With my return plans foiled, I had to find a place to stay one more night in Buenos Aires. I knew this was gonna be a true test of my Spanish speaking skills. So I called a cab to take my from the port back to the center (cabs are extremely cheap... with a ride from Puerto Madero to Microcentro costing about 15 pesos (or 4 bucks)). In normal Argentinian fashion, the cab driver and I talked about how amazing the city was and what I could do for my extra day in Buenos Aires.
My first instinct was to try out the hostels, but since I did not have cash my options were extremely limited. After getting turned down hostel after hostel (and to note that the streets were becoming ever more vacant), I still had no luck finding a place to stay. I asked the police about nearby hostels, and they sent me down a dark alley where the only thing I saw was an extremely dim sign that said hostel. I went in to see what they had to offer. It was true that it was cheap, and after telling the front desk guy about my situation he offered a room where I could pay the next day in cash (since I told him I did not have cash at that time). It was a tempting offer at 10 dollars per night, but the entire hostel had an interesting smell... and I knew it was probably better to pay extra for a hotel than to stay here.
As I continued my search, I passed by what I thought were the usual people passing out small ads. In Montevideo, my natural reflex was to take one of the small papers and the people would leave me alone. But I passed by one guy on Florida street and took the paper that he handed me and he started talking to me. I was a little confused since I thought the point was for him to simply pass out these notices. He asked me if I was looking for a place to "stay". I was surprised at how he knew that I needed lodging. So I told him my situation where I was looking for a cheap place to stay, and he suggested one place and I told him that I had been there but none of the places accepted credit card. And then he said he understood what I wanted and told me about an "apartment" that rents for 300 USD an hour that accepts credit cards. I thought to myself what kind of apartment rents by the hour... and then he said that there were 25 irresistible girls waiting for me there... and then I understood what kind of lodging he was offering. Apparently we had a completely fluent conversation with completely different things in mind. So I quickly turned him down and said that I need to go find a real place to stay. (Later on I read that this was a very common scamming technique in Buenos Aires).
Despite the dark alleys and the shady characters and the fact that I still stuck out, I eventually found a decent hotel to stay in. After casually talking to the manager to relieve my stress, he gave me a 20% discount on my stay there and wished me luck on the rest of my trip. So, to say the least, it was an eventful night looking for a place to stay.
The next day, I spent most of my time in Palermo. On my way to the subway station, I was passing through yet another alley (well lit this time with the major roads clearly in sight), and I noticed that there was a guy behind me. Nothing new, people are allowed to walk behind me. And then suddenly I felt something wet fall on my head - I thought it was water from the building heating system. The guy quickly comes up and informs me that I a bird had just gone number 2 all over my hair, pants and backpack, and he let me smell the supposed "poop" of the bird. He offered to clean up the mess, and I told him that it was all right - and that I would do it myself if he gave me the paper napkin in his hands. Soon, two ladies came up to me and offered the same thing. From nowhere they somehow knew that a "bird" had pooped on me. Like the previous man they offered to clean it. After quickly thinking about the suspicious nature of the situation, 1) it was physically impossible for a bird directly above me to have pooped all over my pants when my backpack would have blocked it, 2) the three people who came up to me all knew about what happened without even asking me, and appeared to be of the same family. I then remembered that there was a common scamming technique in Buenos Aires where people would squirt something repulsive (usually mustard mixed with rotten eggs and colored accordingly) and then offer to clean. As they disorient you with their politeness, they unsuspectingly take your easy-to-access belongings. I repeatedly told them that I did not need help, and I grabbed the napkin from one of the ladies so I could clean myself. They spoke English and were extremely persistent. But when I reached the major road, they stopped offering. When I got to the subway, I noticed that the marks on my backpack were straight lines - consistent with someone using a condiment bottle to spray the green concoction. Now I can truly say that I have been a tourist in Buenos Aires.Apart from that, the last day of Buenos Aires was definitely worth it. And of course I have to talk about food. At the internationally-acclaimed restaurant La Cabrera, I had their ribeye steak (everything on the table for less than $20), and I have to say that it definitely is one of the best steaks and side dishes that I have ever had. I wish I had the chef as my personal chef.
This time I was careful to board my boat on time. And out of pure coincidence I met one of the people from my lab. I felt like a Uruguayan who always seem to see people they know wherever they go (since it is a small country with a small population, it isn't hard).
When I got back to Montevideo, I took a taxi (way more expensive than in Buenos Aires) back to the residence. As my taxi pulled up I started hearing a cascade of "llegó Andrew!" being yelled across the entire residence. And having only turned my back on the doorway to quickly pay the driver, a massive group of people piled at the doorway. For the rest of the night, I would not hear the end of how I made them worry that I was MIA for nearly 24 hours... of course I made sure that my mentor knew of my situation!
No comments:
Post a Comment