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Thoughts taken while spending my ten day exile in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In summary, I was deported, and had to solve 4 major problems and many little ones along the way. 1) money, I had none (I mean none) when I arrived here. 2) a place to stay. 3) lost luggage which was left in Rio when immigration gave me the boot. 4) getting a new visa for brazil. Plasq and parents helped solve the money problem in shortish order. A kind fellow who had broken his arm in rio who I met in the terminal let me stay with him for the first two nights, then I stayed with some mostly Aussies but some others too at their "Spanish apartment" style abode (in the laundry) for about 5 nights, I met them through a Sydney boy I met in the queue in the consulate. Then I stayed in a bed and brekky for the last 3 nights so I could get some work done. We did a 1.0.1 release of Doozla. So that was accom solved.
The bag was a mystery for 5 days until TAM contacted me by email and they sent it to buenos aires but then I had to pay 100 pesos to get the thing from the airport. Everything was intact and it also gave me a shopping excuse. I'm loving these new addidas red soccer shirt shorts!
And the visa. Well that was the biggest source of anxiety which began with the crushing news at the airport that there was no possibility of entering the country that day, and only ended giddily today in Argentina when the man handed over my passport without comment full to the brim with a spanking new multiple entry 90 day visa. I had a moment and alex took a photo.
Inbetween all that was a whole lot of sweaty running around gathering the required documents, paying the bill, being told it was paid too late and having to wait another 3 days, then going back to get it but missing the pick up hour (there's just 1 hour per day) and then coming back the next day (today) to get it. That's 4 visits folks.
And so here's the impressions I took down as I went through the city.
Plaza cortazar on Honduras
TAxi drivers and bus drivers who smoke
Rooftop terrace parties
Everyone smokes
Endless avenues all filled with bustle and things to see.
Everyone has a longish and straggly looking bit of hair hanging from the backs of their heads.
All the streets are named after countries and cities in Latin America, making then easy to remember and also giving a nice connective touch to the rest of the continent.
The food here is so amazingly good and embarasingly cheap. On Australia day I wanted to have something fancy, but within my new friends I was the only one who wanted to, so it ended up being just me. Had steaks wrapped in bacon with baked vegies after these cheese stick things which were too cheesy to finish.
Incredible how painfully and fervently hungry I got when I had done a workout. 2 weeks without training really took it out of me. It really is like a compulsive habit. Also interesting is the complete loss of appetite from not exercising - I would be unable to finish meals that I would have finished in minutes usually. Nice to see that my body only demands enough energy to meet it needs.
Wondering at how people can tattoo the Nike logo on themselves. I mean just do it is a good motto but really!
What and all that cost me just 27 Australian dollars??
Frustration- I think that because I look American they try to give me coffee which is American style when all I really crave is their wonderful espresso with frothed milk!
Also the napkins are often waxed which is ridiculous.
I think the brazillian immigration consulate really is hell. And that the officials who work there really are satans minions. It really isnt as bad as you imagine, it's worse.
So I'm just going to go and workout and work hard until Friday when I'll go and pick up my now paid for visa.
Being picky with taxis in south America. Ill just let 10 go past if they dont have airconditioning!
It is a shame that I was in such a bad mood about my situation while in buenos aires because it is a beautiful city and my depressed state probably didn't allow me to enjoy it fully.
Spent my last pesos on a sandwich which actually made me gag. The good news is that I bought it from the airport lounge where I am currently sitting waiting for my flight to rio. It basically cost me a small fortune of 450 usd for the flight, but that's the price you have to pay for booking and paying for it in a travel agent half an hour after you get your visa (no questions asked!) and that's at one 'o clock and I am flying at four twenty.
Never have I been so happy to get on a plane! Rediscovered my joy of flying with this one. The clouds and the setting sun were stunning.
This post was composed entirely on my iPhone :-)
- Mathieu
In summary, I was deported, and had to solve 4 major problems and many little ones along the way. 1) money, I had none (I mean none) when I arrived here. 2) a place to stay. 3) lost luggage which was left in Rio when immigration gave me the boot. 4) getting a new visa for brazil. Plasq and parents helped solve the money problem in shortish order. A kind fellow who had broken his arm in rio who I met in the terminal let me stay with him for the first two nights, then I stayed with some mostly Aussies but some others too at their "Spanish apartment" style abode (in the laundry) for about 5 nights, I met them through a Sydney boy I met in the queue in the consulate. Then I stayed in a bed and brekky for the last 3 nights so I could get some work done. We did a 1.0.1 release of Doozla. So that was accom solved.
The bag was a mystery for 5 days until TAM contacted me by email and they sent it to buenos aires but then I had to pay 100 pesos to get the thing from the airport. Everything was intact and it also gave me a shopping excuse. I'm loving these new addidas red soccer shirt shorts!
And the visa. Well that was the biggest source of anxiety which began with the crushing news at the airport that there was no possibility of entering the country that day, and only ended giddily today in Argentina when the man handed over my passport without comment full to the brim with a spanking new multiple entry 90 day visa. I had a moment and alex took a photo.
Inbetween all that was a whole lot of sweaty running around gathering the required documents, paying the bill, being told it was paid too late and having to wait another 3 days, then going back to get it but missing the pick up hour (there's just 1 hour per day) and then coming back the next day (today) to get it. That's 4 visits folks.
And so here's the impressions I took down as I went through the city.
Plaza cortazar on Honduras
TAxi drivers and bus drivers who smoke
Rooftop terrace parties
Everyone smokes
Endless avenues all filled with bustle and things to see.
Everyone has a longish and straggly looking bit of hair hanging from the backs of their heads.
All the streets are named after countries and cities in Latin America, making then easy to remember and also giving a nice connective touch to the rest of the continent.
The food here is so amazingly good and embarasingly cheap. On Australia day I wanted to have something fancy, but within my new friends I was the only one who wanted to, so it ended up being just me. Had steaks wrapped in bacon with baked vegies after these cheese stick things which were too cheesy to finish.
Incredible how painfully and fervently hungry I got when I had done a workout. 2 weeks without training really took it out of me. It really is like a compulsive habit. Also interesting is the complete loss of appetite from not exercising - I would be unable to finish meals that I would have finished in minutes usually. Nice to see that my body only demands enough energy to meet it needs.
Wondering at how people can tattoo the Nike logo on themselves. I mean just do it is a good motto but really!
What and all that cost me just 27 Australian dollars??
Frustration- I think that because I look American they try to give me coffee which is American style when all I really crave is their wonderful espresso with frothed milk!
Also the napkins are often waxed which is ridiculous.
I think the brazillian immigration consulate really is hell. And that the officials who work there really are satans minions. It really isnt as bad as you imagine, it's worse.
So I'm just going to go and workout and work hard until Friday when I'll go and pick up my now paid for visa.
Being picky with taxis in south America. Ill just let 10 go past if they dont have airconditioning!
It is a shame that I was in such a bad mood about my situation while in buenos aires because it is a beautiful city and my depressed state probably didn't allow me to enjoy it fully.
Spent my last pesos on a sandwich which actually made me gag. The good news is that I bought it from the airport lounge where I am currently sitting waiting for my flight to rio. It basically cost me a small fortune of 450 usd for the flight, but that's the price you have to pay for booking and paying for it in a travel agent half an hour after you get your visa (no questions asked!) and that's at one 'o clock and I am flying at four twenty.
Never have I been so happy to get on a plane! Rediscovered my joy of flying with this one. The clouds and the setting sun were stunning.
This post was composed entirely on my iPhone :-)
- Mathieu
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