This morning there was a brief shower, which cooled things off a bit, but when the sun came out the temperature was hotter and the air much more humid. So much for the rain . . .

About 2 I went for comida, figuring here they actually eat at a reasonable time for my tummy. Yup! Had a chicken cutlet covered in ham and cheese--quite yummy. Walked around this neighborhood of Recoleta for about an hour until I was dripping a trail of sweat. Back to the B&B for reading under the fan.

Don´t come to BA in Dec. or Jan. I noticed that the hotels, B&Bs and apartments for rent are completely booked for Feb and March. I will be glad to get aboard the ship and head for cooler temps.

About 7 I went for dinner, hoping the place I had in mind would be open then. It was--I had a 12 oz. steak, oven roasted potates, a nice salad, a soda to drink and a lovely dessert--all for about $8US. The meat here is sooooo good, especially after Mexican beef which is not aged more than a few hours, is tough and has little flavor. Evidently, Argentines have found that half rotten meat is WONDERFUL!

Some observations--
1--The clerks in the large grocery stores sit on stools to process your order--smart stores!

2--Fresh milk comes in quart bags not cartons. Carton milk is shelf stable (I think it´s irradiated)

3--This neighborhood is primarily made up of large apartment buildings. The entrances to these buildings are secure, usually with a doorman and a single driveway for the tenant parking behind or underground. Each apartment appears to have a balcony, with the first floor balconies having wire mesh for security. And the windows facing the street all have roll-up metal shades, evidently for additional security. I have not seen this in Guadalajara, but perhaps I haven´t been to the right areas.

4--The door keys resemble our old skeleton keys. Even shop keys and locks are of this type. I haven't seen keys in use like this since I was a kid. From left to right is the key for the safe in my room, my room key and the front door of the B&B key.

5--For those of you in Mexico--the banks here have coin counting machines that roll coins in wrappers same as the States. For those of you in the US, Mexican banks don´t seem to use coin wrappers, unless you count cellophane tape around ten coins. I´m not joking, and these coins are carried from the store office to the register in plastic bags.

6--I´ve seen very few armed guards with AK-47s. There are a few security guards looking for shoplifters, but not heavily armed guards just inside a store entrance or on the sidewalk, as in Mexico.

Flying to Iguazu Falls on the Brasil, Paraguay and Argentina border tomorrow morning. Iguazu is taller and 3 times as big as Niagra Falls and should be quite spectacular.