10/3

So since my last blog I have been spending my time wandering around Buenos Aires trying to become a bit more familiar with the city, which I´m still not even after 3 days there, it is a HUGE city like New York or Berlin and I´m staying right in the centre of the CBD so it´s non stop traffic 24/7. I like it, I just feel so lost with everything and very disorientated. if I spoke SPanish and got out of the CBDI´m sure I would love it. The people are really friendly and always go out of their way to help. In the afternoon I wandered down to San TElmo which is the old atr district and watched tango in the square which was cool, I like that area it´s very run down and old but has a much more authentic feel to it, when i go back to BA in a few weeks I thin kI will stay there. I have had to give up any notion of being a vego while in Argentina as it´s NOT going to happen. The stable diet is pastries for breakfast and then pizza, steak or ham and cheese sandwiches, just SO much white bread! Great wine from Mendoza to the west of BA, you can get a good bottle for AUD$4 from the supermarket.

Had a good time wandering around the rich leafy surburb area of Palermo with a girl from New YOrk (who has spent the last 5 months travelling down from Mexico to BA on her own) and a Dutch guy( who has just come up from ANtartica). Anyway I have to just randomly pick things on the menu as still not sure what anything is.

BA is a lot cheaper than home a taxt ride averages about $5, my hostel bed $15 and a meal about $7. As appose toRio same room would cost you at last $40 AUD a night, a taxi about $35 to a different area, the price for drinks and meals are the same as home but more! Crazy if I had know this I wouldn´t have opted to stay here for 9 days. Oh well off to the supermarket for me or I´ll be eating from the street vendors.

I´m enjoying myself but really feeling the isolation of not being able to commuicate which makes it difficult, can be a tad lonely and at times frustrating. Made lots of friends wherever I stay and people in hostels are really open and friendly, tons of people my age from US, UK and AUS everywhere!Had really interesting conversations with peole from all over the world especially this Argentinan girl who was telling me about the political and economic situation of the country. They have about 5 protests a day in BA.

11/3

TOday wasn´t the best day it started off well I went to meet a couple who had been emailing me to meet them in BA (an American girl and her Argentinan boyfriend) and we went for breakfast. Then I caught the shuttle to the airport where I had lots of problems on both sides with the language and knowin the procedure, where to go etc. I got to the Int. airport 3 hours early and was checked in about 15 minutes and then had 2 and a half hours with nothing to do. There was only 1 small duty free shop and that´s it. On arrival in Rio, the arrival card was in Portugese ( as you´d expect) but I had no idea what anything was, the passport control spoke no English and it was a bit of a nightmare. Finally after a very long tiring day I get through customs and am thankful I booked my airport transfer but when /i get out no one is there. I wait for about 20 minutes while been stared at and harrased by the illegal taxt drivers. After about an hour of waitng I was getting a bit panicky as it´s night, it´s not safe to take an illegal taxt, the legal ones are about $75 AUD which is crazy and I haven´t got any braziian money to call the hostel to ask what´s happening. Close to tears and feeling like a very lost little gringo I asked this professional looking man with a tour company sign if he could help me. He was really nice and offered to call the hostel for me who told me the transfer was stuck in traffic (at 9pm, I thin kthey just forgot as there was no traffic) and the hostel said it was quicker for me to take a taxi. The man warned me about the illegal ones so took one of the stupidly overpriced ones as I knew they were safe. So it´s dark I can´t tell you what Rio lloks like yet. I´m staying in a safe area as it is all blocked off by security and you have to go through a check point to enter also we have 2 security guards 24/7 so not worried about the location.

Just can´t get over the prices, this is a third world country that is more expensive than home! I´m going to go to bed soon as it´s midnight, I´ve had a massive day and I´m doing a full day tour tomorrow (don´t even ask me how much, it´s crazy) and then going to a street party in Lapa the bohemian district tomorrow night with a big group from the hostel which should be fun.