So we deplaned and headed to customs. We proceeded to spend almost two hours on line. What we didn't expect was to have to pay a reciprocal fee just to enter the country, which all citizens of America, Australia, and Canada have to pay. But of course, the US citizens have today the most, a whopping $160 per person. You only have today it I've every ten years, but it totally blindsided both of us.
Then, we went to collect our luggage. I found mom's within a few minutes. But mine, the big red suitcase with the ugly lime green handle was nowhere to be found. We asked the airline staff and they told us the bag was still in Miami. Furthermore, the next flight from Miami was coming in around 11 pm. So I'd be wearing the same clothes for say least two days straight. I have to admit I was extra worried about my bag because this was international travel. I've heard stories about bags getting broken into and I dreaded something of mine would get stolen.
So we got a car service for about $45 and after a 45 minute drive to downtown Burenos Aires, the guy took us to the wrong hotel. Eventually, we wound up at the Marriott Plaza, located in the Retiro section, right across the street from the San Martin Plaza. We got room 373, which had a king sized bed and a roll away, the latter for me. We also had to get a converter/adapter since they use 220 volt electricity. And their plugs are slanted on a 45 degree angle, unlike ours, which are straight. The other unique feature was to turn the bathroom lights on or to charge an electronic device, we had to place one of our room keys in a slot right by the door. I don't know, maybe they're trying to save electricity or maybe it's some kind of security measure.
We got our stuff put away, well, she got hers put away, it took no time for me. And we headed to Sabot, a restaurant a couple of blocks away that I had read about in several Argentina travel books. It was kind of a quiet, meat-focused joint with waiters dressed in white tuxedoes. We started with a Harlequin salad, mom's recommendation, with shrimp, avocado, celery, and hearts of palm with a dressing made of ketchup and mayo, so I guess it was like a thousand island. Pretty light, but fresh starter. We split a half bottle of Syrah wine and I ordered the mixed grill skewers. I got two skewers of chargrilled steak, chicken, and ham with a side of matchstick potatoes. The potatoes didn't do anything for me. I liked the steak and chicken, and even the ham was ok, and I almost never eat ham. Mom got a shrimp and rice dish that looked pretty good. It was a nice place, we were treated very well, but the food didn't blow me away to the point that I would return if I came back.
Mom went back to the room to take a nap, while I decided to explore downtown Buenos Aires. I noticed a few things. They drive very fast downtown, red lights seem to be suggestions to some of these drivers. It's like the police say "Can we recommend slowing down?" And the vast majority of the streets are one-way. I was appalled by so many people smoking. It;s just disgusting. And very few people seemed to be smiling. It was like New York in the sense that these people had some place to go and they were on a mission to get there ASAP. And even though they speak Spanish first, most people can speak English if you start speaking it to them. And aside from language, there is far less Spanish influence in the city than I imagined. There is a lot of French and Italian in terms of architecture, food, pronunciation, etc.
So after walking throughout Microcentro and Retiro for a good two hours, I decided to sit down in San Martin Park. I wrote in my notebook and just did some people watching. All of a sudden, this guy in his 50's wearing a business suit and slightly balding, came up to me and asked where I was from. He said he was a native, but he liked working on his English with foreigners. We talked about our pasts and he gave me some ideas of places to go in town, like museums and restaurants. I made sure to not use complicated words and to talk a little bit slower than I normally would do.
After about a half hour, I excused myself, thanked him for his time, and went back across the street and took a nap in the room. I don't remember what time I fell asleep, but I know I didn't wake up till eight at night. I wasn't even hungry, but I was desperate for some cold water. But neither of us really felt like leaving the room. We gave in and opened the large bottle of Evian in the room. Sure, it cost $6.50, but we didn't care. We just played Scrabble on her I-Pad and I somehow scored 300 points for a victory. She beat me in the next two though. Finally, we fell asleep.
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