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Colourful La Boca
A neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. It's a long time passed since I was actually in Buenos Aires. My Argentinian friend Aco, who I met way back at the start of my travels in Peru, was kind enough to let me stay with him in his apartment. Aco has been studying and working in Buenos Aires since he finished his travels back in February. By the time I arrived in Argentina I realized that I didn't have enough time to see all of the things I wanted to see in South America. So I decided to just stay 5 or 6 days and get to know the city a bit.
Unfortunately I had the worst timing ever and showed up during the week Aco had to write exams. So I guess maybe I was a bit of a pain but Aco was a good host nonetheless. It was too bad because we only had one night to go to the pub and have some drinks together. The rest of the time I was on my own wandering aroud the city. So I missed out on the legendary late night partying in one of the most famous cities in South America. The people who'd stayed in
the hostels had some pretty crazy stories about the outrageous clubs and bars around town.
I've never been anywhere in Europe, but apparently Buenos Aires has a very European vibe. The people are mostly caucasian and very fashionable and stylish. So my skin fit in, but my clothes didn't quite cut it. And let me tell ya, the people of Argentina love the mullet syle haircut.....short in the front, long in the back. Haha never should have got my hair cut in Brazil. The name Buenos Aires itself is a complete lie. "Good Air" was maybe an accurate name when the city was founded but nowadays walking down those streets is enough to choke the life out of you. It is a beautiful city, however, and there were some really amazing buildings, great shopping, and tons of good looking people. I found that most Argentinians are very, very nice and helpful if you have any questions or problems. And the food in Argentina is some of the best also. They are famous for big cheap steaks and delicious empanadas, which are pastries filled with anything from cheese to beef and chicken. So I ate like a glutton and packed
on a few pounds enjoying it to the fullest.
Aco had given me a wonderful bus guide for the city buses, so I could get anywhere I needed without getting lost.....except for one time at midnight when the last stop was in one of the shadiest neighbourhoods in the city and the driver told me to get off. There wasn't a taxi in sight, but luckily I had my hoodie on (it is cold in Argentina this time of year) so I just put up the hood and walked my ass out of there quickly as possible. You could get anywhere in the city for a Peso, like 30 cents, so I really went exploring. What else could I really do all by myself?
When it was time to leave B.A. and head north towards Bolivia I thanked Aco for everything and decided last minute to get myself a new backpack. The old one was so destroyed and just could not be fixed up anymore. So I spent a cool hundred bucks on a new pack and was on my was northeast to Rosario, the city famous for having the most beautiful girls in Argentina. I would have
Aco and his Cousin
Did I forget to mention that I went to Aco's family reunion? Argentinians love their music and they just get together to eat, sing and drink wine. to agree, but there really wasn't a whole lot to do. Luckily I met a guy from Amsterdam named Victor and he wanted to move on to the next destination with me. I was feeling the pressure to rush a bit to leave enough time for Bolivia and Machu Picchu in Peru. Just as luck would have it, there was a farmer's strike and they had tractors and shit blocking all the roads. That's another thing about Argentina and South America in general: they're very politically active and there are strikes of all sorts all the time. But getting stuck in Rosario turned out to be pretty fun. Victor and I met a Scottish guy, Alan, and we all went to a Rugby game together. It was Scotland vs Los Pumas, the Argentinian team. I decided to cheer for Scotaland and we all dressed up in Scottish attire and painted our faces. I thought maybe it was a bad idea, seeing as how people get murdered at soccer games for cheering for the wrong team. But the rugby fans turned out to be a bit more laid back and we had a lot of fun. Scotland lost, good thing, or
we might have taken a beating.
When the roadblocks were off I went north to Cordoba, a big universiy city with 7 universities! Lots of young people, and lots of fun. Our hostel was legendary while we were there. We had such a gang, and everyone was having a blast. There was a big group of like 10 of us and since I'm moving quickly they all seem to show up a day before I'm off to my next destination. It's hard to keep moving when all you want to do is hang out with your friends.
Victor sprained his ankle really bad (he's had tons of bad luck, maybe you'll hear about it in the next blog) and I pushed on north alone to Salta. What a crappy place to be by yourself. My hostal had like 3 other people only and 2 of them were gay Korean guys. So I was super excited to hear from a friend who I had met back in Columbia on the Lost City trek in the jungle. She's a girl from Toronto named Abiene and we arrived in Salta the same day so we got in touch and just hung out for
Farewell
More like good riddance.....tattered old backpack. the few days I was there.
I then met a pal, Fernando, who was part of the Cordoba gang, and he was heading up to Bolivia. So I've been hanging out with Fernando the Mexican ever since.
This blog is getting ridiculously long, so just look forward to the next one: Boliva, poorest country of all the Americas, but with tons to offer.
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Robin
non-member comment
Fun Fun Fun
Well Scott, it sounds like you have used your last few weeks wisely! The rugby game would have been a blast to experience! Hope your travels were fun!