joaoflux / digital / analog / culture

Last weekend “3 Generations of Happiness” was shown at () RE | BOOT, the launch event of <AREA10:medialab/>.

It’s almost two weeks now that I am traveling in Brazil and, following a mood Argentine. Originally the plan was to go from Porto Alegre to Brasilia and do some Niemeyer sightseeing. But after we had seen quite a bit of cool architecture in Sao Paulo including buildings by the maestro, we decided that we did not need spend time in cars cruising around Brasilia, but go to a place where walking is an adequate way of moving.

In Buenos Aires to our surprise getting online as a traveler is probably easier than in Berlin. We found free WiFi basically anywhere including our hotel. Free Wifi seems to be the standard for hotels, which is noticeable, because in Europe that is not at all the case. In fact in Europe you find your self terrorized by expensive and malfunctioning services that force you to think about the best minute packages. It’s actually a scandal and one should boycott hotels that don’t have free WiFi.

Anyway, there are also strange things when it comes to hotels in Argentine. Because of a traffic jam on the highway, we missed a plain and needed to stay in hotel near the airport. At the information desk they had addresses of three hotels only. The one we chose turned out not to accept credit cards!! We had been warned that the whole airport is under control of mafia like structures and the hotel story supports this view.

Buenos Aires competes with Berlin not only when it comes to free internet access, but also when it comes to fashion and shopping. Certain areas of Palermo make Alte Schönhauser look look boring. Traveling with Euros on your bank account, it’s hard to resist filling your bags. Trying to catch cabs we must have looked like nouveau riche chicks a week before christmas in Manhattan.

PS: Fotos will follow, I mostly used my iPod touch to write this, in fact I even left my laptop in Porto Alegre, because I did not expect that Buenos Aires is so good for web junkies like myself.

Also read (german): Reisebericht: Cardoso, Pecha Kucha Porto Alegre