Buenos Aires: Population 15,000,000 & 1

The first thought that went through my mind upon arriving in Buenos Aires besides ´thank God my backpack arrived´ was ´man, this is a lot like being in Europe´. Quaint little tables outside cafes and restaurants. Cobble-stone streets (which, incidentally, translates roughly into spanish as cat-heads. don´t ask me why.). Sculptures and monuments around every corner. Cool architecture. Women wearing big sunglasses. Guys wearing scarves. It´s like a snapshot of the land across the pond except that all the signs are in spanish.

For anyone traveling here, arriving on a Saturday morning is a great idea. Traffic is much less than on weekdays and the last thing you want on your first trip to a foreign city

is to fight morning rush hour. Anyway - its a 45 minute bus ride into the heart of the city. Think arriving in New York or London and you get the idea of the mass of the city.

(btw: the picture to the right is this massive steel flower petal - something like 50 feet high I´m guessing. Cool enough.)

Once settled in my hostel, a slick little place in the San Telmo district, it was dash into the heart of the city. I love cities that emphasize parks and trees, and in this Buenos Aires does not disappoint. One area in particular that was impressive was Palmero, a higher-class neighborhood in the north of B.A. Amongst all the local parks is the Botanical Gardens, where paths meander around fountains and exotic flora from around Argentina. Also, surprisingly, throughout the garden are dozens of beautiful statues, possibly up to a hundred.

As the evening wore on, I found out what Argentina is perhaps most known for: they have no sense of time. It isn´t that they are lazy or anything, they simply are so relaxed that time just sort of passes by. For example, using Argentinian time, if you are to meet people at 8, be prepared for them arriving between 8 and 10. And the best bet is the later time.

This lifestyle is best understood by the nightlife. Dinner happens around 10 or 12. And the gathering starts around 2am and doesn´t really get hopping until 4. And they stay out even later. I´m a nightowl and I´ve been put to shame. But what´s most baffling is that they get up at a normal time to start their day. I´m not talking travelers here, I mean the entire city is out and about at these hours.

If I had to come up with a word to describe Buenos Aires, it´d be impressive.