Though I decidedly dislike the constant city noise, I fell in love with the round the clock activity that happens in this city the other night when we caught a collectivo (bus) home at 12:30. There were men working on a building behind the bus stop, up on ladders and all, doing who knows what, as we walked 2 blocks from our friend's house and were dropped off 2 blocks from home after a wait of only 15 minutes. On the corner down the street from our flat was a cow rib cage with a dog in a coma laying next to it (just to clarify, this is in front of a butcher shop). There's something pretty awesome about so many people here in this one place, who are each in their own worlds.
After months of searching, we finally found some flora guidebooks for native Argentinian plants! Since, unfortunately it was a series of 6 books, which our budget (and our backpacks) could not afford, we will be specializing in flowering shrubs/trees and monocots while we're in Argentina. The dicots were split up into two different books, and I kind of had a hard time leaving out orchids, bromeliads, and lilies. Anyhow, enough geek speak on that for now.
Yesterday Rosa and Fernando hosted a full blown Argentinian asada, complete with friends, plenty of Stella, and plenty of meat. Fernando started up the parilla mid-day (a parilla is similar to a barbecue), but as la ley de Murphy (murphy's law) would have it, the heavy heat and humidity turned into rain just as we were settling into our seats on the terrace. Though unfortunate, everyone maintained good spirits and the food was still amazing. An asada is basically a ton of different cuts of meat all slow grilled, mostly beef, but some pork The most interesting is the morcilla (blood sausage).
Today we checked out La Boca, the first port of BA, and one of the more poverty-stricken sections of the city; it is noted for its colorful buildings that are composed of brick, concrete, and corrugated tin. It is also known for several Argentine artists who were born or lived in the area. It was eclectic and cute, and we sat for a while at an outdoor cafe observing tango and gaucho traditional dances.
Though I'm not a 'shopper', I've got to say, the shopping is great in BA. The thing is, we don't have a ton of extra cash, nor much space (or want more weight) in our packs for extra goods, and shipping isn't cheap, so we'll have to be selective with what we decide to send home. Its unfortunate, really. I guess on the other hand after clearing out so many things at our home, I also don't want to overload us. The only reason its not hard to abstain from purchasing is because I'm so unaccustomed to really buying much in the first place. But there are so many cute little craft markets with many gorgeous goods, shoes, mates, jewelry, crafts, leatherwork....
Anyhow, tomorrow we brace ourselves for a 20 hour bus journey. The Argentinean buses serve meals (we'll get breakfast and dinner, includes wine), entertainment (movies, I think), and sleeper seats, so hopefully its not too bad. In any case, wish us buenos suerte!
Yesterday Rosa and Fernando hosted a full blown Argentinian asada, complete with friends, plenty of Stella, and plenty of meat. Fernando started up the parilla mid-day (a parilla is similar to a barbecue), but as la ley de Murphy (murphy's law) would have it, the heavy heat and humidity turned into rain just as we were settling into our seats on the terrace. Though unfortunate, everyone maintained good spirits and the food was still amazing. An asada is basically a ton of different cuts of meat all slow grilled, mostly beef, but some pork The most interesting is the morcilla (blood sausage).
Today we checked out La Boca, the first port of BA, and one of the more poverty-stricken sections of the city; it is noted for its colorful buildings that are composed of brick, concrete, and corrugated tin. It is also known for several Argentine artists who were born or lived in the area. It was eclectic and cute, and we sat for a while at an outdoor cafe observing tango and gaucho traditional dances.
Though I'm not a 'shopper', I've got to say, the shopping is great in BA. The thing is, we don't have a ton of extra cash, nor much space (or want more weight) in our packs for extra goods, and shipping isn't cheap, so we'll have to be selective with what we decide to send home. Its unfortunate, really. I guess on the other hand after clearing out so many things at our home, I also don't want to overload us. The only reason its not hard to abstain from purchasing is because I'm so unaccustomed to really buying much in the first place. But there are so many cute little craft markets with many gorgeous goods, shoes, mates, jewelry, crafts, leatherwork....
Anyhow, tomorrow we brace ourselves for a 20 hour bus journey. The Argentinean buses serve meals (we'll get breakfast and dinner, includes wine), entertainment (movies, I think), and sleeper seats, so hopefully its not too bad. In any case, wish us buenos suerte!