and Sebastian and we went to San Telmo for dinner and drinks. I said goodbye to everyone and will no doubt see them again, while Laly came and stayed with me. It and somewhat sad last night and we did not have our usual sleep deprivation as we were both knackered (me especially being an old man). In the morning we got up and took the bus to the aiport and we annoyed some more people in Mcdonalds before I had to take a plane back to the UK. The end of an odyssey. Trip of a lifetime people say. Hmm. Nope. The first of many Ilike to say and now I have 10 months to save to get back down there. I did manage to see District 9 on the way back.

Now I just need to enjoy my city, get cracking on working, save money, pay back the banks, save more money to cross the Atlantic and head back to BA. Meanwhile we need to think of a way to get Gatita over here and past Gordon Browns crap rules.

Top 10: Peru, Bolivia and Chile

Like Colombia dominated the north, Chile will dominate the west.

1. Valdivia (Chile): Absolutely picturesque little town. Botanic gardens, parks, every house with flowers, university town, multicoloured buildings and sea lions in the river. How can you not like the place.

2. Santiago (Chile): Will be a weird one for most people. Even the people who live there don't like it. Not sure why. Funky multicoloured barrios, great food, looks like London in parts and the only city in these three countries with a top class cultural scene.

3. Pucon (Chile): Picture perfect adventure town. Lifted straight out of the Rockies and build from Swiss Alp instruction manuals, this town is fun and pretty.

4: Iquique (Chile): Beach resort in the north. You know its a good resort if it can make my list. Buzzing in the summer, paraglide off the cliffs or wile away a day in the superb UNESCO ghost town of Humberstone

5. Arequipa (Peru): Best town in Peru comfortably. Very nice architecture, most intelligent and best looking Peruvians.

6. Sucre (Bolivia): I really like this colonial town. Very pretty and coolly laid out colonial town.

7. Lima (Peru): Another big city that gets battered a lot, but its got a pretty centre, a cool area overlooking the Pacific and a good clubbing scene.

8. Santa Cruz (Bolivia): Like a wild west town and so different to the rest of Bolivia

9. San Pedro de Atacama (Chile): Awesome desert oasis. Yeah its touristy but its still cool

10. Iquitos (Peru): Its a bit shit but I had the best breakfast I have ever had there in the Yellow Rose of Texas

And no space for Valparaiso (too close to Santiago but nice enough), La Paz (Was not that impressed with this ramshackle mess, but maybe because I don't use cocaine) and Cuzco (What a shitheap full of gringos and passport hunting bitches. Pretty though). Of course the best place in these countries is Torres del Paine but Puerto Natales is a bit crap.