I hate Buenos Aires when…
Sometimes Buenos Aires can be a bitch
I have to say, it is with great honor that I welcome Diva, of Buenos Aires Through My Eyes (AKA Bitchtours) fame, to the blog. If you haven’t read her site, then, well, you should, now. Oh, actually, read her guest post below first, and then go to her site. And do please come back after, or I might cry.
1. I order a dish from a menu and they don’t have it
This is not something unusual here, even in fancy restaurants. You spent 10 minutes deciding what you’re gonna have and when you order the waiter gives you this look like you’ve pronounced a forbidden word and then says: “I’ll check if we have that”.
How come? It’s on the menu, the only thing I would eat right now is that damn dish and you don’t have it? Give me a break.
2. I buy something in a kiosk and they give me candy instead of change because they don’t have coins
Mr. or Mrs. kiosk: I’m buying a pack of Lucky Strikes and a diet coke, do you think I really want candy? Maybe we should do what a friend suggested the other day: Keep all the candy in a jar and then try to buy my cigarettes with them.
3. The taxi driver tells me that he doesn’t know the street I’m trying to get
Taxi driver: Corrientes and Anchorena? Hmmm… I’m not sure where that is.
Me: That’s the Abasto.
Taxi driver: Abasto? Is that the place where there are horse races? Excuse me, but I’ve been driving this taxi cab just for 3 days and I don’t know the city very well…
That’s the oldest trick in the world, dude, at least in Buenos Aires. I know what you are doing. You are testing if I know where I’m going. I do know, and I also know the fastest way to get there so cut the crap and drive.
And then you are going to tell me that you’ve just started your shift so you don’t have any change. Don’t worry, I have lots of candy…
4. The TV in the subways
Oh my god, that’s annoying. Maybe you are visiting and you don’t have to take the subway like most of the locals do (anyway you won’t escape from the taxi drivers). They have these TVs all over the place repeating the same crap every 5 minutes. From stupid music videos to political propaganda, from fashion shows to a coach teaching people how they should dress in order to get a job. All kinds of uninteresting programs that last 30 seconds.
I would get a taxi cab if it wasn’t that they probably won’t know the address I’m going to.
5. Bad graffiti
Hey you, the guy that paints the walls in such a messy and ugly way: If you are going to damage private property, at least do it with some class. Haven’t you seen all those wonderful stencils around Buenos Aires? Those guys try to add something to the world, they carefully design what they are going to paint. What you do is just stupid. I hope the police caught you while you are damaging another wall. If you have things to say, go get a therapist, because nobody wants to know what you have to say.
And that’s it. I could go on and on, but this is not my blog so…
Coming soon from Diva: “These are a few of my favourite things”
About me: Buenos Aires Through My Eyes
Dear readers, what do you hate about Buenos Aires?
July 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I love Bitchtours Blog!
I made it back to blogland too, its great to catch up, you´ve been busy the last few months I see!!
Good work Alan, great read, hope you are well
Love Jude
July 18th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Great post!
But I don’t want to get started on “I hate BsAs when…”
I keep a list on my computer of “I LOVE BsAs when…” just to keep me focused!
July 18th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Jude, I´ve been trying to read your blog but it´s private. let me in!!!
Cherie, that´s a very nice thing to do.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Rush hour. The worst of BA. Especially if you’re walking dwn Florida street. Or in the subway. Or on the bus. Or…
Rush hour sucks.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
I bet you’d appreciate it more if they had an open pack of cigarettes to offer you instead of the candy…
July 19th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
the do have open packages of cigarettes, cause it´s illegal to sell cigarettes per unit, but they do it
July 22nd, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I must say the candy change is pretty good, sure i’d rather get 10 centavos back, but candy change is better than nothing (and way better than pogs). Of course a cigarette as change sounds like a pretty revolutionary idea. (except for non smokers I suppose). As for the grafitti, I agree with you, it looks like 3 year olds sneak out at night and paint the city because there parents put there drawings on the refrigerator, and they think maybe the whole world would like to see there little nonsense doodles on the walls.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:48 am
jajja, exactly.
thanks rob for your comment
August 8th, 2007 at 1:38 am
haha, that was great! how bout the fact that they charge you potentially 4 pesos for a stale basket of bread? or the kissing noises guys make at you and the fact that being 80 years old doesn’t stop them from trying to hit on you? obvious ones are clearly the sidewalks and the dog pooh. or how bout trying to get any sort of green veggie on your plate? ok…enough with the negative. i do love buenos aires. i’m definitely gonna check out your blog now
August 10th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Hi rosie, I´m glad you liked it. I definitly have to write about those 80 year old disgusting guys…
See you on my blog
August 25th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
You are soooo right! How about those “cyber”places where they charge you $1 to access the internet for 20 minutes, and then the computer is soo frigging slow you spend an hour or more just trying to log on!!! And have you tried complaining about that ??!!
August 27th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Celia, thank God I have internet connection at home, but I do understand your pain.
see you
September 6th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
I have been to Buenos Aires too and not every store gives you candy back. They probably just did that because you were American. Buenos Aires is a wonderful city full of the nicest people. I know i have met lifelong friends that i will never forget. Oh and New York City is just as bad as Buenos Aires on graffiti.
October 1st, 2007 at 9:07 pm
hey.. you dont tolerate anything at all, give yourself a break, human are not perfect, REMEMBER?
October 1st, 2007 at 9:18 pm
you are a little bit intolerant, dont you know? people are not perfect, if you ask for perfection id like you to be the the perfection on perfection, and dont forget to make the best graffitis on the fucking world. GOD.. some people are really dumb…
October 6th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
hahaha, read my blog and leave comments like these!!! You, the person who wrote the 3 offensive comments, (I know you are the same person).
You made my day. Whenever I receive something like this I just get inspired to write more about the stupidity in the world (or buenos Aires, whatever)
Thank you a lot, my precious muse.
And remember;
Visit my blog
http://bitchtours.blogspot.com/
December 27th, 2007 at 11:51 am
[...] Diva (of Buenos Aires Through My Eyes), who wrote an hilarious article for my blog called “I hate Buenos Aires when…” (though i think some people that read that last one got the wrong end of the stick. Check [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
ok….
longest lines at the supermarkets!..i hate BAs..Dog Poo on the streets..I hate BAs, Old men without their shirts on on a sunny day..I hate BAs…Any fast food restaurant…oh yeah they don’t undertand the concept of fast food…traffic.. i hate BAs..
December 7th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
hey, i’m from bs.as. and i will give mi point of view,
about the restaurant maybe you went to a bad one, that never appened to me
yes, they do give you candys instead of coins, because bus companies sell coins for 5% profit, you give 105 or 108$ for 100 coins, banks only give 5$ in coins per person and that sucks, goberment do.., well nothing
taxi drivers, ohh its a whole world about it, they drive bad for a worst salary and they think they are the kings of the street, they compete with bus drivers
well, argentinian tv sucks so much that the only good thing to watch is commercials
and about grafitti, its a way to to express your ideas, against goberment and politians or whaterver you want
here somo pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dobleg/
hey, its a nice city but there’s a lot of people who dont care nothing less about themselfs.
sorry about my english
saludos