Backpacking South America

We’ve been in Buenos Aires for a week now and have loved nearly every moment of it.  We have visited many parts of the city and have walked miles and miles and miles (I guess there called kilometers here).   We look forward to our next few weeks here and hope to learn more about this city and its people (porteños).

This is a very big city with people everywhere at all hours. 
Manhattan is busy, but Buenos Areas is bananas.   Walking through the city, taking the bus to school, everywhere we go the streets are filled with people, it seems every street level space is filled with a bodega, kiosk or some sort of retail store.  And they protest something, all the time.

Beef and Wine are cheap, everything else is about the same.
Did you know it’s cheaper to get a glass of wine than a bottle of water in a restaurant?  Did you know it’s cheaper to buy a steak than it is to buy a liter of soda?  Well, it is.

Watch where you walk.
If you’re not watching where you are walking, you WILL step in SOMETHING… Dog walkers can only walk a maximum number of 14 dogs…”Huh?,” you say.  That 15th dog really puts them over and shakes up the bunch.  Maybe it has something to do with balance – 7 on this arm, 7 on that arm?  In any case, we’ve also observed a number of feral dogs in the city.  They seem much better behaved than domestic dogs.  They don’t seem to bother you at all. 

If you’re not watching where you are going when crossing the street, you WILL get hit by a car (or bike).  Even when pedestrians have the right of way, cars that are turning will turn right into the crosswalk and right up to the crossing pedestrians, just waiting for a little room to squeeze through.  Oh, and did I mention, bicyclists and motorcycles don’t adhere to traffic laws.  (There are a fair amount of bikes, but no one wears a helmet.)  And, aside from all the dog poop, if you’re looking up and not down, it’s very likely you could trip over missing pieces in the sidewalk.  It just happens.

The evening doesn’t start until 11pm…
We had been told that people don’t eat until late, but it didn’t really sync in until our first night, when we were hungry.  We started browsing restaurants on a popular street to find ones where people were eating, but people were only sipping coffee or drinking beer.  So, we decided to pass the time with a drink.  We went on and saw a few places where people were starting dinner, we popped into one, by the time we left at 11:30, the restaurant was nearly full.  We haven’t quite figured out how people function when they’re out so late or how they stay thin when they eat such a big meal so late.

Hallways narrow, stairways narrow, elevators small, sidewalks narrow – doors big and tall
Buenos Aires feels much older than Boston or any other US city.   The streets are narrow and the buildings are colonial and when you’re inside, you’re cramped.    I can’t imagine being tall or wide in this country.  It’s kind of European, I guess.  Everything is sort of small.  I would beg to gander that no elevator in this city could fit more than 4 people at a time.  In fact, when we first moved in with Liliana, it was a tight squeeze into the elevator with our backpacks on (fat man in a little coat).  It’s a good thing Jared and I like each other. 

Move with purpose or you’ll lose your place
Just when you think there is nowhere to go, someone else finds 2 inches of space and thinks their whole body can fit into it.  Even I know I can’t fit into 2 inches of space, not even my foot.  I’m not exaggerating.  People will find a way to get by you or fit into the bus or onto the subte.   A BIG push is not uncommon.  They like to be close, very close.   There are just so many people trying to get somewhere.  And, I’m not just talking about people.  There are so many pigeons too.  They have the whole sky!  Pigeons fly like the people drive.  They’re crazy.  When you meet a flock, you think they’re going to fly into you.  In fact, I’ve come very close to being hit by a pigeon – it just breezed by my head and sent a whoosh through my hair.  Thankfully, neither of us has been pooped on yet.  But I doubt that will remain the same for long. 

Leather is king.
Everybody has something leather – boots, purse, bag, coat.  There are lots and lots of stores selling leather things.  Total Liquidation – it’s the end of winter, everything’s on sale!  Maybe I’ll get lucky and get something leather too.

Colder than expected.
We knew it would be early spring when we arrived, but we didn’t think it would feel so cold.  It’s finally starting to warm up and feel a bit like Summer, even though we’re approaching Spring.  Perhaps this is an indicator as to how hot Summer can really get.  However, those first few days after our arrival, it was a bit chilly.  Long underwear and gloves were necessary.  Burrr….

Surprisingly fit despite diet of meat and bread.
Most of our best meals have been in our home stay.  We are very lucky that Liliana likes to cook and is  very good at it.  What’s interesting is that there are a lot of skinny people here despite the fact that most of their food is pretty greasy and consists mostly of beef, bread and pastries.  And, as mentioned, very few people eat before 10. 

There aren’t many strollers (but a few Baby Bjorns).
Not many people haul around baby strollers, just babies.   You never see strollers on public transportation.  People just carry their kids.  The only time I’ve seen strollers has been in the park or in the neighborhood when people are out for walks.  I have seen one or two Baby Bjorns though.

People are friendly.
Everybody likes to talk…in espanol, especially our hostess.  She is very kind and very animated.  Street vendors all talk to each other, wait staff would rather talk to each other than serve (more on this later).  It seems people just want to hang out and talk more than anything else. 

Despite the bad rap, taxi drivers have been very nice to us.
Both times we’ve taken a taxi the drivers have been very kind to us.  They open doors, handle our luggage and wait until we get in the door to drive away.  All this and you don’t have to give them directions.  Locals will warn that it’s common to receive counterfeit bills from taxi drivers, but it just seems impossible.  How can nice people do such a thing?  Don’t worry, we’re not naïve.  The first taxi driver rang the door bell to the hostel for us and gave Jared a speech on keeping your money close to you and to not let anyone see where you keep it.  The second taxi driver, again, offered to call our hostess, Liliana, while we waited for her to come open the door.  He didn’t leave until he was sure we got inside.

We have a chauffeur who takes us to school every day.
But we’re not alone… Taxi drivers and bus drivers are called chauffeurs here.  From our home stay we squeeze (literally) on the number 17 bus (they call the buses colectivos) and get off the bus about four blocks from school (about 400 meters from school, if we get off at the right stop).  Everybody has a little guide book for the bus.  How you use it is very interesting.  It’s quite complex.  Buses come very often and cover most of the city, but they can only go as fast as the rest of the traffic (the subte is faster, but doesn’t cover as much of the city). 

Carra can be Debbie downer.  (I’m ok with that.)  Jared’s a little crazy, but we still like each other.