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As I write this on Saturday morning, I’m only tired from being out late, not from being up all night with noise. There’s a small bedroom away from the street – close the door and most of the city noise is gone. Put in some earplugs – yawn – wake up hours and hours later. A good night of sleep.

With the bad smoke covering the city, we decided to take it relatively easy today and do a little shopping. Nothing purchased other than lunch. The early photos show how bad the visibility was – so do the late photos of the Obelisk just a few blocks away.

Sorry about the porn shop photo. I couldn’t help myself.
HSBC – huh, you ask? I never noticed that bank until Hong Kong. Since then, it shows up at least once for every trip.

We were invited out to dinner – Armenian – tonight. I was told a few times to not eat breakfast or any snacks all day. A light day was needed for 2 reasons. Lots of food and I have to be at the airport very early on Sunday morning. Sunday will be a very full day, hiking, being soaked, checking into a hotel, moonlight tour of the falls, then back to the hotel around midnight. Up early on Monday for more hiking, lunch and finally back to the airport for the flight back to BA. It is doubtful I’ll have any internet access in Iguazu.

Nothing planned today for me.

Al and Jim planned to go visit some site that I wasn’t interested in. Rafe is in school.
I planned to sleep in – that would be nice if I’d had a full night of sleep the entire time here. Road noise has kept me up and prevented a good night sleep the entire time. I wore ear plugs again last night. They just muffle the noise, but the compressed air feeds into all bus/truck tires still cut through. Horns at all hours of the night, morning, day, and people yelling get through too. I’ll try to sleep in the back bedroom this afternoon.

The smoke is bad – more cancellations and closings from what we can make out of the local coverage. Everything is in Spanish with only the occasional movie subtitled in Spanish and spoken in English. A fully dubbed version of Ghostbusters is playing now.

I did a little more research and found that flights to Miami, Atlanta and Iguazu Falls (IGR) all took off the last few days from either AEP or EZE airports.

Friday night Jim and I had dinner with his family in Buenos Aires at the apartment of the grand parents. Appetizers, wine, champagne, conversation, more appetizers, dinner, politics (local and world), another course, and another … when I was stuffed, 1 more course came followed by ice cream. Everything except the ice cream was from scratch. Jim knows the names of everything – Armenian food. Only 1 item wasn’t fantastic. I hope enough photos were taken.

Thursday was filled with

• a little extra sleep
• Famous Cafe for coffee – something about it being the oldest in BA
• Jardin Japonese
• Malba – Museum of Contemporary Art
• Shopping at The Mall
• Grocery shopping
• short siesta – I do a few Pimsleur chapters.
• whatever happens after this … it is Rafe and Al’s last night here.

We trek – 2 miles to the oldest Cafe in BA. It had a nice atmosphere, but the food seemed only so so.

Next was the taxi ride to the Japanese Garden across town. The driver had to ask were it was. The gardens were as peaceful as could be expected when surrounded by a city of 13 million. The roar of the city just outside the garden was always present. Lots of photos – more than it deserved.

There is a sushi restaurant at the garden, so we ate lunch there. Al found a new beer that he liked. Jim didn’t order sushi, Rafe was still in Spanish class, and I ordered mixed tempura and 4 pieces of sashimi (no rice please). As we were finishing up, Rafe called and was headed over in a taxi. He ordered a mixed sushi platter – muy rapido and paid the bill.

Next, on to the Malba Art museum. This is 2 floors of contemporary art. Not nearly as nice as the museum yesterday, IMHO. I find contemporary art to be either too simplistic or too busy. There were a few pieces that I liked, but much of the display was pencil drawings that appeared to me to be drawn by 4th grade students. Combine that with the entrance price and complete No photography rule, and I’m not happy. How many parallel lines does it take to make art? Phuft.

Next to the Malba is the 3 story mall – upper middle class shopping. Very pretty stores, nothing jumped out at me. I was interested in the supermarket on the ground floor, but we didn’t go into it.

