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I arrived in Buenos Aires at around 10.30 am. Getting through customs was easy, the official seemed only concerned about where to put the entry stamp in my passport(I did not need the flight out of Argentina after all). <br />Hostel Firulete kindly arranged for a cab to pick me up, and a friendly looking old man was waiting for me at the exit. Perhaps I said ´Buenos Dias´ too convincingly as he happily started talking to me in Spanish, and looked a bit disappointed when he realised I didn't understand him.<br />

First day in Buenos Aires

George Csaszi
2006-02-27 19:41:08

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I arrived in Buenos Aires at around 10.30 am. Getting through customs was easy, the official seemed only concerned about where to put the entry stamp in my passport(I did not need the flight out of Argentina after all).
Hostel Firulete kindly arranged for a cab to pick me up, and a friendly looking old man was waiting for me at the exit. Perhaps I said ´Buenos Dias´ too convincingly as he happily started talking to me in Spanish, and looked a bit disappointed when he realised I didn't understand him.

It was a nice sunny day, around 20 degrees, but it felt a lot warmer in the car. Some of the roads to Buenos Aires are incredibly wide, and people drive like crazy(I thought Poland was bad). There's also a lot of old American cars and tracks on the road, and I've also seen a number of 60's and 70's fords, which used to be common in England. Taxis in Buenos Aires are almost entirely made of 90´s Pegueots and Renaults. I suspect this is not to do with the Argentine´s love for the French, but perhaps with price, availability and fuel economy ( I spotted a large gas tank in
Avenido Santa Fethe boot of one of them).

The staff at the hostel were most welcoming, and helpful. I was able to email home shortly after I got here (I somehow managed to to get the SIM card blocked on my in my phone as I was getting of the plane, so I couldn´t text).
My room looks a bit bare, but very clean, in fact the hostel itself is clean. There´s quite a lot of noise from the outside (the hostel is situated at a corner between two large roads). I think I will move to a new hostel soon as there aren´t any other guests around.

Although I was very tired I did a bit of sightseeing and shopping in the afternoon. I managed to leave my razor at home, and my first real attempt to communicate in Spanish (with the help of my phrase book) was received with a lot of amusement, as I asked for one over the counter. Buying a map of Buenos Aires was a lot less embarassing.

As I was walking down Santa Fe avenue, I noticed there seems to be a a large number of chemists, and i wonder if this is related to the general health
of the population. Also there´s a lot of modern shops around, and there´s no shortage of anything really, provided you can afford them. Near most major stores there was a police man standing, and towards the end of the evening people going through the rubbish was a common sight.

I think I was too tired to fully appreciate Buenos Aires, I ventured down to San Telmo, before walking back to Palermo. As I went back to the hostel I was asked for directions. Surely I don´t look like a local.