We had to stay in the hole of a town called Rio Gallegos for one night and it wasn’t even cheap….. however, we had a very cramped old fashioned dorm room to ourselves which was nice for a change. The wind outside was so extreme you could hardly walk straight!
The following morning we caught our 3 hour flight to Buenos Aires. It felt very civilized and luxuriant to be flying instead of spending 2 days on a bus to cover the distance back up north. We discovered that there was actually an airport at El Calafate, Patagonia and we didn’t have to go to Rio Gallegos after all, but we had booked online when we lived in Canada and flying straight from there hadn’t been an option.
Once we arrived it was a mission trying to get coins to catch the bus. Coins are very sparse in Argentina, especially in the big city. A taxi to the centre cost 70 pesos but we managed to work out the local bus for a mere 2.50! The hostel we had originally chosen to turn up on the door step of was full but our second option was just down the road. We were placed in an 8 person dorm, which isn’t ideal, but the room was large and it had air con – bliss!! It was so hot and humid that this was a necessity. That first afternoon we just walked around San Telmo, the area we were staying in, and did the usual chores – supermarket, bank, laundry etc
We were originally going to stay in Buenos Aires for 4 nights, 3 days but extended it to 5 nights when we learnt just how expensive our next destination was going to be (Uruguay). At least in BA we managed to find a place within our preferred budget. Our first day of exploration took us around the city centre and the main shopping & pedestrian streets that were covered in colorful mats displaying handmade trinkets & what not that you could buy. There were some nice shops, wish I could’ve taken advantage of them! The city itself didn’t particularly seem interesting, it was just another large dirty city with broken down buildings and no stunning architecture and too many people (13 million!). However I could sense underneath it all there was a hidden charm – no doubt this would come to play if we had hit the night life with some locals.
BA was built by the Spanish and the Palacio del Congreso definitely hinted at this, the style is very European. But what astounded me was, living out in front of it, on any patch of grass they could find, were whole families! All set up in tents and shelters with mattresses, mats, table and chairs… and the police allow it! They were bathing in the fountain… just bizarre!
Another day we tackled the area of La Boca. We were warned this is a very poor and dangerous area and not to go at night, yet it is the home of the Tango culture and a must see place. As we walked there, we passed many closed down empty buildings and after passing the main football stadium (football is a HUGE thing here in Argentina) we stumbled across the fantastic colorful shacks and old circus styled signs which once upon a time would’ve had loads of character, but now it is purely a tourist trap. There are people dressed up in the tango styled outfits posing with tourists or performing a few sneak peaks’s if you dine at one of the many cafes, and there are loads of souvenir shops. Still, I enjoyed seeing the area and it was one of the most interesting places we saw in the city. When we were leaving we got told by police not to go down a certain street… for our safety? Yikes!
We adopted another stray – an Australian guy called John. The 3 of us got the subway out to Palermo, the more affluent area of Buenos Aires, and went to the famous Recoleta Cemetery. It’s basically a cemetery for the rich and there is no grass or dirt… it’s a village of large marble rooms with fancy statues and concrete walkways. Each room, behind the locked doors, are stairs leading down to each family’s crypts which contain anything from 8 to 140 family members! We weren’t allowed down of course but we did see some coffins sitting on the top floor – just sitting there on a shelf, not buried in the earth! The famous Evita is also “buried” here with her family. What I found odd was the fact that the Hard Rock Café’s building connects to the graveyards white walls… ruins the ambience a little! That and the fact there are tourists swarming everywhere! Randomly we ran into Sarah and Annekee and had a quick catch up. (The girls we went through the nightmare border crossing with from Ecuador to Peru) We also saw the professional dog walkers wondering around Palermo with up to 8 dogs at once!
That night our hostel put on an Asado (BBQ) that 30 of the people staying at the hostel participated in. Loads of meat and sauces got handed around, as well as a big jug of red wine. I’m not a fan of red wine but diluted with coke it was somewhat bearable. Afterwards John convinced us to hit a local bar. The prices were the same as drinking out back home, and unfortunately there wasn’t a dance floor but we got chatting to some nice locals. We were told 2am is when the party scene starts to get busy in Argentina. Once back at the hostel, people were attempting tango but by this point I had lost my groove and just went to bed.
Our final day we spent lazily in the common area of our hostel. It had become known that a certain seat in the hostel was mine… right next to the only plug socket I could use for my laptop… lol. All the other plugs were the same as what we use back home, but my laptops Canadian and I didn’t think I’d need my NZ adapter so I sent it home. Woops! Argentina also uses the same plug sockets as Chile – which is the one I could use with the adapter we had.
That evening John, Michelle (that I met at Spanish School in Cuzco), Anna, Mairtin (that we met on the Inca Trail), Andrew & I went out for dinner in Palermo at a well known Parilla Restaurant called La Cabrera. On their website it is only advertised as being open from 8.30pm-2am. Yet in the backpacker world it is known that they are open for “Gringo Hour” 7-8pm where everything is half price for the tourists as the locals don’t eat until much later. The food was fantastic (even though I’m not a huge red meat eater) and one plate of meat was enough for 2 people.
On the train on the way there, a gentleman attempted to get into my handbag. He had a large coat over his arm so I couldn’t even see his hand as he lightly knocked against me. The train jerks around a lot and I didn’t even notice, I’m usually very careful but I was distracted by talking to the others. Luckily John noticed and gave me a hell of a fright when he started yelling at the guy! At the next stop the guy ran off very quickly! My camera was in my bag so I’m very thankful to John.
After dinner, Michelle and I went to a Tango Show. It was only an hour long and one of the cheaper options available but it was still fantastic to see. Tango is so engrained into the city’s fiber that it was necessary to get a taste of it. There are so many shows available with or without lessons and/ or dinner, it’s overwhelming! The costumes, music and dancing were all fantastic. I would’ve loved to do a lesson but I didn’t stand a chance in getting Andrew interested! It was so nice having a social outing with a good group of friends again and I had a great time that night.
5 nights in an 8 person dorm wasn’t as bad as I expected but still…. There are those that are considerate and tip toe around in the dark if you are asleep, and then there are those that just don’t care. They come in at 3am, turn on the lights and have a loud conversation with their friends as they bang through their lockers and shuffle around their bags. Now, in a dorm room, it’s to be expected, and I don’t hold a grudge, but still, I love those considerate ones! When I know I’m going to be out late, I always get my PJ’s and toothbrush ready and leave it on my pillow so I can sneak in to get ready for bed without disturbing anyone. Thankfully, not all 5 nights were disruptive so it was bearable. I find that I am adapting and falling back to sleep quickly these days.
5 nights in one place is a long time for us, it was nice to get comfortable for a while. Now we temporarily say goodbye to Argentina, were off to Uruguay!