Taxi ride home. The driver didn’t take the most direct route, so as soon as we were near walking distance, I said aqui – here – we got out, no tip.

Grocery store – water, bananas, apples, some biscuits and we get into the shortest line. 20 minutes later it becomes clear the different lines are for different purposes. I’m not certain, but it appears a few lines include home delivery if you buy a certain amount. There definitely is a need for optimization in this store. At 4 pm, the manager was called to provide change for 50% of the transactions, not very efficient. A guard followed her between the cage, other checkout lines and ours – for a AR$40 change need. That’s about US$15. I didn’t see any credit card use, but I did see a few checks written with photo ID required. The fruit selection had more varieties than normal, but none of it seems like the high end quality I’m used to at my home Publix store. None of the bananas were like what we get in the USA. Zero cauliflower, nada broccoli and the oranges were smaller than I’m used to seeing.

Back to the apartment … things seem a little off inside. Jim and I both have a feeling that someone was in here. My bathroom window is closed, but not quite closed. Jim’s bathroom is missing a roll of TP. I check all the windows – nothing else seems open or wrong. We decide to use some 007 techniques when we leave next time. In theory, nobody else should be entering this apartment – even the cleaning lady had to be let in and out. Hopefully, we’re just being paranoid.

We plan to be cautious especially the few days before we leave.

There are fires covering hundreds of square miles of cropland here. The smoke is covering the river delta and most of Buenos Aires to the point that both airports were closed and traffic accidents occurred. The in-town airport is closed more than the international airport, which is good for Rafe and Al. However, my flight to Iguazu Falls early Sunday morning will probably be impacted in some way. With all the smoke comes respiratory concerns. Even I’m feeling the smoke, but Al and Jim have allergies.

Thursday evening, we go to a restaurant that is supposed to be known for BBQ to meet up with others going to the language school with Rafe. Rafe is the only beginner to show up, the other 8 or so people are near the end of intermediate class or in advanced. They are from all over the world. Anyway, the food is ok, bad, good depending on what you happened to order and fairly inexpensive. We leave ASAP and split up for the remainder of the evening. Rafe probably spent his last night with a local girl we’d met on day 1.

Al and I head back to the Shamrock Irish Pub – packed with youngsters for a few drinks. We know the main bartender there by now and get good treatment from her. The upstairs and downstairs are filled with 20-somethings exchanging cell phone numbers. This bar has a completely different feel than on slower nights.

Wednesday started really slowly due to the prior night out. Around 11am, we headed out towards the train station for a day trip to a resort just outside Buenos Aires – Tigre.

The train out was very cheap and setup for quantity, not quality. We leaned against butt holders for the entire 90 minute trip. Some riders sat on the floor while others found seats. Just getting tickets was an experience – exact change only at the ticket counter. I really don’t know much about it since I was moving really, really slow for most of the day.

we arrived and wandered around the tourist trap part of town searching for a river tour. Eventually, Alan walked into the tourist information office and got the short version of what we needed to do, where to go, etc. I was sitting outside holding my head in my hands – in pain still.

We walked down a street, then another and came to a different train station. No nearly the $2 peso version – more the $24 peso version – that would be our ride home even though we’d already paid for the return trip on the other train. Next we walked by the casino – hi Mom! – and over to the other boat tour lineups. 3 tickets purchased from a statuesque brunette and a recommendation for a quick lunch.

Muy rapido on the lunch – Alan ordered something after being told that 3+ of the dishes were sold out for the day already. Mismo – the same for Jim and I. 3 plates delivered and quickly eaten. VERY TASTY doesn’t work. It was good, but I couldn’t finish mine even if we had time to relax and eat it all.

The tour was modified from the normal tour due to low river levels. Mostly we saw summer homes, boat clubs, with trees, plants, birds that appeared almost normal, but not quite normal. 2 hours later and we’re back at the dock ready for a little walk around the Porte de Frutis.

