Advertisement
Published: July 21st 2010
Edit Blog Post
I arrived in BA on the 21st May after a 2 day journey from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, stopping for one night in Salta (northern Argentina) before continuing the journey. It was raining when I arrived and that continued to be the theme for the week I was to spend there, breaking occasionally for some sunny spells, which were more than welcome. I was meeting someone from the UK there the next day and had an apartment booked for the week in Palermo, one of the more wealthy suburbs of BA, with tree lined streets and an obviously relaxed café culture. It was a lovely part of town and a pleasant place to walk around and take in.
On the Sunday we jumped on the easy to navigate subway and went into the centre of town to walk around the famous market of San Telmo, which was basically a few streets selling typical South American wares, arts and crafts. This is also the Tango district of BA, so dotted around were a few dancing couples showing off their talents, as well as other street performers plying their trade! A real tourist hot spot, but nothing overly special. The
week in BA coincided with their bicentennial celebration (200 years of independence) which was not only very lucky (as I had no idea) but also a bit of a privilege, and was able to enjoy some of the celebrations around town, consisting mainly of street processions and live bands on pre erected stages. It seemed as though the whole of BA was out in force that Sunday afternoon and the rain certainly did not deter them, however it did me, and was back to the digs pretty quickly!
The next day we walked to the Recoletta Cemetery which is in the centre of town and has been made famous because it houses the remains of Evita. The cemetery is where the former rich and famous of BA are buried and the size and condition of the tombs are no doubt in sync with the level of wealth attributed to that particular family. It was like a mini city, complete with street names for the walkways, which would have taken up about a block square in the city. Some of the tombs towered a good few feet above me, making for an imposing place and a place more of fascination
than anything else. Again, it was a place to see…once…but didn’t exactly live up to expectations - though I’m not sure what I really expected from a place where the dead are so ‘extravagantly’ housed. That night dinner was had along the waterfront, which reminded me of London’s Docklands, and as you can imagine the prices went hand in hand with the location. For those of you who know me, you’ll understand that this really isn’t my scene and all to poncy for my liking. Having said that, the food was excellent…and the wine even better!
The next couple of days were spent walking around and taking in the place, an easy thing to do in what seems a relatively relaxed city, which is strange considering its size and the number of inhabitants. There are numerous parks to while away the day and plenty of cafes to grab a coffee and a bite to eat. It certainly is a good way of living, though it maybe different if you actually live there.
On the Thursday we eventually found the tourist bus stop closest to where we were staying and paid for a daily pass, allowing us to view
the city from an open top bus - very touristy - and get off whenever and wherever we wanted. It was a good way of seeing the city and really gave a good impression to how big the place actually is. The commentary is also pretty informative, commenting on the various points of interest along the route. We only got off in the Boca area which is a famous port area of town and typically ‘harder’ than the rest of BA. It is certainly more run down than other areas and tourists are told to be extremely vigilant here as muggings are common place - so again no running around with your wallet loaded and camera hanging around your neck - just the usual common sense required! My highlight here was the famous Boca Juniors football stadium, although I didn’t do the tour. Unfortunately it was out of season for a game, something I would have loved to see. The Argentines are so passionate about ‘the beautiful game’ and Maradonna really is God like over here and especially in this particular area, where he used to play. There are illustrations, graffiti’s, mural’s and figurines’ of him everywhere! You cant say
a bad word against the little man and with the whole world cup fever I couldn’t help warm to his eccentricity…though he is still a cheating little fucker!
That night we went to dinner at a famous steak restaurant called La Cabrera. I had heard a lot about the quality of the food and was definitely keen to try it out, though at the same time a bit apprehensive as it was recommended by the Lonely Planet, so though it may have gotten a bit complacent and may not be as good as it could be. How wrong could I be?! The place is amazing, from the hospitality of the waiting staff, the décor, the ambience, and the food…amazing! My steak was cooked to perfection…in fact all 4 pieces, all the size of a small saucer and at least an inch thick! It was served with a number of different accompaniments, all of which complimented the steak perfectly, and were all superb! If you need a recommendation for a place to eat in BA, go here! It is a bit pricey, but you are paying for the whole experience and is well worth it - it was my highlight
of the week!
The following day was spent visiting the places that had looked good from the bus and was nice just walking around and looking at the vast scale of the place. The day was rounded off with a drink at the top of the Pan American hotel, which gave an impressive panoramic view of the whole city and the surrounding suburbs.
The week in BA was virtually over and after saying goodbye to my friend from England, I was back into the city and catching up with 2 girls from Switzerland who I had met earlier in my trip in Colombia. It was a massive coincidence that Janine and Steph were in BA at the same time, but was great catching up with them again, had a good laugh over too many drinks and had to cut the night short as I was due on a bus down south the next morning!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.168s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 60; dbt: 0.0863s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Pink
non-member comment
Punk
Reading your blog is driving me mad, you really are making me jelous punk! Glad you're having a good time Magger