Buenos Aires!

---

Hello all,

I'm writing this on our last night in Buenos Aires. As expected we have spent more time and money here than we had planned but like everyone says it is a brilliant city.

We arrived Sunday morning after enduring a overnight bus ride where we didn't recieve blankets and the air conditioning was turned on permanently - pretty cool!
We had decided to spend the first few days at a hostel in Palermo- the rich end of B.A exploring the city and getting a bit of sleep and then hit the centre, the milhouse and the crazy nightlife at the weekend.
After taking a stroll in the botanical gardens, seeing how the well off relax at the weekends, we headed down to San Telmo the heart of the tango culture and a very cool antiques market, cobbled streets, Wenna would be in heaven.
On Monday we visited Recoleta and a huge cementary that houses the graves of some of Argentinas most important historical figures including Eva Peron. The graves were incredibly ornate and beautiful, the cementary itself reminded me a little of pompei in Italy with all the little side passages. The church next door was absolutely beautiful.
On the way back to the hostel Laura decided to get her haircut. Trying to translate what she wanted done to the hairdresser with the grey mohekan was challenging as my hairdressing vocabulary isn´t really up to scratch as Costa Rica proved but luckily Laura loved it.
In the evening we went to see live jazz in another hostel which I really enjoyed - we arrived to a intimate bar area where we had a drink and some delicious finger food before listening to the very talented singer.
The following day we checked out the shopping, Laura getting lost in cashmire shops while I munched on a burger that cost 25 pence! (don´t worry Ed they werent as tasty as los caribenos)
I left her shopping to go and play football with some guys from the hostel. I wore my Tanzania football shirt that Laura bought me prompting a Paula Radcliffe lookalike to ask if infact I was from Tanzania. Football was great fun - our team won convincingly.
At about 11pm we went out in search of a steak and el preferido - recommended by the argentine at the desk.
On arrival we thought we´d got the wrong place as the restaurant looked more like a grocery store with pickled onions and canned tomatoes on high shelves behind the counter. As laura said it looked like something out of postman pat! however the steak was delicious and cheap. Afterwards we stopped by a cool bar opposite where we met some of the people who played football earlier as well as a granny who kept trying to sell us these luminous bands- she was almost as persistent as the boys in Sixaola.
On wednesday we went to La Boca - the rough area, originally populated with immigrants from Genoa, Italy it has two main touristy areas and the rest is very dodgy wasteland, concrete jungle and even slums. We visited the Fine Arts museum, el caminito - the colourful street that you see on all the postcards of Buenos Aires, lined with artists and those board where you stick your head in and ofcourse Diego Maradona.
from there we walked to La Bombera -huge stadium home to Boca Juniors, slightly annoyed the season is over as matches there give even Pompey Southampton a run for its money.
Back in Palermo After a waiter tried to rip us off for a very cheesy pizza I went to look at a huge Art exhibition showcasing the up and coming talent from Buenos Aires. I really enjoyed it, very buzzy mixing with all the very overdressed portenos, press, lots of cheek kissing and champagne sipping, each having there own area.
Later in the evening came the much awaited Tango Experience!
We started by meeting the other wannabes, sipping wine and eating cheese. We met our teachers and were taken to a well decorated hall.
They gave us a demonstration and then it was time to learn the basics - pretty much walking about in time. The men lead and the women detects the speed, direction and steps back accordingly.
It is suprisingly difficult but a lot of fun dancing around in a circle. Every now and again we would swap partners and learn more tricky movements.
After the class we went upstairs to watch a milonga - a sort of dance club where very well dressed men and woman come to dance tango. Every three songs the men asking a different woman to dance. Was briliant to watch, everyone had there own style. Soemthing that not a lot of tourists get to see.
Later on people from our class got up and had a go. Me and Laura were the only couple who were both beginners that danced. Needless to say I stepped on her toes a couple of times but I think we did pretty well.
