Camacho Watcho

I’ve been down here awhile and I haven’t really addressed the cost of living issue down here compared to the US. So, what is the situation? Before coming here, I definitely go the impression that it would be dirt cheap to eat, drink and socialize. Being here for awhile, I would say it is part true…depending on choice. How so? I’ll tell you….

The first thing to note when talking about costs is the odd exchange rate of the US dollar compared to the Uruguayan peso. Right now the rate is about 22:1. Makes for quite an easy translation on the fly, right? It’s so interesting to be carrying around 100 or 200 peso bills, when in actually they are worth roughly $5 or $10. While this is strange, I will note that Chile’s exchange rate is even more bizarre. There, the exchange rate is about 500:1. There is always this odd feeling when you translate upon payment….”let’s see, 1,000 pesos is $2, therefore 14,000 pesos equals $7″….of course.

But back to Uruguay. In general, public transportation, entertainment, hotels, services (haircuts, etc) and most foods are very affordable. What’s expensive is clothing! Actually, this pertains only to clothing bought in a store (vs. bought in one of the many markets), because that clothing is taxed heavily with import taxes. So, this is good and bad for me….at least it helps to not tempt me into too much shopping. I had to escape to Argentina for that!

So, what is the standard of living around here? Here are some sample costs that I have incurred:
Basket of Laundry (which is actually all my laundry) – cleaned and delivered to my hotel room = 85 pesos (approx. $4)
Haircut = 100 pesos (approx. $5)
Bottle of Wine – Normal bottle of average wine bought in a store = 120 pesos (approx. $6)
Bottle of Wine – Normal bottle of average wine bought in a restaurant = 240 to 300 pesos (approx. $10-$15)
15 minute taxi ride across town = 85 pesos (approx. $4)
Bus fare = 13.5 pesos (approx. $.45)
Sit down lunch including entree and beverage = 120 to 150 pesos (approx. $6-$8)
Sit down dinner including entree, dessert and wine = 200 to 500 pesos (approx. $10-$25) – obviously varies by restaurant
Ticket to Barro Negro = 150 pesos (approx. $6)

But I want to rewind…to the $5 haircut. You cannot imagine my surprise at this! In the US, I go to a hair salon…a very nice, but certainly not the snootiest salon on the block. My hair takes about 1 hour total and costs me $60 (including tip). I went to a hair dresser that was recommended to me here. Granted, the place was not wafting with the scents of Aveda – rosemary and mint prickling your nose. Nor, did it come with the lounging table that you relax on while you hair is being washed. I also did not receive a head massage that usually nearly puts me to sleep and makes drool after a long day at work. BUT, in 15 short minutes and for the bargain price of 150 pesos (total including tip…I felt too bad about such a small price), I got a fantastic haircut. I literally, stood up from my chair and asked her how much and couldn’t believe my ears.

I’ve recently also had dinners that have completely surprised me. For instance, I went to dinner with three friends just two night ago. We ordered meals, a few beers and a bottle of wine. The bill was $50 total. Wow. You just can’t beat it. The one area for improvement would be the service with drinks. It’s easy to find yourself stranded with an empty wine glass. My tip is to always order another glass (if you think you want one) when the waiter comes around. You’re just not sure when the next time they show their face may be.

Another thing to mention about the cost of living in Uruguay is the art of tipping. Tipping on food is customary – you usually tip around 10% for food, which definitely feels cheap for us Norte Americanos. It’s also interesting that tipping for taxis is not necessarily standard. You are told to round up to the nearest peso, but that doesn’t exactly make sense to me and generally doesn’t result in much of a tip (usually on 5 or 6 pesos). My friends and I have generally been tipping between 10 to 20 pesos. This seems to really brightened their day and we get an emphatic “Muchas gracias! Chau!” I know that when you go to other countries, you should abide by their customs, but in this case, the extra dollar just seems worth it. The taxi drivers can be so nice. They are very patient as you struggle to speak a lick of Spanish and are always asking questions about why you’re here, do you miss your family, what is the US like? It kind of makes my day, too, to get a good taxi driver.

I think you get the picture of the costs down here. Knowing this, hopefully it helps explain why all I’ve been doing since getting here is working, eating, drinking, dancing and sleeping. Food and drink are cheap and are fantastic as well. I’m assuming I’ll have a total culture shock when I return home and go to my first restaurant. First of all, I’m certain they will insist I order upon sitting down. And then they will bring me my bill before I even have a look at the dessert menu. I’ll be shocked when they bring the bill as I’m still enjoying my entree. And the kicker will be the expectation to receive a 20% tip. The nerve!

