San Telmo

San Telmo is the barrio of Buenos Aires that I am staying in. Today, I went walking around town. What a terrific place! There are numerous streets, some of them tree-lined and very welcoming. On Sunday, there is one street, Avenida Defensa, and its numerous side streets which are turned into pedestrian walkways. There are dozens if not hundreds of vendors with all sorts of interesting junk for sale. And, best of all, after my dismal experiences in VZ trying to get money out of banks, my ATM card actually works at the ATM machines here!! How wonderful! There are street musicians on every block, playing accordions, classical guitar, and even a small "orchestra" of about 10 players. They included strings, those small accordion-type things the name of which I can´t remember, and piano playing tangos. There are live acts on every block. What a show! Regrettably, yet again, I forgot to bring my camera with me.


I´m sitting at the window of a cafe eating an empanada and drinking a diet Coke. The empanadas here are absolutely yummy! Much better than in VZ. Mine is chicken and some veggies wrapped in a flaky pastry shell, like a large peroshkee only better. It makes a terrific lunch, and for 50 cents it can´t be beat! I couldn´t get out of my hostel dorm room quick enough ($8 a night) and upgraded myself (as in splurged) to a nearby hotel with my own shower with genuine running hot water ($14 a night). Luxury, luxury!

I was in 2 cafes today. In each one, the walls were decorated with numerous pictures of Eva Peron (the patron saint of Argentina?). The portenos, as the people of Buenos Aires call themselves, are a refreshing mixture of every conceivable ethnic origin. As a gringo, it´s so refreshing not to stand out as the only paleface in the crowd, but instead to be able to, somewhat, blend in. Unlike VZ, there are MANY tourists here, with their maps and guidebooks out, and cameras hanging from their necks. The younger ones are recongizable by the fact that they´re taking pictures with their cell phone.

It got hot and humid in the afternoon but by 5 o´clock it was already less humid and there was a cooling breeze. I´m looking forward to exploring more of the city. Hasta luego!