Simply My Life...me discovering me: ¡Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires! Fin.

The End.

Day Sixteen

Maybe it was last night’s cheap wine, but I woke up with a headache. It was a lazy morning, and I didn’t leave the apartment until almost 1pm. I went on a search for souvenirs. In all my daily outings, I hadn’t seen many souvenir shops, most were other businesses that sold a few trinkets on the side, but I was looking for something other than the usual magnets and postcards.

I Googled a few places, but none of them had what I was looking for. I wanted something Christmasy for my mom as she collects Snowmen and Santas. I also wanted to find a wood sculpture of a bird or something Argentine-related that I could decorate my apartment with. I followed my GPS back to Alto Palermo mall to a kiosk that had ‘Christmas’ in their name, but they sold nothing related to the holiday.

The energy of the city was very hectic today, but that might have been just my energy because I was almost hit by a bus! I was crossing the street, and the bus was making a wide right turn. Luckily, I stopped, otherwise I would have walked into the side of it. I’m surprised that more people don’t get run over as drivers don’t bother to stop or even slow down when pedestrians are in a designated crosswalk.

After walking about 5 miles in a fruitless search, I finally found a Christmas store less than a mile from my apartment. I bought two small wooden figurines for my mom, but when I got back to the apartment and read the label, they were made in China!

A Messi mural by artist
Maxi Banasco.

Day Seventeen

After a twenty-minute walk to Dulce de Leche & Company to buy alfajores and a jar of dulce de leche to make my own alfajores when I return home, I went in search of a cafe. I stayed within my neighborhood, but most of the outside tables were taken. The only ones available were in direct sunlight and it was 80-degrees. Much too hot to sit in the sun and it was also during peak lunch time (around 2pm) so everything was full.

By now, I was getting cranky as I was tired from lack of sleep due to my noisy neighbors and the sun just seemed hotter than usual, so I picked up some empanadas from Brozziano’s and returned to my air-conditioned apartment.

My time in Buenos Aires has been very slow and on the verge of being lazy, but now that I have less than a week left, I feel the need to fill my remaining days with activity. I took a cool shower and laid down for a nap with plans to go out for dinner, but I neither napped nor went back out.

That night, I opened the door to the balcony and let the cool air flow through. While lying in bed, I could hear the life of the city, and it was wonderful. It was 10pm, and I heard people in the neighboring apartments talking and laughing while kids played, dishes clanking as dinner ended, and in the distance traffic hummed. I felt connected and very much present.

Day Eighteen

Feria de Recoleta bazaar

Instead of walking the 2.5 miles from my apartment to Museo Nacional de Bellas Arte, I took an Uber. For the 15-minute drive, it cost around $4 usd. I think I tipped the driver more than what the trip cost.

Across the street from the museum, was Feria de Recoleta, an open-air bazaar with handmade arts & crafts. I had read about it online and that it was popular with tourists, so I strolled through the booths, marveling at everyone’s creativity.

I bought a black and white photo of Café Tortoni (which is where I had drinks with Ale on my 3^rd day here) taken by a photographer named Sebastian. I tried to talk to him a little bit, but he didn’t speak English and my Spanish was lacking. I wanted to ask if he posted his pictures on Instagram, but the two or three times I strolled past his area, he was sitting with several other men, and I was too embarrassed to approach. I also bought a small red leather coin purse and a beautiful handmade leather purse by other local artists. In hindsight, I wish I’d have bought more artwork. There were some beautiful paintings that would have looked fantastic on my walls.

Floralis Generica

I spent about an hour and a half wandering around the bazaar before heading across the street to the museum. It was a small museum, and admission was free. I was happily surprised by what I found inside: artwork by Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, and Manet, to name a few, and there was even a Van Gogh painting (Le Moulin de la Galette 1886)!

After the museum, I walked in the direction of my apartment but took my time enjoying the beautiful day. It was 67-degrees, warm, and breezy; very different from the scorching 80-something degrees of yesterday.

Floralis Generica is a steel and aluminum sculpture in Plaza de la Naciones Unidas. It was a gift to the city by the Argentine architect Eduard Catalono. Catalano describes the flower as “a synthesis of all the flowers and, at the same time, a hope reborn every day at opening.” It was created in 2002 and was designed to move, closing its petals in the evening and opening them in the morning.

