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Oct. 15, 2006 It’s a new lease on life! It’s exhilarating and breathtaking to be back in Buenos Aires, one of the great ones among the cities of the world! How beautiful! How stunning! This is my third round in the Argentine capital. I arrived here the first time in December of 2004, for a five month stay, and again in February of 2006, for a three month stay. I spent the intervening periods in Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. Saturday, October 14, after I had gone out on a last-minute errand in Asunción, Paraguay, I met five of my little girlfriends, age 5 to 9, whom I had seen daily for the six months that I spent there. I had always given them small gifts of money, as well as dolls, shoes and clothes, so they were always glad to see me. For my part, I just loved seeing them every day. I had told them I was leaving for Argentina, and that I’d be out in front of my hotel about 11 to bid them farewell. There was a tacit understanding that I would give them some further litle gifts, which I did do. They all hugged me and let me pick them up. They looked so beautiful! A couple of them came out in the new clothes I had bought them. It was a very sweet moment. Then I went up, got my baggage, came down and hailed a taxi to take me to the Terminal de Asunción. I’ve come by bus from Buenos Aires to Asunción twice, but this would be the first time I went in the other direction. Fortunately, Argentina is one of those countries that do not require a consular visa, at least if you’re American. You arrive at the border or at an airport with a valid US passport and you’re automatically granted an on-the-spot visa. However, having left the country only 6 months ago, I wondered if I wasn’t returning too soon. I didn’t think so, but it’s very difficult to learn beforehand all the technicalities for all the countries you visit. You must simply go and see. But passing through Argentine customs was easy, and I sighed a sigh of relief, jumping for joy, when I saw the new visa in my passport. The seventeen-hour ride was virtually hassle-free. Supper was served on board the bus, though the fare was only US $30 for 655 miles. We got to the city about 8 AM, Sunday, but I decided to hang around the Terminal de Autobuses de Buenos Aires for a couple of hours, lest I be charged for an extra day at the hotel I was planning to stay at. Yes, I did return to the same place, Hotel Tres Reyes in the San Telmo District of BA. This is an arty neighborhood, with antique stores, artisan products, paintings and statuary, and street fairs on Sunday. People here tend to be a little snobbish. They think that Buenos Aires is the cultural capital of the world, which is not too great a stretch of the imagination. It’s definitely in a class with New York, Paris, London and Rome. Still, I wish they were friendlier, but I guess I can live with it. Anyway, after backward, sluggish Paraguay, Argentina seems like a different world. It’s mid-spring here now. The weather is perfect. A glorious summer is in the offing! ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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