Malos Aires

I'm not sure if the translation is correct, but today... There is no good air in Buenos Aires, my eyes sometimes even start watering sometimes when I'm near especially polluted streets.

Breakfast was rather simple, bread with different types of jam I don't like, so I just ate a lot of bread and set out to find busline 64. I took bus 64 to Caminito, a famous poor neighbourhood in Buenos Aires which is heavily guarded and shown to tourists, but I got there very early (9.30ish) so there were hardly any tourists. Now why did I have to take a bus? Because Caminito is on the other side of "La Boca" a very tough neighbourhood of Buenos Aires where daytime muggings and robberies aren't uncommon, so me being a bit paranoid of my posesions, combined with a 1,5 DKK busticket (20 eurocent roughly) it really was a nobrainer decision. The neighbourhood is very colourful, but very small and there were almost as many police officers as tourists. I caught the bus halfway back to Avenida Paseo Colón and walked my way back, seeing some really beautiful buildings, much in the same style as Santiago, just a bit more dirty (quite a bit actually) and eventually made my way to Plaza de Mayo with a beautiful statue, more grand buildings, walked to the end of the square, headed down the pedestrian street Florida and took a left after 4 blocks, leading me up to Avenida Corrientes, still hunting for a netcafe where I can burn DVD's and because the operator of my floor at the hostel highlighted it on my map, although I have no idea why, it is a big street, but it was very busy, very noisy, very polluted and VERY ugly; there is nothing to see here. And still no netcafe's here allow burning of DVD's, althought one did but they were to incompetent (despite speaking English) to burn a DVD.

I walked back up the main square of the city, walked down another big avenue; and eventually found a netcafe to burn DVD's, although it wouldn't allow me to copy my DVD #2, which is now lost forever (the one my father received doesn't work properly either), but when I get home to Denmark, I will try and save what I can, but it is certainly sad. However all the best pictures are stored on flickr, although the quality has been degraded to make it easier to upload.

Back at the hostel I had agreed to meet with Karen and Ilene, two Australian girls at 21, and we would then go to dinner at La Cabrera, recommended to me by the Danish girl who lives in Buenos Aires that I met in Uruguay two months ago, but by that time a lot of people had been invited along (which was great), and we ended up going 9 peope. Karen (Australia), Ilene (Australia), Jane (Australia), Becky (England), Anne Dorthe (Norway), Jon (Norway), Eric (Wisconsin, USA), Modaku (Japan) and me (Denmark...). When we got there it was absolutely stuffed, but we only had a one and half hour wait befor we got in. In the meantime we went to a bar, sat down and talked.
Once we got into the restaurant, we figured out why it was really expensive, not only did you share an order between two people, the portions were massive, and together with Anne Dorthe we ordered an ojo de bife, which was beyond this world, it was just so juicy and tasty, it almost sent me into orbit. To go with it, I had spanish cut french fries (think slices of potato, fried on a pan) with scrambled eggs poured over it, and it was just so amazing; there really aren't words to describe a culinary experience like that one. We got in at 23:00 but didn't leave till around 01:30, and by the time we were leaving, it wasn't raining, it was pouring... The skies had just opened up and created a waterfall over Buenos Aires (which made me feel sorry for the protesters; the government is trying to heavily increase tax on meat, so the farmers are protesting, and the fact that we could get meat at the restaurant, was incredibly, most of the city has run out), but just like getting there, we caught a cab back to the hostel, and relaxed for a while before the clock struck 02:30 and we all went to bed.

P.s. One of the people I met on Easter Island, Marko Kulju (I didn't mention him as I didn't talk that much to him), has been arrested and is being charged for destruction of national heritage (a moai), and the government is hoping to give him 7 years in jail. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7313878.stm
I think it is fair enough, it's a horrible thing to do, and there really is no excuse for it.