Rosario was similar to Buenos Aires, though not quite as nice, it seemed extremely civil. Our hostel was decent and we moved into a room with two extremely beautiful guys from Holland that we had met on the bus so it seemed we couldnīt go far wrong. We all decided to go for a walk around the place and discovered many student streets filled with cheap cafes, restaurants and clothes shops which suited us just fine for a few days. The river side beaches could only be reached by boat or a very long taxi ride. Rather than taking a boat there during the day we opted for a taxi by night and we went to one of the many bars that lined the river beach. This was very strange as by twilight you could almost swear you were at a proper beach. It was a fun night and we met some Argentinian girls that even offered to give us a free ride home. The day after we visited a public swimming pool, in Rosario and Buenos Aires these are huge outdoor pools with sunbathing areas, divingboards, sometimes even tennis courts etc. We were a little disturbed when we were taken
into a medical room though. Apparently you have to have a routeen check up before they will let you go near the pool, haha, very strange, but sensible I suppose, it was a great and relaxing last day in the city.
Our bus journey back to Buenos Aires was horrid. The bus broke down and after 45 minutes of trying to fix it they had to make us leave and get on a different bus. This bus also nearly broke down, coming to a hault on a motor way before deciding to start back up again. On the new bus there was no aircon and the windows didn't open so we were all left to swelter behind the glass in the Argentinian heat. Aside from this there was a family next to us with six kids, the couple had only paid for two seats and were formerly arguing with the bus company that they could easily get all the kids on to these seats with them. Of course upstairs and out of the way of the driver, the kids pelted out of these seats and occupied all of the seats behind shane and I, punching our chairs and screaming
the whole journey. Shane also had something thrown at him. It wasnīt until we vaccated the bus that he discovered it had been chewing gum and it had now melted all down his back and was stuck to his t-shirt. Nice! How I love children!
Once in B.A we went to the only hostel that was still available and as this city is full of hostels this made us a little sceptical. It was in the area of San Telmo and was really, really bad. We flung our bags down and went straight out, only returning to throw on some glad rags so that we could go clubbing all night and didn't have to sleep until we moved hostels. The club we went to was named club Sunset and was really nicely set up with two big dance floors and a huge outdoor area with seating. After a few drinks and a bit of a dance, we headed outside and planned to stay awake until the sunset which could be watched over drinks on the patios of the club. It hit 6am and suddenly a huge foam party began. After watching the foam for a while Shane and I
were both falling asleep. It takes so long to adapt to a culture in which the night only gets going at the regular time English clubs are shutting down. Or maybe we are just getting old!!
The following days in B.A only reitterated the love that I have for this city. We moved to a great hostel in the area of palmero which boasts some of the most amazing restaurants in the capital. We visited Evitaīs grave and had a walk around Recoleta once again, stopping in some of the shops that sold pictures and furniture (If Iīm ever rich ALL my house belongings will be bought from Recoleta). We visited various monuments including the one dedicated to Evita and the flower monuemnet built next to the law school. This is a very modern monument shaped like an open flower through the day but changing at night and if the weather is not so good by closing like a real flower. We walked around many of the spacious, clean parks where many locals lay reading or falling in love and we saw the ferrari cafe, which contained two real cars and sold merchandise, coffee and alcoholic beverages, all of
which we couldnīt afford..... one day!!!
We visited two restaurants on our last two nights both recommended by many of the locals and only a short walk away from our hostel in the glam area of Palmero. Don Julio and Cabrera, both famous for their steaks were crowded and boasted impeccable service (something hard to find in South America). Both nights we ordered the steak, absolutely amazing meat, completely tender and juicy. Both of us had two meals that could possibly be the best meals of our lives so far.
Our last night we headed to a club called 'the museumī with many people from our hostel. The club was very trendy and was deigned by Gustave Eiffel who, of course, built the Eiffel tower. Because of this, parts intended for the structure of the Eiffel tower that were not used were shipped over and used to build this club instead. You can see parts of the infrasturcture within the club.
We left Buenos Aires the morning after our Don Julio feast and the clubbing experience and felt sad to be leaving. This city is my favourite so far and I have to say should I learn
Spanish I could easily see myself living here for a year or so, I love it.
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