So far I´ve seen ...

Shown here, ¨Sergio¨paints a downtown scene in the streets of Buenos Aires --- with his feet.
- JMH


Been here in Buenos Aires for over one week now and I´ve had my fair share of interesting sights and sounds - some fabulous, some obnoxious and some just plain interesting.

So far I´ve seen ...

· Dogwalkers. The porteños (BA locals) love their dogs and pay a dogwalker to exercise them while they´re at work during the day. We frequently see a person walking between 5 and 12 perros through the busy, traffic-laden streets.
· Very little access for the disabled. At the post office a woman in a wheelchair posted up at the front door and a postal worker ran to and from the counter to help her send off her packages.
· T&A on every corner. The cover of men´s magazines here bare naked booties and plenty of breasts.
· Unrefrigerated mayo. Plus they put this terrible concoction of mayo and ketchup on everything from salads to sandwiches. They call is ¨Salsa golf¨and it, too, doesn´t grace the fridge.
· A giraffe in the foreground and high-rise apartment buildings in the background. The BA zoo is actually very well stocked with hippos, lions and bears - all within the confines of a densely packed metropolis.
· Plenty of well-dressed business men --- with mullets.
· Fruit stands selling two oranges for the equivalent of an American quarter, and incredible steak for less than US$6.
· The World Press Photo exhibit.
· That it is indeed possible to finish eating dinner after 1 a.m. before heading out to the clubs until sunrise.
· Hugs for free in a city of 9 million.
· Political rallies outside my front door, gunshots and all.
· A child barefoot and juggling in the streets at 3 a.m.
· That it´s a small world after all. In my Spanish class of six, the only American is from Sacramento and spent his summers working in Tahoe.
· A man painting a streetscape with his feet in the middle of the most crowded pedestrian and shopping street.

And by the way, language school is great.

- JMH