Seven Days

One week. Only seven days more in Argentina. Only seven days more of my grand adventure. It is an exceedingly strange feeling to be waiting to leave. I have been unemployed for nearly two months now, waiting out the summer vacation while I tried to decide if I wanted to stay (and find work again) or go back to the States (and find work again). It has been a strange, restless, shiftless time in my life. But finally, playing tourist is only fun for so long. For me, I think that time limit is about one month. Which makes me wonder about all the “round the world” tourists I’ve met down here, and how the hell a person can play tourist for a whole year? There is a sense of purposelessness, of waiting around for something that I find very unsettling. What exactly do you do with so much time in a foreign country without getting involved in the industry and society of the place?

About a month ago, when we first moved into our temporary apartment in Buenos Aires, I made a list of places that I really wanted to see in the city. It was a long list and covered everything from major tourist attractions to the once monthly all-you-can eat sushi and beer special at a local brewery. Some of those things didn’t happen for one reason or another, the most popular being that January is the crown of summer holidays and some local places simply shut down for the month (also some museums). January is also, coincidentally, the height of tourist season, with all the accompanying tourist traps and street vendors. So Buenos Aires is left with a somewhat strange vibe: many local, cheap places are closed while many very expensive, touristy places are packed. But despite some exceptions, I have done most of what remained on my list after some necessary pruning. Here is a sampling of my recent escapades in and around Buenos Aires:

- Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (I took two full days to see all the fantastic art packed into this gem)

- Recoleta Cemetary, Church, and Street Fair (great place for some very tasty pan relleno from local vendors- cheap!)

- Japanese Gardens (if you have the money, try the sushi restaurant inside the garden… I didn’t have the money)

- Walrus Books, San Telmo (absolutely the best selection of English books in Argentina, and with a great, bohemian vibe too!)

- Nature Conservancy and Bird Refuge (runs along the waterfront and features the only true beach and wildlife in BA. I rented a bike right out front and zipped around the trails in a couple of hours.)

- Museo Evita (I really wanted to learn more about this national icon/goddess. This museum was both highly educational and aesthetically very interesting. Lots of layers of Evita-ness, including selections of her wardrobe, video footage, music, furniture and more. It’s all housed in one of the breakthrough “transition homes” she established throughout the country.)

- San Telmo Street Fair and Antiques Market (huge!!!)

- “Exploring” (i.e. wondering around aimlessly, but looking purposeful so as to avoid mugging) San Telmo, Palermo, La Boca, Puerto Madero, Boedo and upper Almargo.

- Weekend Trip to Tigre (the river delta of the Plata and Parana. I took a boat ride down some of the smaller inlets.)

- “Weekend” Trip to Rosario (further up the River Parana, which somehow turned into a 4-day trip because it was just too cool to leave… I would live here if I ever return to Argentina!)

- Museo de Ciencias Naturales (with dinosaurs!)

- As many restaurants as I can possibly justify: Peruvian, Japanese, Mexican, Turkish, Thai and the prerequisite empanada and pizza dives (better here than in Mendoza).

- As many Heladerias (ice cream shops) as I can justify.

- A seemingly never-ending search for a present for my sister. Today is her birthday! But I am having a hell of time finding something for her.

- Eating an inhuman amount of watermelon. I would call it a watermelon fast, except that I am also eating all that world food…

- Becoming intimate with the Bs. As. Subway system… very intimate (I am in love with the ease of transportation in the city after the nightmare of public buses in Mendoza)

- And some stupid stuff, like watching “Gulliver’s Travels” in 3-D, in Spanish, in the middle of the afternoon, or sleeping until noon, or hunting mosquitoes in my apartment before I go to bed.

It’s a list of my life for the last month. Perhaps it could be longer, or more interesting, or maybe include “earning money” somewhere among all the expenses and time spent penny-pinching, but in the end it’s all I have to show for myself lately and I’m sharing it with you. I can’t help but feel like I’m wasting my time, my precious last week, by not “doing” enough, or not doing the right things. But in the end, I think it’s just about doing things that are memorable to you, the traveler. Considering I just recalled that whole list from the top of my head, I think I’m probably doing ok. See (many) of you in a week!