Argentina: the tango of my life!
Year 8 was difficult for many, and it is probably not worth dwelling on this in detail. My life then was like a tango - I do everything beautifully and technically, but, unfortunately, without feelings. Mdaaaa, my life really was no exception to this rule, and the year was one of the most difficult of the lived...
The main criterion for what I will remember is that there is even more work, and even less income... I will not dedicate the reader to the knowledge of the reason why this time I went to Argentina... The choice was, of course, not accidental, but the question " why? " should be disclosed by the author definitely not in a review of the trip, but at least on the pages of Coelho's novels...
The most interesting thing is that I went on a trip alone... Previously, I always traveled as a couple or a group, this time it so happened that I was left alone in the “crew”. And it’s not the crisis that’s to blame, it’s just that circumstances arose that the second person didn’t go. And since I never refuse the “planned” one, I “rushed into battle”...
On December 29.2008, I arrived at Domodedovo in advance, from where, with a transfer in Madrid, I was supposed to fly to Buenos Aires with the Iberia airline. Those who are familiar with my previous travels know that exactly a year ago it was Iberia that helped me fly to Mexico City on time, after Lufthansa failed to fulfill its obligations to passengers. That evening, one fact bothered me - the Iberia was shaken by pilot strikes throughout December, people could not fly for days at their connections. Taught by last year's experience, I tensed up for a few more days, watching on the website www. domodedovo. ru how the flight to Madrid "for today" takes off at best "tomorrow". I was “carried away”, exactly at 18.20 flight 3811 headed for Madrid
Back at Domodedovo, I noticed a group of men in blue T-shirts with the inscriptions "Kamaz" and "VTB". When I got on the plane, I was shocked - all these 30-40 people are sitting in the first cabin, and I was sitting somewhere between them
The A319 that Iberia provided us that evening was too narrow. I, sitting by the aisle, at least had the opportunity to stretch my legs into the aisle, while some of the KAMAZ people sitting by the window were very unhappy. To my right was a KAMAZ man, his name was Konstantin. As I found out later, it was the personal journalist of our team. We started talking after he saw the book "Argentina" in my hands, and it was he who told me about the "Dakar-2009", which will be held in Argentina and Chile (may some readers forgive my ignorance, but about where to pass this race and what is its meaning, I learned only on the plane). Konstantin spoke Spanish very well, so sometimes he helped me to explain to the crew members… And sitting by the window was none other than Mr. Kabirov himself, the future champion of Dakar-2009. True, we thought that Vladimir Chagin would win... But more on that below.
We were in Madrir at 21.00, and when we dispersed around Barajas, the party began to fade away. “Kamazovites” tried to fall asleep on uncomfortable chairs (the handles of the seats at the Madrid airport are fixed in a fixed position, you can sleep there in a position close to the position of a baby in the womb), but I, taught by the experience of past trips, decided to “master” business lounges . In the most luxurious one, which belonged to the Iberia airline, they sent me, “they say only for business class passengers, ” for a modest “bribe” in no way... I was not upset, I realized that there should be several halls. And so it happened - I found a "shelter" in the business lounge of Aeroflot and the Sky Team alliance on the second floor of the airport. I was pleasantly surprised by the price - 22 euros (drinks, food, a comfortable sofa, Internet and TV in unlimited quantities were already included in the designated figure! ). And the leadership of some of our supervisory services would do well to check the “adequacy” of prices for similar services at some Moscow airports...
At two o'clock in the morning we boarded the plane. . . I got seat 11A, it's right behind the business class, by the window and by the emergency exit. "Kamazovites" took a block of places in the tail of the liner. A Polish girl sat in the right armchair, whose parents sat behind us. Here's the advantage of booking via the Internet - you can choose a seat yourself and then fly comfortably for minimal money On the plane, I "passed out" as soon as the lights of the receding Madrid disappeared from the window.
I woke up an hour and a half later from the fact that someone was pulling my hand. Opening my eyes, I saw a Spanish stewardess, who was burning me “Chicken? Pasta? ". . . Not realizing what was happening, I answered "What?,,, ". . . She repeated her question and heard the same answer speak at least English, and that they brought dinner. "Paste! " - I answered, after which I received a quite worthy and tasty dinner on a tray. Having devoured it all (for some reason I always want to eat at night), I continued to dream.
