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Thoughts on BA....
Buenos Aires (population 13mil) is a bustling, noisy, alive and alert. It only gets started at 10 in the morning, and then the pace seems to accelerate throughout the day until it reaches 'peak hour' late at night.
The architecture is that fascinating juxtaposition of old and new. High rise office blocks alongside gorgeous columned theatres. Like most big cities it is high density living with tall apartment blocks that are unassuming from the outside, but charming on the inside. Alongside the wealth of Recoletta, you notice people living on the streets and quite obvious poverty.
We have been struck by the cost of living - about R50 for a loaf of sliced bread - in a country where there seem to be so many poor people. A block on imported goods is apparently to blame, with lack of competition allowing local prices to rise - not sure if this is true/valid (will need the family economists to edit this), but our hosts say that prices have risen 30% percent in the last year.
BA residents have a certain style - reminiscent of Southern Europeans as one can imagine... The women certainly outstrip the men in the style category though. There is quite an aloofness at first encounter, but once you've made contact people have been warm and helpful.
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