BA stands for Being Amoured

Have you ever noticed what a better version of yourself you are when on holidays? I most certainly am my most shiny sparkly self when there is nothing to do but explore and watch, and look and listen. I feel more mysterious when walking down a road I don't know, scoping out shops I haven't seen, sipping espresso in cafes I've never frequented. I feel especially shiny when people stare, because I have light hair and eyes and they do not. I stare right back, gaping at their lovely olive skin, dark hair and eyes and wonder if they know just how lovely they look. I would like to be one of them, cruising their streets with purpose instead of just cruising. But then the magic would be lost and I wouldn't look up at the buildings or down the alleys, meander through parks, down paths where I have no idea where they go.

Which is exactly what I did for my first full day in BA. Poor Morgan was strapped to her office desk, begrudgingly working under the watchful eye of her too-thin, at times fierce, german boss, who eats only yogurt and fruit, which explains the occasional ferociousness. Why do we do this to ourselves ladies?

So. I set off a handful of maps in hand, all sprinkled with hand-drawn circles. I was instructed to play connect the dots, walking from one point to the next until I arrived downtown to meet my lovely friend. I strolled for hours. Pretending I could open my mouth and an array of lovely spanish words would come forth, but when it came time to order my ensalada I panicked. The waiter urged me on and I eventually spat out my words, but the magic was broken. No lovely spanish words falling, only short, squat Spenglish. But sparkly self doesn't care about these things, she just takes it in stride. 

Eventually I found my way to Morgan's office, where she was perched outside, my arrival being somewhat late. It wasn't that I was lost, just a little inconvenienced by wrong streets being where I thought they shouldn't be. Sparkly self again doesn't mind these things either. 

We stitched our way through the shopping district of downtown, weaving through crowds of people, families, business men, women, grandmothers. All of Buenos Aires was out on the town and it was barely quitting time at the offices. Apparently, this is the lifestyle. People go out, enjoy themselves. They stay out until the wee hours of the morning, crawl into bed and then do it all over... which is what we did.

out of focus light

We ate dinner late, as is tradition, sipping bubbles while waiting for our table. The waitresses were nasty, rolling their eyes and barely tolerating our existence, but apparently this is tradition too. Onwards to a bar where the men were dark and forward, apparently they too picked up on my sparkly self, only to be disappointed when I pointed to my ring finger and shrugged. Body language is, after all, universal.

We danced and giggled and suddenly it was past two am. How could it be? I'm normally in bed far before then, but the sparkle self can't be stopped and as we tumbled out into the night, I noticed there was still a line to get into the bar. 

'I love it here' was the last thing I thought before turning off my sparkle self and slipping into sleep.