Another 10 hours passed, after which I opened my eyes again. The night passed, the sun shone brightly, the sky was cloudless, and the earth was visible below. Having oriented myself on the monitor, I realized that it was Brazil... I didn’t have time to go to “the same place”, when the same stewardess brought me breakfast: pancakes, admittedly, were even better than pasta. And after another hour and a half, we landed at the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires.
The airport seemed small to me, compared, say, with the same Barakas. In general, there are two airports in Buenos Aires: "Ezeiza" (international) and "Jorge Newbery" (domestic flights). The latter is similar to First Sheremetyevo, just as small and old As a rule, local flights depart from it, while international flights depart only from Ezeiza.
The first impression was not wrong - for two flights of 300 people each, only 8 Migrasion cabins worked, while the employees were extremely slow. The small hall quickly filled with people. Fortunately, the Argentines guessed to put up “snake” fences so that the people would not stand in a crowd and there would be the appearance of a queue. I was lucky, I didn’t stand in line for a long time - I use my impudence, I just crawled “under the cables” into the first row. After standing for about 10 minutes and having received the coveted mark, I rushed to look for luggage. There was slowness here too, 30 minutes had passed since the arrival, and not a single suitcase had yet left the baggage hold slipway. 20 minutes after the passage of the "migration" I finally received the cherished baggage. You can “score” at customs, they don’t examine anyone, but calmly let them through...
There was a crowd of people in the hall. It somehow reminded me of Singapore: in one place there were a lot of dissimilar and completely different people: in age, skin color, style, appearance, etc. A tall young man in a black T-shirt stood out from the crowd. It was my guide Andrew. After saying hello, we went to look for our "carriage". Andrei emigrated from Kharkov 15 years ago with his parents, graduated from school and university in Argentina, works as guides in 2 companies, dreams of an international business (deliveries of wine and leather from Argentina to Russia), as well as a beautiful Russian girl who would agree to go with him for permanent residence in Argnetina. In general, a real "commercial". Feeling "our" wave, we almost immediately became friends.
We talked casually about a lot of things, most importantly, we exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet in a couple of days and talk in more detail. In addition to questions and business, of course, I asked him about local hangouts, lifestyle, average incomes of the local population, etc. Interestingly, the average salary in Argentina is 700 units in green currency for men, and 400 for women. The local drink is Fernet, usually drunk with cola and ice. It tastes like a herbal tincture (but strong, 35 degrees), the color is like a good whiskey... In general, this drink is popular in many countries of Latin America.
We arrived at the Pestana Hotel, where I was given the keys to a good studio on the eighth floor without any questions. In parting, Andrey gave me a package of vouchers, tickets for domestic flights, an information package and added that in an hour the guide Katya, a young and pretty 21-year-old girl, would come for me... Sharply cheered up, I went to my room. In general, in my documents it was written that the hotel was 5-star, in fact it turned out to be "4", although we must pay tribute to its service - it is on top. The hotel is located on the widest street in Argentina - "Avenida 9 de Julio"
An hour later I was already "in the ranks. " Going down the hall, I saw a thin and pretty girl - it was Katya. Having met, we got into our Peugeot 406 and drove to the city. I will not dwell on the features of the sightseeing tour, I think that those who still go to Buenos Aires will see everything themselves, and those who do not gather will simply not understand what is at stake. Katya was a good guide. After 3 hours I had a basic idea of the main sights of the city. Subsequently, with a team of like-minded people, I “ride” around these areas more than once, but the first impression was unforgettable. There is some kind of romance in the city, I want to return there... At least for me...
Finally, as befits a "good guide", I was taken to a souvenir shop in La Boca. I told Katya in plain text that take me immediately to where the prices are minimal, and the rollback to the guide is maximum. We drove to the La Boca area. She, of course, tried to pretend to be a "fool", but this "topic" was not for me. As a result, Katya received her “cutlet”, and I received 2 packages of souvenirs at a reasonable price.
