Buenos Aires is a construction zone

The World health organisation has said that Buenos Aires is the worlds second noisiest city and frankly im not suprised with the tremendous amount of new contruction going on .

It seems that the city is being razed to make way for new neighbourhoods especially around Palermo hollywood and the old docks of Puerto madero.

The noise on the street level can be deafening and if you combine that with the horrendous bus lines with their ancient engines you will need ear plugs in many areas.

I am lucky that i live in a very quiet neighbourhood not on a bus route and no high rises being built on my block but most expatriates moving here tell me that the noise is a problem for them.

So when renting or buying an apartment here Caveat Emptor

PALERMO PALERMO AND MORE PALERMO

Just seeing the huge changes in Palermo Viejo these days make me cringe at times . It seems that there is not a garage or old art deco house not being cashed in and being converted into a business selling all sorts of creative fashions.

When I first saw Palermo Viejo now called Palermo SOHO five years ago I was instantly smitten with the charm and beauty of this bohemian area. In those days there were maybe 20 businesses and about 30 restaurants mainly home run with very small menus and cheap family run atmospheres. At night it was Buenos Aires hottest red light district and I remember El Salvador street and Godoy Cruz being full of silicon filled blonde hair tranvestites plying their trade very openly on every available corner. Then a few years ago the residents threw them out to the bosques of Palermo which is a famous park on the fringes of the capital.

Every morning it has been estimated that over 1000 condoms are collected there by the street sweepers and to go there at night is a eye opener . Most of the workers are tranvestis who seem to be the favourite of many men of the capital. It seems that 99 percent of residents of Palermo Viejo are very happy that they are out of sight with the huge increase in real estate prices and to visit on the weekend and see the activity is a huge surprise for many visitors considering that just 5 years ago we were supposed to be in economic meltdown