Buenos Aires
March 31, 2005
Moto > Buenos Aires, Argentina 12:45 / 4.5h .25h / 285k 15220k
Finally after a few weeks of making my way from Ushuaia I reach Buenos Aires.
Straight to San Telmo, the old part of town, because im looking for a social break and its where the tourists go.
Check out the hostel some friends are to be staying at and find it suddenly "full" after seeing my dirty face and motorbike.
The Buenos Aires Hostel, a posh and pretentious place that apparently reserves the right to judgement.
Find another around the corner willing to let me stay and cheaper and nicer.
The Hostel Nomade on Carlos Calvo, 18p including breakfast in a 6 bed mosquito infested but otherwise clean dorm.
A new gang greats me at the door and helps push the bike up the steps and in.
April 1 - 9, 2005
And that is where it stayed (more or less, a quick trip up the coast with a couple german girls on the back) for 2 weeks.
Friends from far and wide as I rest away more of the travel stress that Azul couldn't.
My Danish friends from the Perentians first, the Dutch bicyclers bringing their stories from the South second, the Siete Lagos gang with their promised asado third, and a whole bunch of new Swiss/Germans, Canadians, French, and even Americans.
A spirited gang coming from all directions and headed to all others which in the moment all seem to have the same take a break for now idea as me.
There is nothing striking about Buenos Aires, but with the current exchange it makes for a comfortable and cheap stay.
Pool and chess, tango lessons and shopping.
Nightly steaks and wines on the roof.
And...
...My 35th Birthday...
April 10, 2005
Cake and pizza.
35 feels the same as 34.
Shin's Lazy Man
April 11 - 15, 2005
Slowly the weather shifts from sunny blue skies warm to rainy cloudy skies cold.
I come own with a cold and the most of the gang splits.
My friend Alberto from New York (and brother from ZBT-RPI) is on his way.
A couple weeks frolic from his devistatingly dull HealthCare Office job.
Not wanting to stick him in a dorm I decide to find something more personal.
Something in La Plata just a pinch down the coast.
Plans to visit the Fly Ranch Skydivers.
Marco's Back In Switzerland
April 15, 2005
Say my goodbyes and pack out.
Moto > Halfway to La Plata > Dakar Motos 1:00 / 3h 2h / 15593k
And just as I leave town headed toward La Plata, the engine dies.
Change plugs by the side of the road and it pushes me 5k further before dying again.
The resurfacing of the temperature problem?
The rains during its rest at the hostel?
Something new?
Turn er back and make my way to Dakar Motos in 5 minute segments.
On the way, the problem stops and it leaves me to assume it was just water in the tank.
An assumption I am not happy leaving with.
Still a cloud of white smoke follows wherever I go and I decide it a good time to break er open and do some parts swapping.
Spend the rest of the day in the shop watching the gringo motorcycle traveller gang fix their BMWs and waiting to see if there is space for a HYOSUNG.
Night comes and as the gang starts pulling pistons and water pumps out it becomes clear there won't be room for atleast a week.
Work my way back to San Telmo in the dark and check back into the Nomade.
Push the bike back up the steps.
April 16, 2005
Check out early for another try.
I don't know which would drive you crazy first.
The one way roads always in the wrong direction or the strings of stoplights always red.
Eventually find my way to a more locally popular but less occupied shop on Avenida Entre Rios.
RPM Motos - Where I immediately found an exact replacement for my bad and uncommon battery.
Bad roads have scratched a hole in one cell and it has been 3 months of kickstarts.
Pricey at 80p but it is a perfect fit and maintenance free.
Push the little orange button and the engine roars to life.
A new sense of comfort starts to grow and my confidence in pulling off the major overhaul gels.
Decide to leave the bike for the whole deal.
To have them open er up and fix whatever we find.
Should take 3 days they say.
Starting tomorrow.
And so back to San Telmo.
Looking for a change in atmosphere and not wanting to check in a the third time, I settle on a place across the street.
Submersed in illegal techo-club MP3s by the nose ring girl at the front desk.
A dirtier and less put together ravers sort of dive, but a slight savings at 15p keeps me content.
Cook up a steak on the plancha and push back a cheap vino tinto with the savings.
A swarm of lud and pretentious euros fill the lobby.
The Nomade was more "real".
Might move back tomorrow.
Spend the remainder of the afternoon in a park nearby for some Saturday Chess with the old men.
"Me Cago! Me Cago!" the grey haired local champ proclaims after realizing he's been had.
Hit up the Gibraltar (the most popular tourist pub in San Telmo) for Happy Hour (when drinks drop to only double what they should cost).