Speaking of the city, I highly recommend driving to its various districts - Ricoletta, Florida, Palermo, La Boca, Soho, Hollywood, etc. They are all marked on tourist maps. All of them are unique in their charm, different from each other. Florida is a pedestrian street, "sharpened" mainly for tourists, where a huge number of shops with souvenirs and clothes are located. I’ll tell shoppers that you won’t find anything unique there, a simple “consumer goods” of low quality. I didn’t buy anything for myself, and in general, the locals dress, to put it mildly, tastelessly. Alvear - a street of boutiques and expensive shops is also not full of exclusives. You can walk once, but no more. Leather products are primitive and of poor quality; with such stocks of raw materials, they should have learned from some European countries.
We return to the tour: we again arrived at the hotel. Katya said that she would change clothes and come back for me in an hour. During this time, I managed to drink the local Quilmes beer. For beer lovers, I will say that this is the only mass brand of Argentinean beer. It comes in light, red, and dark. I fell in love with the latter, and for the phrase “Quilms Negro” I always received a large bottle of beer (in addition to the usual 0.3 and 0.5, in Argentina it is customary to drink beer in liter bottles). In general, there is beer and more exclusive - "Patagonia". It deserves only the highest marks. Well, as an avid drinker, I couldn't help but find a local brewery. Near the Ricoletta cemetery (we will talk about it later) there is a restaurant "Buller", in the basement of which beer is brewed. It was then that I remembered last year's business trip to the Czech Republic Unfortunately, I visited there only 2 times, but I want to go back there today Guys, I recommend it to everyone!
At 7 pm, my "fawn" was again at the front door, in which the reincarnated Katya was waiting for me. We were waiting for the evening at the tango show. 30 minutes along the already familiar streets, and we drove up to "Sabor a Tango". Frankly, Katya immediately said that the place was “so-so”, but since the travel agency paid for it, we had to go there. We were given a table on the right side of the stage, so the view was great. The program also included a full dinner, where I finally tasted the famous Argentinean steak and wine. The latter is generally a separate conversation. We tried one bottle. The wine seemed so tasty and fragrant to me that I ordered a second one. The most interesting thing is that it is drunk like juice. So, when I called the waiter to order a second bottle, Katya told me: “Lesha, don’t overdo it, it “inserts” very cool! ”. I smiled helpfully and did my own thing anyway. I already drank the third bottle alone, since Katya's "strength" dried up on the second one.
Speaking of tango, I will say that it is danced in every self-respecting institution, even on the street. In our show, of course, everything was beautiful and worked out, clear movements, consistency in the actions of partners, but, as you probably managed to notice, there were no feelings in this action. It was like a dance of robots that learned the movements and stopped there.
We digress again. The show came to an end when my third bottle was only half empty. Having “finished” it, we began to pack up, and a new driver came for us, we let the old one go home. Rising from the table, I suddenly realized that I was “covered”. And not weakly (and this is told to you by a person who has gone through hundreds of negotiations in different parts of our vast Motherland). I understood that Katya should not be allowed to go alone in such a state. The fact is that drivers only take tourists to the end, guides get there themselves. Nonsense, but this is how it is done in Argentina in many companies. As a true gentleman, I offered to take Katya to her boyfriend's place of work (he works as an administrator in a club on the outskirts of the city, in March 2009 they are going to get married and come to visit “our Russia” on their honeymoon). The driver, being a select goat, having learned about my idea, began to actively resist. Still, alcohol is a good helper in real men's conversations. I will not reveal the secret that I told him that evening in Russian, and Katya translated into Spanish, but after 5 minutes of “dialogue”, he nevertheless agreed with my plan.
20 minutes, and Katya quickly left the corner of the club with her boyfriend. The driver turned around and drove onto the highway, after which he asked which hotel to take me to. The question put me in a tailspin, because I didn’t remember the name of the hotel, and I couldn’t find a card with its name. We decided to call Katya, but she did not pick up the phone (however, she is forgiven, given her condition that evening). The driver started calling the senior guide Ilya (and the time was something around midnight). On the fifth attempt, he picked up the phone, and, taking a deep breath, called the name of my hotel. And half an hour later I was already in my room on the eighth floor, where I fell asleep safely in what I came in.
