Buenos Aires

We are arrived in the big city.

3.1 million people live here in the largest city in the country and the second 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.