While I was in my way to Southeast Asia, I had to go trought many obstacles. From friendships ending -well….I prefer to say they fulfilled his cycle- to decide to not have either residence or big material possessions, up to multiple attempts of taking a flight. This last happend, cause I was trying to travel with a buddy pass. This idea always seemed to me to be very exciting, but I soon realized it was really fun in theory …. in practice, to travel with one of this tickets, in high season and off from Southamerica can become really close to a nightmare.
The trip was planned from Santiago, Chile to Bangkok, Thailand; after numerous trips to the airport, every time with an uncertain possibility of achieving a seat, plus the anxiety of going to the dreamed destination and meeting with my beloved, helped with it and I decided to try to fly out from Argentina, where apparently there were more possibilities to reach my destination.
This kind of forced trip to Argentina made me face myself, and helped me to assume what was the real meaning of this trip that I had postponed for many years.
I made my way to Buenos Aires by bus from Santiago. It is the cheapest option when air offers do not exist. The bus from Santiago to Buenos Aires takes approximately 23 hours, and costs around 100 Us dollars. Always to cross the mountains of The Andes is a pleasure, with his impressive forms, colours and views, so the trip is always very exciting to me. Thus plus the fact that buses have something that produces me a feeling really close to a sedative … in spite of the not comfortable seats.
To be able to see things pass trought my eyes, makes vibrate something inside myself that makes me want to know more things.
Is that the travel bug?
I went to Florida street and I stayed at Florida Suites Hotel, suitable, good price and good environment. The shared room with private bathroom for 6 persons costs 15 dollars approximately. It has a restaurant-bar in the underground and the breakfast is included, simple but sufficiently.
The situation in Argentina is still very complicated, and especially in the center of Buenos Aires it is obvious. In comparison with the last time that I was visiting Buenos Aires (about 3 years before) the crisis now is everywhere. You can see the poverty, the garbage accumulated in the streets, more people asking for money, and the exchange rates you can find being almost double on the black market compared with the official rates. I definitively reccomend to carry US dollars, and exchange them there to Argentinian Pesos. You can find a lot of currency exchange offices in the center of Buenos Aires, specially around Florida and Lavalle Street.
Recommendation is always double check the money you get, since there is a lot of informal offices -normally the ones with the best rates- vouchers do not exist. Also I saw some people who try to buy dollars from tourists to be able to save in a currency more stable than the local and that officially cannot buy dollars, I recommend to avoid to realize transactions with individuals only as measure of precaution.
Between my daily trips to the airport every evening (from 16:00 until 22:00), that were including a 15 streets walk -yes, with the backpack- and to wait several minutes for a bus -that was giving myself a daily 2 hour tour on the city of Buenos Aires for a little money- I still had the mornings to look around. I took the Free Tour that they give in the hostel. The tour goes throught the center of Buenos Aires, the guide is very knowledgeable of the history, definitely worth it!. As many Free Tours, first part it is free (optional tip) and if you want to continue the next hours there is a small fee. 
Florida street is one of most concurred in Buenos Aires. It is a walking path with many things going on there at almost every hour. From little shops, malls, street musicians and dancers, restaurants and cinemas.
During my night walks I found a wonderful Indian restaurant in Lavalle street that I visited several times while I was there!
***To pay de public buses in Buenos Aires you normally need to pay with coins, which there are almost impossible to find all over the city. The easiest way to get into a bus without breaking the law, is to buy a prepaid card called SUBE. You can but it at the Metro stations and recharge it in small shops, metro stations and supermarkets and avoid the fight for coins that exist in the capital.
After several attempts and when seeing there was no possibility to fly out from Buenos Aires I returned to Santiago. I decided to wait for the end of the holidays to continue with my trip.
My days in Buenos Aires were necessary, exhausting but emotionally worth it, it clarified me my aims and reasons of why I wanted to do this long trip and also what I could face in the next future.
Have you ever been in Buenos Aires? What do you like or dislike more about the city?
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