1348 At Alma cafe near Retiro, they have promo of coffee with milk and two croissants for 75 which is OK, will be welcome but sort of here for toilet - I withdrew 4.1k at Retiro and also have a 2.3k bus ticket and want to secrete these away in the bog.
Woke up about 6am and leapt out of bed with that weird pseudo homesick trapped panic. Got up a bit after 10, showered, shaved etc, host and daughter both sleeping in living room when I left at 12. Maybe they like to sleep late. Maybe they were out last night.
Came over to Retiro trying out a few cash machines en route - all with my Starling card. Banco Credito (not sure remembered right) are Link and seem to change same as Banco de la Nacion. Santander Rio had a gorgeous air-conditioned ATM "room" with a secure door lock but wanted to charge me something like 380 fee, and the machine seemed to get screwed anyway because it sat on a "please wait" screen, then eventually asked if *I* needed more time. Banco Credit wouldn't let me wd 5k; I am trying to find a high wd limit not just best fee. The ATM at Retiro was Banco Ciudad - another Link one - and it charged me the usual 220ish fee but it did let me withdraw 4.1k. Maybe other Link ones would allow this, but still, at least am pushing the amount up a bit, will try 5k next time.
Woman outside one booth up the far end of the ticket area (it's huge) as I circulated round asked me if I wanted tickets. Told me 1800 for semi-cama, system was down when she looked up cama but 1.8k was joint best semi cama fare so went back after going to cash machine (which she directed me to). Cama ejecutivo was 2.3k which was also joint best price and no fuss about different types of service, so I got that. The single seats were all sold out but I got an aisle. Did muse while circulating round looking for cash machine if I should try semi-cama, but I figured a) it's ten quid difference, ish b) it's a longish journey c) I should try semi-cama on a shorter journey and see/remind myself what it's like then maybe consider it for an overnighter. I also - triggered by some brief research on web re cheap cash macines - decided to pay for the bus ticket on debit card (better would have been eg Halifax Clarity but didn't have it with me) - yes there's a risk of cloning (does chip & PIN reduced this?) but for big purchases like this it's probably a worthwhile risk and it avoids spending expensively-withdrawn cash. The card worked fine, I hadn't anticipated this so am taking a gamble Starling won't stiff me on fees but I suspect they won't given they're good on cash withdrawals.
Much quieter up that end of bus terminal ticket area, may be worth bearing in mind. I got lots of Spanish practice buying the ticket, had to explain I didn't have my passport but did have a copy, also we got into a discussion about what my apellido and nombre were (I don't care but didn't want the bank to decline txn on grounds of name being wrong) and at one point she started typing "BRITISH CITIZEN" in as my name - can't really blame her, obviously my names are "weird" to her, but still amusing. (It is right under my name on the passport, and the copy was a small credit card sized one so I suspect she had been misled by me pointing at something with a fat finger.)
Will also point out - not to suggest anything, I rather liked her - my debit card never went out of my sight, so I'm hoping that suggests cloning is unlikely. I *did* ask for the card back before she offered it to me but that wasn't really suspicious on her part, I simply feared I'd walk off and forget it.
While I admit I'm being rather lazy/taking it easy, the problem with short-ish stays like this 4 nights in BA is that sorting out onward travel tends to impinge on the stay, e.g. yesterday I went to Retiro to check out bus/train options, had to mull it over, had to come back today to buy and I still need to book accommodation (gut feeling is will do 5-7pm-ish as probably go back to flat round then to top phone up - had a quick poke on airbnb this morning and fairly sure will be able to get *something* acceptable, it's not all sold old).
Does feel a little bit of a shame I'm leaving BA so quickly but it kind of makes sense to get right away now at the start of the trip and come back here more slowly at the end - at the end of the trip I have a tight deadline in the form of the flight so I don't want to be many hours' travel away with only a few days to go. Also as I've said before BA seems to be somewhere I'm likely to visit semi-regularly because it's such a relatively cheap and convenient place to fly into from London.
