Last stop in South America in one of the continents great cities

---

Day 130: Thursday 6th November - The best atmsphere at a football match I've ever experienced

Arrive in sweltering BA at 2pm. After a month in the cold of Patagonia this weather is going to take some getting used to. It must be 30 degrees at least. Get the underground from the bus station to San Telmo, the area of Buenos Aires (BA) I'm staying in. Have a result when I check in to the hostel. They are selling tickets for Boca Juniors (BA's most famous team) against the Brazilian side Internacional in the Copa Liberatadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League) tonight. I'm well up for this. I had looked into the fixtures when I was in Puerto Madryn yesterday morning for the weekend and they weren't any games which jumped out as Boca were playing away from home and they were the side I really wanted to see. The bus picks us up at 6.30pm so I need to get a move on and see the city centre if I'm to make it back in time.

Do a whistle stop tour of the city centre, stopping at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace where Eva Peron (Evita) made her famous speeches from the balcony. Also see the obelisk on Avenue 9th Julio, the world's widest street at 21 lanes. Its so wide, you can't cross it in one attempt where the pedestrain crossing comes on! Stop by at Theatre Colon, which is closed for renovation works. The final place I visit is the plaza in front of the government congress building, modelled on the one at Wasdhington DC. Then I rush back to the hostel via the underground, just making it back in time. I'm in a right stress though as I've managed to lose my ticket and my camera. I find my camera, but need to get the hostel to issue me with another voucher at the last minute. I manage to lose 100 pesos (20 pounds)later in the day...just one of those days I guess.....

On the bus to the ground I get talking to a Dutch girl Esmeralda, who has never been to a game of football in her life, doesn't know many of the rules....but what a game to start with. The atmosphere around the ground is electric....Boca are the team of the city's poor and the stadium must be 60,000+ capacity. We have no assigned seats and the section we're in seems to be standing room only. Get a decent spot with a rail to lean on in front of us, and start taking in the atmosphere in the ground. Flares are going off and the fans are incredibly noisy already even though its 30 minutes until kick off. Just before kick off the Boca fans unfurl a giant banner claiming them to be the 12th man in the stand opposite from where we're sitting. The game kicks off with Boca needing to win by 3 goals to overturn the deficit from the first match...its going to be a tough ask. After 20 minutes, I decide they have no chance, they've hardly created a chance in front of goal and the Brazilian side are happy to sit back and defend. The first half continues to be a poor, sterile affair with Boca dictating the match but not getting anywhere with it. Spend half time explaining the rules to Esmeralda, who is loving the atmosphere anyway just as I am.

The second half starts off with a bang with Internacional getting a goal just after half time. I have never heard noise like it after a goal's been scored. You can't hear the Brazilian fans, as the Boca fans response is along the lines of 'yeah we're losing and probably going out of the competition but we have the best fans in the world'. Boca respond almost immediately, equalising from the penalty spot. The next 20 minutes are end to end as Boca start going for it but their attacking play isn't creating too many chances. At least its better than the first half as a spectacle. Late in the game Internacional get a second and its game over. Boca's fans respond just the same as for their first goal.....the noise is deafening. After the game ends the section we're in has to stay behind for 30 minutes to let the away fans get away from the ground. The fanatics at the other end of the stadium also stay behind for half an hour, singing loudly...they've been at it non-stop for 3 hours now. The football hasn't been great but this is a level above, actually make that several levels above any atmosphere I've experienced in England and I've been to a few grounds. The best fans in the world???.......probably.

Its been a good first day in BA, the football's been a huge bonus and its been good meeting and talking to Esmeralda this evening. She's in BA for 6 months to dance tango and invites me to a show tomorrow night that she's going to. I give her my email address, I just hope she remembers it to give me the address of the show. Finish the night with a beer down the bar playing pool with a couple of English girls until 2am, when bed calls.

