Buenos dias desde Buenos Aires

I am finally in the great city of Buenos Aires! YAY! The flight took 10 1/2 hours. It was pretty awful. I tried to sleep through most of  it.

The airport was a breeze, though I wasn't expecting to pay a $140 "reciprocity fee" (good for 10 years! great.) at customs. Eh. Customs story: There were two shady looking dudes ahead of me in line. One had a US passport and could pay the fee, the other had an Armenian passport and no visa. Apparently he didn't know you needed a visa to get into Argentina so he was denied entry. Can you imagine paying $1,000+ to fly to Argentina and being told you can't come in? Awful.

I was picked up at the airport by a car service. My driver was super friendly telling me since I am travelling alone not to be in the La Boca barrio after dark (it's a bit slummy) and to carry my purse in front of me not on my back, among other things.

When we pulled up at my hotel I had to ask him where it was. There is no sign marking the entrance to the Cocker. The facade is nice enough, but when you walk in it is so beautiful and unique. It's less a hotel and more a B&B (there are only 4 rooms here) and the staff really makes you feel like it is your home away from home. For example, I leave snacks and drinks in the kitchen fridge and I read the BA Herald in the mornings sprawled out in the most comfortable couch ever in the salon.

I had a shower and a nap when I got in. Woke up around 1pm (12pm ET) and familiarized myself with San Telmo, the barrio (neighborhood) I'm in.

San Telmo is the oldest barrio in BA. This barrio is an antiques shoppers dream. If you walk down the main road, Defensa, there are nothing but antique shops, some quirky and relatively inexpensive, some amazing, but expensive, with the most beautiful antique jewelry you've ever seen in the windows.

OH! So I should mention the exchange rate though it is still confusing me. It's currently about 3.8 Argentine pesos to 1 US dollar. I changed about $360 when I came in and got a bit over $1,400 Argentine pesos. Yesterday I got THE BEST STEAK OF MY ENTIRE LIFE for $87 pesos which means I paid about $22. NOT BAD! Last night I got a bottle of Malbec and a ham and cheese sandwich for $12!!! NICE. To say I'm amazed by the awesome cheap food here is an understatement for sure.