I was sad that I had to leave Buenos Aires. It had just started all to fall into place, my routine, the friends I had made… I wasn’t really up for leaving and starting all over again.

Funnily, it was actually easy (no offense to the gang in BsAs, I miss you guys!!). But if it continues like this Monday, I’ll be fine here.

I slept in a bit, head breakfast with myself, then met Alvaro for another stroll through Yungay. The library and the park were closed though, as it was a Monday, but there were plenty of murals left to take pictures of.

We ate in the restaurant attached to the Peluqueria francesa, Boulevard Lavaud, in one of its many rooms upstairs. The restaurant has been fitted into the existing rooms, which means there are at least like a half dozen different areas, rooms and places where you can eat. Cozy.

After that, a coffee and some filing away and emailing in Calafquen Café, then on to Liguria Bar (thanks, Matías) in Providencia, to meet Manuel, an employee of LAN airlines. He wanted to hear about my trip, and I like aviation and cannot get enough of hearing how it all works.

Liguria has a unique decoration, full of posters and pictures and murals, an explosion of color. One (relatively weak) Chilean beer though was enough on this hot day to make my head spin a little.

 

From there, a quick stint to the supermarket, got some bubbles and walked over to Ignacio’s home. He had invited me over for a dinner. I met with his room mate Hannah, an English teacher from San Francisco who is working in Santiago, and Jimena, a friend of his, visiting from Mexico.

We had fantastic italian pasta, and a great California west coast salad. Later on Hannah’s boyfriend and another friend arrived for some ice cream…

I walked home towards midnight, after a great day with lots of new friends and acquaintances. I might go to a concert with Hannah tomorrow, and I hope to be in touch with Jimena, maybe for a trip to a winery or to see her in Mexico City next year. Luckily for him, but sadly for me, Ignacio is heading for Europe and Morocco at the end of this week…

But all in all, a pretty good result for a day without any plans. It illustrates, even if you’re traveling alone, you’re not necessarily lonely, there’s so many people to meet… And my long term friends back home stay in touch with me, some with daily short email messages. I appreciate that a lot.