Billed as the "Paris of the Americas" I had to get out there today and see what all the hype is about. After the snowstorms of Ushuaia, being bundled up in a parka in Antarctica, the hammering rain of the Falklands, and the thrashing winds of Patagonia, Buenos Aires (BA) comes as a hot, unpleasant, and icky shock. I have a rucksack full of warm clothes yet I set out this morning in shorts and a T-shirt. I'll admit BA hasn't given me the best first impression: it's noticeably dirtier than the rest of Argentina, and the metro gets so crowded that it's necessary to be an expert contortionist and keep your belongings secure. It also means you have to deal with the body odour (BO) of dozens of porteños (residents of BA) for a half hour or longer.
On tap for today in the sweltering heat and humidity were two essentials of BA: the Obelisk and the Teatro Colon. That wasn't before I found somebody's wallet on the train and then took it to the police station. Just outside the metro is the Obelisk, which looks very similar to the Washington Monument. Built it 1936, it commemorates the 400th anniversity of the city's founding. With a police officer very close by, I asked if it was OK to fly Juliett and he said it was fine. Though it took a while to soar her into the sky, the officer was very intrigued and said he wants to buy a drone for his son. The Obelisk is the most high-profile landmark I've flown Juliett over and I managed some great photos of both the Obelisk and Avenida 9 de Julio from more than 200 metres high.
Overall, I've had good luck with CSers in both Argentina and Chile, and in BA I'm staying with a young man named Fernando. He gave me a printout with directions to the city and back to his home, which is very handy. As with all my other hosts, mate is always on offer. In the searing heat, I then went to the Teatro Colon, which wasn't open today so I had to admire it from the outside. Apparently the interior is more impressive than the exterior.
As with everywhere else, I needed my geocaching fix in BA, and there's a virtual cache where you can learn the steps of tango.
Years ago I told Maria that I'd love to tango with her, but she'd have to join me here. Virtual and traditional caches would lead me to a few interesting places. Random shots often lead to the best moments in a place.
For some stupid reason I decided to head back to Fernando's place during peak hour, and it was another half hour or so of standing shoulder to shoulder, rump to rump, with hundreds of porteños on their way home from work with the BO to match. The trains don't have air conditioning and it gets so hot there often aren't any panes on the windows. Many Argentines move to BA because it's the big smoke but I've met many who don't like the capital. Leo, my host in Bariloche decided to move because it's too chaotic.
On the way home I called in at a small market for my favourite summer fruit: cherries. They're as popular here as they are in NZ, Australia, and the Santa Rosa area. Though I haven't been drinking much, I was up for a cold beer whilst Fernando prepared some mate and cooked up a light tea of pasta. "Estoy muy cansado" is what I've been saying a lot lately, as this has been a long journey. I left Ushuaia 12 days ago and have hitchhiked more than 4,000 km to reach the Argentine capital. My plan for tomorrow is to go to El Caminito, which is one of the colourful highlights of BA but is the one place in the city where you're most likely to be pickpocketed. That will mean no pounamu necklace, no passport, and my phone and camera very close to me. Let's hope for some cooler weather, zero pickpockets, some colourful photos, and perhaps BA without the BO.
