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Published: March 16th 2006
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Day 1: 24 Hours to Buenos Aires
Besides the lack of entertainment - which consisted of two films that started again from the very beginning when they reached the half way point, three soduku puzzles and a handful of Fox´s glacier mints - the 12 hour flight was relatively painless. After flying over the never-ending Atlantic Ocean, South America greets you with its sundrenched patchwork terrain and all of a sudden you´re on the other side of the world. The forecast for Buenos Aires looks positive (to say the least) with high temps of around 30 degrees all week. Our summer starts here.
Once off the plane we get a transfer to the hostel - having to pay the bloke who´s meant to take us for free. He´s taken us to the other side of town to a hostel with a similar sounding name so rather than wandering around the streets at midnight we chuck a few pesos his way and he duely obliges.
The hostel looks good, a little out of the centre but is clean and has a relaxed atmosphere to soothe us after the long journey. It´s called Tango Backpackers, a large converted house complete
with roof terrace. We sit and have a well deserved cerveza (beer), far too tired to mingle with the table of fellow travellers.
Day 2: In The City There´s A Thousand Things...
The lure of a new exciting city and the blazing sunshine outside the window is too much much to resist so, after a complimentary breakfast - also known as a bread roll - we hit the streets.
We head to ´Cathedral´amongst the sweaty commuters on a packed tube. The air conditioning means the journey is no way near as unbearable as our own London Underground. We follow the crowds somewhat aimlessly, content to just wander around with the warm sun replenishing our skin after the English winter. We soon realise, however, that we are following the most boring people in the city and find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We head back to where the ´tourists´should go... The city is busy and vibrant, rich with attractive architecture everywhere you look.
A strike is beginning to gather outside government buildings. Photo´s of dead loved ones are dangling from a makeshift clothes line, surrounded by banners saying (rough translation) ´Don´t support the constitution to kill´.
The main road is blocked off and police stand in orderly formations behind baracades. When we pass this site a fews hours later a sit-down, yet noisy protest is in full swing. Children, parents and groups of students fill the air with songs of protest. Clearly a very emotional issue - many of the people wear T-shirts with the faces of their deceased loved-ones on, demanding justice. (We later discover that 30 people died at a concert when there was a fire and now people are demanding for explantions).
We expore the rest of the city, dodging beeping cars at every turn. The beep acts as a warning, followed by a sharp acceleration in speed - just on case you weren´t sure whether or not to get out of the way.
It doesn´t take long to appreciate to appreciate the sheer value ofthis city. We stop and eat pollo y fritas for $6.50 ($ is pesos), which is about 1 pound 30 pence and the portion is more than enough to fuel an afternoons exploration.
Later, back at the hostel, we sip cold beers on the roof terrace before heading out to the main Plaza in Palermo.
Everywhere is pretty quiet so, after a long day exploring and drinking, it´s a fairly early night.
Day 3:
After deciding to explore the local area around the hostel, we take a relaxed attitude to the day, stopping for breakfast, stopping for a coffee, have a look around Palermo Viejo, another coffee break and a game of cards, a quick beer, a lunch break, a little stroll around and then back to the hostel. For a beer. It´s far too easy to get carried away in the city, rushing around trying to do everything which can be exhausting, especially in a large place such a Buenos Aires. Palermo´s older area has great character and is obviously pretty affluent. The cobbled streets are lined with shoe shops and expensive restaurants and cafes which sit in the shade under huge trees.
Back at the hostel it´s beer and terrace time... The highlight of which comes when a German woman with a moustache picked up a copy of of Charles Dicken´s David Copperfield and evidently believed it was a 700 page novel about the American illusionist... Hours pass as the Brahma beers flow until 9pm and its off to down
town Buenos Aires (place called San Telmo) for some food. We try to see a Tango show but they´ve seen the tourists coming a mile off and the prices are sky high. We settle for a typical Argentine ´Parilla´, locals are queuing out of the door to get in the place, a buzz of chatter and the smell of barbequeing meat fill the air. The angriest looking chef I´ve ever seen is throwing slabs of meat down onto a chopping board before smashing them apart with a huge knife and dropping them on the bbq. The smell of the meat is mouthwatering for the customers wating patiently for a table.
The place is simple and completely unpretenscious, focussing on quality food and wine. By the time we have ordered our food, the smell and fantastic atmosphere have built up the anticipation of what are meant to be the best steaks in the world. We were not disappointed. The juiciest, fattest steak is serves to us.... It´s amazing food, seriously. We drink a perfectly good red wine for a pound and the steak is only a couple of quid. Great stuff.
Day 4: Uruguay...
Buenos Aires to Montevideo
is 3 hours on fast boat but expensive. We cough up as we are keen to see the capital and have time to see one more place before we return to Buenos Aires for the Boca Junios game on Sunday. The ferry is fine apart from a girl playing ringtones on her phone practically in my ear. The Crazy Frog is actually taking over the world. What a bastard!
Montevideo is an immediate contrast - much smaller, darker and poorer than Buenos Aires. The streets are dark and gloomy and seemingly hold very little life. The hostel appears exactly the same - it was late but eerily quiet everywhere. We console ourselves with another steak. Uruguay is, apprantly, famous for its puddings so with hesitation we order the most extravagant dessert on the menu - ´The chocolate volcanoe´. Less of a volcano, more of a mole hill...pathetic. It cost the equivalent of an expensive steak so if you compare that to England, we spent 15 quid on a pudding... No wonder they think we´re rich!!
We manage to find a bit of life in the centre and have a few cervezas sitting outside various bars. There is constant
Matt+Jon in Motevideo
Chris Martin lookalike perhaps? presence of street urchins - young kids asking for money and ciggies, searching tables for left over change. Everybody seems completely at ease with them being there aswell. Some flamenco dancing is going on in the bar we are sitting at, Arabic dancing in the one next door. The place seems to have a nice atmosphere as we watch the bars fill up, then empty again as the revellers make their way to the clubs.
Day 5: Meat Market
Today we decide to take the bus to Colonia, north along the coast of the country. The bus isn´t until later so we explore Montevideo in the daylight, making our way to the famous meat market. The streets are lively, especially in the old town where stools selling antiques, food and jewellery line the streets. It´s a relaxed, nice looking place with a definite ´town´feel as opposed to a big city.
The meat market is situated in an converted English railway station near the port. Its huge dome roof allows rays of sunshine in, catching the dust in a misty haze. In the centre, a giant clock stretches upwards. The structure is clearly very old, made from wood
and steel girders. The market is full of stalls and bars, most of them surrounding vast barbeques (furnaces) with mountains of meat piled up on each one. The place is buzzing with activity - people eating and enjoying the fine food, an old man doing the rounds with his guitar and gravelly voice. You can order any type of meat at rock bottom price. We order some Chorizo and a beer and sit in awe of the place. Why doesn´t England do stuff like this??
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