Buenos Aires, Retiro. Settled Into My Badass Apartment! Too Bad It's Time To Move

I am behind on my trip notes from August but I've had people asking about what I’m doing here in BA, what it's like, etc. So I’ve decided to post some notes out of order, and I’ll fill in the missing parts later. It’s been fairly smooth settling in, the allergic reaction I suffered to the fleas this summer while camping is almost completely gone but there are still some scars where they attacked en masse. I started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu here and running to try to get back in shape after two months of doing nothing except riding the motorcycle for ten hours a day.

I’m living on top of a building overlooking the River Plate with a fantastic view of all the variants of a city in microcosm around me. I can see the train station of Retiro with the famous clock tower in front of it, the rich neighborhoods of Palermo, the poor Villa 31 slums located in the middle of the wealthiest land in the country (which the other residents consider a cancer on the locality, because it's growing and it's so bad at times that even the cops don't want to go in there), and of course off in the distance over the water I can see Uruguay on the horizon. There's even an esoteric recluse metal artist visible from my window, his rusting junk piles of scrap waiting to be turned into shining sculptures. At night the view is impeccable:



As much as I love it here, come to find out almost as soon as I moved in and got set up with cable modem, office furniture, bus schedules and whatnot, I have to move out! I'm staying with my cousin, and her landlord decided to sell the place so we are getting ejected. She will move in with her boyfriend and I am left to fend for myself. Well, nothing is easy but what can you do. I'll find someplace else that's cool too but it's just a bummer because this pad is sooo sweet!

Onto a topic of awesomeness of another kind: the food. As you may have heard, lots of meat here, the best in the world. Argentina also makes excellent, inexpensive wines and I've been gorging myself and life is very, very good. Here's a sample of the way the typical barbecue is prepared. My uncle hard at work and believe me it was as good as it looks:

Now onto recent headlines. They talk about how bad the crime is here in Argentina, both institutional and otherwise, “todos son chorros” they say, particularly about the politicians, but I haven’t seen it that much personally, at least not any more than in any other country, the US included. I guess it depends where you go, what time of day, and what state of mind you're in, like anywhere else. Years ago I had a camera stolen at a restaurant here in Buenos Aires, but only because I forgot it on my table and when I went back it belonged to the waiter. But of course I'll call you if it turns up, he said. Right. Another time a cheeky cabdriver pulled the switcharoo and suckered me out of $40. I knew it was a scam and would have gotten out and told him to go suicide himself but he had my bags in his trunk, which were worth a whole lot more than $40 to me. Other than that I have been fine here during the many times I've visited.

That’s why I was cracking up so much when I read about the Bush daughter’s phone and purse getting snatched from their table at a restaurant. Ha! Their personal secret service agents didn't even notice! That’s hilarious. (Maybe it was the same waiter that has my camera?)

Taken from Yahoo News: “ABC reported that the theft was not the only difficulty the Secret Service faced during the fraternal twins' two-week visit. One of the agents got into an "altercation" after a night on the town and was beaten, the television news organization said, citing police reports.”

How the hell do you beat up a secret service agent? I thought those guys were cast from molten titanium and trained since the age of six in pits with hungry dogs? And what about his gun? His pepper spray? A black jack? Nothing? First a theft from under the nose, and then an ass whooping on top of it? So I guess that in terms of security, the Bush twins were given the benchwarmers for their visit here. Do you think these guys will ever get invited to another white house softball game when they get back? Will they ever receive another Easter ham from Barbara? I'm guessing not. I’m still giggling over it.

posted by goat hill dreamer @ 10:16 PM