La dulce vida in Buenos Aires

Next Stop: Buenos Aires, Argentina (March 27-April 4, 2011). What can I say about this city? I knew I would like it, but, wow, it was amazing. The city itself isn´t terribly picturesque, but the energy and the vibe just grab you from the start. We spent just a week here and it wasn´t nearly enough to see everything we wanted to see, but just enough to know that we will be back.

Along with sightseeing during the day, we also made sure to experience the vibrant nightlife. Pretty much every night of the week there is somewhere to go in Buenos Aires. I urge caution, however, in indulging too much in the nightlife as this sometimes leads to travel complications...such as missing a flight. Yes...we fell victim to this one. A series of unfortunate events involving a late night outing, a rushed exit from the hostel, a lapse in organization on our part and an uncommunicative taxi driver all came together at once to ensure that we ended up at the wrong airport in Buenos Aires (there are 2 airports), with too little time to get back to the right one. So, although we then had to re-arrange plans and skip over Ushuaia (supposed to be the most southern city in the world), at least we were able to get a refund on the flight (even though we canceled the flight only a half hour befor the plane was to leave!). A minor setback, and a good travel story I guess!

 





































Saw: For just a taste of what we experienced in Buenos Aires, I´ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

City Centre

Wall art in La Boca

Caminito in La Boca

Tango poses. It was about at this moment that he said to me: ¨Strong legs!¨

Tango show at Bar Sur in San Telmo

Floralis Generica in Recoleta

Cemetary in Recoleta. Eva Peron´s (Evita´s) tomb is here but it is not this one

Stayed: Chill House in Abasto, Buenos Aires. It wasn´t a neighbourhood you would want to especially visit, but it was centrally located so it was easy to get to all other areas of Buenos Aires. I can´t say enough good things about the Chill House owners Kato and Antoine, who were so welcoming and helpful. By the time we left, we felt more like we were staying with friends than at a hostel. On one of our nights there, the owners prepared a rooftop asado (a type of barbecuing of meats) for the guests and it was delicious. I would most definitely recommend this place for people who are looking for a laid back place to stay.

Typicial Argentinian asado at the hostel

Our cute little twin bed room

Met: The people in Argentina are super friendly as a whole. Everyone we came across was smiley and pleasant, even in the supermarket, while pondering over which item to buy, we were often approached by people offering unsolicited advice on which was best. Erin and I also met two porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) Santiago and Juan Pablo, who became good friends over our last few days in Buenos Aires. Instead of just seeing the sights and tourist attractions in a city, I love it when you meet people who actually live there, learning a little bit more about the culture of the place. That sums up Buenos Aires for me, it wasn´t so much about what we were doing every day and what we were seeing, but just experiencing the city and soaking it all in.

Erin, Juan Pablo, me, Santiago

Ate: I think I ate my weight´s worth of steak in Buenos Aires.
Anyone going to Buenos Aires must go to Desnivels (855 Defensa, San Telmo). Amazing steak. I was so hungry and mezmerized that I forgot to take a picture...sorry! We wanted to try out La Cabrera in Palermo, another extremely popular steakhouse, but it was completely booked out when we wanted to go. The draw of this one is that they serve you champagne out on the sidewalk while you wait for a table to become available. Although the steak was to die for, we tried other types of cuisine as well (Peruvian, Italian...) and I have to say that I was not dissapointed once. The food in Argentina is amazing.

Churros con chocolate

Pumpkin ravioli..mmmmm

Seafood risotto

Quotes: 
"Pretty, pretty, pretty woman....te amo." - Argentinian guy professing his love for me. An interesting way to start a conversation, if you ask me.

"Taking risks in Buenos Aires! I´m rinsing with tap water!" - Me brushing my teeth after a night out on the town.

Shop owner: "U gay?" Me: "No...I´m not gay..." - Conversation fail between shop owner and myself. He actually was asking "U.K?", as in, are you from the U.K?
  
"Ushuaia. Control-Alt-Delete." - Erin after having missed our flight to Ushuaia.