Buenos Aires, Friday

Fri 1458 At Bar Polo, finished eating. Food not bad. Fear may have been inadvertently rude to owner (?) chap, who brought a salad over and I thought asked if I had ordered it so I said no, just chips (I already had stake) and I'm a bit worried he was offering it to me as a kind of free extra. It was probably dressed so I couldn't have eaten it anyway but as I say bit concerned was accidentally rude. Cant be helped anyway.

airbnb host gave me refund this morning - about six quid less than I expected but I have no idea why (*possibly* due to me using a "coupon" which was a refund for earlier cancelled booking, tho that should be invisible to them, or maybe they've only refunded 20% of their cut and not airbnb fees or whatever) but I think I'm going to just not worry about it rather than quibble.

I did misinterpret (doing a proper translation of msg re discount few days ago it was kind of obvious) their original msg and I think I should have guessed it would be via airbnb not cash, so I shouldn't have started spending my cash reserve instead of ccard in anticipation of getting more cash from them. I do prefer airbnb refund direct to ccard in general, except for my misinterpeting their intentions and thus as I say spending cash when I could have been using ccard. So I may well be forced to wd more cash and thus incur a four or five quid cash machine fee, which is galling, but I need to be careful not to let a desire to minimise cash spend in order to maybe avoid having to do this control how I spend these last few days.

They also raised via airbnb possibility the street door would be locked with key when I leave 7-8am Mon and I might not be out and suggested I speak to concierge; I did as I came out and she said encargadora (cleaner??) would be around from 7 so it should be fine. I just hope I don't come a cropper here. Tho while not planned in detail yet I may be leaving 8 or even past 8 in which case concierge herself would prob be on duty.

Felt bit tired-not-quite-hungover this morning and drowsed rather fitfully in bed for ages. It's OK, I don't have huge plans to run round cramming tourist stuff in every day because I'm about to go home and I just want to enjoy myself quietly, so to speak.

2221 Just got to Bar Yrigoyen (incidentally noticed another bar called that on walk over to BP earlier). Left flat maybe 2130, had got bit edgy about coming out, ended up circling vaguely north past (as it happened) Palacio de Aguas Corrientes in vague quest of possible live music at La Porteña but I either walked right past it or it wasn't open. Didn't really see anywhere massively appealing to me so figured come back here. Could maybe have sought out a lang exch or similar socialisation opportunity but I sort of didn't want to; if it wasn't my last few days I might even have stayed in, nagging feeling of concern at drinking so much even tho it's really in control - also if not last few days would prob go to lang exch thing Sat night but as it is prob won't given it's in Palermo and need to be up and sober for online checkin and don't want to be tempted to stay out all night or feel crap at having to walk away early, and if I were planning on doing that Sat and had been out last night I prob would feel "better" about not coming out tonight. But as it is this is the last night I mostly don't have to worry about getting up to do something critical in trip.

Feel mildly sad to be coming to end of trip and to be leaving BA but as usual better to feel that than to be glad, and it will also be nice to be able to move onto a new phase of life back in UK I am also probably not going to be 3-4 years without going abroad this time.

2245 Do feel a bit on edge. Not stressed out, just a bit uncomfortable. There's a mildly cold breeze blowing intermittently, tho I have fleece on and it's not really uncomfortable and lots of other ppl outside too.

2340 Nearly finished this litre. Feeling better if not exactly chilled out. Don't intend to try to record every detail of conversation last night, but suddenly remember for some reason that apparently the water temperature at Argentinian seaside resorts (bearing in mind the northern part of the country has no coast) is Skegness-ish - it can be 30C on the beach but 15Cish (which I have a vague recollection is max temp off Skegnesss) in the water.

Will prob have a second litre and then go home unless feel massively different. I assume I can only pay cash here but I am resigned to wd some more tomorrow (I tried getting cashback at a shop earlier but was told by quite helpful staff they can't do it on foreign and/or chip+pin cards - I thought I'd nicely outmaneouvered the Argentinian banks with their swingeing wd fees and insanely low wd caps, but I hadn't) and as said earlier not going to let avoiding one wd fee spoil last few nights. I am drinking a bit too much lately but nothing crazy, it's "understandable" and I will probablty have a quiet low-alcohol period back in UK.

(I have enough cash not to have had to wd this afternoon; I am resigned to doing it but esp as inflation is running about 5% pa here I don't want to be stuck with lots of cash when I leave either, so the later I do leave the wd the better I can judge how much I need without underdoing it and having to pay another wd fee or massively overdoing it - tho will err on high side I think.)