Standard tourist trap area except since this is autumn, so most of the shops are closed. The types of items for sale are mostly home furnishings. We could have bought reeds to make into baskets, for example.

We slowly trek back to the luxury train, buy our tickets and wait. I mention that I’m not certain which of 2 tracks the train will enter on – we could be on the wrong track and which way we need to be certain the train heads. The tracks end at this station, so it isn’t likely we can head in the wrong direction. The seats are comfortable – leather for the rear. About half way home, the line ends and we walk to another train – also going only 1 way, towards BA. 3 more tickets purchased, 3 peso’s total. It is a more utilitarian train, but we find seats. 30 minutes later and we’re back at the central train station walking 2 miles back to the apartments.

Jim and I are beat and decide to stay in for the evening. The left over pizza from last night will have to do for dinner.

The movie Barbed Wire is on the SPACE Channel – I watch the first 5 minutes and fall asleep by 10:05pm.

And we are walking …

1. Lunch was at a local diner known for pasta dishes.
2. The afternoon was spent at a huge cemetery.
3. Next the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes – Rodin, Picaso, Monet, and others.
   With an automated system saying Please step back behind the line, but not in English, so every time it started, I thought it was announcing the closing of the museum.
4. Brew pub for a few drinks.
5. Pizza for dinner – possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life
6. Shamrock Irish pub for more drinks with a friendly staff (read as high alcohol content). Someone said Jägerbomb more than once.
7. Cab to someplace else – don’t really remember much of that, just that whatever we were their to see, I couldn’t see!
8. Cab home as logic dictates. I’m a little fuzzy on it.
9. Bending over outside a Citibank.

Neither rule #1 or #2 were followed. As I write this, it is a very bad morning for me. Last night will be discussed amongst my friends for years to come.

Oddly, Monday was a recovery day in many ways.
Rafe and Alan went to class.
Jim and John slept in a little.

Because John followed drinking rule #1 and #2, he didn’t have any hangover, but was just a little slow.

Around 10am, Alan called and said that he’d walked out of the Spanish class. He needed a pure beginner class and that wasn’t available so he was placed in a 2nd week class. Rafe studied and with his Italian language background was already on his way. Rafe stayed in the class.

The other 3 did a walking tour with short shopping stops. 6 miles later according to my pedometer and we stopped for lunch. Alan has this habit of ordering a beer with lunch and getting 985 ml worth – almost a quart. The place was recommended, the pasta was fantastic, and the walk home pleasant. Traversing through the music store section of BA – about 5 blocks of stores with instruments, music to play and musicians getting their stick fixed.

I haven’t mentioned the weather – for me it has been wonderful. The first day here, it was almost 80 deg. A cold front came thru and it didn’t reach 60 deg yesterday, but it is very sunny making for weather where a coat is nice, but there’s little chance of overheating. The other guys are from warm climates and would like it to be hotter.

The afternoon saw a longer than expected siesta followed by shopping on Avenue de Santa Fe (another 3 miles). My knee was screaming from overuse.

Change for dinner with Jim’s family around 9pm and back out for our reservations at a nearby pasta place just 2 blocks from our apartment. A mix of English and Spanish is spoken at the table – then add in Rafe’s Version of Spanish – La idioma de Capitan. It is a complex dialect with s added to make a plural word. Nine of us exchanged tales until midnight. Then is was kiss-kiss (once per cheek) and we headed home.

The hospitality shared with us by the family was tremendous. There was always a kind word and even when we couldn’t communicate due to poor Spanish, there was always a genuine smile and nod. Here we are visiting their country and occasionally someone would apologize for poor English.

