Travel Week 13
It was a week of canceled plans and last minute decisions. I spent a couple days in Palermo (Buenos Aires) with the intention of going out to one of the small cities in the province of Buenos Aires (which is different than the federally administered city of the same name), but my contacts bailed on me and I popped into Rosario for a couple nights before hitting what is possibly my final destination as I transition from backpacker to digital nomad–Cordoba
Day 85:
| Cab | 35 |
| Bread and chorizo | 122 |
| Vegetables | 40 |
| Afternoon cocktails | 390 |
| Sube recharge | 100 |
| Beers @ kiosk | 200 |
| Total: | 887 ARS (104.6 RMB) (USD 15.08) |
Palermo is a place of parks and parties and I finally made it to see some of the parks, joining a group of Dutch girls on a walk through a section of the district I had never been to. Of course, as a gentleman I shared the cab ride back to the hostel in order to subsidize it for them and not because I was hungry and wanting to cook up some sausages and make a salad. There was a lazy afternoon of sipping cheap, sugary cocktails and I later joined a group from the hostel going out to Recoletta where some cultural event involved a stage and music and dancing.
Day 86:
| Photocopy at Western Union | 10 |
| Salad buffet | 74 |
| Bus ticket to Rosario | 872 |
| Luggage tips | 10 |
| Hostel (2 nights) | 1000 |
| Gintoneria happy hour | 300 |
| La Baska empanadas (10) | 450 |
| Beer at hostel | 100 |
| Total: | 2816 ARS 40.7 USD (RMB 282.3) |
I finally got some money through Western Union, and even after the 25 USD service fee (which Europeans don’t pay), the exchange rate was phenomenal. Moving forward, every 76.07 pesos is equal to 1 US dollar. The healthy eating (to offset the alcohol intake) continued with a visit to a salad bar (inside a Chinese run convenience store) to complement the left over lettuce, carrot, and bell pepper I needed to finish off before heading to the bus station. My old hostel in Rosario had room for me but was surprisingly lively with a large group of Brazilians and a couple of French Pepe La Pew types. Of course, I had to hit the Gintoneria for two quick drinks before splurging on the “world’s best empanadas.” I’m still not sure about that, but they are darn good and I got a wide range of flavors. I meant to have left overs, but I ended up giving some away and overeating the others.
Day 87:
| Ice cream | 110 |
| Fluvial boat to island beach | 300 |
| Premixed salad from fruit shop | 120 |
| T-bone steaks | 147 |
| Gintoneria | 300 |
| Total: | 977 ARS (12.84 USD) (RMB 89.1) |
Since breakfast is included with the hostel, lunch ended up being ice cream. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon enjoying the sun on the beach before rushing back to the hostel to shower, change, and hit happy at Gintoneria again, but this time with the hostel owner who is its greatest promoter. I was able to excuse myself after a pair of drinks in order to get back to the hostel to cook up a pair of steaks for dinner before going out for a beer on the main bar street of town in a cheesy German themed beer hall, which was ridiculously cheap (though my date paid the bill).
Day 88:
| Cab to bus terminal | 155 |
| Bus to Cordoba (6 hrs) | 1300 |
| Hostel Rupestre (3 nights) | 1650 |
| Cerveza at climbing wall | 200 |
| Wine and snacks (olives/Lay’s potato chips) | 380 |
| Total: | 3685 ARS (48.44 USD) (RMB 336) |
Like a big shot, I took a cab the 2.5 km to the bus terminal because I didn’t want to be drenched in sweat before spending the entire afternoon on the bus, which provided a snack and streaming video through the Wi-Fi connection. I returned to a hostel I had tried before to find the quiet, charming old house full of people, whom I joined to go to the climbing wall (a free perk of the hostel), but left early when it occurred to me that I had laid out cash on my bed and forgot to put it back in my wallet. It was still there. While eagerly awaiting the schedule asado that night, I enjoyed some appetizers, but when the guy in charge of the barbecue showed up with charcoal after 10pm, I realized I wouldn’t be eating until midnight. I ultimately bailed on the barbecue and the all night partying and decided I hated everyone when I got only 2 hours of sleep anyways.
Day 89:
| Bruncheria: Suprema Napoleana | 340 |
| Haircut | 100 |
| Empanadas | 160 |
| Beers | 200 |
| Total: | 800 ARS (10.52 USD) (RMB 73) |
The upshot of my miserable night is I matched a bunch of people on Tinder and was able to work out a lunch date and some drinks in the evening.
Day 90:
| Notebooks and pens | 99 |
| Lunch Menu: Roast chicken & Veggies | 265 |
| CRAFT Beers | 270 |
| Waters | 80 |
| Non-HH beers somewhere in Guimes | 300 |
| Total: | 1014 ARS (13.33 USD) (RMB 92.5) |
Though I started the trip with two pens (old pens from who knows how long ago) and a spiral notebook mainly full of research notes, I ended up misplacing them over Christmas. Hopefully, no one can read my handwriting and steal my ideas, but I finally got around to buying some cheap notebooks for designing my algorithm and jotting down vocabulary when reading. The day was long and my spirits were low, but a short jog and arranging last minute to meet up with an expat for drinks perked me back up.
Day 91:
| Phone recharge | 155 |
| Starbucks | 455 |
| Set Lunch: Steak | 300 |
| Selina Hostel (4 nights) | 2010 (33.51) |
| Three tiki drinks | 600 |
| Fernet & Coke | 170 |
| Total: | 3690 ARS (55.59 USD) (RMB 388.2) |
Though I am aiming for an extended stay in an Airbnb where I can have my own space, the temptation of another hostel with a swimming pool was too much to pass by for the days leading up to Chinese New Years. Yes, I should be working, but CNY is the last excuse for holiday revelry. Before I even checked out, I was called out unexpectedly to buy someone breakfast… why it had to be at Starbucks, I don’t know. In the evening, I hit up the Mundo Lingo language exchange and enjoyed some tropical drinks while being gregarious.
Running Total: 2645.88 USD (RMB 18354.38)
Daily Average: 29.07 USD (RMB 201.6)