I checked Sube card balance earlier, I have 30. Official info on web re bus fares hard to come by, I think 30 is enough for bus to airport but (tho maybe complicated by inflation) also be good to have enough to get bus from airport on next visit wo having to top up at airport and of course I *really* don't want to find my balance is too low at 8am on Mon. I think you can go overdrawn on Sube as on Oyster so prob no risk of this but not worth taking risk, so will put 50ish on it at some point in next day or two.

Not busting for slash but will have one when finish first litre and thus no beer to be stolen or tampered with in my absence (tho neither feels likely).

2352 Inside small but fairly busy, tho also lot of ppl outside. I was given an ashtray I didn't ask for or need tonight, which I wasn't last time - possibly this is just chance, but maybe it's just cold enough (though it's bothering me less, tho have zipped up fleece) that the waitress figured if I was sitting outside I wanted to smoke.

"Mr Postman" 60s song playing from inside...

I am yawning a bit FWIW, tho hardly got up early unless you count the slightly broken sleep.

0004 I'm not sitting here waving like a drowning man but really struggling to get any attention from the waitress.

0005 Ordered another. This isn't unwelcome or unpleasant but I don't have the feeling of mild joy or whatever I had the last two nights, it feels like I'm out for the sake of it, and I feel a little bit uncomfortably hemmed in by groups which inhibit me staring out at street if I wanted to; I'd end up with eye contact I didn't want. Meh. End of trip stuff I guess.

0034 Ah, adjacent table group leaving. I don't really feel exactly meditative, but should prob do a bit of examining the view instead of reading (re-reading Watership Down ATM as it happens!) on phone.

0123 Last not-tiny glass of this litre. Outside decidedly quieter, music from inside and far from dead but this evidently is not a super-lively place on Fri nights. Have done a bit of meditative staring and it wasn't totally forced but it's an awkward-feeling night all round.

0129 Can't hear well but a Spanish-language version of Achy Breaky Heart (I know two, "thanks" to Valeria) seems to be coming from inside.

Despite slash after first litre feel bit busting. Will go for slash when finish this and see if I can pay inside and ask on offchance about paying by card. Can't help feeling for a tourist the worst of Argentina is this shit with withdrawing cash.

0151 Home. No way is it 20 mins walk. I had slash and loitered at bar and finished that last glass before getting here. As it turned out I could pay by card - debit only. So fished Starling out of hidden belt. Bill 340 - not cheap but expected and not bad - and I said (no idea if is valid Spanish or not) "digamos 380" after had asked and bloke said could put tip on card (in Corrientes was told could not do this). Originally saw bloke type 340 into terminal and wondered if had been lang issue and was fiddling with cash on hand to tip, but then he did a second go at terminal for tip. No idea why, maybe some odd legal issue. Argentinian PIN terminals have the disturbing habit of not showing the amount you're "signing" for and I had a momentary horror he'd have entered something insane (like a hundred quid; at least on Starling card anything over my £240ish balance should fail unlike credit card) but he had done 40. And you nearly always have to sign and write passport no on receipt too, tho I have no idea what happens if you enter correct PIN and then refuse to sign. And incidentally the Carrefour Express just down the road often takes my (Halifax Clarity) ccard for smallish purchases without asking me to enter PIN *or* sign, which seems deeply odd but I figure it's their business - if there is dirty work afoot I will notice when I check my statement and if they have neither PIN nor signature they hopefully won't have a leg to stand on.

Given this if I only hadn't burned 800ish of easily credit cardable spend on cash due to laziness in getting "gist" of an WA msg from host re refund instead of translating properly maybe I'd have avoided need for another wd. As it is I won't rush to wd (I could only chance this tonigh cos I had cash on hand if they said no) but I suspect I won't make it the rest of time here without wd cash.

Had been trying to sketch out last few days yday in my head. I am going to eat at Bar Polo Sunday after checkin online (if dont spend hours on phone due to shit), may then go sit in PL and perhaps a pizza and couple of beers at Lo De Carlitos after, then pack and stay home for night. I may go to La Paz Arriba tomorrow night and see if they have live music. And just poss as well as/instead of LDC on Sun I will go to Bar Yrigoyen for a couple that evening, esp now I know can pay by card.

Seemed a bit quiet inside as left but what do I know? GM could be wrong anyway but I think it was that BY not the other one which was open 24h.

Not really pissed but slightly tired and will move towards bed, I think.

0242 Been topping up phone (as want to read myself to sleep and not charging in bed even if had cable capable of it) and having bit of water. Incidentally asked at BP earlier if could pay by card and said no; bit dubious as they seemed to have an aging photocopy displayed which half implied contrary but whatever.