Buenos Aires 1

We arrived 45 minutes before schedule so we hung around the airport for a bit, cleaning ourselves up before heading to the Airbnb. The host wouldn’t let us have an early check in because of previous guests, but he let us drop our bags so we could walk around the city. We had some issues trying to get Uber to work; apparently the Argentinian government cracked down on it by banning credit card payments, so we opted to walk around instead. We headed towards Palermo, the Italian neighbourhood and walked through the Botanic Gardens and the Ecological Park where we spotted some wild maras, some flamingoes and a tapir.

We were wondering what to do next; we tried to use the subway but couldn’t figure out where to buy a card from. My poor Spanish skills were unable to find out from the transit operators, and we didn’t have cash, so we decided to stay in the area for lunch.

Since we were in the Italian neighbourhood, I decided to try this pasta restaurant which was pretty decent. The group was tired so we walked back and dozed off for a bit at the Airbnb. Eventually I decided I wanted some time to myself so I left the group and wandered over to Centennial Park where it was buzzing with activity. Locals were sitting on the grass, enjoying the beautiful weather. There was a busy flea market, a lot of dancing and people playing soccer, it was really cool to just walk around and people watch.

I ended up in Caballito, where I got dinner from a local burger chain. It was not great. My Spanish skills were really struggling and deep down inside I felt anxious about committing to spending so much time in Barcelona. But I know it’s a much more international city, especially with all the different European nations, so I should be okay. I made up for a disappointing dinner with a ball of chocolate ice cream with a dulce de leche center!

Today has been a slow start for the group, but we’re heading to Caminito and San Telmo Market.