Combio Combio!
Monday, October 10th: Aires, Argentina
We started exploring our new neighborhood in Palermo. We walked past a row of cafes and nice restaurants nestled in the brick hollows under the train bridge. That led us to a large park that reminded us of Central Park in NYC with big grassy fields and a multi-lane, multi-use paved path surrounding a pond. Because it was a national holiday and the sun was shining, there were a lot of people out rollerblading, running and leisurely strolling.
During our walk, we entered the rose garden with over 10,000 bushes, most of which were in full bloom.
One of things we love about Buenos Aires is that it’s very dog friendly. We’ve seen a greater concentration of dachshunds here than anywhere else we’ve ever been. And we’ve seen quite a few people walking their dogs off leash on the sidewalk and even crossing busy streets.
We joined a new gym (Mr. Garage Gym) for the week because it met most of our criteria - it was one of the only gyms in walking distance that was open during the holiday, it’s close to the apartment and the weekly membership was only $3000 ARS per person, which equates to $20 USD. It’s a little small and missing some of the usual equipment, but the people are friendly.
After our workout, we grabbed empanadas for lunch at Big Pizza again.
We drove over to the President’s Casa Rosa - the pink house - and parked at the square. We walked to Florida Street to test our negotiation skills and exchange our cash on the “black market.” We followed the bloggers’ recommendations: find the guys yelling “cambio, cambio,” negotiate an exchange rate and stick to your guns. We prepared in advance, translating and rehearsing our negotiation phrases, researching the blue dollar rate (which was trading at $273 ARS for $1 USD) and creating a game plan. When we got there, we realized that the sellers didn’t have much leverage and all held firm to a rate of $266 ARS to $270 ARS. They all worked for a few of the big guys, so there wasn’t much free market competition. We traded at $270 ARS through two different sellers and earned a $400 USD profit.
We made steak for dinner.
Accomodations: AirB&B, Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