Kick in with some crazy locals and find myself up till 7am dancing in Rumy, a posh and exclusive club on the other sie of the tracks.
April 17, 2005
Invited over to Sebastian's place (one of the gang of last night), but first out to el campo for an asado.
A beautiful ranch in the country.
The family converges from all directions for this argentina Sunday tradition.
A serious feeding of asado and icecream.
A mate to wash it down.
A siesta to top it off.
Incredibly friendly.
Back to a spare room in Sebastians apartment.
April 18, 2005
A fairly void day.
Check up on my moto, which they are just starting to disarm.
To return tomorrow to analyze the parts for replacement.
Sebastian returns from his "uni" midday for some private english lessons (taught by a scot!?!?).
After we jam on the roof in his penthouse studio.
He heads back out for more classes.
I hit the bar.
Late night pasta.
April 19, 2005
Back to the shop.
Needs new piston and rings and valve retenes.
To return after the cylinder is rectified to verify the progress.
Today they elected and named a new pope, Father Benedicto XVI.
Ratzinger of Germany, "the son of a Nazi" as Alberto puts it.
April 22, 2005
It's been 7 days of "mananas" by the mechanic since I put the moto in for repair.
Also, 7 days of "mananas" on when I will move on.
It is becoming clear I have outstayed my welcome with Sebastian.
Pack out and say thanks for harboring me the past week.
Back to Nomade where after the 3rd time they aren't sure if I will ever truely leave.
Back to learning German by osmosis around the breakfast table.
I don't have a problem with Germans speaking german.
Just that when they know english and are in a group of english speakers it is unsociable.
On the otherside, listening to the same travel tales and routes and unfounded generalizations ain't so great either.
Trade in my nearly busted Tevas and holey Smartwools for some Converse Toppers an cotton, Porteņo style.
Together with some new underwear and bluejeans I am now playing more the part of resident and less of tourist.
Take my new fashion to Club Frodos where I meet Rosa.
April 27, 2005
And finally after nearly 2-weeks the 3-day motorcycle job is finally finished.
Half the engine and 750p later.
Second Engine Overhaul
Moto > Test Run to La Plata 5:00 / 2h / 120k
Take it on a 100k Hard Break-In as recommended by
www.mototuneusa.com.
It shocks the hell out of me the difference in power, easily pulling me at 90kph and maxxing at 100kph.
Smooth an with a good 25% more push then it has ever had before and no white smoke.
Should be interesting to see the effect on fuel and oil consumption.
So happy I can't stand myself.
Back at the shop I give it an oil and filter change.
After having passed through La Plata, my ideas about living there have reversed.
Plans to stay in San Telmo for a couple months longer.
To join a gym and get in shape.
Luck finds me an apartment for the month, 500p.
Out to sushi with the new hostel gang to celebrate.
Wolfgang blows his chain smoke directly across the table, Rosa settles for a rice bowl, and I dig in deep to the Sushi sampler for two.
Restaurante Yuki on Avenida Pasco, very very good.
April 28, 2005
Make the move over to my new pad.
Join the gym, put in a mixed routine for an hour, and stock up on food.
The deepest red fresh lomo I can find to grow my body as much as I can over the next month.
Justin, a mixed hippie/hunting type american from the Nomade moves in to share the room for a couple weeks.
He is dating Rosa's friend Ariadna, who has a cellphone.
It is all very convenient.
April 31, 2005
Change my hair color to light blonde on a whim.
Goes great with my new leather jacket, color vino tinto.
Everyone thinks it looks better.
Now to lose the gut.
May 1, 2005
To Tigre with the girls.
A nice icecream stroll along the rivers and canals.
A popular place for Porteņos who don't own ranches during the weekends.
Nothing special but nice.
Angelina's Highs & Lows
May 3, 2005
A trip to Azul fo a few days to spin the tires and see how she goes.
That and to get out of BA for a change of scenery.
Moto > Azul, Argentina 1:00 / 5h .5h / 348k 15780k
An easy 90 all the way.
The bike is so smooth and has so much power it is hard to believe its the same one I bought in Peru.
Amazing what I have been missing the past 30,000k.
If it continues like this it was well worth the cost of repair.
Toward La Plata (by mistake) and onto Route 2 to Bransen where I stop for an asado, 10p.
Carry on, surpassing the trucks that were dropping me behind on the trip in the other direction.
A long dull ride across the pampas with nothing to see.
Keep myself occupied meditating on the hum and listening for any irregularities.
Begins to loosen up as I enter Azul, warning me to open er up and take a look.
