Well gang I made it to the Southern Hemisphere! Both flights were on time and pretty smooth. Got Premium Economy on the flight from Miami to Buenos Aires which gives a larger seat, more leg room and better food. And I even slept!
Landed around 10 AM, took an hour to get thru customs then about 45 minutes to get to my hotel. Well, I have to say, there seems to be no slow down in travel due to the Coronavirus. The customs area was swamped with what looked like several planes all arriving at once. Saw a few people wearing masks but not many. On the plane before landing, they did ask that if anyone had traveled to China, Iran, South Korea or Italy in the last 14 days to notify a flight attendant. So I guess they’re screening on the honor system!
Really like where I’m staying. Right in the heart of the city and it’s a suite so it has a kitchen and balcony. I got checked in and settled in my room. Then realized I needed to get some currency. There’s an interesting currency issue going on here that due to their Peso being so devalued, no one wants to hold them and they are very eager to get US Dollars. So a black market of sorts has arisen where there are these places in town where guys on the street yell out “Cambio, Cambio”, which means exchange. You go to them and they lead you into some room to do the exchange. Sounded a little shaky to me so I asked the hotel concierge and he said he “knows a guy”. So he gives me this card with the address on it just a few blocks from the hotel and he says I have to knock first and they’ll let me in. Even that was a little shaky but I survived! And they gave me 75 Pesos per Dollar versus at the “legal” exchange places or ATMs it’s 59 Pesos to the Dollar. Not bad!
So like I always do when I’m in a big city for the first day, I take one of the “Free” tours they offer. While it’s not free, you pay them at the end whatever you think it’s worth. Today’s tour was a lot of the history and government areas. I must say, so far I’ve found the people very friendly and the architecture is amazing.
But first of course, a little history! The Spanish first came here in 1536 and named it Puerto Nuestra Senora Santa Maria Del Buen Aire (Port of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Good Wind). The good wind meaning there’s always a breeze coming off of the water and I found that to be true today! It changed hands many times over the years and they’ve had some really dark times. But in 1945, Juan Peron became president and his wife was Eva Peron (the radio star that the film Evita depicted and Madonna played her and sang “Don’t Cry for me Argentina”). She was actually more popular than him. They ushered in a prosperous time but then Eva died prematurely and his presidency faltered. Fast forward to today and their government, while still a little shaky, seems to be on the upswing.
The tour was led by this young woman who had a history major and she shared some amazing stories. Like I said earlier, I was in awe of all the great architecture and have shared a bunch of those pics below so you can see what I mean.
After a long afternoon of walking, I treated myself to a nice Bife de Chorizo (New York Strip steak). They say Argentinian beef is some of the best in the world and I’d say mine was excellent. It did not need any steak sauce but they gave me this sauce called chimichurri and it was to die for! Like a garlicy, Olive oily type of sauce. So yummy on the steak! And the prices are really reasonable. I included a pic below. That huge steak and the tons of fries they give you was only $15! At Ruth Chris’, that food would probably be $75 or more. Unreal.
Well I hope everyone had a great Wednesday! Happy Hump Day!
The Wandering Italian 