Plaza Alemania

I stopped at Museo de arte de latin America, but I couldn’t purchase tickets there. I had to buy them online. General admission was only $8. I tried to buy a ticket online but couldn’t figure out the site as it was in Spanish. Trying to navigate the site was frustrating and after a few minutes, I decided it wasn’t worth the stress. I visited the museum’s tiny giftshop and bookstore and then moved on.

Plaza Alemania is a square located in Palermo. It houses the monument-fountain of Argentine Agricultural Wealth, which the German community gave to the Argentine people in celebration of the Centennial of the May Revolutions. The monument has enormous figures that represent agriculture, livestock, and the cultural imprint of Germany in Argentina.

I walked almost 6 miles before reaching my apartment. The blisters on my feet were hurting and I was too tired to go out for dinner, so I cooked up some pasta, elevated my legs and watched TV. However, later that night I went over to Shawn’s apartment, and we watched “Deadpool and Wolverine”.

Another great day in Buenos Aires.

Day Nineteen

Lunch at Chori

I woke up with grand plans to take an Uber to San Telmo to an even bigger street bazaar and to see 9 de Julio Avenue, the world’s widest avenue, but it was raining. I’m lazy on most days, but rainy days make it worse so, regrettably, I didn’t go.

A few hours later, the rain stopped so I walked to Chori for lunch. Chori was one of the stops on the food tour I had taken. I ate a Chori de Cancha (sausage sandwich with chimichurri). As a small bite during the food tour, I thought it delicious, but as entire sandwich, it was too dry with too much bread and not enough sauce.

Deliciousness!

Since the weather had cleared, I kept walking around Palermo and ended up at an outdoor mall, Distrito Arcos Premium Outlet. At the Puma shoe store, there was a long line outside the door. I think they were having a 50% off sale, but it seemed like a lot of people gathered just for a sale. I glanced inside, thinking there might be an event with a famous athlete who was responsible for the crowd, but it appeared to be only shoppers.

I window-shopped but the stores seemed no different than in the United States. I just wanted to get some steps in for the day. On the way back to my apartment, I stopped at a snack shop and, surprise! bought several packages of alfajores.

Dinner that night was at Dandy Grill with Shawn. He recommended the tomahawk steak with cheese and spinach sauce and, by far, it was the best meal of my trip. The meat melted in my mouth and the Tiramisu for dessert was scrumptious. It was a comfortable evening for an after-dinner stroll to walk off our dinners – 64-degrees, cool air, scattered clouds, but no rain and no jacket required.

Enjoying great weather and splendid company was the perfect way to end an amazing trip.

Day 20

I awoke tired and sad knowing I was leaving beautiful Buenos Aires today.

Shawn & I at Urbano Cocina

My check out time at my apartment was at 11am, but my flight wasn’t until 9pm, so with my suitcase bumping along behind me, I toddled around the corner to Shawn’s apartment to hangout. We watched “The Creator,” a movie about artificial intelligence that I wasn’t expecting to like but enjoyed very much.

Afterwards, we went to Urbano Cocina California for lunch. I had a salmon salad, but the fish was dry. This meal ranked as the worst of my trip and unfortunately, it was my last meal in Buenos Aires.

During the ride to Buenos Aires Airport, it rained heavily and there was lots of traffic. I had plenty of time before my flight, so I welcomed the delay. It gave me a chance to see the city outside of Palermo. It took a little over an hour to reach the airport and I still had about four hours left until my flight, so I shopped for souvenirs. I bought a few, including a replica Lionel Messi jersey, which ended up being too small after I tried it on when I got home, but at least I now have a jersey.

Maneuvering through the airport was easy enough, but when I went through the metal detector at security, it beeped. I think it was rigged to flag foreigners, because while waiting in line, the airport agent asked me if I was ‘American’ and then directed me to a certain lane. The woman in front of me was also a foreigner and sent to the same line. Coincidence? I think not, but after a quick pat-down I was free to go.

Airport artwork

At a kiosk directly across from my gate, I bought a bottle of water. I had drunk it and was about halfway through my refill when it was time to board the plane. Over the intercom, I heard an announcement in Spanish. I understood the word “Agua,” meaning water, but nothing else so I didn’t pay attention.

