Buenos Aires

I arrived in Buenos Aires early in the morning after nearly a full day of travel. I was exhausted and stinky. I took a bus into the city and then a cab to my hostel in Palermo, one of the barrios in Buenos Aires. I reserved myself a private room for my first night in Buenos Aires, since I knew I´d be exhausted after travelling for so long. I had a shower, took a sleeping pill and slept for 5 hours. I explored a bit of the the area, bought some underwear and some snacks, found vegan pizza (vegan pizza! for 6 pesos!), then returned to my hostel and watched Hilary and Jackie, a really awesome film with Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths (Brenda from Six Feet Under) that I hadn´t seen since it came out when I was 16.

Friday morning, I packed up all my stuff and headed to a nearby cafe for my free breakfast (included in the price of the hostel) of two croissants and tea. I asked my waiter how to get to HI Hostel Suites Palermo, the hostel I´d be staying in for the rest of my time in Buenos Aires. He must have given me wonk directions (unintentionally, of course, cause he was so cute) because it took me nearly an hour to walk there with all my shit. On my way, I was stopped by a group of construction workers, who took pictures of me with their cell phones. After checking into my hostel, which is in a really beautiful old building in Palermo Soho, I wandered over to Krishna, a nearby vegetarian restaurant. After lunch, I felt so tired I almost started crying til I wandered into a clothing store and blew three days´ budget on a red 80s-style jacket and a slouchy multicoloured knit vest that relentlessly sreamed my name as I skulked by it. I felt guilty for even being in a clothing store, but the guilt didn´t stop me from buying; I´m a fashion hound, and I haven´t bought new clothes since October.

Argentines know what time it is. They dress well, eat well, and know how to have a good time. I´m blown away by their beauty, charm and style. I´ve never seen such a heavy concentration of beautiful people in one place (Toronto´s a beautiful city, I talk about that all the time with David, but Buenos Aires blows Toronto out of the water). The women are GORGEOUS. And there´s something really beautiful about the way Argentines carry themselves, the way they move through the world; there´s the stereotypical melancholy, which is actually quite tangible, and, I think, adds to the physical beauty they´ve been blessed with. There´s also a confidence, a strength, an intelligence that's heightened by that current of sadness that runs through the streets of Buenos Aires.

That night, I drank a delicious bottle of wine that I paid $4 for in a supermarket, and then went out to a bar called Los Cardones with a Dutch couple. The three of us were initially going to another bar to drink with some of the people from our hostel, but we couldn´t resist Los Cardones when we walked by it. There was an awesome Argentine band playing, and, because we were the only non-locals in there, people were really curious about us. Everyone was really friendly, and the Argentine men were smitten with Molina and I; three different guys bought me roses! We were invited to drink with a polo player and his friends, who were singing and playing guitar. It was the funnest night ever!

I had a hard time sleeping Friday night, so Saturday I still felt exhausted and a little hungover from the previous night´s festivities. I decided to explore the Botanical Gardens in Palermo, as well as the Evita Museum. Cats everywhere, fighting or fucking in the botanical gardens, lounging past noon and the discovery of cacti, Argentine cacti, African cacti.