Don't Cry For Me Argentina...

I am in Buenos Aires...the first time I have ever stepped foot in South America.

I am excited!

And hot.

It's 30 degrees here. It's 7 degrees in London. I'm feeling the difference. And the lack of sleep after a 16 hour flight. Luckily I have four days here to explore - perhaps now is the time to rest.

There are several things I like to do when I first arrive in a strange new city in a strange new continent.

1) Get Lost.
It's not that I like to do it - it's just what generally happens. However, this afternoon while wondering around the local area I discovered that it's less likely to happen here. The city is a grid with very clear street signs. Yay for gridlike cities!! However....let's not speak too soon....

2) Drink Beer
It's so hot...I had walked about a block before I started looking out for a sidewalk cafe that might sell beer. No one else was drinking beer I noticed - just coffee and pepsi. Spot the Aussie anyone??? Still....it was big and cold and it hit the spot while I read in my guidebook all about what I'm supposed to be looking at.

3) Eat.
The only thing I've eaten here so far is ice-cream (did I mention how hot it is?). It was good. From what I can see there are two types of restaurants in which to eat dinner. Steakhouse or pizzeria. This is my kinda place.

4) Do Like the Locals - particularly when crossing the road
Every city is different when it comes to crossing the road. Many are like most aussie cities - you wait for the green man before you cross unless it's the middle of the night and there's no cars to be seen for miles. Then there are the cities in South East Asia where you litterally walk out in front of trillions of scooters and walk very slowly, holding your breath, so they can scoot around you. Or Rome, where you're supposed to look the driver in the eye to make sure they stop (they don't anyway)....very difficult to do when there are 10 cars coming at you. Here...it seemed pretty straightforward. You cross when the cars are stopped. Simple. Still...I waited for the locals to go first.

So far so good for Buenos Aires. I'm looking forward to going out to check out the steak later. But for now it's time for me to indulge my jetlag....

till next time...