• Gaucho tour is the plan for today. Everything is included in 1 price except things from the store.
  • Drive there. First we walk about 2 miles to a hotel to meet the tour mini-bus. Then we head north out of BsAs into the country. It feels a lot like Nebraska, except slightly flatter. 2 hour drive if my memory is correct.
  • eat a pastry. When we arrive at the tour-farm, it isn’t a working farm anymore, they have a small reception. Pastry and …
  • drink a cup of wine. Argentine wine is fairly good as wines go and reasonably priced for us.
  • horse and/or buggy ride; The other guys went horse back riding, but my knee was hurting, so it didn’t feel needed. Seeing parrots in the wild was strange. They are considered pests – like rats here. Their nests are larger than you’d expect and seem like bundles of crud.
  • chase geese; there was a small pond with some geese and swans. I needed to chase them.
  • art – they sell paintings and other locally made art in a little shop. Some of it is odd for American culture/expectations, but most of it is cowboy-like.
  • lunch – BBQ – eh; you always here about Argentine beef. I wasn’t impressed, but the Europeans were. Personally, I like my beef with meat, not half fat.
  • gaucho games riding a horse and using a stick to get a ring; it was getting colder and drizzling a little so they did 20 minutes worth. It was enough. Galloping at full speed trying to put a pencil-like stick into a ring tied from a pole by a string. Only 2 out of 10 tries seemed to work. It was windy and the ring was spinning.
  • art – they pushed the artwork again … Al bought some balls.
  • ride home – 2 hours more. We shared a matte; that’s a drink shared throughout South American cultures. It is a tea-like drink that is drunk from a special cup through a special metal straw. The sharing is important. Uruguay, Chile, Argentina cultures all drink matte. Paraguay may as well. If offered, you should accept the matte cup. You will probably be offered it.
  • get caught in a downpour walking; Since it is Sunday, local artists have a flee market on the edge of Recoleta. We have the minibus drop us off a short walk away in hopes of picking up a few trinkets. 30 seconds after getting off the bus, is downpours. We are still closer to our apartments here than at the official drop off point. Punt on the art idea and grab a cab back to the apartments.
• Siesta – as usual, we need a nap to make it to dinner around 11pm.
• Pizza dinner – fantastic Done around 12:30a and head to …
  Shamrock Irish pub with Al, Jim and me; We had a good time, so the receipt implies. *I believe that was a bunch of alcohol. This bullet point is the understatement of all time. I think Al left before Jim and I did, but neither of us recall that. I vaguely recall Jager-bombs, martini, LITea (my favorite), and probably 10 other drinks for me. We bobble home around 5am and I keep 1 foot on the floor to stop the bed spins. Much thanks to Luna, Chicago and the other bar tenders. Al, you suck for telling all the bar tenders that I thought their drinks were weak. I think the total cost for that tab had to be AR$400+ (US$130).

Saturday morning rolled around a little too quickly. I was up around 8am having some tea and an apple then started the upload of photos. A few hours later the other guys started moving and we met a the corner cafe for croissant and cafe. we left that nice place and walked a few blocks for another cafe. This time, I had a decaf while the other guys went for full strength.

Walking home, we stopped by a larger grocery store – Saturday morning at the only reasonably sized store for blocks was busy. Fruit, nuts, eggs and we’re ready for the week.

Showers and we’re out again … to a chain establishment in the USA looking for t-shirts from the local place. They have none, but we eat shrimp, chicken wings and I have quesadillas. A few photos taken, the larger-than-normal bill paid and we’re walking on the riverway – near The Mother’s Bridge.

There’s a 100+ year old sckooner and with Rafe being el Capitan, a tour is necessary. We spent about an hour on that boat. A very interesting history with upgrades over multiple wars and trips around the world.

Home for a siesta so we can go out late into the evening.

I’m awoken around 9pm, we’re out the door quickly and headed to an italian restaurant 15 blocks away. Fantastic food all around – I’m not hungry and have the Al Salmone salad. Wine, pasta, people watching and we’re on our way to Recoleta for some night life.