This entry marks the first in a four part series on Buenos Aires. The reason for four parts? You guessed it! Four trips to Buenos Aires. Four separate trips does sound like a bit much in a short timeframe, but each should be unique in its own way in part because of who I will be spending time there with. This first trip was spent with my friend Holly and was a trip designed soley for shopping. I’ll get to that, hang on. The second trip, my husband arrives from the US to begin his visit down here, and that will mark a magnificently happy day for me!!!! The third trip will be a short one as a night layover with Kyle, Carly and Ed on our way to Mendoza. The final trip is an actual 2 1/2 day sightseeing tour of Buenos Aires, which will mark the final days of my stay in South America. And so…on with the show.

Buenos Aires…Part I
Buenos Aires…the Paris of South America….cultural, shopping, eating mecca of Latin America. Call it what you want. I call it AMAZING. I have to admit that my expectations had been set very high for this first trip to Buenos Aires, therefore I had some reasonable doubts when I went whether these expectations would actually be met. My husband always warns me about having too high of expectations and also setting expectations too high for others. I have a tendency to always claim to know of the “best burger in the world” or the “best fish tacos ever”. He warns me that others will just be let down since these are only my opinions. I certainly do not want to hype Buenos Aires up too much for any of you who have not been there, therefore this is my disclaimer…This story is based on my actual happenings of one weekend in Buenos Aires and is heavily influenced by my romanticism and flair for the dramatic. Reader discretion advised.

Getting there from here
This part was not as easy has we had all hoped it would be. There seems to be a loose version of the truth floating around Montevideo as to travel time, distance and costs. The reality of it is that there are two options to go between Buenos Aires and Montevideo…plane or Buquebus. We chose the Buquebus. Buequebus? I’m glad you asked. This is a large ferry that shuttles either direct to Buenos Aires in 3 hours or from Colonia in 50 minutes (along with a 2 hour bus ride to Colonia). The ferry is large, lolls from side to side and is filled with all sorts of characters. I highly recommend at least one trip on the Buquebus if you have the opportunity and the time; it is an experience all of its own. One more thought before I leave the topic. Buquebus is now my favorite word to say…being from the US, when I first got here I pronounced this word with my very flat midwestern US English bookabus. I have since been corrected and now I cannot imagine saying it another way bookeeboos. Now, picture me saying this and whenever I do, I feel compelled to shake my head from side to side and make faces like I’m talking to a baby bookee bookkee bookee. I’m sure the locals don’t find it amusing. However, Holly and I certainly did after sharing a bottle of wine on the Buquebus.

Back to Buenos Aires. As I mentioned, this trip was for one purpose and one purpose only…SHOPPING. I love to shop. My sister and I were trained from an early age to shop by my mom and aunt. By “shopping”, I don’t necessarily mean “buying”. No, buying is not always the purpose. The purpose is to have the stamina to hunt, and sometimes gather, through endless stores, clothing racks and dressing rooms. For this, I have been trained. And let me tell you, I am glad. Buenos Aires is known for it shopping, countless stores filled with leather, clothing and shoes. Some of it is cheap, as you’ve probably heard, but there are definitely the high end boutiques that are amazing! As far as the spending goes, let’s just say that I bought my fair share, and for the sake of my husband reading this, I did show a lot of restraint. Holly’s fiancee made a comment to her later that day to effect of “Why do some women feel compelled to buy something in every store they go in?” She corrected him by saying something like “Every woman feels compelled to buy something when they enter a store. Half of the women buy and half of the women don’t. And then there are those times, like these, when those women who usually show self constraint just give in and go for it.”

