And so, the end is near....

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The orange glow in the sky at 5am signalled our approach to Buenos Aires, and thus our return to big city life where the stars are no longer visible due to the light pollution. The first stage of our trip was definately almost over. However, Buenos Aires proved to be the perfect final stop in South America. We'd enjoyed our time there before, and this time both relaxed totally into the lifestyle. If only there were suitable jobs, it would be an ideal place to move to....

I'll try not to let this turn into a football blog (nor indeed the ones in the weeks to follow), but it could be hard, considering our days in the city did largely focus around watching the opening round matches. Given the 5 hour time difference with Germany, we quickly settled into the routine of stumbling out of bed just before 10am to watch the first match over breakfast, accompanying the 1am fixture with coffee or early lunch and rounding off the day with late lunch, cafe and cakes, or perhaps a cheeky beer over the 4pm game. Luckily, we'd already done plenty sightseeing in the city, so instead it was an opportunity to see a different side to Buenos Aires, as we joined the locals in places ranging from the elegant old style coffee houses to basic parillas and the trendiest of Palermo bars. All had TVs, and all were tuned into the football, as you'd expect in a football obsessed continent. When Argentina played their first game, we met up with a friend to see the match. In comparison to Ecuador, where everyone was just ecstatic to be in the finals at all, the Argentinians expect to be there as a matter of course, and were far more analytical and sceptical of their team's chances this year.

In contrast, we happened upon a Brazilian bar on the afternoon of their opening game. The Brahma sign above the door was a hint and the samba drums could be heard from the streets as we approached. The match wasn't great, although they got the victory they expected, but the atmosphere inside more than made up for it. One of the barmen even looked like Ronaldo, albeit a slimmer version.

In between football, we did find some time to explore different parts of the city, wandering around markets, shops and interesting backstreets, although this visit was far more about enjoying the lifestyle, rather than any 'must see' tick-lists. After so many early nights due to being on tours, or altitude exhaustion, we did wonder how we'd adjust back to Argentinian hours, fearing laughter if we attempted to eat out any earlier than 10pm. With strategic use of a siesta, we were soon dining at 11pm with the best of them and going to bed at 3am or later. In a french restaurant (argentinian beef, cooked in a french style = heaven) we bumped into a fellow passenger from our Antarctica trip and whiled away a few nights out with her in restaurants which we'd not have dared to enter at home, but here, although both stylish and with exquisite food, are refreshingly neither elitist or expensive.

So, part one of our travels draw to a close all too soon. After a final night out on steaks and malbec, we waved goodbye to South America for the time being. Deutschland and the World Cup here we come.......

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