Once I finish up here and have stashed my valuables away, I'll head down towards Defensa/Plaza Dorrego and see if I can enjoy meandering round the market and maybe have a beer or coffee somewhere cheap. Drinking a bit too much (not to excess any one day, but still) but not worrying about it too much right now, doesn't help that I don't like to loiter in flat too much.
It *is* quite good/interesting to be staying in San Telmo (technically Constitucion) instead of the area further north where I think I've usually been before - it's all walkable, but it does influence which bars etc I am likely to go to.
(Did walk past Kilkenny and the bar with the wooden pirates outside yesterday, obviously remember those. Also saw - and took a quick snap on phone from same location - building I have a photo of on wall of my flat, which is near there.)
1427 Enjoyed croissants (medialunas; I am assuming that's a good translation), coffee not bad either. Will get bill, prob make it 100 and hope that's OK (that is a 50p tip and 33% so should be), then use bog and go.
1721 In bar just north of Lezama Park having pricey (110/pint) IPA; feel a bit played as sign outside implies they have pints at 80 but it may have had a cunningly obscured "1/2" on it. Anyway, was super thirsty - hadn't had anything all day except small coffee earlier - popped into supermarket hoping to get bottle of cold water but they had none in fridge. Going down too well, may have a second pint anyway despite price. It is pretty decent.
Was no bog in that cafe so had to use one in station, which was mildly annoying given I went to cafe primarily for bog, but croissants were nice anyway.
Bought a SUBE card at San Martin Subte stn, ARS75 and put 100 credit on it. Expected problems being asked for ID and only having copy of passport and to have to fill in a form (based on web search yday) but none of that; handed over cash and got card and got it topped up. It's odd, I'm clearly *not* off the beaten track here in BA, but to judge from the outdated and incomplete info on web (eg SUBE card, long-distance trains) it feels a bit like it.
Saw at Retiro that using SUBE a train ride to Tigre costs ARS30; insanely cheap really. May well go tomorrow, we'll see, just wander round for an hour or two, not do any tours, perhaps have a pint and/or lunch. The train trip is part of fun really on something like that.
Wandered down to Defensa, walked the length of the market (didn't buy anything, though will admit some purses (monederas) shaped like empanadas were cute - not a reason to actually buy one, of course) and saw a couple of minutes of a tango being danced (over shoulders of a crowd, not great view) in Plaza Dorrego itself; was OK but not really my bag, glad I saw it though, may be first tango I've ever seen despite visiting BA n times before.
Really am necking this pint but I am sort of enjoying it and I was very thirsty.
Since I found myself nearly at Lezama park and a sign mentioned it I went in and did a circuit (partly to wear out any residual worries from Friday) - super busy but quite nice. Popped into free Museo Nacion Historica (something like that) on one corner for brief look; was feeling really thirst as went in and only spent maybe 15-30 mins in but not too bad, may pop in again another time, not sure if have been there before or not. Bit of stuff about Falklands and Britain signing some treaty then invading; didn't pay that much attention as I feel it's best not to know too much about it so I can plausibly say that if anyone does try to argue about it, plus of course that's likely to be a biased source (as a naive British source would be).
1741 Finished pint, will get another. Think this place is Almarina, at least judging from wifi name and reading rather scripty writing in window backwards. Not sure if is perhaps a smidge of a tourist trap but prob unfair. Anyway at these prices prob wouldn't come back but they're not insane, may have another pint and an americano after but let's see, have a pint anyway.
Note to self: "IPA" is pronounced as a word (eepah) not as individual letters.
1812 So I've applied (will take up to 24h to get yea or nay) for a place in Mendoza on airbnb. See how it goes. Good to at least have sort of got a booking sorted.
