It was a long weekend here, so we headed about 350kms north east of Buenos Aires to a tiny remote town with 'termas' (hot springs). The place is called Villa Elisa and is in the province of Entre Ríos. The location was pleasant enough and we had a nice bungalow, 3minutes walk from the termas.
Most people head out of Buenos Aires to 'el campo' (the countryside) to escape the crowds. This weekends experience was the opposite. Sharing a pool with 250 people and being poked, prodded and elbowed is not my idea of fun but seems to be 'the norm' here. I think you get points for the more people you can bump, shove and squash. I HATE crowds - Do NOT invade my personal space. Think of it as an imaginary bubble that protrudes from my frame, just like my beer belly and beyond!
The highlight of the trip was a relatives 'sweet fifteen' birthday party which we had been invited to. The venue was at a club called 'Frank Zappa' and they played the entire collection from Pink Floyds - 'Dark Side of the Moon' before, during and after the meal - surreal! As is typical in Argentina this went on till the wee hours and we headed back to our bungalow at 6am while the rest partied on till past dawn.
Besides people who walk slowly and block your path, another one of my pet peeves is traffic jams and the inexplicable gradual slow down in traffic only to speed up again for no apparent reason. The farmers are blocking the roads again so traffic was heavy on the road home. We were very lucky to make it back to Buenos Aires today as many others are still stranded half way due to the blockades.
Got any pet peeves to share?
Tags: Pet Peeves, people who walk slowly and block your path, 'sweet fifteen' birthday party
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Oh so many. Too many to list here, really.
ReplyDeleteThe presence of many people in the pool is for sure one of them, though. Condolences.
Wow, that's what happens when you're in a country where personal space isn't as valued as in the US.
ReplyDeleteIrish people are particularly fond of their personal space. With good reason if you ask me. Pet peeves? hmm, let me see now. Oh yes: People in general just annoy me at the moment. Fundamentally people are a bit crap. I know this and generally I am OK with it. Hey, I'm a bit crap too. My tollerance of it is low at the moment though, leading to my posing a flowchart beside the coffee machine with the ultimate outcome of not making more coffee when you have just drained (or almost but not quite drained) the coffee jug without making more leads to being consumed by tigers. I might get in trouble.
ReplyDeletesounds like a mini China.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest peeve is people who shamelessly skip you in a queue and when you confront them about they turn around and innocently say
"oh sorry you are obviously in a hurry, go ahead"
Cheeky bas*&rds! You just skipped me!
Have you been checking the weather reports from the motherland! you've little to bemoaning about mate!
ReplyDeleteLike you I hate big crowds. Unless is an elderly person when ppl in front of me walk very slow as if they were walking on broken glass. I hate the way ppl drive in the States, for fuck sake follow the rules! Also ppl who try to go before you in a line.
ReplyDeleteThat sort of throng sounds like my idea of hell. I love places that are totally deserted like mountain-tops. My pet peeve? The utterly mindless worship of celebrities, most of whom are no better than you or I, must be one of the top ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one. My pet peeves are queueing as well. Also traffic lights...I hate 'em.
ReplyDeleteI am 100% with the person who mentioned the ridiculous worshp loads of ppl have for celebrities, not to mention that very few of them are actually good at their craft, most of them are lousy and get pay waayy to much!
ReplyDeleteYou know what really bugs me?
ReplyDeleteThe flippant use of the term 'pet peeve'
peope who don't know how to queue (read most of the Dutch population).Also paying to have to pee in a club you pay to put the liquidf in and then again when it comes out. It infuriates me! They have these little lold women over here with three inch thick make up collecting the money at toilets. I HATE THEM.
ReplyDeleteLastly (for now) I hate royalty and everything to do with it.
I'm sure I've got heaps of 'peeves' but I'll save them for when I'm out of writing material. Over here we have 'swim between the flags' which are the patrolled sections of beaches so despite the fact that the beach is 1000 miles long, everyone crowds between the flags for safe bathing. I hate that, I'd rather walk a km towards the safe swimming area and have my little piece of private paradise!
ReplyDelete@ Megan: It was a nightmare!
ReplyDelete@ Chris: Welcome! - how true - they are very touchy feely here.
@ Thrifty: The coffee phantoms piss me off too!
@ Shaunj: yes - me too especially when they fiegn ignorance
@ Roy: I seen and heard about it - Soft day thank god!
@ LoN: You should see the drivers here - there are no rules!
@ Nick: Never understood the whole celebrity infatuation myself - ignore them I say
@ VE: Traffic lights - especially slow ones irk me big time too
@ Xbox: Certain terms and phrases can grate on me when used over and over likie a radio jingle that gets in your head and won't go away
@ Conortje: Queue skipping is a popular gripe here today. I refuse to pay to pee but they charge for toilet paper here in public toilets!
@ Baino: Crowds anywhere piss me off - I'd rather walk a hour to avoid one than wait an hour in one
People chewing gum with a smacking sound. Makes me homicidal.
ReplyDeletePeople spitting on the streets.
Cashiers who slap your change down on the counter when you're standing there like an eejit with your hand out.
We could be here all day, let's just sum it up: People.