Rainy Days

Why is it that no matter where you are, rainy days make you think? The clouds petruding the sky fade our minds into a daze.......

Buenos Aires, where it doesn’t tend to rain too often (by British standards) today has closed its sky for a good old downpour. Yes. Buckets and buckets.There is no escape, you are going to get soaked – si o si.

The city quietens, saturated in puddles and streams of water, most people are immersed in and running through this cascadelike wetness.
The thing is, unless you have a car, (although driving in the rain is never the funnest in and around a big city due to the traffic it induces) rain causes difficulty for most who want to get about town: cyclists, buses, taxis... etc. Standing at the colectivo (bus) stop is no fun in the rain. Of course, if you dont mind dressing up in waterproof gear, (including shoes that dont leak) you could stroll to where you need to get to...

Now the problem with doing so in Buenos Aires is that raging city traffic shows no mercy for the pedestrian walking down the saturated pavement. There really is no escape.

Cast your minds to that moment when the driver of the vehicle, whatever size it may be, decides to stream right through that oily lukewarm river and cause a mini tsunami to slop all over you. This is bearing in mind you do have on your nice blue, tent-shaped Mountain Warehouse waterproof your mum insisted you wear. Good thing you listened to mum. (Despite your thoughts on how good you didnt look before you left the house....) Mum just saved your favourite jumper and jeans from the blackish grey slush of mud and grease from the road. She also saved you from turning up to work smelling like puddle. (You probably still might smell a bit like puddle – those jackets arent miracle workers...)


So today’s not a good day. Not feeling the best about inconsiderate hurried city drivers. Hating the fact that you have to walk through this misery....
Now, in London the tsunami puddle-smell incident probably would have gotten you to the height of humiliation on such a day. Buenos Aires however, provides one with a couple more fun adventures when walking down the street, to keep you on your toes you know.

Pavements here are owned by the building space allocated that particular spot. That is to say that each building needs to maintain their own pavement. Some buildings have beautiful entrances, and lovely patterned slabs all nice and straight, easy to walk on. (In flat shoes should we say, best not to talk about using high-heels in this city)

Occasionally though, owners of the pavement infront of their building decide that they dont wish to attend to their pavement stones... and therefore some are loose in places. The joke is: they appear as if they were well cemented. 
(Now whats coming is the gift of Sods Law and how it translates and follows you around the globe.)

Poor you... Already soaked from the 152 (Olivos-Boca) colectivo flying by you, in the way in which the good old 38 bus in London rips down Mare Street on a Sunday evening (with great flight and full speed ahead), you think you might have had your lot for today, and just want to get home really.

You look up, breathe, and then lose feeling in your ankle. Look down, and it turns out you have twisted it in a broken paving stone which has a pool of deliciously grey/green water under, which has just saturated your trainer. Yes that is right today you wore material trainers today because they were comfortable to walk in. The person in the shop said they were breathable. How ironic. So, I have found rainy days dont work well for pedestrians here.... I so need a car...........


Welcome to sods law in Buenos Aires. :)