Friday, Mar 7 – Day 81

I bummed a copier paper box off an office supply store next to my hotel, walked a few blocks to find another store to buy the packing tape (they don’t give you anything at Centro Postal), then took a cab downtown. After the customs lady looked through my stuff, I was given a number and told to wait. It only took an hour to service the 13 customers in front of me, but this was only my first pass. It took that long just to get the forms that I had to fill out. After handling that, and then going through the mummification process, I was back in line to pay my tab - $180.00 pesos, or about US$60.00 for 7 kilos. It only took an hour and a half to complete this task today, and they guarantee delivery within 45 days.

I’m staying in Palermo, which is kind of the hip, urban part of town. It looks older, and is not as nice as Recoleta, or Puerto Madero, but it has a ton of character. There are some high-rise buildings, but most of it is only 3 or 4 floors. Every corner has a small bistro, bar, or boutique, and there are lots of trees and little “pocket parks”. Next time I come back to stay for a while, this is where I’m going to stay. Actually, I’m only a few blocks from the 10:00 “happy hour” location that I wrote about earlier.