The following day was a public holiday, celebrating the formation of the first independant government in Argentina. It also coincided with an eagerly anticipated speech by the popular president in the main Plaza. Thats why there were 150 thousand proud Argentinians on the streets by our hostels flying flags, beating drums, dancing - the atmosphere was incredible and we followed the crowd- pushing our way through to the main plaza where a concert was going on.
In the evening there was a party in our new hostel with very cheap coctails, we got chatting to a lovely irish couple and to my suprise Ika the guitar sporting Israeli from Gringo Petes (aka Amancio the second) Costa Rica showed up. We finished quite a cool club.
Friday was quite a lazy day, went to see Puerto Madero which is being extensively renovated - should look like Gunwharf pretty soon. We also checked out the shopping again, walking past an excellent Jazz band.
On Saturday we bought our ticket to the opera - one pound sterling to stand right at the top.
We then visited Recoleta again and a fun market, the weather was boiling so we sat on the grass. Later we checked out the Fine arts museum.
Sunday was yet another market- the San Telmo one again, unable to have a free tango lesson we went back to the hostel who told a place across the city where we would find one. So we jumped in the taxi and the driver pretended he didnt know where he was going and eventually dropped us in the rough area of Buenos Aires. Luckily a kind man helped us navigate our way to safer streets by this time we gave up on the lessons.
Later on we went and saw a Tango show in the popular Cafe Tortoni. Wehad seats right by the stage. Apart from the food the show was amazing, combining incredible dancing as well as comedy, romance, live music. Back at the hostel the live music continued - karaoke night and unsuprisingly the Israeli took to the stage (any ex Gap Challengers wanting the video of it let me know) There are few really amazing singers - unfortunately I chose against an acoustic version of YMCA.
Tuesday was supposed to be our last full day- the day of the opera. After watching England beat Hungary I met Georgina Wimbush for the first time since Pangea and me and Laura put on our nicest traveller clothes and set off for the World Famous Teatro Colon to watch a Mozart.
We approached the entrance of the Theatre, went through the doors and walked into what could have been Last Night at the Proms - impeccably dressed men and woman, the security gaurd confirmed we had come in the wrong exit and I walked in my battered nikes to the poor mans entrance. I really enjoyed the Opera - great atmosphere and I followed the story of unfaithfulness thanks to the translation into spanish above the stage.
Wednesday we got to the bus station for our bus that left at three after enjoying our final B.A Steak. About to leave, a guy from the bus company came on to tell us that the idiot at the office had booked us onto a bus that left the day before.
This meant we would have to wait five hours at Retiro Bus staion for the next departure.
The first four and three quarter hours passed without any problems. Laura then got up to go to the loo, soon after a man sat down one seat along from where she was sitting. Then a lady passed by me and asked in spanish about a bus to paraguay - at the time i though nothing of it but soon after an old man who had probably seen the whole thing told me the guy had walked off with Lauras bag! In such a large bus staion there was no hope of catching the guy so I broke the news to an understandably devastated Laura. That evening she contacted home to cancel credit cards and we got the imperative police report courtesy of Police Chief Wiggam.
Writing this a week later everything has been resolved, we have the police report and should be able to claim the camera, ipod, money for the replacement passport all back. We only had to spend an extra two days in B.A - the British Embassy sorted out the new passport in 24 hours!
In the two days when we werent at the agency, I played football again and we had a very memorable night out which started with a concert at the hostel then continued onto Bar 69 whcih combined breakdancing (I may have battled an argentine in the middle of the dancefloor - he was no M Sanchez or B Byrne) with transvestites dressed in Egyptian attire.
I wont go into to much detail for young eyes read this blog but it wasnt pretty.

So that was Buenos Aires, as everyone says a great city and almost impossible to leave.
Sorry for the delay and length
From here we go North to the spectacular Iguazu falls situated on the border with Brazil - sure to be unforgettable like everything else on this marathon Gap Year.

Hope everyone is keeping well, enjoying the sunshine and most importantly the World Cup!

Nathanxx

---

Photos

Tango
unofrtunately the ones of me and Laura were on Lauras camera!