My good luck finds Jorge away in Japan.
At the Posta a lone Canadian keeps himself busy marking his trip through the Americas on his maps.
Thinking to only stay one day instead of the 3 I was planning.
Mosquitoes keep me up all night.
May 4, 2005
Open up the top to see what the slight rasping is.
Head bolts are loose and the valve clearance is off.
Spend the day changing out the head nuts and valve adjustment screws.
That and replacing the sparkplug and the air pump I lost with the geman girls on back, 85p.
Sounds good again.
Finished off the day cleaning the floor of the Posta.
Of all the shops selling mosquito tablets but not the burner.
Finally found one, 15p.
May 5, 2005
Moto > Buenos Aires, Argentina 11:30 / 4.25h .25h / 305k 16140k
A cold day with the wind slightly to my back on the way home to Buenos Aires.
Even smoother now.
Chris's Yukon Homestead
May 9, 2005
Justin West of New Jersey leaves without a goodbye and without paying his 120p of the 12 days he stayed.
His email is chuckjwest@hotmail.com if anyone wants to spam him.
Cheap bastard.
May 10 - 15, 2005
2 weeks of workouts at the gym has me starting to look in shape.
Another 2 weeks and I should look good.
The beginning of a web update and finalizing my new pack list in preparation for Alberto's arrival.
Angelina's Wondering About Love
May 16 - 22, 2005
Lenny of England moves in for a week and pays his 90p upfront.
More of nothing much.
The landlady "loca" is convinced I have pulled her cat's tail and after threatening me to leave she speaks no more.
Three days later the cat is fine.
She is definately crazy.
Plans to leave after this month is through.
Wiggins Chronicles
May 22 - 31, 2005
Alberto arrives and so does my new gear.
A new packlist for my continued voyages is forming...
Pack List Update
Replacements
Western Mountaineering Highlite Sleeping Bag (left zipper)
2 Patagonia Capilene Shirts (med, blue & green)
4 Smartwool Socks (brown)
2 Mens Silk Underwear (purple)
1 GroovyGear Silk Sac
2 GroovyGear Silk Safes
2 GroovyGear Convertible Pants/Shorts
20 Rolls Fuji Astia 100F Film
1 Princetec LED Light
2 Dr Bronners Soap (Lemon, Peppermint)
Upgrades
1 MEC Callisto Fleece Jacket (200wt, med, black) - $95 Can
1 Canon SD500 Digicam - $450
2 1G Sandisk Ultra 2 SD Memory Cards - $100 each
1 Canon Extra Battery - $50
1 IAudio 5 MP3 Player (1G) - $200
1 ER6i Noise Blocking Earphones - $100
1 WileyX XL Sunglasses/Goggles (Polarizer & Clear) - $100
1 Supertrapp 3M Muffler - $100
A week of trips to the bars, shopping malls, and movies.
A few too many asados, beers, and fine wines has both me and Al noticeably about 8 pounds stronger.
Reversed are all those days in the gym.
The awakening of "the restaurant" idea.
Two trips to Tigre once on business and once for the amusement park.
Endless negotiations with a sly character in La Boca.
Moved over to a third hostel, Hostel San Telmo to finish out his final days free of "la loca".
Yurgen & Saskia's Cheap Accomodation in Uruguay
May 31, 2005
4am and I am rattled out of bed one final time as Al says goodbye and gets in a taxi to the airport.
Make the move over to Rosa's apartment for one final week of checking out my moto and negotiating the restuarant before heading out of town.
Alberto Owes Me Dinner
June 1, 2005
Moto > Buenos Aires, Argentina 11:30 / 4.25h .25h / 305k 16140k
Mano A Mano - The restaurant under consideration, and closed for the second day in a row.
Doesn't look promising.
Off again on a spin the wheels ride to Chascomus and back.
Trying to get to the first oil change at 1000k before leaving town.
Moto <> Chascomus, Argentina 2:00 / 6h 3h / 250k 16473k (Return)
Moto seems fine.
Nothing to see.
Rain on the return in the dark.
The MP3 is a great travel companion and the noise blocking earphones really work well.
Loaded up with any free music I could find.
Eminem, Sting, Spanish, Tango.
June 2 - 4, 2005
Daily checkups in La Boca on the restaurant, closed for its fourth day straight.
No financial records and he wants 45,000p for the "fondo de comercio".
Heavy negotiations.
Uruguay
June 5, 2005
Boat > Colonia, Uruguay 9:00 / 3h / 71p (Return)
A 3 hour boat for a day trip to Uruguay to refresh my Argentina visa with Rosa.