A couple of shopping areas to point out:
Calle Florida: Pedestrian street with endless stores of cheap leather warehouses.
Calle Santa Fe: Large street with many leather and other clothing stores (seen in both pictures below)
Palermo: Including Palermo SoHo and Palermo Hollywood – Collection of small neighborhoods with boutique shopping
Galleries Pacifico: Large mall near Calle Florida with a collection of boutiques, leather stores and jewelry stores

I could go on and on about the shopping, but honestly, if you hit those places…most likely you’ve done enough damage to your credit card already. An item to note on the leather, as I definitely think this was one of the areas where my expectations fell short. Fact: Cheap leather goods (bags, shoes, purses, jackets) are everywhere in Buenos Aires. Fact: Stylish leather goods are not as easy to find and are not as cheap. That was okay, however, as the prices for these are still fairly reasonable compared to the US. I think my husband can attest to the fact after reviewing my credit card statements from the weekend, that my favorite stores in Buenos Aires are Prune and Skin. Both of these are leather stores, which you can find in the boutique areas and also in Galleries Pacifico.

Our Saturday was filled with shopping, shopping and more shopping. The only break we took was to refuel at a wine store that held tastings of Argentinian Malbec. Imagine that…we found a wine tasting! Tasting the Malbecs from Mendoza fueled my excitement for my upcoming trip to that wine region and I can’t wait to start planning. Dinner that night was spent with a few friends; one who is on the same program as me in Buenos Aires and one who just moved to Buenos Aires from Minneapolis. I had a wonderful Argentinian steak followed by crema ice cream with dulce de leche. Wow. A couple notes on food. First of all dulce de leche is everywhere down here. This is a thick, caramel-like sweet that is used in everything…cookies, ice cream, crepes, you name it. It is simply amazing and will simply be downfall for not fitting into my clothes back at home. A second note on food: the beef. I actually enjoyed the two steaks that I had in Argentina better than the steaks I’ve had in Uruguay. Gasp! But, please do not tell anyone in Uruguay that, as I still have 4 weeks to go here and I do not want to be evicted from the country for making such a statement. It’s our secret.

Dinner was followed by a shared bottle of wine at a very trendy bar, set in a transformed mansion in the middle of Palermo. Couples and small groups of fashion-oriented and beautiful twenty and thirty somethings lounged in the dark wood interior and outside in the grand courtyard. Being the friendly Norte Americanos that we are, we met three girls from Mendoza who became our fast friends. The night ended, of course, with a trip to a discoteque with the girls and we danced the night away.

San Telmo
The next day we did allow ourselves time for one sightseeing trip, which was spent in the antique market in San Telmo, held at the Plaza Dorrego. I’ve been to many markets here, but this market is by far my favorite. The neighborhood itself reminds me much of the French Quarter in New Orleans and it has the most beautiful architecture and cobblestone streets.

It was there that I first experienced live tango music. Wandering along the streets, we heard the familiar sounds of the tango and saw a large crowd. Excited to see real live tango in Buenos Aires, we weaved through the masses and found ourselves experiencing, not dancing, but musicians. When I thought of the tango before, I thought of a dance with the main attraction the dancers, dramatically dressed in red and black. What I know now is that tango is actually the seduction of the music, not of the dancers. The musicians were playing what looked like a antique, violins, basses, accordions and a piano and the sound that harmonized from them was, in fact, more dramatic than dancers could ever be. I know that this was not just the experience of the music for me, but the experience of the standing in a pedestrian street in Buenos Aires with the colorful buildings and intricate wrought iron balconies surrounding me as I listened to this soulful music. I cannot wait to return.

Last night a few of us went to the theater with a woman that I work with here. It was a production titled “Barro Negro” (Black Mud) and it took place in a bus that drove through Montevideo. Yes, that is correct, the play was set inside a bus as it drove around the city.

In reading about the production beforehand, it seemed that the production was to portray the life and issues that are encountered by the Uruguayan people who ride the bus. I say it “seemed” like this because I was translating the summary from Spanish. I should also mention that the production was performed in Spanish, and while our Spanish has improved, it definitely was not to the point where we could follow anything that was going on. Which was both confusing and fun at the same time. We went into the experience with open minds, and that was definitely for the best.

I really liked the production, it had action, drama, humor and some bizarre moments that made it a great experience. In my mind, the night went like this (I’ll provide some further information later of the plot, but since I did not know the plot for almost the entire production, neither shall you).

Act 1: We board the bus and the ticket man gives us our tickets and we begin to drive. There is a lot of talking between him and a woman who is dressed in a sparkly outfit. The music turns off and they begin to argue. She starts talking about Michael Jackson and then she approaches one of my friends who was with me and points at her (obviously terrifying us that we were going to need to speak at some point). This part goes on for a while with an older woman jumping into the conversation as well. The bus stops and we pick up two soldiers from the side of the street.

