Wednesday, 3/20/2019 – Lost in Translation
Today was a bit of a bust. Well, it was really a bust, but also had some great times mixed in! Along with advice from my hotel concierge AND google maps, it was determined that 1-1/2 hours was enough time to take a taxi to the port to in time be 1/2 hour early to catch my ferry to Colonia. The main reason I missed my ferry is that I read the departure time on the ticket wrong. But, it would have been very close, even if I hadn’t. I’ve seen a lot of traffic in my time, but this was ridiculously crazy! The redeeming thing that happened this morning was that the taxi driver and I had an absolutely delightful conversation using our phones to translate. We laughed, covered the political status of both countries, laughed some more, talked about homelessness, got sad, then talked about how traveling is so much fun–and so hard when you can’t make yourself understood no matter how hard you try. If I’d known when I got out of his cab that I wouldn’t make my ferry, I would have just had him drive me around for a couple of hours. Ah, 20/20 hindsight strikes again.
These people work hard for their money! That 2 hourish cab ride cost a whopping $296AR (about $7US) and a 25% tip, because he would take no more than $100AR. The average porteño (Buenos Aires resident) makes around $550US per month. Its obviously a very different economic situation, and I really have no idea about the cost of rent, groceries, child care, taxes, etc. Not judging in any way, it still seems like a small amount to manage a household on.
So after Pedro dropped me off, I found out that it would cost about $50US to catch the next ferry, which would only give me an hour in Colonia before I had to board the return ferry. I made the decision to find the hop on / hop off bus. I found the map to the route on my phone, but somehow I couldn’t get my phone to give my the right instructions to walk there. I asked for help from several people, who were so sweet and tried to help, but in the end, couldn’t. I sadly, finally admitted defeat and summoned an Uber who returned me to my hotel. I retreated to the solace of my room, where I contemplated the events of the morning for a few minutes, and then decided to just take a walk around the neighborhood, not wanting to feel completed defeated. The walkabout did me good and it was a beautiful day to enjoy watching people just living their lives!
I exchanged text messages with David, and expressed concern of feeling overwhelmed in this big city, and felt like I should have started here so my trip didn’t end in this fashion. He reminded me of a previous trip where we (mostly me because he seems to be more adaptable) experienced a similar feeling of frustration when going from a more slow-paced vacation directly into the chaos of a bigger city. Note to self… remember you’re a country girl. You do better in smaller towns and countryside wandering. Avoid the big cities, unless you speak the language and can read the signs! Or hire a guide that speaks both languages, and also, be sure to get all the information you need for you day from your hotel before you set out.
This evening, I wandered around in the neighborhood again, waiting for the restaurant I wanted to try to open. Just took a few random photos of fun, funny or pretty things I saw along the way… sort of an afternoon in the life
This will be my last post from Argentina. As I mentioned earlier in the blog, I will be adding photos and updating text as I re-read what I’ve previously written. I’ll post a note on Facebook when the final updates have been made.
Until then, thanks for following my travels…
Travels with Nance 