Day 131: Friday 7th November - Tango, shopping and Recoleta

Very confused when I awake this morning. I crawl out of bed shattered to make the last few minutes of breakfast, except somewhere along the way an hour has been added to the time and its 10.15am not 9.15am. Can't work that out....did it happen last night, because I'm sure I had the right time last night?? Once ready and fuelled on some empanadas go into the city centre to shop. Can't say I'm looking forward to this one but there are a few things I need to buy. Find most of them fairly quickly, but when I come to pay by credit card they insist I need to produce ID which is back in the hostel, a tube ride away. Great, I'm going to have to go all the way back and get it, which takes me at least an hour before I return. Purchases made I search on for a pair of jeans, but everywhere the inside leg is for giants. Argentine's aren't exactly renwoned for their height so can't quite work out why I struggle so much. Eventually buy a pair after pacing up and down the length of Avenue Florida the main shopping street, which is 12 blocks long, thronged with people. I can't say I've enjoyed the day so far, its hot, very hot, I'm tired and I have only got the essentials, the rest wil have to wait for another time.

At 4pm, with the sun still beating down I walk towards the Recoleta barrio (district of the city). Recoleta is famous for the cemetery, which houses Sarcophagi of the rich and famous down the years in BA. The Sarcophagi are massive, the size of small houses. The most famous belongs to Eva Peron, wife of the ex president, and made more famous my the musical Evita. After wandering around the cemetery amazed by the decadence, I stroll further around Recoleta, finishing up in a cafe, which ends up being expensive. However, I'm in the posh end of town! I get back to the hostel absolutely shattered, I think I've walked as far as any day on the Torres Del Paine trek and in sweltering heat.

Check my email and Esmeralda has remembered by address and has sent my the directions to the tango show. I'm looking forward to this one, a real tango experience rather than some of these shows which are fake and put on solely for the tourists. It doesn't start until midnight though so decide to put my head down for a couple of hours in the meantime to recover my weary body. At 10.30pm get up and go out for some food at a cheap place around the corner with a couple of the guys from the dorm. After the food we walk through San Telmo to the Puerto Madero Barrio on the waterfront before I need to head back to the hostel to get a taxi.

The taxi driver has not a clue where he's going, it must take 40 minutes to get there, after numerous changes of direction. However, when I arrive at 1am, there is no sign of Esmeralda, has she left whilst I've been trying to get here?? She turns up with her brother and his girlfriend 20 minutes later. I have a good night, its an alternative tango show, the audience get up to dance if they want and in between there is other dancing put on by the performers as well as music. Mum you would have loved it!! The building its in looks like an old church and they have decorated it superbly helped to create the atmosphere. The tango dancing is good, and is an integral part of the BA culture, and BA is the place in the world to tango. I stay firmly sat down but Esmeralda gets up a few times to dance...she's good. I leave with Esmeralda's brother and girlfriend at 4am as they are staying in the same part of the city as me.

Day 132: Saturday 8th November - La Boca, San Telmo & Palermo

I make it to breakfast this morning but I'm like a dead man walking. Go back to bed for an hour straight after breakfast as I'm in no shape to tackle the day I've got planned. At 11am I catch a bus to La Boca, the poorest Barrio in the city. I make sure I'm carrying nothing but my camera and 50 pesos (10 pounds) as I've heard stories about people getting robbed. La Boca is famous for a colourful street called Caminito. Its a small street, but the atmosphere and colours in the street and those surrounding is electric. Its full of tourists but that doesn't seem to be getting in the way of the special feel of the place. There are dancers in a few bars dancing the tango and everywhere I look there is references to their team, the Boca Juniors. I walk along to the stadium to see it in daylight, deciding that the reports of it not being safe to walk away from the Caminito street area are exaggerated. I spend about an hour around La Boca before getting a bus back to San Telmo.