The morning of the last day of the eighth year was far from good. Not only is the new year coming, and I am “without champagne, ” there was also no one to celebrate it with. Guide Ilya booked a table for me at the RUMI restaurant (considered a pretentious institution in Buenos Aires), but, according to him, there will be no Russians there! As soon as I got out of bed, I realized that there were clear signs of a hangover on my face. I really wanted juice and a snack. Without even changing my clothes, I went downstairs for breakfast, where I happily got everything I wanted. After having a snack, I nevertheless decided to return to the room and put myself in order, and then go for a walk in the city. When I approached the elevator, and its doors opened, 2 girls of Slavic appearance came out of it. By their “parameters” and appearance, I realized that they were “ours” (the locals don’t dress like that). After exchanging glances, we continued to move in different directions.
Another hour in the room I put myself in order, after which I was back in the ranks. Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I moved from the room to the elevator. Before I had time to press the call button, I heard a noise at the end of the corridor. Turning around, I saw the same girls who were leaving the room opposite mine. “Fate is knocking itself, ” I thought at that moment, and decided to wait for them. Entering the elevator, and pressing the "do not close the doors" button, I waited for these beauties to come to the elevator. To my misfortune, the button turned out to be inoperative, the doors closed, and I went downstairs.
"Here's a goat" - the girls thought at that moment, telling me about it later, - ". . . left and did not wait... ". In the elevator, I realized that I would not give up so easily. I pressed "stop", and again on the "eighth". In a moment, the doors opened and they stood in front of me - charming blondes, sisters Dasha and Nastya.
"Hello" - I said, to which I heard a counter "Hi! "
“Are you from the group? ” Dasha asked.
- From what? I asked (taking into account the state of the hangover, the question was difficult for me at that time)
- From Uruguay, - the girls answered.
- No, I'm actually from Moscow, - I continued.
This is what our dialogue looked like at that moment. We laughed. Leaving the elevator, the girls asked their companion, whom they met on the trip, Yulia, who was still gathering in her room, to wait.
For about five minutes we asked each other about who, how much and where he came. The younger Nastya at some point suggested that I take a walk with them. The offer was more than ever welcome, since there was clearly no alternative, and any man would be honored to “hang out” in the company of such beauties!
We went into town to look around the Soho area. On the way, we mastered a couple of "cafes", went to the local antique market. We had a very interesting conversation. It turns out that they were also in Mexico (I hope the reader remembers the story about the "adventures of Russians in a foreign land", published about a year ago). On that walk, I realized how hard it is to be a beautiful girl, and constantly beat off selected males who only want “you know what”!
Finally, we went to the store, because. The girls wanted to buy something for themselves. An hour of waiting, and we went along the road to the hotel. The girls offered to celebrate the New Year together, they booked a table in a tango show. Since my restaurant did not impress me, the offer was unconditionally accepted.
In the evening we reached the hotel and retired to our rooms to prepare for the New Year. As an "internationalist" with experience, I proposed to celebrate the Russian New Year. The girls agreed and chose a place - my number. At 6.45 (in Moscow at that time it was 23.45)!
Around six, I began to “cover the clearing”: I took out a bottle of “Soviet” from my suitcase, stored up in Moscow, by the way, exclusive in Argentina, as well as a chocolate bar “Inspiration” - no less exclusive in this wonderful country.
The girls all pulled themselves up on time, except for the younger Nastya, who still could not bring her outfit to the desired condition (I’ll get ahead of myself, I’ll say that it was worth it). Champagne poured into glasses, calls from Moscow began to be heard. After listening to part of the anthem, we drank a glass, thus becoming in solidarity with many of our compatriots.
