random from BA

We left Buenos Aires (sadly) and just arrived in Lima again. I can't believe this is our last week already! It's nice to come back to Lima. The area feels smaller than where we were in BA, so I feel it's good for the transition back home. It's also nice to have a psychological transition; we're heading back soon, but still have a week. On the other hand, I am looking forward to home just because, well it is home. And my kitties are there.

I have a few random pics to post from BA:

I happened to come across a stuffed crocodile in a kiosk and bought it for Tesla as she is addicted to Schnappi; specifically, this. When I pointed in the window and asked, "Schnappi??" Tesla grinned.

The 2nd picture is of these funny cap covers most buses had in BA. At first I found buses charming with their polished decor; they had a certain attention to design. However, after learning how cars and buses have priority over pedestrians and feeling terrified of the buses, the charm wore off. Buses make a hissing sound from something too, so you can hear the monsters coming towards you from a block away. They barreled down narrow streets, high-speed even at night, sometimes with their lights off that they would flash on when passing...I'm sorry, that's just scary...

Emily, one of our babysitters in BA. Michaela was the last who stayed for dinner with us. It was definitely great to have babysitters, and fun to get to know them and their lives in BA. [notice my new haircut?]

Keys. I LOVE the keys in BA. They are beautiful...although we had such bad luck with keys and locks (first losing keys, and then having to replace the entire lock when it later broke).

Ancient match boxes I found at a store. Each from a different country with nice design. Even erotic ones!!

And the lovely old trees...I admired the trees constantly in BA which definitely made the dense city look nicer.

Other things to note both good and bad:

* Too much diesel and traffic. BA is not a walk-friendly city at all in my mind.
* Everyone really does love babies, and goes out of their way to wave or smile. On the other hand, although we found kiddie parks, they weren't toddler friendly. All were basic swings, one metal slide, and maybe something to climb on that was too dangerous for T to go wild on.
* No flashing neon signs. Makes the city more tasteful.
* Sidewalks suck - they are narrow which is not that big of a deal, but a lot were broken. Apparently, it's a lot better than before and will continue to get repaired, but for strollers and wheelchairs, it's a nightmare. They use tiles vs. paving over the thing. The tiles wobble, then break. I'm sure it's harder to replace the tiles. I'd go for practical paving in this case. The tiles weren't even that pretty...
* I dig the cafe culture. If you get coffee, it always comes with a little side cookie and a tiny glass of bubbly water. And they will not bring you the check until you ask, meaning you can stay for hours with one coffee (not that I had hours).
* People are very friendly. I couldn't help being the stupid American with no Spanish, but folks were patient and helpful. The only time I felt "corrected" for what I was doing was on the first day when I went to a store to get water. Being shy about my dismal verbal skills, I didn't say much other than pick out water and smile. The store person smiled back, but explained that one should always say, "Hola" and "Ciao." I was very appreciative of that, and he did it in a friendly way to introduce me to the basic courtesy that I could do even though I didn't speak Spanish. It is one of my warm memories from BA. [I could understand because of my French and picking up on body-language]
* Trees. I've said this, but it's worth another mention. They are so old and big that there are cafes under them.