don't cry for me, argentina

The truth is, I never left you.

The Congressional PalaceCasa Rosada, Presidential PalaceThe ObeliskEva Peron's mausoleum at Recoleta Cemetary
La Boca neighborhood in Buenos AiresMuseo Evita, in a house formerly used by the Eva Peron Foundation as a home for mothers and children.The mothers of the Disappeared, marching in front of the Casa Rosada in Plaza Mayo as they do every Thursday.

El Tigre, a charming village along the river
just outside of Buenos Aires.

and the money keeps rolling out

Well, I had some success shopping here in Buenos Aires--I now have two new pairs of ballet flats, which had been pretty high on my list of wants. The shopping is not as fantastic as I had hoped (this always seems to be the case) and prices are sometimes high. It's especially difficult as pesos are 3 to 1 with the dollar, which might seem to help but instead gives you sticker shock every time. Since we are far into the Southern Hemisphere, the stores here are fully stocked with fall/winter items, but my brain is thinking summer in the States. I guess it's probably better for my bank account that I'm not loving everything I see.

Last night we went to a Tango show, which is pretty much a must-see here in BA. The dancing was terrific, but the singers (one female in particular) were not. If you know me, you can imagine my reactions, but let's just say I was making faces and groaning every time she walked onstage. Today we went to the cemetary in Recoleta to see Eva Peron's mausoleum, and then to the Museo de Bellas Artes, which had a small European collection but at least one Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and one of my favorite sculptures by Rodin.

Side note: the cafes here rock. We stop in all the time for a cappuccino or glass of wine in the afternoons. It reminds me a lot of Italy: pasta-heavy menus, always a basket of bread on the table, and bottles of agua con gas with every meal. I'm sure I'll miss that when I return to Quito.

what's new, buenos aires?

I'm new, I want to say I'm just a little stuck on you--you'll be on me too.

How to describe Buenos Aires: sometimes it reminds me of Paris, sometimes it reminds me of Rome, sometimes Milan, and it is HOT and HUMID. The city is so beautiful, I forget sometimes that I'm still on the same continent. There are cafés galore, and there is a lot of outdoor dining, just as in many European cities.

We arrived at the hostel yesterday morning and crashed after the overnight flights, then after our naps we decided to explore the city. Our hostel is located on Avenida de Mayo, which is one of the major streets in downtown BA. On one end of the street is the Congressional Palace, and at the other end is the Casa Rosada (think Don't Cry for Me Argentina scene from Evita.) We explored both ends of the street, and then decided to take the bus to Recoleta, the ritzy area of the city where there are many museums and an arts and crafts market on the weekends. It was a little difficult finding the bus stop, and then we had to disembark the first bus because we didn't have change for the fare machine. Two bottles of water purchased later, and we had the correct change. We found the market, shopped a bit, and then headed back (walking) to the hostel. Later on, we went to dinner at a traditional Argentinian parillada (lots of grilled meat) and then attempted to go to a club. However, Argentinians are night owls, and even at 1 a.m. we were one of the first to arrive at the club. We stayed for maybe an hour, and then decided to retire for the night.

Today we headed to San Telmo, another area of the city famous for cafés and a huge Sunday antique market. We explored the market, tried on many pairs of vintage sunglasses, watched some Tango dancers perform in the street, and ate deliciously rich ice cream at Freddo. Tonight we went for dinner at a small cafeteria (more informal restaurant) and sat outside and drank cappuccinos at a café. Tomorrow we're off to shop, and I'm hoping to find a few pairs of shoes to take back as ¨souvenirs.¨

heading (far) south

I wanna be a part of B.A., Buenos Aires, Big Apple

I'm off to Buenos Aires.  As a person who relates places to movies, expect a lot of Evita quotes/lyrics to pop up within the next week.  I'll try to post pictures and updates when I can.  

busy busy busy

So my computer's power cable died, so I am not working from my normal computer.  Also, my friend Summer is visiting from the US, so posts are going to be few and far between for a while.  Pop on over to Summer's blog www.2micetravels.blogspot.com to keep up.  I leave for Buenos Aires on Friday, so I'm hoping to post from that great city!

unsolicited advice

I had the funniest taxi driver this afternoon. I had to take a taxi after school in order to make it to the water company int time to pay this month's bill, and the taxi driver who took me was so amusing. We talked about US presidents, US presidents' mistresses, the bad luck of the Kennedy family, my family, where I came from (and what they produce in Indiana) and of course, what I thought of Ecuador. He helped me with my Spanish when I made mistakes, but in a genial manner. Towards the end of the ride, he said to me (in Spanish of course): Allison, you need to find a boyfriend. You're how old? I responded that I was 27, and he continued that after 30, where I cut him off and said, "I know, it gets more difficult." I was thoroughly entertained for the 20 minutes and $5 it took me to get to my destination.

what not to wear

I just had a little scare.

My friend just returned from Buenos Aires, and when I asked her about the weather, she said that it was HOT. I am going to Buenos Aires in two weeks, and I am not prepared for hot. As BA is located well into the Southern Hemisphere, it will be fall for them when I arrive, which I rather stupidly assumed would mean cooler temperatures. I don't have cute hot-weather clothes with me here in Quito (we just don't need them.) I have hot-weather beach clothes, but BA is a cosmopolitan city and I cannot be running around in beach dresses and flip-flops. When I checked handy-dandy weather.com, they predicted temperatures in the low to mid 70s. I guess I will not be bringing all my cute little jackets and cardigans, but I can get away with more of my everyday Quito clothes. Whew--fashion emergency avoided. ;)