Dasha and I talked about who and where, and at what time met the Russian New Year, while abroad. It's funny, but I, like them, met last New Year at Teoteocane (Mexico) on the largest pyramid in the world - the "Pyramid of the Sun". But exactly a year ago we did not meet, but met exactly a year later, also on December 31, in Buenos Aires, and we live in neighboring rooms. There have never been such coincidences in my life. I don’t know about my companions, but this fact brought me almost into a state of shock.
Half an hour after the meeting of the new year, the youngest Nastya appeared in the room in the outfit of an angel. In order not to cause a surge of emotions in the male part of the readers, I will not dwell on this in detail, believe my taste - this is worthy of 10 out of 10!
We got into the Gazelka, which was sent by the restaurant, and went to the Gala Tango establishment. We were again given a table near the stage, where we met the new year. In the process of waiting, we watched another tango show. At that time, being a little versed in this, I noticed the "lack of feeling" in the dancers. It seems that in Argentina this is put on stream, so no one thinks about such an important detail visible to the viewer.
The New Year was greeted cheerfully. Especially during the dances, when Nastya made a sex revolution in this small hall. I will remember the video taken that evening for a long time, when a Russian beauty lights up with her 80-year-old grandfather, and he is also half her height
Already at half past one we went to the clubs. A big mistake, considering that the clubs in Argentina are open from 2 am (without exception). There were screams in the street, explosions of pyrotechnics were heard, perhaps something else. Most importantly, it was deserted. There was a feeling that a small civil war had begun, and it was necessary to urgently seek shelter. We did not catch a taxi, and decided to return to the restaurant. The receptionist told me that no taxis were open until 4 am. It's funny, in Moscow that night they earn super profits, and in Argentina - no one works! I did not despair, I saw the driver of the same Gazelle that was taking us here. And since when we arrived, I will give the driver a good tip, we easily agreed that he would take us around the city (for everything, by the way, they gave 100 pesos, which is about 1000 rubles).
We wanted to get into the Pacha club, the most fashionable place in Buenos Aires. Arriving there at one o'clock, the club was closed. Security said come to 2m. We drove along the promenade near Jorge Newbery Airport, where there are several establishments with discos. Unfortunately, they were all booked for New Year's Eve parties. I decided to break into one of them. Moreover, I did it. They took me for one and let me through. Nastya, being in high spirits from the “nth” number of drunk alcoholic drinks, decided to take off with me. At the same time, she began to persuade the guards to let her through, saying that she was not from this institution. The security, of course, refused, while the girl also approached me and “surrendered the office”. I had to leave the establishment. At least I ate a piece of "free" birthday cake.
We decided to go to the hotel. Vadik called Nastya's phone - this is a rider from the Netherlands team. He offered to meet in the lobby of the Pestana. Vadim was Russian, born in Ukraine, now lives in Kazakhstan. He noticed the girls on the street when they were walking, a few days before the new year. The younger Nastya then struck him "on the spot. " He said that he knew the Kamaz team well and promised to arrange an acquaintance with the racers. And since at that time I was also familiar with some of them, they decided to check Vadik "for lice" - is everything he told true?
At 2 o'clock in the morning, Vadik, wearing an orange T-shirt of his team, dark glasses (and it was night) and a knitted hat on his head (and it was +30), burst into the hall. We met and talked. To be honest, it didn't impress me right away. The girls said that we were going to the club, he decided to go with us.
On the street, we hailed a taxi for a long time (I hope everyone remembers that the taxi worked from 4 that night), finally one car did stop. Nastya agreed for 40 pesos ($12) that we would be taken to Pacha. Unfortunately, there was no place for Vadik in the car. He said he would come himself. Although, we all doubted that he would still be.
At 2.30 there was a huge queue at the club. Taking advantage of the status of tourists and the extravagant appearance of the girls, we tried to climb without a queue. We must pay tribute to Nastya, who punched the queue, we did it. And what was our surprise when Vadik nevertheless arrived...
We expected more from the club. The two-story white building looked more impressive from the outside than from the inside. The music was “so-so”, there were only 2 halls inside, there was no face control, so drunks and stoned people were allowed in there... The list goes on. And this is the best place in town! "But what about others? " - I thought then... By the way, I also visited others, but more on that later
Vadik bought whiskey and cola for everyone, and this was added to a fair amount of drunk. After dancing for 2.5 hours, we went to the hotel to sleep. At six o'clock I was already hugging my own pillow.
