Buenos Aires day 1

I got to airport in Santiago yesterday, very early. I was cold and I knew the airport would be warm. I got there 6 hours before flight time. My flight left at 10 pm but only a 2 hour flight to Buenos Aires.

On approach to Buenos Aires

The plane arrived at 1 am. Time zone change. It was too early and too dangerous to go into the city on public transport as that time, so I just tried to find a bench that I could lie down on to catch some cat naps. I was able to change some Mexican Peso at the airport to have some seed currency. Buenos Aires and for that matter, Santiago are not ATM withdrawal friendly. $5  to $17 usd user fee no matter how much you withdraw. 

I also was able to buy a Supe card at the airport for using the metro bus (including the bus I took into the city) and subway here. I finally boarded a bus at 6 am. I at least wanted it to be light when we got to the city. The bus trip was over 2 hours. The cost was under $1 usd. The taxi hawkers wanted me take a taxi. I asked how much, $50 usd. I politely declined. When I got the hostel, it was too early to check in, so I again got a little shut eye on a couch in the living room. I napped more after I got my bed assignment.  

It is as cold or colder here as in Santiago.

My first ventures into the neighborhood was to buy some groceries. I plan to do more cooking here since I will be here for at least 5 days, and to get a SIM card for my phone.

From first overview, the neighborhood seems pretty artsy. There are at least 2 theaters that either show avant-garde films and or stage productions. 

The architecture here seems to lean more French than Spanish. But, I have only been here for a few hours. I'll see more later.

On my way back from my 2nd grocery trip, I past 2 shops that make fresh pasta. Differents shapes and sizes.

Mate seems to be a big thing here in Argentina. I learned this morning the Mate is actually the cup for brewing Yerba Mate. 

Yerba mate, also known as mate, is an herbal tea. It's a traditional drink in Latin and South America. It's made by steeping dried leaves from the yerba mate plant in hot water. Yerba mate can be served cold or hot. Like black or green tea, it has caffeine, which can make you feel more alert and focused.

So I had to give it a try. I found a plastic, single serving, Mate kit at the grocery store for about $1.50 usd. This was my chance. I bought it.

When I got back to the hostel, I made some hot water and prepared my first Yerba Mate. The kit came with 2 sugar packs and after my first sip, I realized why, this stuff is bitter. I added a sugar pack, much better. I am sipping now as I type. I have to watch how much I sip though, it is past 4 pm now and I don't want it to keep me awake.

The rest of the day I will stay in, planning my outings for the next few days. It is hard to do much preplanning before arriving and figuring out the bus and subways.