thoughts from the city

Hola Bloggers,

Back in the city now. I was thinking today about what has stuck in my mind about the villages in the country that I saw ...... and I kept thinking about the school uniforms. They were very strange. They are quite strange here in the city but not as strange as they are in the villages. Here in the city the girls all seem to wear quilts. Some are most definitely quilts (am I spelling that right? I don´t mean duvets - I mean scottish jobbies). Anyway, I´ll go on. If they are not adorned with massive safety pins and wrap over kind of things then they at least have a chequered pattern. There must be some reason for this (but I don´t know it). In the country, well, in Chascomus and another place called Almes (I don´t think I am qualified to speak for all uniforms in the whole of Argentina), they wear Van Gogh style smocks. Very odd. Invariably about six sizes too big - we all know what the mothers will be saying each morning (you´ll grow into it!).

Another thing - there was no such thing as diet coke in the villages I visited. Did I mention this in the last posting? Its not that I can´t live without diet coke .....but I can´t believe there isn´t any anywhere in a whole village when there is plenty of fat coke. Surely if you are getting a delivery from coca cola you get diet too. Its a no brainer. Maybe they think its fancy modern towny stuff. I don´t know. I missed it. I´m getting fat enough with all the dulce de leche I didn´t need fat coke on top (but obviously drank it instead of water!).

It sounds like I am moaning today, or picking fault, I´m not .......................but it might interest you to know that it is absolutely impossible to purchase any foreign currency when armed with a visa and passport in Buenos Aires. Can you believe that? I need $1500 by 11am tomorrow morning in cash and you wouldn´t think that this would be so difficult ........but my head is a few hairs thiner today. Its just impossible. Only cash works. You have to take out Argentinian pesos from the bank machine and then change local cash for foreign currency. No credit allowed. That would be easy enough if the daily limit you could take out of the hole in the wall was sufficient! Its not! I have had to use two different cards and max them up and then I will have to do the same tomorrow and then change the cash into dollars. Farse! Due to crisis in 2001 when everything nose dived here. Bit over the top though!

By the way, I am not funding some massive drugs export. I know I live in Holloway but honestly I need the money for a rental of a fancy house in San Telmo (where they dance Tango in the streets - hopefully not under my window!) .

By the way, can you all have a minute of silence for my little car please. It has left my life forever more. Weep weep. My Dad has sold it for me. It served me well and will always be remembered. Bye bye brum brum.

Un beso

S xxx