The first morning of the new year, like the previous morning, again turned out to be not good. It seems to me that my body at that time was already accustomed to the constant presence of alcohol in it. Having put myself in order, I went to the girls, who were struggling hard with the consequences of yesterday's party. And by 10 am we were at breakfast. And we got up so early, because at 12 Vadik promised to pick us up and take everyone to the opening of Dakar in the Ricoletto park.
I doubted again that he would come. I take my words back - he was "like a bayonet", cheerful and fresh, at the appointed time. We “caught” a taxi without any problems, where five of us already climbed. In the park, Vadik told us about the Dakar, about its features, about the cars and the teams. I note that after this meeting I became a true fan of the Kamaz-Master team, and I can say on behalf of those who were present there - the guys deserve respect and all kinds of praise, looking at them, you begin to be even more proud of the Country where you live! Vadik led us to the booth of the sponsor of the Kamaz team - the manufacturer of one energy drink. At the booth, he introduced us to the president of our team, Semyon Semyonovich Yakubov. Seeing beautiful Russian girls, he instantly began to take pictures with them against the backdrop of the sponsor's stand. My companions were not at a loss and willingly helped him in this. And I shook hands with the team correspondent Konstantin, who was already familiar to me.
After inspecting the cars, we moved to the neighboring stadium, which became the launch pad for Dakar-2009. Vadik continued his fascinating story, we bribed some souvenirs, after which we moved through the front gate into the city. It's funny that from the back entrance we entered without a queue and without payment. Through the front door it cost 30 pesos (300 rubles) and the line stretched for 1.5 kilometers.
Vadik suddenly "faded" abruptly after he found out that we went to a restaurant in the "Hollywood" area. Having caught a taxi, after 15 minutes we were already sitting in one of the establishments in the area. I note that the hot dish + salads were prepared for us for almost 2 hours, while we constantly pulled the waiters with the help of a couple of Brazilians who were sitting nearby (the waiters spoke only Spanish, the Brazilians knew English and helped us to communicate). It was the longest wait in a restaurant in my life
After a hearty lunch, we returned to the hotel and decided to get some sleep. The girls introduced me to their guide Olya, who, along with a group from Uruguay, was met in the lobby. The aunt of Asian appearance was clearly with characters, and "did not like" the girls for their sociability and presentable appearance. It's funny, but in 10 years of living in Argentina, she did not leave the city anywhere, except for a few neighborhoods. And I, on the contrary, was pleased with the team of guides of my tour operator - TravelMarx, who solved my problems at any time of the day. Katya, Andrey, Ivan are true experts in their field. And their boss - Ilya - is generally worth every praise.
Even at the Dakar, Vadik said that at 20.00 he would pick us up, and we would go to dinner with the Kamaz team riders. By 8 we were ready. For the first time in our practice, Vadik was late. We had already begun to think of an alternative program, while he suddenly appeared in the hall again.
We caught a car and drove to a restaurant near the Ricoletta cemetery. They began to drink Argentine wine, which I had already “mastered”. There were four of us, one of the girls - Yulia - went to another tango show. Vadik called someone all the time, but there were no racers and there weren't. And then his phone went dead. I had already given up on everything and was just enjoying the company, when suddenly multiple Dakar champions Vladimir Chagin and Sergey Savostin appeared in the restaurant. The first one sat next to me, and the second - next to Vadik. We ordered ourselves “300 tequila”, and drank it in one gulp for 2 times! On their faces was a clear delight from such a company. My companions especially pleased them: “Finally, beautiful and smart Russian girls! ” Chagin said then.
We had a great evening. Given a number of circumstances, I will not dwell on the details, I will say that the gentlemen turned out to be true professionals who know their business and love their work. The guys walked us to the hotel, we exchanged phone numbers, wished each other success, they had a separate “become winners”. They invited us the next day to the official opening of the Dakar, to cheer for "ours". The girls agreed, but I refused - at 3 pm I had a plane to Salta, I flew away for a day to watch the Alps and the red canyon.
