San Telmo Street Fair

Every Sunday. Antiques, trinkets, souvenirs, whatnot.

Zooooooooo

We're going to the zoo today!

Mark started a list of things that are a challenge down here. I'll add to that list:

• finding an atm, changing $100 peso billetes
• talking to people in Spanish (haha, that was an obvious one)
• walking down the sidewalk without stepping on dog poo
• crossing streets without getting hit by a bus
• they don't eat tortilla chips down here, so Mark hasn't been able to have his daily dose of chips and salsa (also, salsa means sauce down here..as in, pizza sauce)
  

There are not stoplights or signs except at major intersections. People just drive out into the intersection and I guess hope there aren't any cars coming from the other direction. I've seen a few close calls. Buses appear to speed up when they near an intersection, or when they see people crossing the street it seems :P Also, riding in a taxi is a death wish. Our driver nearly killed us every five seconds on the way to our apartment the day we arrived. I thought the driving was bad in Mexico/Europe. This takes the cake.

Our apartment is in a very cool location, but there is the very annoying problem of construction down below us. Also, there has been a mysterious hammering sound coming from the rooftop area the past 2 days.

Palermo is definitely my favorite barrio so far, even though I really like San Telmo (where our apartment is). Will post more later!

Barrios

Just a quick update! We've been exploring the ciudad everyday and so far we've been to the barrios of Palermo, La Boca, Puerto Madero, and maybe a few others that we did not realize we were in. Of course, we've also spent a lot of time in San Telmo, which is where our apartment is (the building is pictured here). I like our neighborhood, and I'm glad we're here, even though there's a lot of road construction happening around our building. We wake up every day to the sound of a jackhammer 6 floors below. But I'm glad we're not in a busier area; we have seen some very crazy streets.

It has been interesting riding the subte (BA's subway system) around town. The first time we got on it was rush hour, and we had to cram into the subway car like sardines. Luckily its not always that full, and it is actually pretty easy to navigate. Admittedly, Minnie does most of the navigating, but the subway is one thing I understand. It only costs about 25 cents each ride, so its a great way to get around the city quickly.

Some of the challenges so far have been:

• finding vegetarian meals
• understanding the locals
• finding street signs
• reading menus

But we are figuring things out just fine. I am hoping to get a spanish tutor or take some classes soon. I am picking things up, but I would do better if I had somebody to answer my questions. Well, we are about to go buy some empanadas for dinner, so ttyl!
-Mark

Guide to San Telmo

For future reference, this is a link to an online guide called Welcome San Telmo. It has maps, descriptions in English, and pictures. It helped us find Gibraltar last night.

We made it!

After over a day of travel, we finally arrived in Buenos Aires earlier today. The trip was pretty grueling- delays due to weather really screwed things up. It was a really long time to be sitting on a plane. Anyhoo, we are here in our apartment now, and it is fabulous! Here are some pics of the place:












We went out to explore and find a market and something to eat. Ended up in a little place where we ordered (gasp!) dos sanwiches con jamon y queso. It was a pretty delicious and guilt-inducing meal. :P







Buenos Aires is a fascinating and beautiful city. Can't wait to see all that it has to offer! For now, it's time to shower and chill out for a while. Jet lag argh!