I grab a few things back at the hostel and then I set off to explore San Telmo. San Telmo is famous for its cobbled streets and is the arty district of the city. Its pleasant enough, but doesn't grab me like La Boca. Sunday is supposed to be the best day though when there is a big antiques market in the main square. Take some time out from walking, which isn't too bad today as its overcast and not too hot and spend a couple of hours in an internet cafe. When I head back out at 5pm, its the hottest part of the day, as the sun has come out. I catch the underground to the Palermo barrio which must take me an hour to reach. First stop in Palermo is to visit the Evita museum. I've decided I need to learn about Argentina's most famous daughter having seen the balcony at Casa Rosada and also her grave in Recoleta the past few days. Get an education in the time I spend in the museum. She was in showbusiness before meeting Juan Peron who was a high ranking military officer at the time. He later became president and she did many good things like getting women the vote, education initiatives, social welfare programmes through her institute. She was loved by the people who wanted her to become the vice president but she fell into bad health, contracting cancer and dying at the age of 33, beloved by the Argentinian people who had seen her as the driving force between some positive changes in society.

After finishing at the museum, go to the park, spening time people watching the portenos (residents of BA). Palermo is known for its parks and is also probably the richest area of the city. Walk further around the barrio before returning to my hostel at 9pm. Have an early night (well for BA at least) as I need to be up early to go to a gaucho festival tomorrow.

Day 133: Sunday 9th November - Plans change

Awake early as I'm planning to catch a bus out to San Antonio di Areco to watch the gaucho festival which is held there every year in the second week in November. Sunday is the biggest day, and events seem to kick off at around 10am according to the website. Even the underground hasn't got going for the day when I get to the nearest station, so end up taking a cab instead to the bus station. When I get to the bus station at around 8am, I have no luck in getting a bus. Try 3 different companies and they all have departures at around midday, which is no good as I'll miss most of the festival in San Antonio di Areco by the time I get there in the mid afternoon. Decide instead, somewhat disappointed to knock it on the head and spend the day in BA instead.

Return to the hostel and get breakfast before catching up on some sleep for the rest of the morning. Get up again feeling groggy, but better for some more rest and walk down to the Antiques fair in San Telmo. The streets around the market, and the market itself are buzzing with portenos and tourists alike, there is a great atmosphere and there are a number of tango dancers and musicians performing in the streets. Spend an hour and a half soaking in the atmosphere. Its quite different to my walk around this barrio yesterday when the place was very quiet. Today I love it and alongside La Boca is my favourite barrio....this is the real BA. After San Telmo walk towards the only barrio near the centre I haven't visited, Puerto Madero. Puerto Madero is like Canary Wharf in the UK, highrise office buildings, recently redeveloped, by the river and lots of posh restaurants. Whilst its a pleasant enough walk on another scorching day in BA through the barrio, this place has no soul like San Telmo and Boca in particular.

After walking through Puerto Madero I check on transfers to the airport for tomorrow. They go every half hour so that's okay on that front. Take the underground back to San Telmo to catch up on a few things on the internet. First I need to check my flights tomorrow and get a mild heart attack when I check aerolineas argentinas' website and the flight number I'm booked on to Santiago doesn't fly on Mondays. Return to the hostel to double check I hadn't got the details wrong when writing them down, and no my ticket says the same. Great!....I need to sort this out quickly. Call the airline and they have transferred me to an earlier flight without informing me, good job I checked, and a lesson learnt in confirming flighs. There seems no issues with my flight from Santiago to Auckland, so I can rest easy now. Because my flight has been moved forward a couple of hours it doesn't look like i'll be able to catch up with Jonathan who I met in Arequipa, Peru who is arriving in BA tomorrow morning. Its a shame as it would have been good to see him again....we'd always said that we'd catch up in BA, but I guess some things aren't meant to be.

Arturo has arrived in BA though. He's staying in the same hostel and we arrange to meet at 9pm. Have a few beers down the bar with Lockie (an Austrailian guy) and Adam an (American guy) while we wait for Arturo to show up. I want to go to a parrilla in San Telmo for steak and red wine on my last night but don't know what Arturo has planned as he's meeting other friends. Its good to see him when he eventually shows, he's struggling with a cold courtesy of his dive at Ushuaia last weekend). He also managed to get a flight out of Ushuaia before me.....I can't believe it! Arturo has the same idea as me to go to the same parrilla I was thinking of going to...great minds think alike. The four of us go out at around 10pm in the end to said parrilla in San Telmo. I have the biggest steak I've ever seen, washed down with red wine. For my last night in Argentina it was a must and its good. After the meal we head to the main square in San Telmo to a bar where there is live music. We stay until 4am.....a good final night to celebrate South America by.