Prior to boarding, airport agents checked everyone’s carry-on bags. When the agent found my bottle of water, she asked if I spoke Spanish. When I told her “No,” she held up my water and rudely told me I wasn’t allowed to bring it on the plane. I told her I bought it at the kiosk, which was about 50-feet behind her, but that didn’t matter.

I was irritated by both her attitude with me because I didn’t understand Spanish and the fact that I couldn’t bring water on a long-haul flight, so I took the bottle from her and chugged down a good portion of it while maintaining eye-contact with her. It was probably more water than I should have drunk at one time, because my stomach hurt afterward, but by the look on her face, I could tell she wasn’t happy with my impudence, however, I felt vindicated. Sidenote: The airlines did provide water on the flight, although I didn’t drink as much as I would have if I had had my own bottle, but at least it was available.

For the in-flight dinner, I chose steak over chicken, hoping it would be like the steak at Dandy’s, but it was dry, flavorless and bordering on disgusting. Luckily, I had some leftover empanadas in my bag that I had eaten earlier while waiting at the airport, so I wasn’t that hungry. Breakfast was French toast, which was just okay. Airplane food sucks and I don't know why they can't make it better. All it takes is a little seasoning.

My harmless little jar of dulce de leche

My connecting flight was again in Houston, and I arrived with plenty of time to pick up my luggage and go through a modified security check point. Unfortunately, the jar of Dulce de Leche I had in my carry-on that was allowed on the plane in Buenos Aires, wasn’t allowed in my carry-on from Houston to Salt Lake City.

I had debated about which bag to pack it in, but thought it safer in my carry-on, however, that was the wrong decision. I wasn’t about to dispose of it because it cost me almost $8! I lied and told the agent “They” told me I would be allowed to bring it on the flight as a carry-on.

One last empanada

When she asked who "they" were and I told them they were the agents at the airport in Buenos Aires, she responded that they’ll say anything. I thought that an odd comment to make and wondered if she had ever met any agents from that airport. Probably not. It seems the majority of TSA Agents I’ve interacted with (on this trip and others) are always rude.

The agent wouldn't allow me to take my own jar back to the unsecured part of the airport, so I had to wait for a 2nd agent to arrive. I laughed when the 2nd agent went to grab the jar and the 1st agent pulled it away and told her to put gloves on first. I wanted to tell her that that was a bit of security overkill, and it was only caramel sauce, not a bomb, but thought that might get me sent to the strip search room, so as hard as it was, I kept my comments to myself.

When I returned to the counter to check in my jar, I had some fun with it. I placed the jar on the counter and told the clerk I had to check this in as part of my luggage. Since my suitcase had already been checked and sent through the bowels of the airport to wherever luggage goes, she looked at me, at the jar and then at me again. She was clearly confused as to how to check in a single jar. I shrugged and watched her face as she struggled with what to do, but then she saw my carry-on and said I had to check my entire bag, which I didn’t mind because it gave me more legroom on the cramped flight home.

The view flying into SLC

To get to my gate, I had to return through security, but because I was wearing a baggy hoody, I was patted down again. The agent was so unsafe in her techniques that when I moved my arm, I nearly elbowed her in the face. I can only imagine what would have happened had I accidentally hit her.

The entire episode at the Houston airport was ridiculous and now I understand why TSA Agents are always angry. They make their own jobs harder by the way they go about doing it. Work smarter not harder!

I landed in Salt Lake City on time. It was 72-degrees, but the air quality was horrible due to the Yellow Lake Fire burning in the Uintah’s. All the smoke had settled over the city and made it difficult to breath. Although I was still in the Uber on my way home, I was already thinking about where to go next.

Maybe somewhere tropical. Won't you join me?

This was a life-changing adventure for me. Each day as my confidence grew, I learned to trust in myself. I realized I am capable and, although it might be scary at first, stepping outside my comfort zone is a good thing and can lead to amazing adventures. I am eager to travel again and see what the future brings now that I know I can do it with or without someone by my side.

I loved the city's energy and beauty, but I think what I found so attractive about Buenos Aires, was that it was actually a reflection of myself, of the woman I had become in those three short weeks. And I admit, by the end of my trip, I was feeling a bit of a badass.

To follow me on my journey and to see more photos, visit me on Instagram and Facebook.

To follow Shawn on his world adventures visit him on Instagram.

Interested in staying in Babel Arcos in Buenos Aires? Visit here.