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Published: March 3rd 2012
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Well hello again blogging buddies,it has been a few days I know, but I can assure you I have not been idle and now that I am back in BA it is time to fill you all in on the last week.
I enjoyed my visit to the Caminito in Boca as I mentioned in my blog of a week ago and so decided to go back on Sunday when I could spend more time in the daylight.The dancers,the tourists and the rehydration stations were all in full swing when I got off the 152 bus (1.25 pesos or about 30 cents).Lots of people in the sunshine and the dancers were swirling cheek to cheek and stomping in great style. I enjoyed the wandering and settled into a very comfortable little restaurant where they had two exceptional guitar players and a singer providing the music for the Tango and Gaucho dancers. It really is special to hear and see it all come together before you.Needless to say I hung around for quite a while and then decided it was time to again head back to the more sedate but safe Recoletta before I turned into a pumpkin. The bus stop
is a walk away from the Caminito along a boardwalk that rings the putrid waters of the inlet and inner harbour. As I wandered to the walkway the busses started arriving.There must have been 30 highway coaches filled with "Newells Old Boys" fans from Rosario (the opposing team playing Boca that evening). The fans were stoked and fired up pounding on the windows of the busses, singing songs and waving their shirts and flags proudly. I started taking pictures as they passed and walked between the busses and the boardwalk to join the other people watching the scene. Suddenly a half dozen men jump out and started to fight with a Boca fan on the side of the road.Tensions are high and people moving a safer distance away.Suddently a half dozen riot police come running,shotguns,tear gas guns at the ready ,riot gear.These are not men playing around and the fight was quickly subdued and the transgressors shoved back on their bus. The problem was the busses were not going anywhere as they were so many and the streets so crowded they could not move anyway. I assume the authorities would rather have these guys inside the stadium rather than outside
in the middle of the Boca, so they emptied the busses and herded the fans down to the Bombanerra. Policia all over the place and I made my way safely to the bus stop and home before game time and sunset.
That evening I went to a closed door restaurant or Puertas cerradas.These have been springing up here apparently and are essentially private restaurants in peoples homes. It is by reservation only and they will not even tell you the address till you reserve. I went to a place I had heard about from one of my San Diego friends who had been weeks earlier, Casa Salt Shaker. It is run by Dan and Henry and was held in their home. I had e-mailed about getting a reservation earlier and had been told it was booked weeks in advance but someone cancelled so I was in. There were 10 people for dinner that night a couple from Finland,one from Argentina and the rest American. Our host,Dan Perlman, is a sommelier and chef and he served the five course meal with wine pairings, coming out between courses to explain what we were eating and drinking.It was excellent and for 55
dollars american a wonderful experience. The meal was Gazpacho,sorbete de pepino y aji,Raviolon de hummus de berenjena,Suprema Frita Pure de batata, Carre de cerdo,Crema de Acelga and for dessert, Tartita de chocolate,salsa de caramelo. (use your google translate people). YumYum!!
Monday was a quiet day here and a National Holiday to mark the 200th anniversary of the Argentine flag. Lots of Nationalist fervour going on here with the Malvinas still taking the headlines along with a great deal of anger and accusation still going on about the Once train crash. The whole government and opposition all headed down to Tierra del Fuego to have a special session in solidarity with the people of Patagonia who they claim rightfully are entitled to the Malvinas.
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