We stop at the family’s cafe for coffee, then wander into a bar that seems to have a good mix of locals. A few of us are immediately approached as we are ordering drinks. The language barrier actually helps since we now recognize the type of place this is. We finish our drinks, enjoy the interactive dance between those inside and quickly leave. We walk around the area looking for the right bar, go into a few others, but find them lacking. Along the way, we picked up a man who seems interested in us for some other reason – as though we were tagged in some way. Rather than have any excitement, we get into a cab for the short ride back to the apartments and call it a night.

Gaucho tour tomorrow.

Rafe and Alan arrived this morning. They checked into their apartment and needed a few hours to get settled after the overnight flight. Quite understandable. Jim and I were off to the grocery store for some essential items. Plans for a city tour, lunch with a relative and late afternoon meet the family in place. Through a communications mixup, we needed to reschedule everything. It worked out that the city tour was do today. Too many sites and too much history to list them all here. I didn’t take notes either. We did see the Olympic torch runner go by. Actually, we were stuck in a traffic jam about 5 cars back from the torch route, so by standing outside the car, I snapped a few torch photos. We saw much more of the city than listed here. Check the gallery for lots of photos.

We stopped for a late afternoon snack – that turned into 90 minutes then finished the tour in a barrio near the apartments. The snack we ate at Aires de Patagonia in Puerto Madero was very tasty – see the photos.

We’re back at the apartments for a few hour siesta before dinner and going out this evening. The Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) don’t eat dinner until 9-ish and don’t go to clubs until midnight or later for dancing.

Dinner was at a steak house – we had water (con/sin gas), beer, wine, steaks, potatoes and a server who didn’t know what was actually in stock from the steak, beer or wine menu. For each of those items, she returned saying they were out of the cut or beer or wine that we’d ordered. Jim’s Spanish was very helpful. According to some tests that he’s taken, he’s at the high-intermediate level. I find that easy to believe. The steaks were tasty and the potatoes (fries and chip-like) were ok.

After dinner, we headed to a cafe owned by a part of Jim’s family a block or so away for some caffeine. Al and Rafe were off to meet some girls at a club as previously arranged earlier in the day, the other two had a good walk back to the apartment.

Due to the 12pm caffeine, we were up until 4am.

Thursday morning and we are met by Jim’s relatives (Leo and Matt) who drive us to the apartment we have reserved for our stay – Google Map Link. It is rush hour and the traffic follows different rules than we in the USA are used to. If there is room and you can fit your car there, then it is fine. The motorcyclists are crazy. They swerve in and out of traffic, appearing between cars where I wouldn’t expect them. Leo doesn’t seem to mind and we get to the apartment very quickly to meet the manager.

The list of items already in the apartment is very extensive. Jim goes of the list with the cute leasing agent while I connect the laptop/wifi router to the internet to ensure it works. This home has almost everything already in it including sugar, but no potable water or food. My little router hasn’t been plugged in since before Hong Kong. All the settings are gone, so I just plug the laptop directly in – working.

Somehow my name is on all the contracts, so I get to sign them. Leave everything as we found it. Simple enough. We schedule maid service for each Tuesday morning.

First, a walk around the block to get a feel and some eggs, water, fruit. A man walks up to us in the little grocer and starts talking. I look stupid and Jim asks if he speaks English. That gets him to walk away and we check out. $6-ish.

Nap time.

After the siesta, we took a walk around the barrio and saw Louis Vitton and other famous stores. We visited the huge cemetery in Recoleta When it was time for dinner, we headed towards our apartment and made a wrong turn on a major road – Santa Fe – then walked 15+ blocks in the wrong direction. My left knee began to hurt and I became extremely hungry, so we compromised on a place to eat. Jim was able to order a Calzone that we shared. It was huge, very rich and delicious. However, I don’t need any more cheese for a few days. As we were walking home, me with a limp, we hit a few shops and an ice cream store. None for me, thanks. Finally around 10pm, we were home.