Colonia, a tranquil and pleasent small tourist town with a well gardened single story historic center and cobbled streets.
Lots of trees.
A nice break from Buenos Aires, putting me on edge to leave as soon as I straighten out this restaurant idea.
It is where I met the only other HYOSUNG RX 125 in South America.
A 2000 model in much worse shape then mine.
An owner confused at why I am so suprised.
Lets me take it for a spin.
Drives like shit.
A nice pasta for lunch in the center.
Up to the lighthouse for a view over town.
A nap on the beach.
Stroll along the waterfront.
A nice day of nothing.
And Back
Boat > Buenos Aires, Argentina 7:30 / 3h
3 hours back and 3 more months in my little blue book.
Return to Rosa's place to find my tools and rainjacket stolen from my moto.
A kit that has grown since Peru and will be tough to replace.
Move er to a garage around the corner where the friendly owner Luis lets er sit for only 3p a night.
June 6 - 24, 2005
Living with Rosa in her 10th story apartment painstakingly working my way through the roadblocks of Argentina.
One week turns into 2 as the negotiations over the restaurant get harder.
Managed to drop the price to 35,000p but he won't go fo my 32,000p offer and so the deal is off.
And as I have my "final supper" at Mariana and Rosas house another idea enters.
The hostel idea.
An old 3 story building with room fo 100 backpackers going for $200,000usd.
A fixer-upper but a much more promising proposition then the restaurant.
More negotiations that carry on and eventually also result in nothing.
The owner won't agree to empty the place of its 50 some low income residents.
A job I ain't about to do.
The San Telmo Hostel Idea
And so we have a second "final supper" and ofcourse the next day when I am about to leave, Mr Mano a Mano returns with a counter offer.
He is desperate to sell it now and so I come up with my new price of 23,000p and it all starts up again.
And a week later we are about to sign the contract with the lawyer and he changes his mind.
I have been completely driven crazy in all of this wishful thinking.
I can't even take money out at the bank with a credit card.
Fuck it, i am leaving...
The key word I always return to here, which seems to sum up my experiences with Portenos is "inutil".
Right when something is poised to work, someone seems to have a strong desire to interfere.
Simple arrangements become complex and no one trusts no one.
A condition of persistent nervousness.
A constant coverup.
So now I am tired and depressed to be leaving Rosa and the many new friends I have here but see nothing more tempting for me then moving on.
It has been a strange 3 month segue in my travels with many good memories but it is time to move on.
A few final tweaks on my moto which by now is fully equipped.
A new piston, and muffler, and a bit of fresh white paint.
My final "final supper" asado and Monday I am off.
Next stop, Cordoba enroute across the continent toward Mendoza for a ski and back to Chile one final time to see my friends in Valparaiso.
A short rest there before returning to Argentina and turning North to Salta and back East to Brazil.
A month to get there for sure.
It will be good to feel the freedom again, but I will look back in sorrow from time to time.
Rosa, an incredible and loving beautiful girl who has become a close friend.
I will certainly miss you and your singsong text messenger cellphone and your new friends the silly little caloventor and electric toothbrush.
Matadoring of the mosquitoes and the hot water bucket showers.
Your fruit pancakes and the pizza calzones.
Goodbye... until Peru...
Angelina's Taking a Trip
June 25, 2005
A final fondue with Ariadna and her Estella.
At her place ofcourse, cause it is more convenient for her.
Not a very good friend in the end.
June 26, 2005
A final asado with Mama Rosa and Mariana and Andres.
Gifted a Argentina hat to keep warm on the journey ahead.
June 27, 2005
Tears fall as we share our final breakfast.
The saddness and sappyness is too much for me, and it is obvious she doesn't want me to leave.
The same puppy love that I have seen all South American girls acting out with their men.
A sort of prison they work you into that seems to come too easily.
Barraged by questions you don't want to answer, and regardlessly lead to more.
Too many to the extent that it gets annoying and then more questions about that.
The only option is to answer how they want to hear driving it deeper or not answering at all turning it moody.
Too much to handle and there is no way to handle it.
I mean I care but I am feeling cornered in.
Writing in your journal makes people nervous.
She doesn't speak english and she should learn.
Outside the 10th floor window is a perfectly ugly day.
Socked in and cold and misty and dark.
That is how I know it is time to leave.
I feel sorry for her to leave her alone, but this isn't the place for me at this time.
Wiggin's Sailing the Seas
Carry her on the back half way to her work and wave our final goodbye as she holds back the tears.
I am 72 kilograms.
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