Buenos Aires

We arrived safely in Buenos Aires this morning. Our flight was quite lovely thanks to the best flight attendant ever, Ramiro. I failed to mention last night that we were pacing the Washington Dulles terminal because Amanda had been bumped from her confirmed seat that was right next to me. After speaking with several United service representatives (via phone and in person) they would only offer the Economy Plus seats for a charge or put us on standby for a seat change so we could be together. Ultimately we got seated together, but in the very back and therefore SURROUNDED by children. Not what we wanted on an overnight flight especially since the boys near us were continuously fighting and playing noisy video games with no headphones.

When I asked the flight attendant, Ramiro if it was possible to move,he asked if I liked children. I replied that I love them, and they behave when I'm their Sunday school teacher, which I was not of the children on the plane, and I still wanted to enjoy my single hood. I even said "yo soy una soltera" which means a single lady. He laughed and gave us the Economy Plus seats for FREE and even got in trouble for it. He then proceeded to say it was Amanda's birthday and gave us free beers. We were in front, with extra leg room, no screaming kids, and free beers. Plus Ramiro was nice to us in the non sketchy way, which is most important. Amanda and Cyn for the win! Take that United!

Arrival was pretty uneventful. Despite warnings that customs could be difficult, our x ray machine guy couldn't even be bothered to collect our customs forms.

With a taxi ride into the city, filled with American lite FM music, we arrived at the Wilton Hotel in Recoleta. There were very few options for New Years Eve that were affordable and in Recoleta no less, but so far the people have been hospitable and the room is very clean.

We rested for a bit and I strolled out looking for cash. Amanda hung out in the room as the night before she had taken the red-eye back from Nevada. Recoleta is replete with shops and restaurants. Totally adorable and very Parisian looking apts. The buses are zippy and the people very shi-shi.

I returned to the hotel and Amanda and I ventured out. On our way to the famous cemetery, we stopped for some delicious ice cream. It took us a bit to figure out we pay first, then order, but 2 Georgetown grads put together can do anything. I got dulce de leche and Amanda got marscapone. We also even ran into a nice gentleman who was from Perth, Australia which is where Amanda was born. We later learned he was really from Kalgoorlie. He told Amanda to move back to Australia immediately and she agreed to think about it.

At Recoleta park, we visited the Pilar Church and walked around the crafts stalls. We finally visited the famous cemetery with gorgeous mausoleums, very similar to the Parisian cemeteries. Some of the mausoleums are larger than some NYC apts! They say it's important to live in Recoleta, but more important to be buried in Recoleta. We made our way to the tomb of Eva Peron and the Duarte family, where tourists crowded, and also the Sarmiento tomb of the 7th president of Argentina.

By the way, in front of the cultural center, there was a sign for a play / show and on the bottom, it said "ojala". My Spanish class will appreciate that I spotted that as we spent extensive time discussing the Arab root of this word which is often used to exclaim with a bit of jealousy or means "I wish!"

At this point, we decided to grab a snack and ate outside at one of the restaurants along the Recoleta park. We shared chorizo and a margarita pizza with olives. We were surrounded by a variety of tourists and got to hear a little about their itineraries which sounded similar to ours. When I mean hear, more like eavesdropping. We decided post afternoon snack to head down to Plaza de Mayo where there are a bunch of government buildings and the Pink House - the president's house. Kind of interesting - White House - American, Blue House - Korean, and Pink House - Argentine. Presidents making up the rainbow in more ways than one.

Also, here from one of the Pink House guards, I got my first - "where are you from?" Me - "NY." "No, where are you really from?" It doesn't bother me, but definitely expect to hear it a few more times. Happens every time I travel.

Bottle caps to resemble the
Argentine Presidential symbol

We got to the Plaza de Mayo neighborhood via the subte which is the subway system. It's nothing too special, but definitely very cheap - 1.10 peso per ride or less than 30 cents. Nearby we also visited San Ignacio, the oldest church in Buenos Aires which is going under some renovations and then the Metropolitan Cathedral. I even got to take communion as they were finishing up mass. Inside the Cathedral, there is a mausoleum for General Jose de San Martin who helped liberate Argentina, Chile and Peru and fight for independence. The tomb of the unknown soldier is buried here as well. We accidentally missed the door to the Cathedral as the building looked like any government building that surrounded the plaza. We ended up walking a little through Microcentro - financial district trying to find the door. Your typical financial district on a Saturday - empty streets with lots of banks. It was especially interesting and sad, though, to see plaques in the sidewalks memorializing individuals who worked at the various banks and "disappeared" (were taken by the regime) in Argentina during the 70s.

Afterwards, we walked over a few avenues exploring the neighborhood, walked by the Obelisk which helped celebrate the 400th anniversary of the city in 1936, and took the subte back to our hotel in Recoleta. Flipping through tv, we did stumble upon a Korean channel and various movies dubbed in Spanish. However we ended up watching 3 episodes of House.

So for New Years Eve, we went to a charming, white cloth, BBQ restaurant in Recoleta around 10:30. The 4 course meal came with champagne, malbec, and unlimited beverages. Amanda and I were truly stuffed and had a wonderful time practicing our Spanish with the waiters who spoke little English. They were very kind to us. We tipped them even though the prix fixe included tip. We said it was to thank them for our poor Spanish.

So you might be wondering why we're not partying it up. We have to wake up at 4 for a 7 am flight to El Calafate and both our feet are swollen from all the walking. Upon our return to the hotel, we found ourselves locked out. When the security guard came to let us in, I said, "you're like my parents - locking me out when I return late." I said it in Spanish and he laughed. A lot. However, technically my parents never locked me out. I think I become more charming in Spanish.

Happy New Year or Prospero Ano Nuevo! Please ignore the fact that I do not have an accent over the n. I am not trying to wish you a new body part, but the blackberry is very limiting.