1826 Been reading about currency conversion shenanigans with airbnb, had been wondering if I could take advantage of my no-foreign-exchange fee credit card instead of paying for these Argentinian properties in GBP. Not super clear. As long as the price I'm quoted in GBP is what I pay I can tolerate any shenanigans because I decide if that price is OK, but will have to keep an eye out to see if they're charging me more in GBP than they quoted in GBP when I booked.
Finished second pint, bit tempted to have another but 2nd wasn't as good as first (sure this is psychological, but that's kind of important) and I may well go out tonight for a couple and want to go eat and then pop home to top up phone and ideally ask host if can use washing machine tomorrow, so will get an americano and then go. Do sort of like this bar but it is quite pricey, but the americano isn't super expensive and to a limited extent the more I spend the less shit there is with the tip.
(If I keep drinking now I'll be super pissed before it's very late at all, even ignoring minor "excessive drinking" concerns.)
Just noticed they have one of those gold cats with a waving arm on the bar. No idea if true but can't help thinking of Andy McNab novel claim (from memory) that this is waving money into the owner's pockets, not waving hello. :-)
1855 Some difficulty getting attention but just ordered americano. I feel rushed in a slightly annoying and not super clear way. Maybe it's the prospect of cheaper drinks at eg Indoor Bar til 9pm and time seeming to run out, for once it isn't really the airbnb situation. Need to chill. The saving at eg IB is negligible compared to the extravagance of having had a couple of beers here.
1917 Turned down more peanuts (tempting but had nearly finished coffee and wanted to leave) - v loud drumming outside, think a band is going past in a kind of procession - and got bill, 275 which seems right, going to break a 500 and will maybe tip 50 which may be OTT but not terrible.
Phone at 37%, prob last fine during meal but may take a while to top up back at flat before heading out again. Half tempted not to go out for beer tonight but sort of don't want to loiter round flat. Meh.
1955 Back at flat. Was going to eat at some place had seen earlier offering wok chicken + veg at 180ish, but it was shut. Pizza place opposite airbnb was technically open but didn't look practically open, so come back to top up phone and will eat when go out. Host and daughter sitting on sofa, brief chat, asked if could use washing machine tomorrow and told yes but got no details. Dunno if host will be around tomorrow and didn't like to ask, will see how it turns out and may just "help myself" tomorrow if it's just me and I can see the laundry soap etc.
2102 Yay Android. Battery is increasing at about 1% every 20 mins. I even rebooted the fucker. The back of the phone is almost painful to touch but it's all a wonderful magic black box and there's no way to see what's going on. So I've spent an hour here - using phone a bit but not so much just lately, and that is really no fucking excuse anyway - and got basically jack shit in return for it. All part of the Android magic, I guess. Phone is at 47% now.
No idea if it's too late to eat given it's Sunday or if BA is still a "late" city even on Sunday. Will head out very shortly and see what happens, if I can't eat I have some nuts and raisins left and not eating much today won't kill me. Oh, battery now down to 46% even though it's plugged in and all I'm using is Dropbox text editor. What a stinking fucking turd.
2126 At Indoor Bar. Ordered pint Quilmes and individual ham and red pepper pizza (190); IIRC Argentinian pizza is by my standards a bit odd but is edible. Quite a lot of people out generally, though the pizza place opposite airbnb was virtually empty and not appealing. Could have had steak for eg in couple of places but reluctant to pay 400 odd when there's that decent little place at half the price; I had also hoped to eat semi-healthily today (eg that veg+chicken wok thing) but that's life. Will try to do better tomorrow, eg at least buy some fruit and eat that.
Feel I should be varying my places more but OTOH did go to that new place this afternoon plus given my price sensitivty and a certain nerviness about going inside a bar alone and therefore liking the outdoor seating here etc it's OK. As I say I am actually visiting newish places - this is only my second visit here
Host told me there's a lunar eclipse tonight after 11 and moon will appear red. Just may see it from here, can see moon though looks a bit low and may set by time of eclipse even if I am still out. This does suggest she doesn't expect me back super early tho esp given phone batt situation may not be out super late anyway. Have seen lunar eclipses before, would be nice to see but not overly fussed.