Day 134: Monday 10th November - Sad to be leaving South America

Very tired when my alarm goes off. I've got to get out of my hostel room by 10am and my stuff is all over the place. I decide against posting some stuff home this morning. I haven't got a great deal of time so that will have to wait until I get to New Zealand. At 11am I catch the metro to Retiro bus station. There is a bus company who does transfers to the airport near there which I'm going to use. Get a bus at noon to the airport, which takes 45minutes. The rest of the day is uninteresting, waiting in airports for my flight first to Santiago which takes 2 hours, arriving at 4pm. I've now got a 7 hour wait before we depart to Auckland......what a dull day!!

I'm sad to be leaving South America where I've had a great 4 months. I've enjoyed it much more than Central America. I think the main reason for that is that it took me a month or so to settle down, the realisation I wouldn't be home for maybe 2 years took some getting used to and I think I was a little homesick at first. Now though I'm loving it more than ever and the last month in particular in Patagonia has been really special.

My favourite country?

Well, it isn't really a country, more an area, and it has to be Patagonia. Different landscapes, all beautiful and so many great experiences from cycling and snowboarding in Bariloche, horseriding at Huechahue, sailing through the Chilean Fjords on Navimag, trekking in Torres Del Paine, seeing Perito Moreno Glacier, being at the end of the world in Ushuaia and seeing whales and Welsh culture in Penninsula Valdes. Only the days waiting in Puerto Montt were average, the rest was great. If it had to be a country I'd go for Argentina because of Patagonia and BA, which alongside Rio is probably the continents' greatest cities. I didn't see northern Argentina, but I have seen Iguassu Falls which borders Brazil when I visited Brazil 2 years ago, and that is probably Argentina's premier attraction in my opinion. So all in all, what a country with great people to add.

My favourite experiences in South America?

The three that stand out are the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu and the Inca trail and trekking in Torres Del Paine in Chile. All very different, but all very special. Easter Island would be just behind these three.

Most fun I've had?

A toss up between sandboarding & riding the dune buggy in Huacachina, horse riding in Tupiza and cycling down the world's most dangerous road. All great fun.

Favourite cities?

BA, Cusco and Arequipa. BA has it all, Cusco the history and Arequipa I was surprised at a very beautiful city. Valparaiso was also very chilled out.

Best places stayed at?

The hostel on the Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador and in Vilcabamba, Ecuador stand out, but it has to be Estancia Huechahue. Mind you paying $340 per day I'd expect it! Having a wardrobe and a bath was pretty good for the first time on the trip!!Also enjoyed great views in the hostels in Quito, Isla Del Sol on Lake Titicaca, Bariloche and the refugios in Torres Del Paine.

Regrets?

None worth mentioning except my experience would I'm sure have been even better if I could speak Spanish properly. Then I could have become absorbed more fully in the local cultures. But in terms of what I've seen, I've done all I wanted and more...no complaints at all.

Worst places seen?

I don't think I'd describe anything as not worthwhile but northern Peru didn't grab me and Puerto Montt in Chile was very missable.

Day 135: Tuesday 11th November - Losing a day of my life

The flight leaves at 11pm on Monday in Chile and after getting dinner I fall asleep, I'm so tired after a lack of sleep in BA and from a boring day sat about airports. When I awake we're 2 hours from Auckland, where we arrive at 4.30am on Wednesday morning. What happened to Tuesday??? I lost it somewhere crossing the Pacific!!!! (also known as the international date line).

---

Comments

[Bryan]

"several levels above any I've experienced at a football match in England"
There speaks a Man Utd fan. Have you seen the latest Premier League table? Looking forward to the next chapter of your weighty tome.