BA is big, ridiculously big (greater BA pop. 13mil). The best way to illustrate the size, is to open these Google maps (they are the same scale) in separate tabs and compare:
Although Auckland might look like a similar size, imagine all of the city and the harbour as dense as Ponsonby and you'll get a better idea.
Its flat - think Christchurch, except its a 4 hour drive to the Atlantic (we are near a river mouth which is so wide you can't see the other side!) and about 15 hours to the Andes.
The streets feel similar to the U.S - honking horns, large trucks, lots of concrete which is often not well maintained (everyone looks after their own section of pavement), painted curbs, many 2 to 3 story apartments packed up tight, a grid system with the standard simple traffic lights (no arrows or traffic detectors to tell where the traffic is coming from) and generally less green space about.
The people look like Mediterranean Europeans. I could easily be in Spain or Italy and they talk as fast as the rumours suggest!
The accommodation around my area reminds me a little of Bangkok. It feels like many of the houses lack the trappings of a western home.
They have some very nice treats. Submarino is a glass of warm milk with chocolate dropped in and dulce de leche is a caramelised version of sweetened, condensed milk spread on bread. Naughty but very tasty!
There's a lot of PDA... I watched the big game (Argentina vs Uruguay, world cup qualifier) in a local cafe last night and it seemed like there was more action between the couples (who may or may not have a partner somewhere else in the city) in the cafe, than on the screen.
Screen: Kick forward, kick back, pass, pass, shot, save!
Cafe: Pash, pash, hug, kiss, touch, kiss, kiss, touch, pash!
And that was waaay before the only goal was scored.
I must be in another country... if that was happening in a south island bar, they'd get red carded for sure!
5 comments:
There's a cultural difference I hadn't expected. 13million in Greater BA? That can't be healthy.
Julian
Oh you are making me miss it. I will have to eat vicariously dulce de leche and alfahores. Please tell me you have also discovered churros..oh and do they still have Rama chocolate? Yummy! Your comments on PDA crack me up... you'll get used to it:)! I remember having been in the country for less than 2 hours and having to meet and greet 20 people with a kiss on the cheek and it being a bit of a culture shock!
Enjoy the PDA Malc, Kiwis don't do enough of it if you ask me! Ten years since I was in BA...know exactly what you mean about the people looking distinctly European... enjoy :) DP
Pretty nice as for the first impression!:-)
@Tans - dont know about rama chocolate or churros yet... plenty of time though. We have slices of dulche de leche and cheese for dessert. quite nice.
@DP - yeah, more PDA could be good but not the amount going on in that cafe!! lol.
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