Back to Day 1:
I arrived in BA at around 10am local time. Easy flight and no problem finding a taxi to the apartment (though I overpaid) so no story there. Upon arriving I met my landlord...very nice guy and very helpful which eased my mind quite a bit. Better than some other landlords I know but what's the use in naming names?
The apartment is cute though a little more run-down than I expected from the pictures. I should've known...look at me (or anyone else for that matter) compared to my MySpace photos. Human nature and good business to present the best possible angles I suppose. My building is filled with a bunch of abuelitas, a (I'm assuming) little dog that barks a lot and some children that watch cartoons every afternoon. Not the most glamorous but perfect since I could use a little less bling in my life right about now.
After resting and unpacking (a first!) it was time for mission numero uno--finding food. Though it doesn't seem like such an arduous task, when you don't speak the language and really have no idea where you are it definitely can be. I managed to scavenge some fruit, coke light and oatmeal cookies...I was sure I was going to starve. So much for the South Beach diet...I'm on the Gringa diet now. At least the lady at the fruit stand on the end of my block told me my eyes were beautiful. I love how I can understand compliments no prob but anything else and it's "no comprende"...
Came back to the apartment and tried to use my calling card. Yeah, right. All I could understand was "marque uno...blah, blah, blah" and so on. After trying every option and still only getting "incorrecto" I finally gave up. I still haven't gotten this phone situation down (Skype is taking 4 DAYS to process my payment!) but worst case scenario I'll go buy a CONTROL card and follow the directions my landlord left in the rental agreement (yes, I signed a lease written only in spanish...it looked like the usual). Though my plan was to stay in and rest since I had only 4 hours of sleep (not out of the ordinary) and was up so early (very unusual), by around dusk I decided I was just going to have to suck it up and go to get food.
So I walked a few blocks up and discovered Plaza de Mayo...finally something familiar. I remembered the plaza well because when I was here last and staying in Puerto Madero we always got the taxi to drop us off near the plaza to go to the Prune on Calle Florida. I never forget where to buy inexpensive leather designer handbags...ever. The plaza was pretty empty when I arrived save about a million pigeons, a few groups of teenagers and a line of police.
Turns out the line of police was soon joined by a few TV vans, a group setting up a stage and, about half an hour later, a few hundred people marching and chanting. No matter how far I run, it seems, the stories just keep following me. Obviously I stuck around and obviously I took notes and photos. Old habits die hard.
I won't even try to report on the basis of the protest. I understood far too little and would hate to mislead. I do know it had to do with Julio Lopez who, from what I can gather, was the president that abducted all those people in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The color of the day was definitely red and lots of banners read 'socialista' and 'communista'. In all they were a pretty peaceful group (lots of singing through microphones attached to old pick-up trucks) save a few firecrackers here and there.
There was one shirtless kid that definitely wasn't feeling the vibe and he made it obvious by tearing the flyers into shreds and tossing them like confetti on people trying to catch the subway. I decided to stay out of his way.
After the crowds cleared I made my way home (passed a guy wearing a shirt that bore a logo very similar to Flavorpill's...the only difference was that the F was solid...think it might've been for the F train in NYC because it also looked a lot like the A shirts Marc and Blu wear). Stopped off at a little bodega and got some pollo con papas (best meal I've had yet) and Quilmes Bock.
And that, my friends, is how I spent my first day. Unless, of course, you want to hear about me watching Ugly Betty episodes on my laptop...didn't think so...
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