Day 33 - Yesterday was move-in day. So, I guess today is day one of our summer in Buenos Aires! I've not spent a great deal of my life in the southern hemisphere. Even our many months in Sri Lanka have been spent pretty much between 6° and 9° degrees north of the equator.
We did go on a cruise one year through the south Pacific to Australia and New Zealand, but that was not to escape from the winter. Therefore, I'll have to say this is the first time that it is officially turning winter in Canada but summer for us because of our location.
The crowds celebrating Argentina's recent football win have diminished. It was surely a loud day yesterday! However, we awoke at 7:30 to normal city sounds. All of our unpacking as well as the initial stocking of the kitchen occurred yesterday. Today, was a bit more relaxing. We did make a big run to a supermarket we like.
Argentina has a bizarre financial system and one of the highest inflation rates in the world. However, compared to home, things seem pretty inexpensive to us.
There are a number of exchange rates here. At the present time, as visitors, we can exchange a US dollar for around 300 Argentinian pesos. The official rate is only around 170 though. Until recently, one needed to exchange primarily $US100 bills for the most attractive rate. Yet just before we left home, we read that this blue rate will extend to charges made on foreign credit cards. It worked at a stop in southern Argentina. I've been trying little amounts and checking the results around town here.
In conclusion: The refrigerator is stocked. Everything is plugged into fast Internet. A few loads of laundry have been washed and dried. So, I'd say we're pretty much set for beginning the exploration of the metro area of this city of over 15 million people!