Since last update, I think it has been five days. Those five days have been some of the most tiring, challenging, and uncomfortable, of my whole life. They've also been some of the best of my life!
After I got over the little jetlag I had, I bought a beer, and so far I think that was the best decision I've made. It seems like if you have a beer in your hand here, you are instantly approachable, and people will talk and talk. Talking to locals, Portenos, is how I have spent most of my time, it is fantastic. My Spanish is very limited, but it usually just involves a lot of 'que es esto?' and 'como se dice?' then they talk and talk, and I smile and say si.
Sunday sees the biggest market in Buenos Aires. It was along a cobblestone street called Defensa. It is called that because when the English invaded Argentina, the men were busy fighting the Spanish, and the women hung out of the windows on La Defensa and poured boiling water and dropped stones on the heads of the English soldiers.
The market sold anything you'd imagine being sold at a market, and it was all cheap! Far and away the best part was the street music, on every corner there was someone or a small group of people playing their instruments. I found myself sitting and listening to the music for hours on end. I lost track of the time on multiple occasions and before I knew it they were all packing up and leaving. I ended up spending more money on cd's than anything else. I got home and put the cd in my computer, the music was still incredible, but it had understandably lost a lot of its energy.
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| A band called Tio. Rocking the house down. |
After having hours to drink deep the Buenos Aires culture, it was time to drink deep the beer. Since sunday night it has been a blur of bondiolas (a greasy 'delicacy'), beer, steak, smoky nightclubs and a vampire-like fear of sunlight. The nightlife is frantic, all week long, and it is addictive. I wouldn't say that I'm a massive nightclub fan at home, but right now I can't get enough!
Yesterday was a big celebration in Buenos Aires, it was called 30 anos democracia. There were big statues of Eva Peron and they worship her. I sat all day and ate helados, a type of ice cream. As I was walking back to the hostel, a large group of people wearing all white and carrying flags walked by, and I managed to get caught up in the whole thing and ended up walking a few kilometres off route with a bunch of euphoric argentinians. I think it was then that I realised how passionate these people are. Anything that they care for, they have a passion that they will uphold for ever. I told a guy they are very passionate, and in his broken English, he told me 'yes yes! Passion not ration!' It sums them up beautifully.
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| The crowd that eventually engulfed me. Despite the rainbow flag, I'm 98% sure it wasn't a gay parade. |
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| Bondiola and Quilmes. I have the main food groups covered in my diet. |
Over the last few nights, I have been hanging out mostly with Australians (and Israelis), more specifically Melbourne, more specifically, the Monash area. Thats why you fly to the other side of the world, to hang out with blokes from Mount Waverley! In saying that, it has been great fun, and they have all these videos of themselves kicking a footy in iconic places, which appeals to my very easy-to-please/tragically-Australian sense of humour.
Well, its beer o'clock I think, actually its five past.
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