At 3 o'clock in the morning we went into the rooms, agreed with the girls, who for 3 days became like family to me, that at 9.00 we would see each other for breakfast and say goodbye. They had an excursion to the ranch, then they were going to the official opening of the Dakar.
After the gatherings, I was drunk again. And even went to bed right in his clothes. Then my conscience nevertheless “finished off”, I took my will into a fist and undressed. I lie and think that I need to see what time the flight is tomorrow. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon - it was written in the papers. And then I remembered that even upon arrival, the guide Andrey gave me a bundle of papers and told me to look carefully, since several flights change. I took this envelope, and after reading it, I fell into a state of mild shock and immediately sobered up - I realized that the flight was postponed to 7 in the morning!
With a bullet, I rushed to Dasha's room. The girls were upset when they found out that I was leaving in 3.5 hours. Most importantly, I was drunk and didn't even pack my things. Saying goodbye, I went to my room. Started gathering. Decided to take a nap. At 5 am from the "reception" a call woke me up: "Peak up time, sir" - said a cheerful voice. I got up and realized that I had not sobered up a bit. He began to hurriedly gather. Katya called me and asked if I was ready. I answered in the affirmative. She said she would be there in 20 minutes.
At some point I went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Looking in the mirror at myself - my beloved, I said: “Lech! You live according to a schedule all your life, do what you need, exactly what you need, and not what you want! Do you want to fly to these Andes? Or do you want to spend time in the company of cool girls and attend the opening of the Dakar with a team that is like your own? The answer was obvious.
I called Katya and said that I was staying. Since I had to return to my own hotel the next day, I asked her to inform the hotel management that I would also be here today. She asked in the morning to pay 120 pesos (400 rubles), and the issue was closed. She, of course, persuaded me for a long time, but I firmly stood my ground.
The second morning of the new year was again not good. At 9 am I knocked on the door to the girls. There was shock on their faces. I told them about how I struggled with myself at night We went for breakfast, after which we were going to go on an excursion to the ranch, and in the evening to the opening of the Dakar. In the hall we met their guide Olya, who was asked if I could go. The bus, designed for 50 people, was half full, and there were no difficulties with seats. "Not! " she answered unambiguously. To my question "why? " she also affirmatively said "I want that! ". I have never met such bitches in tourism. Given the state of the hangover, I had a great desire to hit her "in the jaw", but I refrained.
I put the girls on the bus. It was very unpleasant for them that I stayed to spend time with them, and they leave without me. They were “broken” whether to go or not, because they also wanted to go on an excursion. I understood that the decision should be mine. I told them to go with God, and I would sleep in the room.
The bus drove off, I turned to face the hotel and took a few steps, when suddenly my inner “I” spoke again: “Lech! Well, why did you stay and did not go to the Andes? To have a great time with the girls or to sleep in the room? And is it really that some bitch with no personal life “gets off…” you?
"Not! " - I answered myself and turned to the road. "So what to do? " - I thought! The first idea is to catch a taxi and follow the bus. I jumped into the car, said: "Commander, behind that bus! " He didn't understand my good English! “Buso-buso! ” I continued in Spanish, and jabbed my finger at the bus at the traffic lights. The driver followed him. After driving five blocks, the driver got nervous, wanted to know the "destino" (the location of the bus). "No destino" - I said! The driver said that it was a sightseeing bus and that he was going out of town, and he was only going around the city. I understood that soon the bus would leave, and I would stay. I told the driver that he should cut the bus and ask his driver where he was going. On the fifth attempt at explaining with gestures, the taxi driver understood the problem. Apparently he understood that this was the only way to get rid of the crazy tourist with the smell of fumes. Then everything was like in a classic American action movie. On the flyover, the bus was driving in the far right lane. At a speed of about 60 km/h, the taxi driver cuts off the bus and stops in front of it. The driver looked out of the bus and looked at the taxi driver in bewilderment. The only thing missing was the phrase “Man, are you crazy? ” The taxi driver explained that he had a psycho passenger and that he wanted to know where the bus was going. The driver said: "Cardales! ". The taxi driver wrote down the name for me on a piece of paper, then turned around and drove to the center, and the bus disappeared around the turn of the flyover, and having taken me to the hotel, he crossed himself with pleasure and left.
