Adios Argentina

It was only just an adios to Argentina as due to various shenanigans at the departure gate I was concerned that the flight would be cancelled or rearranged at the last minute.

It was a few hours late departing and the pilot explained the crew had been delayed at their hotel due to checks by the Argentinian government and that various passengers arriving on the incoming flight had not been permitted entry. Heaven knows whether the latter stumbling block was related to coronavirus but I suspect so because as I was waiting for the delayed flight my friend Jackie was updating me that Argentina was just announcing new bans and lockdowns. I feared being grounded but presume they’d be happy to see Brits leave given the UK situation is much worse than Argentina’s at the moment. There was also a moment where I thought being stuck working in Erlyn’s apartment in Buenos Aires would be preferable to being in the UK where it seems like coronavirus chat is occupying every second of every cell of every living creature.

On the plane the TV show The Last Ship, and the movie Contagion were on the menu. Both are about deadly viruses that have devastated the population. I watched Contagion and the take home message is that as soon as the mouth starts foaming, start to panic. I spent the flight ruing that I hadn’t realised food wasn’t included, being envious of the woman next to me who was laden with goodies, and trying to avoid touching my face. It’s incredible how often we touch our faces without realising.

Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, viewed from a nearby shopping mall, is an interesting sight. I wonder how many of the people interred here died in previous pandemics, perhaps Spanish flu.