AeroMexico, Hooters, and BUENOS AIRES
After 18 hours of restlessly flying across the Americas on AeroMexico, I´ve finally arrived in Buenos Aires. A Mexican businessman who I met on the plane happened to be staying in the same part of the city as me (Palermo) and offered to charge the entire cab ride to the hostel to his work´s credit card account.At Vanilla Hostel, the cheapest place in Palermo with dorms, I met three other travelers (two friends from Quebec and a Spaniard). We all decided to walk through the famous Plaza de Mayo on this brisk spring day. If I remember correctly from 9th grade Spanish class with Ms. Sopko, every single Sunday mothers of the "disappeared" march in protest of the secret police´s political kidnappings, tortures, and killings thirty years ago. But on Saturday afternoons, this unbecomingly small park was empty. Remy, Luigi, Guillermo, and I ended up wandering deep into the heart of a toruist trap, Puerto Madero. Along a small harbor, chique restaurants and hundreds of foreigners littered the streets. I was pleased to find that Argentinian cuisine consists mostly of Italian favorites, like pasta and pizza, scattered with empanadas and steak here and there. Unfortunately, I was out voted as the only non-homesick traveler of the group, and for my very first meal in Argentina, I ate pizza at Hooters.
Staying in Buenos Aires for only two days, it´s hard to pinpoint my impression of the city. It´s dificult to get a good feels for this diverse place without experiencing the day to day grind. I constantly see newly constructed Euro-styled establishments and Italian restaurants, sitting next door to antique colonial houses, followed by crumbling old apartment buildings. There´s a strong reminiscence from the 2001 collapse of Argentina´s economy. Paying homage to the construction now filling the city, at nights the towering cranes are all illuminated with colorful spotlights, much like the Empire State Building.
After spending almost an entire day on planes, an afternoon walking around Buenos Aires, and a filling meal at Hooters, I slept for 13 hours, straight through ´til morning. Tomorrow I´ll head west, close to the Chilean border at the foot of the Andes, to Mendoza, where I´m going to settle down for a couple of weeks and take Spanish classes. Mendoza is known for its vineyards, wine, and gormet steak. This should be fun...
2 comments:
So when we were in SE Asia for a month, and we got to our final city of the trip (Bangkok), regardless of my desperately persuasive attempts I could not coax you into just one meal at the only burger king we saw the entire trip. I would have tried the pigs feet that the street vendors were cooking on the side of the road if it meant I could scarf down a burger and some fries afterward .... and now you've been in South America for less than 3 days and you ate at hooters already?!?! hahahah.... anyways bro, let me know what's gonna be the most effective way to communicate with ya while you're traveling so we can keep in touch. I gotta keep you posted on them sox. and oh yeah the SWAGGER IS BACK IN THE U BABY, WE BEAT OKLAHOMA!! I thought the stadium was going to explode. I'm lookin forward to your next post G. Cant wait for more stories.
'The world is yours'
~ EC
DOOOD great to hear you landed safely and are living it up. that email you sent about the storm sounds fantastic too...how were the hooters at hooters? i imagine they were a little more quality than here but i am interested...were they all argentinian chicks?
Mendoza sounds miserable. you will probably hate it but you should really try your best to enjoy the inexpensive yet delicious wine and steak.
good luck and enjoy. looking forward to more updates.
-jw
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