I went up to my room and decided to find out what Cardales was. I called the guides, Ivan answered me. He said it was a city 100 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires along the Panamericana (Road 3). I described the situation to him, he was shocked by this behavior of the guide. And he was also very worried about the question of why I did not fly away and what I plan to do next. I replied that everything else would be on schedule. Everything was clear with the place, it was not clear to which ranch the girls were taken. “There are five of them! ” Ivan told me. I thought about what to do (and a hangover prevented me from doing this ) and asked him: “Ivan, well, if you took people there, which ranch would you go to? ” "Santa Susanna", - he said, - "Price / Quality is optimal for each other! ". I wrote down the name of the ranch and thanked him for his help.
The next step was to get a wheelbarrow. At the "reception" I was told that opposite the hotel there is an office of the company "Gerts". I rushed there like a bullet, entering the office, immediately said “Ay niid a kar” and pointed at the jeep in the catalog. “There are only small Fiats, ” an office worker told me. There was no choice, and I agreed. He drew me a diagram of how to go. First you need to turn onto Avenida 9 de Julio, then along the overpass past the Jorge Newbery airport to the Acero Norte overpass, then onto the Panamericana highway No. 3, and there will be a turn onto the highway No. , the exits are very close), and along it 30 km to Cardales. It's funny, but I didn't get lost anywhere, I just confused route 6 with route 4. And the Fiat turned out to be extremely frisky - I kept 150 in the left lane without much difficulty.
After 40 minutes on the 4th highway, I drove into Cardales. There was a "cafe" at the entrance, next to which a man was selling water. I bought a bottle and asked for directions to Santa Susanna Ranch. He did not know, but decided to ask the patrons of the bar. The bar looked like a barn, inside there was a billiard table in the middle, there were 2 tables on the sides, there was a bar in the far wall. It reminded me of films with Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas. Two fat Mexican-looking men in dirty gray T-shirts, playing pool with bottles of beer in their hands, first glanced at me. An inner voice said: "Well, that's it, you got it! ". Fortunately for me, the men were happy to talk to the tourist and drew me a diagram of how to get to the ranch. In a city with a population of 10 thousand people, I wandered for 40 minutes, and more than once asked how to get there. But I looked at the life of ordinary Argentines.
And here it is a ranch - with a beautiful fence, a figured house in the center and a large parking lot for buses. Even in the parking lot, I noticed Dasha and Nastya, who were walking in the park. "Dasha! " I shouted. She turned around and was shocked to see me. And after the story about how I got there and found out where they were, they were “almost in a coma”
The ranch turned out to be “about nothing”, like many others - a 10-minute horseback ride, a look at the life of local residents (I saw much more in Cardales! ), lunch in the canteen. In general, boredom. At the same time, the bus went back at 4 o'clock, and the girls were clearly late for the Dakar. I was on the wheelbarrow more than ever by the way.
Their guide Olya excelled here as well. On the bus, she rode and was silent. When she was asked to talk about life in Argentina, she said in a nasally nasty voice: “Oooh, why are you asking such difficult questions, they really spoiled my mood for the whole day !! ”. The group from Uruguay was shocked. The show didn't end there. Before they could drive up to the ranch, she began to collect 20 pesos (200 rubles) from each tourist. To the question: “What is it for? ” answered simply: “Tipping for ranch employees! ”. "And if you don't like it? " the girls asked. "Like it! " she answered in the affirmative. All in all, a cheap money grab. The most interesting thing is that some were seduced and gave her money. And at dinner, she generally ran into. The girls gave me their food stamp because they didn't want to eat. After 2 hours of "taxiing" I was hungry and I would have eaten something with pleasure. This bitch, seeing me at the group table, almost choked on her saliva and called the administration. Like, not from my group. I gave the coupon, and the administration calmed down. At the same time, this "friend" did not let up. I got up from the table and asked for