Buenos Aires

We are arrived in the big city.

3.1 million people live here in the largest city in the country and the seventh largest city in the southern hemisphere. Its a cosmopolitan city with lots of busy traffic and people rushing hither and yon.

We drove into the city to our Airbnb where I dropped off Layne Rusty and their  impedimenta, for them to settle in while I drove back out to the suburban campground where we had spent the previous night. And there behind a locked gate I abandoned our home.

Despite its high standard of living Buenos Aires (“good airs”) has a reputation as a happy        place             for pickpockets, petty thefts and vehicle break ins. When Layne found a campground and storage area for US $5 a day it was too good an opportunity to keep our home off the streets. I parked GANNET2 and took a 45 minute Uber ride back to the apartment. 

We have rented a two bedroom two bath apartment with a kitchen and patio for $80 a night. Ivan and Paula join us today from the States. They used to rent our granny unit on Cudjoe Key and we lived through Covid together so we have history. 

Rusty is happy and Layne’s leg is healing slowly but surely, and she’s excited to have company so all is well. 

We walked to dinner at a noodle place and it’s a lively neighborhood though it was early for the locals. 

Argentines eat late but we are gringos and we eat at a normal hour not eleven pm. 

Pizza is said to be exceptional in this city. We shall see. 

We sat down at a table next to another couple speaking English. They turned out to be youngsters (30 years old maybe) from Australia in a three month vacation touring Colombia Brazil Argentina and Chile.

He rather bravely forced his employers to give him leave from his job, a profession which he did not specify, while she is a nurse with three months accumulated annual leave (!) so they took off for South America. 

It was a bowl of excellent al dente ramen, spicy and flavorful and good enough I want to go back.

On the way home we passed a poster advertising a local paper, La Nacion. “We are going to help other countries. It’s not just who says it, it’s who reports.it.”

And can you believe there’s the best empanada shop I’ve seen half a block away. Normally Argentines only eat the pies for lunch but this place opens at nine so I suppose you buy your lunch here to take to work. 80 cents each. 

Tonight we have tickets for a tango show. I think we might survive Buenos Aires.

And there’s plenty of room on the bed for Rusty so he won’t suffer and that’s all that matters.

Daylight in our neighborhood. 

We have a vast spacious apartment behind the black door 

A brown dog in front of the Green Dog Bar. 

Our long corridor to the street. The door at the end is armored the landlord till us uncertain if we would be pleased or shocked. The neighborhood is quite safe he hastened to reassure us. 

So far…so good.  

Gualeguaychú Argentina

The other side of the Uruguay River.  

The border crossing took half an hour. 

The border formalities for both countries are situated on the Uruguayan side of the bridge over the River Uruguay. Which confused us as we had no idea how to check out of Uruguay at that point as the Argentine immigration officer took our passports at the booth.

You will check us out of Uruguay I asked nervously, we want to do it right as we want to come back. She laughed and told me not to worry  so I didn’t. The customs guys at the next booth were fierce and they went through Layne’s galley with a fine toothed comb. Out went fruits, cheese, Rusty’s cooked hot dogs, our cooked steaks, vegetables, and Layne got more and more bummed. We’ve never lost cheese, cooked meats and hard boiled eggs before. No one cared to look at Rusty’s papers and after half an hour we were done.

The nearest town was half an hour away so we crossed the bridge and paid a ten dollar toll for the privilege and it was a nice bridge.

I’m not sure how to pronounce the name of the Argentine town, Gualeguaychú, but we got there and skipped a shopping spree at the Carrefour Hiper market to replace lost supplies. Layne said we had supplies for dinner (with wine) so I was fine with driving straight to our planned street camp for the night.

It’s hard to tell with Argentina as  the country has a permanent economic crisis to deal with but the town seemed like a typical slightly disheveled border town. 

We both noticed how much busier the place was compared to Uruguay across the river. 

iOverlander gave us a lead on a free place to park for the night and it looked good to us.

Gasoline is cheaper here US$6:31 a gallon versus $7:71 in Uruguay but  a free night always helps. 

Rusty had watched me go up the hill but wasn’t going to let me wander about alone and out of sight…so he started after me. 

It was a nice park for locals who came out to chat, walk their dogs and children and go fishing. Some of them smiled and said hi to us as they walked by. Uruguayans across the river are much more reserved and rarely even make eye contact. So close yet so different. “Waa-lay-way-chew” maybe is how you say it? 

Beef gravy, some cheese customs missed and a bunch of kibbles and Rusty was happy. 

The park is pretty huge. 

This guy was selling fry bread and apple tarts. Layne said no. Bugger. 

Somehow a cheese and a salami survived the border ravishing plus we had bread and wine.  That was dinner. 

After a gray day and not much driving we weren’t bulging with electricity so why cook? 

“Today is a good day to go out and RUN.” 

Or walk. 

Or fish. 

Or bicycle. 

Or photograph. 

We had some Italians for neighbors tightly tucked into their van. Never saw them. 

Telephone company. 

Eva Peron. The graffiti’ed plaque said it was placed here in 1997 to balance  the historical record, courtesy of the socialist city administration. One gets the feeling there might have been some discussion about this statue’s inclusion in the park.

Even the locals move faster than us.