56. Hanging out in Buenos Aires (04/06/08)

For the last week I have been hanging out in Buenos Aires hoping for the miracle that I can sell the motorcycle in Argentina. The regulations here say that the new owner must pay 100% of the purchase price for import taxes and also wait 1 year for the patenda (title). In Paraguay the regulations were just changed to make it cheap to legalize big motorcycles. The nasty thing about Paraguay for North Americans is that there is a $110 U.S. tourist visa that you have to apply for in Buenos Aires by handing over your passport for 3 days to the Paragauyan Immigration (they are the only country that does this and I just got done reading the story of an American guy who noticed his picture had been sliced open on his passport).

 For the first few days here I stayed with a great couchsurfer named Ale. She is the first girl couchsurfer that I have stayed with. At Ale´s place I met 2 other couchsurfers (Sabastian from Urugauy) and (Amy from Canada). The three of us went to eat at the raw food restaurant that Sabastian had been studying in for the last 2 weeks so he could start a raw food restaurant in Uruguay.

I have met up with a coulpe of friends that I made in Ushuaia (Veronica and Austin). They live in Ricoleta (the Beverly Hills of B.A.). Hanging out with them has been really fun and is making it hard to leave Buenos Aires. Something nice about Buenos Aires is that it is a mega city like New York but the people here are very laid back and willing to talk to eachother).