It’s a small world…

So, the other night I was ambling around Retiro with Maya, Tom and Carito at the monthly Gallery Nights event (failing miserably to score any free champagne on this occasion) and coming out of one gallery, I literally bumped into Stefan, one of the guys behind Buenos Aires Insider magazine. I say literally, because it was an actual collision, and just as I turned round to shout obscenities at him, I realized who it was, and instead said “oh, I know you, don’t I?” (I only shout obscenities at people I don’t know. At a safe distance, obviously).

Anyway, Stefan was kind enough to give us some copies of the first edition (September – October) of the magazine, which is currently slated to come out on a bi-monthly basis. After getting my greasy mitts on this beautifully designed, slim, brand spanking new magazine, I can confirm that BA Insider is indeed an excellent little read, with up to date listings and suggestions for great places in Buenos Aires to eat, drink, explore, buy stuff and so on, mixed in with helpful hints and tips for expats living in Buenos Aires.

Alternative activities in Buenos Aires

Despite it being aimed at the expat crowd, and written with the idea of providing more ‘real’ alternatives to usual tourist haunts here, BA Insider should still be of interest to short-term visitors to Buenos Aires, who are perhaps looking to avoid those kinds of places too. I especially like their guide to BA’s Barrio Chino in this edition, a place that is becoming closer to my heart these days, as I start to experiment with cooking with spices!

After bidding Stefan goodbye, later that evening we all agreed that Buenos Aires has been calling out for a frequent and regularly published guide, so that people can get up to date listings and info on events in the city, and not have to rely on the potentially out of date information found in their guidebooks…

So, help support BA Insider Magazine now, and hopefully if it is a success, they might end putting it out on a monthly basis, and help fill this gap. It costs just 4 pesos, and is apparently available in Kiosks around the city, although I think it might just be easier to email insider@bainsidermag.com for info on how to get hold of a copy – apparently you can pre-order 6 editions for the price of 5, if planning ahead is your thing. Happy reading!

[Note - This is not a paid review, and I am in no way affiliated with BA Insider Magazine, beyond having bumped into one of its publishers a couple of times around Buenos Aires]

When I read this story last week, I couldn’t help but laugh. The whole thing just seems a little surreal to me.

In short, scientists at the Quilmes National University in Buenos Aires found that small doses of sildenafil (i.e. Viagra) helped hamsters adapt to a simulated 6 hour time zone change 50% faster than usual. The idea is that Viagra could have the same helpful side-effect for jet-lagged humans, in addition to its other more obvious side-effect.

Hamsters to thank for Rocketing Mile High Club Membership?

I was going to post about it last week, but soon forgot, only to be reminded upon reading Maya’s blog, where she noted that the Mile High Club could soon see membership rocket as a result, along with the more serious observation that this method could only work for eastward flights. And now I’m blogging about it, mainly because I really wanted to post a picture of a hamster followed directly by the Buenos Aires Obelisk

The thing that gets me, is how did this experiment come about in the first place? (OK, I’m sure there is an excellent, serious, scientifically rigourous explanation behind its genesis, but bear with me here…)

Did the Buenos Aires based scientists behind this experiment get bored one night, have a few too many litros of Quilmes lager (how appropriate), and think: “I know, lets buy a few hamsters from the local pet shop, feed them some Viagra and see what happens”?

I doubt it very much, but if they did, it would surely be followed by… “yeah, and let’s really mess ‘em up by turning their lights on and off at weird times of the day and night. That’ll teach the furry beggars”.
Hey presto, one jetlag buster of an experiment is produced.

Let’s just hope that none of the hamsters had the same fate as Mozart, the Iguana who had to have one of his penises amputed after a week-long Viagra fuelled erection.

Fortunately for Mozart, male Iguanas have two penises…

I doubt that hamsters are so lucky