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Published: October 24th 2011
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We had been advised that the trip to our hostel in Buenos Aires using public transport was pretty straightforward and were keen to save money, so we thought we’d give it a go. We headed out of the huge coach station in search of the number 9 bus.
We located the bus stop we needed and hit the jackpot as the number 9 bus was just preparing to leave. We jump in and try to hand the driver a crisp note to pay for the journey, but he just looked at us blankly. A local lady then pointed us to a machine behind the driver, but with a distinct lack of instructions on the machine, no grasp of the Spanish language and no change, we were a little stuffed. Realising our plight the kind local lady handed us some change, which seemed to start a wave back through the bus of people delving into their pockets to give us change. The lady helped us use the machine to buy the tickets, at which point we realise we had made money from the bus passengers’ kindness. We try to give the money back, but they refuse it and wish us a
good stay in Buenos Aires. This start to our stay in BA gives us a good feeling about the city.
Our hostel is in the San Telmo area of the city and we arrive on a Sunday when there is a great buzz in the area and the streets are filled with an antiques market, street entertainers, live music and dancing.
We enjoyed walking around the markets and surrounding area and ventured over to the harbour area for a walk around the docks which are surrounded by lots of trendy bars and eateries. The friendly welcome to the city continued when we stop in a bakery by our hostel for some empanadas and are served by Diego a rather friendly, happy, chappy who offered us some tips on where to visit in the city and gave us his number in case of any difficulties. We made a habit of stopping at this bakery every morning to pick up tasty treats for lunch before we would head out for the day.
Food was a big highlight to our stay in the city. We filled our boots with Empanadas, Dulce de Leche, Steak and lots of Avocados. One evening
we went for an ‘All you can eat’ meal at a steakhouse on the dockside which was a real treat and allowed us to sample all the different cuts of meat available to us. After a near-miss in Salta where we nearly ordered a platter of tripe, we decided this was the safest option! We walked away from the restaurant totally stuffed, a little educated on the different cuts of meat, and very mellow having sunk a bottle of red wine with our meal.
Almost everyday in Buenos Aires was filled with a lot of walking as we enjoyed exploring the streets, squares, parks, notable buildings and monuments and generally soaking up the atmosphere. We also paid a visit to the cemetery where Eva Peron is buried and were surprised by the way they had managed to cram so many mausoleums into such a small space, how open they were, and how many coffins they had managed to pile up in them.
We enjoyed a couple of day trips out of the city. Firstly to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, just across the water from the city. We boarded an early morning ferry and found that Colonia was
an oasis of calm after the buzz of Buenos Aires. It had quaint, cobbled streets, numerous squares and museums and cafes all set along the water’s edge. We were jealous of the other tourists moving from café to café, which was not possible for us within our backpackers budget. We did however treat ourselves to Chivito for lunch, a classic Uruguayan dish consisting of steak layered with ham and melted cheese, served on a bed of chips and salad and finished with a fried egg on top... Not a particularly healthy lunch, but when in Rome!!!
For our second trip out of the city we boarded a train to Tigre, a small town set on the riverside around 28km north of the city. Here, we enjoyed walking along the river in the sun and exploring the fruit market.
Plans for our final day in the city were turned on their head when we encountered a spectacular hailstorm which we watched from the roof terrace of our hostel. There was an eerie silence in the city as the sky turned black and it seemed to turn to night. Two minutes later the strangest noise followed and we looked out
to see hailstones the size of tennis balls smashing down. News reports on the telly warned people to stay inside, so we spent the morning catching up on emails and helping to find and dig out the cat from behind the sofa.
We were sad to leave BA, but were looking forward to our short stay in Rosario. Here we had rented an apartment so that we could live like ‘normal’ people away from the hustle and bustle of hostels for a weekend. There wasn’t much to do here as it was election time and most places were shut, but this suited us after a busy week in BA. We rested, cooked nice food and watched some movies in our own little place! When we did venture out, the city had a very similar feel to BA, but on a much smaller scale.
Our next stop was Cordoba. A guy we met on the Inca Trail had given us some tips on where to visit in the city. One of his tips was to eat at an amazing Empanaderia where all the cool kids in town hang out. They specialise in 3 different varieties of Empanada, so naturally
we tried one of each and visited this place a few times during our stay.
One night we headed out to watch the colourful fountains at Paseo del Buon Pastor which perform at night (a bit like a poor man’s Bellagio!). We sat down to watch the 7 o clock showing where the fountains danced to 3 different songs. One of which was Michael Jackson‘s “We are the world, we are the children…”. It was a real cheese-fest, but enjoyable all the same. Clearly some people found it very romantic as when we looked around, most of the young couples surrounding us were smooching away. We managed to resist the urge! Clearly there is not enough Latino in our blood, or perhaps this is what married life does to you?!
Next stop Mendoza and the vineyards of the west… Can’t wait!
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