Jan 22, 2008

Is it just me...

..or have other people bought stuff purely on the attractiveness of the sales person...

Ok, I've said it before and I'll say it again, these Argentinians are supermodels..and one such individual just cost me over 1000 pesos.

Due to the devaluation of the Argentine peso, everything here is a third of the price of Australia. I mean eating at a very swanky restaurant will set you back $12. So I decided, as I have lost a heck of a lot of weight while being in super model land thanks to a diet of Argentinian beef and, well, more Argentinian beef, and whilst I have to get new stuff back home, I may as well do it here where the styles are better and at a third of the price.

I entered a particularly beautiful Polo-themed store lots of dim lighting, lots of antique silver trophies in the stylish cabinets, which were being cleaned by equally stylish and very sexy senorita in a rather quaint black and white maid's outfit (I thought those were only for dress ups). The theme kept going with saddles, bridles, very, very grand leather couches and ornate wooden furnishings.

So, of course, immediately you are taken to the turf where masculinity and class abounds, and you just want to be part of it. and believe me, when "Adonis" appeared as I was casually checking out a few long sleeve summer shirts I WANTED to be a polo player.

Whatever he gave me to try on, I was ready to buy. My heavens, I have never seen such an incredibly attractive person in a great polo ensemble to boot. Hell, he looked like he'd just left the Moet & Chandon tent to check the state of play on the field.

I really can't believe I am now the proud owner of four very polo, very expensive shirts!

I am such a sucker, am I the only one ???

Damn these Argentines, I have to get out of here before I do something REALLY stupid. Well, they do have gay marriage here so where is the address of that store.

Jan 23, 2008

Last night in Paradise, and I'm trashed

Hi, my name is Dave and I am rather drunk!
Not because I stayed late at a bar, made friends with the staff and hung out for 24 hours sounds fun but no, after the necessity of a huge diet in the Andes the opposite has occurred down on the Argentine Pampas, I have been eating just the once each day steak, steak and more steak and, well, today being my last day, I chose to add a glass of vino to my daily meal, Umm, my Spanish isn't what I thought, so when the bottle turned up to my table of one, I succumbed and continued with my steak and washed it down with the Malbec.

Only problem is, with my very small diet of the past weeks, the alcohol went straight to my head - So yep, there I was in the middle of Buenos Aries, drunk as a skunk. Funny thing is that walking into the steakhouse, I had been handed a flyer with the details of a local AA meeting - it was all too surreal!

The deal with my last day was to race around and either get to a beach in Uruguay or down to the insanely packed beaches of Mar del Plata. just so I have experienced it all (not just the Pampas, Andes and deserts).

A mere seven hours later I am still trying to sober up and no, I didn't even get far from the city centre and I reckon, due to my traipsing, that I probably passed most of the city's thirteen million inhabitants.

Back home I would just eat a greasy hamburger and hey presto I'd be good to go. Well I tried to force down an empanada and no such luck, my stomach has shrunk and still won't take a thing. So these are the joys of my last night in paradise - drunk and disorderly.

But the upside is I got back to my hotel without being arrested and anyone who has travelled with me knows that's a turn up for the books!!