I'm Alive

Dear friends,

first of all sorry for not giving any news or replying to your messages. It has been a stressful week, getting used to the heat with 30C and high humidity, the backpacker's nightlife with the socializing activities which are mainly drinking and talking about travel adventures till the early hours of the morning. However, I do get up early in the morning to search for the bike, bags and camping gear. It took me all week to find a decent bike and decent bags. I got a list of 15 bike shops in central Buenos Aires from the yellow pages, and of course it was the last one on the list that had what I was looking for. But by doing so I had a good tour of Buenos Aires.

Guys, Argentina is dirty cheap! Is so cheap that I can't belive it at times. Just to give you some figures.
- eating out 25 pesos (5.50 euros),
- bottle of wine from the terrace bar at the hostel 18 pesos (4 euros),
- bus or metro single trip 1 peso (20 cents),
- 2 T-Bone steaks (1Kg) from the supermarket 20 pesos (4.40 euros), beef is so tender here that you can cut it with a spoon!!!
- Jimbo's new mountain bike 1.400 pesos (320 euro),
- 4 bike bags and frames 900 pesos (220 euro),
- super mega Sigma bike computer with speed, trip distance, heart rate, altimeter, temp and all possible averages 600 pesos (120 euro),
- camping tent 200 pesos (45 euros),
- pack of cigarettes 4 pesos (80 cents).

Tomorrow the bike will be ready!!! I'll spend the next few days testing the bike by loading the bags with my stuff and camping gear which weighs all together 30 kg. Monday I will leave Buenos Aires, where??? Still undecided between heading west to Mendoza and up to Salta, or take a ferry to Montevideo and head north following the coast of Uruguay and enter Brazil up to Florianopolis. So, mountains or ocean???

In the mean time I'm having fun with my hostal mates, visiting Buenos Aires, nights at the bar on the terrace of the hostal and asados argentinos in the weekend. We even went to see a typical argentinian football match between Boca Juniors (Maradona's old club) and Argentinos Juniors. One Boca supporter was shot at before the game by another Boca fan for political ultra' reasons. At the end of the match the Argentinos Juniors, who were staying above us, gave us respect with a golden shower, luckily we were just under the stand to avoid the shower. It couldn't get more typical than that!

Unfortunately I can't load the photos from the hostal, as soon as I get to an internet point I'll do so.

Take it easyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!