This past week during Semana Santa I came to realize just how expensive Brazil is with a little trip down to Buenos Aires. There, where my one dollar gets me four pesos, I was in shopping heaven. It is soooo much cheaper than S�o Paulo. For example, a metro ride cost me about 1.20 pesos, which equals about 30 cents in the U.S. Here in S�o Paulo, a metro ride cost me 2.90 reais, equivalent to about US$1.90. It was a large relief of the high cost of living here in S�o Paulo.
Unfortunately, the four other students that made up our group and I did not get to thoroughly enjoy this financial bliss for long. Even before I went to the Buenos Aires trip, my purse, which contained my credit/debit cards were robbed and I was relying on a friend for cash until my new card arrived. This happened 4 days before I left for Argentina. Once we got to Argentina, my friend was pick pocketed out of her wallet, which had her card. 3 days later, our other friend was pick pocketed out of her belongings as well. 3 girls, no cards to get cash. Needless to say we were not in a good financial state. What saved us in the end was Western Union. Our parents wired us money and by the second time we went there, the staff knew us well as the two Americans and the one French who went there almost every day.
Apart from that problem, I had a BLAST in Buenos Aires. I loved walking through the city with its European atmosphere and large markets on the weekend such as the one in Recoleta. The nightlife was fantastic as well with the music that deviated from the usual electronic that most clubs have in S�o Paulo. It was awesome!!! One huge downside to the clubs in Buenos Aires, though, was the smoking. No law has been passed yet about smoking inside buildings I’m assuming, therefore you not only smell of sweat, but of smoke as well. I’m pretty sure I’ve never smelled that bad in my life.
I also had the experience of going to a tango show, complete with a lesson and dinner. The lesson was pretty weak to tell you the truth and very touristy, but the dinner and show more than made up for it. The tango show was spectacular with very talented dancers and singers giving an intimate yet powerful and entertaining show. It was definitely worth paying the 50 dollars it cost for lesson, show and dinner. The dinner was also amazing, with an appetizer, main entr�e and dessert. I highly recommend it for those who make the trip to Buenos Aires.
Despite the fun times I had in this city, I still feel like I made the right choice studying in Brazil. I feel like the people of Brazil are nicer. Don’t get me wrong. I met some VERY nice people in Argentina, but I guess I’m more familiar with the embracing Brazilian ways. Plus, in Argentina almost everywhere I went people asked me if I was Brazilian despite speaking the language perfectly well which made me laugh. I also like how S�o Paulo is not a touristy city than Buenos Aires. Hardly any tourists go to S�o Paulo and I like it in that way. Buenos Aires is the perfect place to party, shop and live for some time, but I’m glad I chose Brazil for my study abroad experience.
This first picture is of the group I traveled with to Buenos Aires. 3 of us (including me) are American. 2 are Canadian and the girl in the middle is French. Pretty cool crew.
The second picture is of the tango show we attended. It was pretty awesome. Very intimate show and our minds were blown from the talent those dancers had.
The third picture is of the Recoleta neighborhood on a Saturday when there is an artesian market. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I LOVE outdoor markets such as these. It was heaven for me.
The last picture is of Calle Florida. It’s shopping heaven basically (As you can probably notice, I have a thing for shopping).
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina