JANUARY 2019: LIFE ON THE ROAD

When I left you last I was on a serious high after just having had the most amazing month in Patagonia. A dream come true, I went into the New Year with feeling elated and the more fulfilled than I could have imagined.

My original plans to head to Pucón and Santiago after Bariloche changed at the last minute after a friend invited me to come and visit in Mar del Plata. We had met in Salta and after an amazing month travelling the north of Argentina, little did we know we'd meet again only for our friendship to crumble not long afterwards.

That's life on the road. You never know who you're going to meet. I'm a strong believer in everyone coming into your life for a reason and when things happen to you, the best way to move on is to take the lesson and grow from it.

And that's what the start of the new year became to be. A month of reflection, growth and the beginnings of letting go of parts of my life that drain me and redirect my energy into more valuable pursuits.

I don't know about you but I often succumb to the January winter blues and it can be a pretty hard month especially if it's a bitter winter. There was none of that in Buenos Aires, instead, I couldn't wait to settle into life, give my body a break from the non-stop hiking adventures and travel burn out and get to know the nooks and crannies of a wonderful city.

LIFE IN BUENOS AIRES

When I first arrived in Buenos Aires back in July 2018, the city had a charm about it that I knew I would be back to hopefully live one day.

Summer had arrived and luck would have it that it was one of the best summers in Buenos Aires for a long time! Locals often complain of the humidity and temperatures soaring to the 40s, leaving no choice but to escape 400km south to Mar del Plata or nearby Uruguay. This year humidity was at a low and parks were filled with families and friends chilling with mate (a traditional Argentinian drink that tastes a little like tea) in hand, enjoying perfect summer nights.

I had an amazing January discovering Buenos Aires and spent a total of six weeks. Here are some of my highlights of what I got up to.

Life in Buenos Aires | Argentina | Palermo — Graffiti Buenos Aires | Palermo

Exploring Buenos Aires

TANGO, TANGO AND TANGO!!

There's something sophisticated, elegant and beautiful about the dance of tango. Having two left feet and always wanting to somehow put an end to that, I signed up to classes at La Catedral and DNI.

Now I'm not aiming to be some kind of pro, flicking my legs to reach my eyebrows, but I did manage to move into level 3 tango which I'm really proud of doing. It's also a great way to meet other locals and tourists and head for a night out at a milonga.

HITCH HIKING IT BACK FROM MAR DEL PLATA

I'm not one to hitch hike but my friend and I decided to hitch hike it back to Buenos Aires. It was pretty nerve racking. Stood at the side of the road with a sign for BA on a flimsy piece of cardboard, we waited, waited and well waited...

Cars drove past, lorries and cyclists. One guy even laughed that walking the 400km would get us there faster.

No one was pulling up.

Literally no one.

Maybe this was going to be one of those failures in life. You live and learn. Just buy a bus ticket next time... It's safer anyway. What if we get kidnapped? Or killed???

One hour later...

Two hours later...

A truck slams on its breaks...

My friend jumps in and we're in luck... Oh heck! I cautiously close the truck door. Not understanding Spanish that well, my friend does most of the talking. The driver's pretty chatty... really chatting. In fact, he doesn't stop talking.

And the fear gently slips away. The truck driver just wants a bit of company on what is an otherwise mundane trip. He drops us off 3/4 of the way and in about 3 seconds another truck driver offers to take us to a nearby suburb where we can get a 20 peso train the rest of the way.

We made it!

On a complete high, we skip out of the subway.

So there I had it... every fear had melted away and I had survived hitch hiking 400km across Argentina. Most drivers are either looking to help you out or just want a bit of company along the way.

What was Mar del Plata like?

Well... It's the go-to destination for Argentinians to escape the humidity of Buenos Aires. I wasn't a huge fan to be honest. The water was cold and the beaches were far too over crowded. A couple of nights was enough to experience it and then leave.

Mar del Plata

SUNSETS, ROOFTOPS AND ASADOS

For three weeks I managed to find this amazing private apartment in Buenos Aires with a terrace, rooftop, beautiful kitchen, lounge area and wait for it... An asado grill!!!

An asado is a famous Argentinian meal, where meat is grilled on a barbecue. The perfect way to enjoy long summer nights, amazing Argentinian meat and beautiful sunsets overlooking Buenos Aires.

Asado time!

LAZY SUMMER AFTERNOONS READING

Confession time... During Peru and Patagonia I had fallen behind a little on my reading. This month I gave myself the time each day to get into some really great books.

The Miracle Morning: Now as much as I hear that every successful person is a morning person, I don't know how much I believe that stereotype. Where are the night owls of the world? Nevertheless, I loved the book and have already implemented many of its suggestions into my morning routine.

You are a Badass at Making Money: My biggest take away from reading this book, you relationship with money and your relationship with people are very closely related. A great book looking at your psychology about money.

The War of Art: I don't know about you but I often feel a strong resistance to doing things I want to do. Sometimes it comes in the form of a procrastination monkey. The book is great at bringing awareness to that and tackling it.

I'll write more about the actual things I did in Buenos Aires in a later post. Much of the month was focused on writing on my blog, enjoying the simple things and getting my health back on track.

El Ateneo Grande Splendid

SPENDING BREAKDOWN

You know what they stay... The slower you travel the lower your expenses will be. Turns out to be very true.

I treated myself to some very nice Airbnb apartments in Buenos Aires which raised the cost of my accommodation. However given that I was eating in more and not on the road nearly as much, my costs dropped to a healthy £26/D.

That was the beginning of my 2019.

In February I'll be heading to Colombia, most likely via Uruguay as flights seem to be much cheaper from Montevideo. Colombia is my last stop and I'll have a good 7-8 weeks to explore.

I've grown attached to Buenos Aires. It'll be a hard city to leave but something tells me I'll be back one day ;)

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