On my current reckoning prices here are about half in terms of Australian dollars - last time it was more like 1/3. Still, it makes it nice for the traveller. Rent here is damn expensive - people spend about 2/3 of their salary on it, which is kind of frightening. Clothes are looking pretty attractive - lots of shoes at good prices, but luggage limits are going to restrict me from an Imelda turn. At the moment I'm pacing myself, seeing what's around, before I commit to some serious wardrobe replacement. I have actually found an outlet store district - but let's face it, you mostly get what you pay for (ie, cheap clothes that you wouldn't otherwise buy). I don't want people to think I'm an outlet store person - no, the true bargain hunter finds what the general populace can't. Of course, the dilemma for the foreigner is working out whether what seems like a groovy store is perhaps locally maligned. Kind of like finding clothes you want in Just Jeans. The best bargain so far is the discovery of free wi-fi access at Havanna (which is kind of like Starbucks I guess, but not Starbucks, so that's ok) from which I am typing this post. Just a ten-minute stroll across Parque Las Heras, where hundreds of dogs are engrossed in continual debate. So far in Me vs Sidewalk Accident, it is 0-0, although I can't really see how I can get ahead.
Pictures of the apartment I'm staying in can be found here.