Act 2: The two soldiers begin to interact and there appears to be a point when one of them is portraying the need to use the restroom and pretends to start going in the corner of the bus. This is not the case and he pulls a bottle of alcohol from his pants. Everyone laughs…so of course, we do too. Another man enters the scene and the three of them are arguing. I catch the word “professor” and I believe the man was once their teacher or something.

Act 3: The woman in the sparkly outfit gets up again and begins sauntering around and speaking in a loud voice. She gets upset, the bus stops and she gets off the bus. She begins screaming by the side of the bus and one of the soldiers goes out, throws her over his shoulder and carries her back onto the bus. (Mind you – the bus is traveling around the city so everywhere we go, people are staring. When the bus stops, people have no idea what is going on…it’s pretty funny). A man gets up from right next to us, he is portraying a drunk man, and he is staggering around, slurring and being rowdy.

Act 4: The bus stops on a random street and a man comes out of a building. He is dressed in an Elvis-like outfit with a large blonde afro wig. He comes onto the bus, says something and suddenly we are all getting off the bus, onto the dark street, and entering a dark building. Inside, there are colored lights, streamers, a bar (with a nautical theme), plastic chairs surrounding the outside of the room and many pornographic pictures on the wall. Yes, pornographic pictures covering the wall. At this point, we are thoroughly confused (I am still not understanding the plot, but here I am in an abandoned building with 30 strangers and nudey pictures on the walls). We all sit in the chairs around the room and watch as the production continues. People from the production are dancing, they are dancing with us, there is fighting between the performers, we are doing the “locomotion”…it was all quite confusing and interesting and suddenly we are back on the street boarding the bus. We have also picked up one of the dancers from the place who is now riding the bus with us in her wild makeup, tights, hot pants, and stiletto heels.

Act 5: The bus stops and a man boards. He immediately begin speaking very quickly and bee-lines it to the back of the bus, pointing at my friend sitting next to me and saying “Harry Potter.” It was a riot. In his defense, my friend does look a bit like Harry Potter and since this was truly the first thing we understood all night, we cracked up for a long time. The man proceeds to try to sell things in Spanish…mobiles, puppets, all sorts of things. He then packs up and leaves the bus, leaving us to continue cracking up at the Harry Potter comment.

Act 6: The woman in stilettos and one of the army men begin to fight. They are yelling at each other and pushing each other. Suddenly we hear sirens and see a car pull alongside the bus and then we are stopped. Two men board the bus and are showing their badges around…the actors truly looked surprised at this and seemed to fall out of character at this time. So, of course, with us not understanding Spanish, my friends and I honestly think the police have pulled us over…there is what looks like a prostitute on board and a very “drunk man” with an open bottle of wine as well. We definitely think the worst is about to happen. The police take the “drunk man” off the bus and suddenly we are going again. It was part of the play, apparently, which was much a relief to us.

Act 7: This is where it ends. We pulled back up to where we began and the actors came back onboard. We later found out that the plot was all over the board, but it was portraying common stereotypes in Uruguay – a rich woman who doesn’t understand poor people, men who join the army because they don’t have a job and then cannot support their family, women who have second lives to support their families when their husbands are away, the salesmen who earn their living selling odds and ends on the bus, etc. Although we still don’t understand the abandoned building part of the night, it was very interesting, and to say the least, a unique experience.

The night ended with us walking down the pedestrian street in the old city, reflecting on the evening. One of my friends says that while it was fun, “it just could not have been more strange.” At that very moment, a man dressed in orange jumped out of the shadows and yells, “Yah!”, making a karate chopping motion with his hands. We looked at each other, bewildered, and commented, “and the night goes on.” A perfectly strange ending to a perfectly stange evening.

I decided to go for it and I rode the bus home yesterday from work. It’s great and definitely the way to travel! Why? I will tell you why – there is no consistency in the prices of taxis. I was told you can bargain with the taxis, but that is with one caveat…that you speak Spanish pretty well.

