While biking and walking through city streets I have noticed a few things: tiled sidewalks; many folding bikes but very few Bromptons; the ever so present police force; an abundance of dogs, dog walkers and dog shit; homeless sleeping right on boardwalks; people rummaging through garbage containers leaving behind piles of trash; the striking contrast between posh and poor neighborhoods; seemingly, every bus, truck or van is a Mercedes-Benz.
A few words on the Argentine driving culture: drivers habitually drive in between the lanes – I guess the expressive nature of Argentineans cannot be confined by restrictive road rules; the best days to cycle are weekends and holidays but a strike of public transportation workers beats them all – no buses on the streets, because bus drivers are the worst offenders (they cut you off, they almost brush you passing by, they run red lights); stop signs are mere suggestion – nobody stops, the only reason vehicles slow down is a speed bump.
After seven months in BA, we seemingly saw everything worth seeing and I am ready to move on to the next city on our tour plan. Moreover, six-day workweeks don’t leave much time for exploration or much rest. Hence, for last few weeks, it was quiet on this front.
But… Tickets are bought, hotels and restaurants are reserved, backpacks are ready. Time to do some traveling. Stay tuned.
Buenos Aires in numbers:
1072Km – distance covered
119 – days of commute
1 – flat tire
204 – days since I arrived in BA
378000 – Sep7imo Dia tickets sold, more than last Soda Stereo concerts in 2007
Unknown – number of bottles of Argentine wine consumed
