BA

I have now left the valley and am in Buenos Aires. It was a long but uneventful trip from the valley. I fell asleep the moment I got on the midnight bus in Serena and was woken by the conductor as we entered Santiago. I got to the airport 4 hours before my flight and waited 2 hours to check in, the only break in the tedium was an amusing display by one of the airlines. 30 people (led by a particularly annoying loud American with a canoe) filled up the line to check in before anyone was there to check in. After standing for thirty minutes the stewardesses came and a airport official who made everyone back out with all of their bags and belongings, weaving awkwardly through the lines and then checked their passports and made them file back in. Very entertaining.

I arrived in BA about 3 o’clock yesterday. The hostel is fine, huge and pristine, but too many gap years for my taste and the staff all speak English except the two doormen who I therefore like the best. It’s all very gap year partyish and fine for one stay, but not a choice to be repeated.

Yesterday I went for a walk soon after arriving and it began to rain, which was wonderful as it never rained in Pisco. Sheltering under an overhanging I met an Argentinian and when the rain let up walked around the city with him, ending up with steak and wine! A good first day adventure, however it made me realize my Chilean castillano is completely useless. Also the argentinian castillano (or castishano as they seem to pronounce it) is hilarious but confusing as basic words are pronounced so differently as to be unrecognizable. So far I prefer the ungrammatical, fast and much more entertaining Chilean castillano. I have lots of Chilean pride which I have to reign in a bit to stay out of trouble. I have dropped the extra slangy verb tense (stai, vivi, queri..etc) but refuse to stop using all the excellent slang which the argentinians seem to lack.

Today I walked mostly with no firm direction, but have more definite plans for tomorrow.