The first day, I was not confident in the commute yet so I decided to take a taxi. I was told to expect about 50 pesos (a little less than $2) but when I got there it was 150 pesos (over $6). While I know this is not right, I did not have the skills to negotiate. I paid it and regretted it immediately. This morning, I overslept and was too late to wait for the bus…on a side note, one might wonder how this can happen since I’m in a culture that starts work no earlier than 9:00am, but what can I say?!?…I’m acclimating, especially to the work hours! Anyway, so this morning, I hopped in a taxi, told them “Voy a la Plaza de Independencia. Esta 50 pesos?” He said no, it was 90 pesos…I tried a little bit to say 70? 80? I lost. I paid 88 pesos (about $3.50). Better than yesterday, but I still have work to do. My lesson learned…wake up early enough to take the bus. It costs $15.50 pesos each way ($.65).

So what is the bus like? It is very good and easy to use. The loop that I use is easy so I am definitely grateful for that. I got a little lost finding the bus stop, but the little Spanish I know did get me around the block to the appropriate bus stop. I was so proud! As expected, given the crazy driving, they do not slow down much for passengers to get on and off, so one piece of advice – just go for it or they’ll leave you behind! One interesting thing is that there are two people working on the bus…one to drive and one to take the money. Another lesson learned…I got on the bus and immediately tried to pay the driver. He looked at me like I was loco, so I sat down. Then an older man sitting down looked at me and reached out his hand for money. Ahhh…that makes sense. So, that was that. I met another very nice woman on the bus and she pointed out all the sights, gave me tips and helped me with other bus routes.

Tomorrow, I will need to wake up early and get to the bus so that I do not have to worry about bargaining for a good price with the taxi driver!

I have arrived! Five weeks from my original blog post and now I am here! The trip went well and I feel I have a lot to tell, but I will attempt to be somewhat brief.

I arrived here safely although delayed by 3 hours. Not bad for a multi-connection, 12 hour trip. The trip to Miami was very good. I managed to sleep 6 hours (thanks to my new travel comforts) and not leave my seat. We landed in Buenos Aires and I experienced my first cultural difference. Upon landing, the passengers all applauded the pilots! It makes perfect sense – we put our lives in their hands and they deliver us safely at our destination. They deserve a round of applause. I like it!

The Buenos Aires airport is very nice, clean and commercial. Although many international terminals are commercial with their duty-free stores, this one is particularly impressive with its lighted promenade of goods ranging from perfume and chocolate to golf clubs, diamonds, crystals and cars. These are all displayed by model-esque women in bright, scant outfits. Of course, I immediately got out my camera and took a picture and then was promptly informed by a uniformed security officer that pictures are not allowed. Cultural lesson numero dos. I did get the one picture, which is below, although it’s not as impressive of a picture as it is in reality.

The next interesting thing that happened was before boarding my flight to Montevideo. They made an announcement at the departure gate and suddenly all the passengers stormed the podium. I knew they had not announced the flight yet, so I was curious as to what the commotion was about. The man had announced that a snack was being served – soda and sandwiches. While this does not seem interesting, what I was intrigued about was the type of sandwiches. Apparently sandwiches are a hot commodity here, and not just any sandwiches, I will describe. They are essentially Wonderbread (without the crust), meat (bologna is my best guess) and a cheese like substance (somewhat like velveeta). I tried one and it was okay, so I did not understand the hype. However, since arriving in Montevideo, I have visited a grocery store and these same sandwiches are displayed in the prepared food section (the specialty food kiosks in the deli area) and apprear to be quite popular. I am still intrigued, although I have no desire to eat anymore.

The 29 minute flight to Montevideo was uneventful and we landed amidst another applause for the pilots. I was greeted by a new coworker and we went to the hotel. I did a little exploring yesterday. I found a mall, some restaurants, the money exchange and some banks. All in all it was a good trip and I am excited to be here!

Today was my first day at work. Everyone is very nice and very helpful, although I know they wish I knew more Spanish. I will need to learn quickly. I met all my coworkers (all 80 or so who were there today) and greeted them in their custom – right hand on their left shoulder and one kiss on the right cheek. This is followed by an “encantada!” or “mucho gusto”!

I will stop there for now, but I will include one quick picture (I apologize as I know it is fuzzy). This is the view from a conference room in the office onto the Plaza de Independencia. I plan to explore this much more this weekend and will include more details. It is truly beautiful and is a center of business, shopping and restaurants. The statue you see is of General Jose Gervasio Artigas, father of Uruguay and the leader of its independence movement.

The last cultural lesson of the day is how they say good-bye…it is not “adios”, as expected, rather it is “chau!” pronounced similar to the Italian “ciao”, as most people are descendents of Italy and Spain.

Buenos noches y chau!