Mis Primeras dias en Argentina :)

I am alive. For those of you who doubted, screw you all. I am alive. And safe. And have had the most amazing first day in Argentina. The journey was arduous, I ain't gonna lie.

I started travelling at around 11am British time, got delayed in Madrid for two hours with a demon child in a green dress, who liked to run luggage trolleys over people's feet and then finally boarded the flight to Argentina at around 1.30am Spanish time (the next day)! The Air Europa flight to Argentina was pretty good as far as 12-hour flights go on a budget airline. I was served some chicken arrabiata at about 4am in the morning, which I devoured eagerly despite the fact that it tasted like lego. This thought then caused me to think of the Izzie Izzard sketch where lego Darth Vader tries to get chicken arrabiata on the death star. As I am sure you are aware, the tiredness turned my mind to mush and I began to chuckle slightly to myself at this point, which prompted some stares from the darling Spanish couple in front of me who persisted in forcing their chair into my lap. Fuck you very much.
This episode was promptly followed by a lovely woman named Teresa from Misiones, Argentina who proceeded to tell me about Buenos Aires and her life who was sat next to me. It seemed that every time I told her something about my own life, she had a comparatively similar story to tell.

-Oh, I'm in Buenos Aires working as a journalist
-Oh really? My daughter is a journalist in Buenos Aires
-I have a friend that is picking me up at the airport that studies in Rosario.
-Oh really? My son studies in Rosario.
-My name is Sam.
-Oh real-
-Let me guess, you're called Sam too?
-No.

That actually happened. Embarassing much. In fact, Teresa was lovely. She told me a lot about Argentina and places to visit and helped me with my forms that I had to fill in to enter the country, the first of which I had decimated in my sleep. I mean why give a sleeping guy an important document? At least wake him and tell him that without this piece of paper, he is going to be on the next flight back to Inglaterra. Air Europa. Providing you with the quickest return flights to Buenos Aires since 1994.

 I finally arrived at Buenos Aires after 26 hours of travelling and proceeded to go through security, where the guy who stamped my passport wasn't particularly happy that I intended to cheat the visa system here by travelling to Uruguay after my 3 month tourist visa runs out. But I had to tell him? He asked me. And he had a gun. Okay, this last bit was a lie. But I'm sure if he wanted to, he could kill me with a single thought, for he was Darth Vader.....

I then met Erika. The most amazing person ever. Erika, for those of you who don't know, is my Argentine pen-pal who helps me with my Spanish. In return, I help her with her English, which is far superior to my Spanish. She introduced me to her father, Luis and we got in a taxi and went to my hostel.

Milhouse is amazing. It's this huge colonial style building, that has been converted into a hostel, with amazing modern fittings. The bar is great. So the rest is pretty irrelevant. I met a lovely German girl called Eva who has been travelling in South America for a month who ended up being in my room. I dumped my luggage and Erika kindly invited me to her father's house for mi primer asado argentino! (My first Argentine BBQ)

Milhouse Hostel

We left the hostel and proceeded to walk up La Avenida de Mayo to 9 de Julio, which I think I saw from the air. Its the widest street in the world. Think Picadilly Circus with all the lights and screens and stuff but at the width of the Thames. Its insanely massive. Buenos Aires makes London look like shoe box and Nottingham a matchbox. I like boxes. Not dissing London obviously, but it is crazily big.

We boarded the bus...well sort of....one foot was still on terra firma as the bus started to accelerate into 9 de julio. Erika assured me that we were safe as another bus was literally inches from slamming into ours. Erika laughed at my fear. Tourist status, successfully acquired.

Me drinking Mate'

We reached her father's house and he had already started preparing asado - we ate the most beautiful meat in the world. Veal and Chorizo, with a wonderful potato salad that Erika knocked together in her father's kitchen. I also met Erika's little sister Julieta, possibly the cutest child I have ever met - the girl is gonna break some hearts when she gets older. We also drank mate' which is a national institution here; its a sort of herbal tea that the host mixes and passes around. We all drank from the same cup out of a silver straw like instrument - it was an absolute honour for them to introduce me to this as it is very big over here. Luis, then told me a bit more about the city and places to avoid and places to see and also about some discounted flights to Chile and boats to Uruaguay, which I would love to go to. He was also kind enough to give me his number in case I run into any trouble out here, which is amazing of him. I wish the English were so kind!
The community in Luis' barrio is lovely too - in Argentina they hang banners for people's birthdays across the street for all the neighbours to see. Erika explained that this is particularly true of girls for their 15th birthday, which I imagine is the Argentine equivalent of the sweet 16.

El Obelisco on 9 de Julio at Night

I jumped back onto the bus after bidding farewell to Luis and Julieta and Erika and I went back to 9 de Julio for a night trip to the Obelisco, a huge tower that looms over the city, sort of similar to Nelson's column in trafalgar sq. I said goodbye to Erika with a big hug as she was travelling back to Rosario to go to university and I crossed 9 de Julio (by myself! WIN!) back to my hostel, where I fell into a deep sleep.

El Obelisco on 9 de Julio by day

This morning, I've sat in the hostel searching for a place to live and I am going to take the subte (tube) to meet a girl and her friends to see if I can live with them. It looks like a beautiful house.

That is all for now. I realise as always that I have written an essay. My heartfelt apologies for those of you still reading.

Hasta prontito muchachos xxx