Ah, web says eclipse starts half eleven here and not maximum til gone 2am. So won't be seeing that I think. If I were back home I might well see it from flat at such a time (tho won't be 2am in UK of course) but as it is won't here. Not a big deal.
Seem to be quite a lot of lost cat posters in streets here. :-( Incidentally seem to be no stray dogs in streets. Can't remember if this was case on previous visits or not.
2152 Pizza pretty good, feel a bit stuffed actually so decent portion size. Was vaguely how I remembered - a pretty much solid "sheet" of sliced ham across the whole pizza, not shredded bits all over as might see in UK, with four strips of red pepper across. But very nice.
Oh, AFAICT - I got a notification when I had internet access at Almarina and checked in their app - Starling didn't shaft me on using my debit card to pay for bus ticket. Would prob be better (if no fee locally) to use Halifax Clarity, since I could probably better afford to "lose" it if it did get cloned. But I will be experimenting with it if I stay in country long enough to see if it gives me lower local bank fees anywhere. Will experiment with Barc Plat Travel first tho, and will be a while I suspect cos have all that cash withdrew today.
Was thinking earlier that while I'm sure as hell not doing it now, I *could* imagine spending say a month in BA studying Spanish. I don't know how much it would cost, but I'm less concerned about the local accent/vocabulary/voseo than I was.
Saw some properties in an estate agent's window earlier. Superficially half decent flats at USD100k+. But it would be crazy to buy, even if I really loved BA. As TEA puts it, download your holiday homes from the cloud. Why would I lock myself in, have to deal with local tradesmen and taxes etc when I could probably rent a flat for an entire year for well under USD10k and have total flexibility to stay anywhere else in the world I wanted instead? Yeah I'd have the chance of upside on the local property market but also downside. Do I know jack shit about BA property? No, I don't. I'd be as well sticking the cash in an index fund and putting the returns towards the rent. Not that I was seriously tempted to buy here, but when you're somewhere half decent and have vague emigratory thoughts and prices seem low the idea of buying always flits through your mind. My mind anyway.
Moon no longer in view FWIW. Finished first pint, will get another, battery at 32% which bites but will prob last out what I need, and I know the way back without needing Google Maps to navigate if it *does* get really low (not that it's gonna go dead). Pretty busy in general, if anything more raucous than last night - speculating, maybe people don't stay out as late Sun so I am seeing people towards the end of their evening out (and thus a bit drunker/more animated) compared to people starting their evening out at this kind of time Fri/Sat.
2257 May regret this but having a third. Not pissed but I am drinking modestly-but-very-frequently of late and if I do go to Tigre tomorrow I'll probably have a couple in the afternoon. A smidge worried about getting back late but should be before midnight anyway. Meh. Batt down to 19% but should last out.
2310 Still pretty busy. Got to love a city where it's not dead at this time on a Sunday, completely different from London. For all that it annoys me I don't really understand the opening patterns of various eateries.
2321 Dire Straits "Tunnel of Love" (I think) coming faintly from bar next door. Maybe I'm wrong. Hard to hear properly. The more I hear - lull in nearby conversations - the more certain I am. Definitely Dire Straits anyway. It might actually be the song about "Guitar George" whose name momentarily escapes me.
2331 Nearly finished third. BTW did get flat door open earlier, host congratulated me. Will get bill shortly and go back, don't think it's too late, feh. Pretty busy FWIW, no idea what time they shut. Battery 11%.
2338 Bill 425 which seems right, will make it 500. Just waiting for waitress to take note before leaving. Batt 9%. Fucking thing not charging earlier...
Mon 0221 Bed. Been watching eclipse with host. Odd but very enjoyable, phone at 4% but not dead, presumably as screen been off. Will write more tomorrow, bed now.
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