It is new years day and I have slept very little after
spending the night out at the beach with some friends and I have to get on a
plane and fly to Buenos Aires at 8:45pm. My stomach is churning a little at the
thought of it, I have only ever travelled overseas once before and it was not
alone. But I am very excited.
The plane trip was less than enjoyable being very packed out
from Brisbane to Dubai (14 and a half hours), but after getting through that
first half it wasn’t as bad, on to Rio for 13 hours and then just 2 hours from
Rio to Buenos Aires arriving at 7pm. After the long journey and lack of sleep
the airport is a little overwhelming but in a good way. Walking out of customs
there are hundreds of people waiting to meet their loved ones, people yelling
and taxi drivers offering rides on your way out.
I caught a shuttle bus to my hostel the Estoril Terrazas in
Avenida De Mayo, after nearly missing it because of my bad pronunciation of
Mayo, (luckily an Australian traveller who I had met just earlier helped me out
because he had spent lots of time in Argentina) I was dropped outside and
feeling adventurous!
I walked up 6 floors of a beautiful old winding staircase
checked in, and then because it was very late I had a shower and slept. (My
eyes were falling out of my head from lack of sleep as the Hostel manager Nacho
attempted to explain and show me around).
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| The view that I woke up to on my first day here. |
Waking up and looking out the window the first thing I was
struck by was the amazing architecture! Then walking out for breakfast I could
choose to sit on the rooftop of the backpackers and enjoy a view of the whole
city.
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| The cobble stone streets in San Telmo |
After chatting to some Aussie travellers over breakfast I headed
off for a walk to San Telmo a historical part of the city, the streets are
cobblestone and the building I am not sure which era they are from but they all
have little terraces, bright colours and some with murals on them as well. Here
I wandered around checking out some artisan stalls and attempting some broken
Español with the artists, making friends and getting help improving my Español.
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| Street art in San Telmo |
Meeting my host family - after a
10-minute walk from the hostel to Monica’s apartment I was welcomed into a very
sweet apartment and made to feel totally at home. Including a very strange but
loving cat called Rubio who likes to try to go in the bath and jumps on top of
high cupboards.
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| Historical courtyard in San Telmo |
I still have another day until classes start so I will write
again soon once they have started.
Love,
Mindy
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| In Centro I was watching as buses and cars gave way to an old man
standing in the middle of the street. |
Mindy Davies is completing our Intensive Spanish in Argentina program this January 2013. Mindy is in her 4th year of a Double Degree in Law and International Relations at Griffith University.
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