The First 3 and 1/2 days in Argentina

The plane was delayed more than 2 hours. Mechanical issues, had to change planes. We landed to Buenos Aires around 1pm. 

Gorgeous day!!!! lots of traffic. Graciela went to pick us up and she gave us lots of tips about the city but it was too much info to remember all!!! Here is what I remember:

1. Don't pay taxis with dollars because sometimes they will give you back fake pesos

2. Almost everything you buy here you buy in kilos

3. If you go to a "Panaderia" (Bakery) make sure you try the "Facturas" 

4. Be careful at the "Subte" (Subway) there are a lot of pickpockets  there

5. If you get a phone card for your cell phone get a  "Movistar" not a "Claro" one

6. Don't leave your Ipod or laptops unattended in a coffee shop, etc, etc, etc

So far, Argentinian people have been very nice to us... they've helped us a lot!! 

We are still on the lookout of an apartment, it hasn't been as easy as we thought. We want to live in a nice area (Recoleta or Palermo Soho) and we want a nice apartment...of course, but it seams that the really nice ones are extremely expensive. Most of them include: water, electricity, a cell phone we can use (we need to buy only a phone card), maid once a week, cable and Wi fi (very important). Tomorrow we have three more appointments. Hopefully we find the right one.

Ok, now, these are the little things I've noticed in these past few days in Buenos Aires:

1. There are many, many restaurants that have the name of the restaurant and also say "Parrillada y Pasta" Almost all the menus have pasta dishes. Pasta is a big thing as well as "Milanesa" (Breaded chicken, beef, pork, you name it). We had chicken "Milanesa" for lunch on Thursday and the portion was HUGE, it came with "Ensalada mixta" which is lettuce, tomatoes, onions with olive oil, lemon and vinegar...delicious!!!

BTW, restaurants here open from 12pm to 4pm and from 8pm to 2 am. Make sure you arrive around 10pm for dinner because otherwise the restaurant is going to be empty! 

2. Most of the Argentinian girls (and a lot of guys too) wear skinny jeans or leggings (not the guys) even if they are Not too skinny themselves, hehehe. Also they use high leather boots, Vans or Converse (soooo popular here!). Because is Autumn here, they wear a lot of dark clothes but they combine them with bright shoes!!! my Zumba shoes are going to fit in just right!! :)

3. Young people party here NO MATTER WHAT  until 5 or 6 am...our hotel is right next to the street and they keep waking us up! :s 

4. I haven't seen 1 toilet that has a "handle" or "lever" to flush, all of them have a "button" on the wall or on the toilet itself. 

5. You get to walk a ton! around here, which is good, because we need it. I've discovered that the best shoes to walk around the city so far are my "Danskos." They are great!!! My ankle hasn't hurt at all.

6. There is a red and a green light in every "Apartment Complex or Building" and the red one goes off every time a car is about to come out. It is like a warning sign for everyone on the streets, but makes a lot of noise for a while.

7. Food and coffee are not that cheap in restaurants, so we are going to cook some and we are going to buy a lot of  "Groupons" for restaurants.

8. Don't say the word "Coger" as it means something different (not good) than "Agarrar" (to grab) here. I made the mistake of saying "Puedo coger un menu?" ("Can I grab a menu?") and TOTALLY forgot you are not supposed to say that!!!! ahhhhrrr!!!!! Of course the owner of the restaurant smiled at me and say "Of course you can "Coger" a menu!"

Well, we also have visited the famous bookstore called "El Ateno", which is inside what it used to be a theater, and it is one of the most amazing bookstores I've seen. This one is on Santa Fe Street.

We already went to the famous cemetery and everything was very familiar to me, as Guatemalan cemeteries are similar to this one, but for Scott it was something totally different...

Here are a few pictures of our trip so far:

Having coffe in the Recoleta area. "La Biela" Coffee Shop, very famous and
it was next to a huge tree:

El Ateno! beautiful, they have a coffee shop in the "Stage" area

Steak and Potatoes Au Gratin

The Cemetery

The Cemetery

I will try to update my blog as often as I can. We are trying to get settled and we have been very busy. Please pray that we are safe and that doors can be open for us during our stay in the beautiful Buenos Aires!!