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Published: December 14th 2009
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Buenos Aires, 7th to 10th Decmber
We awoke in the morning after a good nights sleep that was much needed after the previous bus journey. Our bus departed at 6.30 that eve so we had a day of sorting . Having seen the Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian side we saw little point of visiting them again so did lots of odd jobs which we´d had on a list for a while. The day passed quickly and with all jobs complete we checked out of our hostel and were soon back at the bus station waiting for what would hopefully be a better bus to Buenos Aires (BA). No such luck, in rolled another single decker much like the one previous (but at least without a smelly toilet which was a bonus!) And so we began the journey in our small seats and accompanied by what can only be explained as a bunch of lively locals who seemed very interested in the border control procedures and certainly seemed to be putting the world to rights, in particular a Brazilian guy opposite who liked to be involved in everybody´s conversations, so you can imagine his interest when the bus decided to
break down on the side of the motorway. Yes thats right, the bus company from hell just got more hellish. 16 hours of our journey complete and with only a couple of hours to go the flippin bus breaks down! The back wheels jamming into the wheel guards, great! Luckily another bus from the same company was passing on its way to BA and even better it had space aboard. So within 20 minutes we were aboard another bus which finally and thankfully took us to our destination.
We looked at a couple of bus companies for our journey to Mendoza in a few days time the hopped on the underground (the Subte) to our hostel, the Florida Suites, in downtown BA. That evening after having a hair chop and briefly seeing one of the band members from AC DC signing autographs in a tattoo shop we attempted to book a table at La Cabrera in Palermo Viejo which by recommendation was renowned as the best steak house in BA. With all all reservations taken but some availability on the night we decided to head down with Tom a friend from the hostel and try and wing it.
Buenos Aires, 7th to 10th December
After passing loads of other quiet restaurants we found a very busy La Cabrera which had people queuing for a table, so we joined the list and after a short wait we were shown to our table. If this was the best steak house in BA it most certainly lived up to its name. It was without doubt the best steak I have ever tasted in my whole life! And I feel confident in saying that every steak I have from this day forward, unless from the same establishment, will fall below par.
We ordered two steaks between the 3 of us as recommended and it was a wise decision. The rib-eye and stuffed tenderloin steaks were huge! They were cooked to perfection and each piece literally melted in your mouth and all served with the added side dishes (in almost tapas form) of chutneys, button mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and pesto sauce, roasted pears and all other kinds of tastyness! I was in heaven, and the red wine just topped it off! Bowks although not a huge steak fan enjoyed it especially as she found olives stuffed almonds as a starter.
Stomaches full and wine drank and feeling very satisfied we left passing the people still queuing for a table (at midnight!) and caught a taxi back to the hostel and slumped into bed. So its official, if we ate at the best steak house in Buenos Aires, and Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and Argentian steaks are labeled the best in the world then you could go as far as to say that we ate a steak from the BEST steak house in the whole wide world! And for the bargain price of just under 20 pounds a head (starters, mains, chips, 2 bottles of wine, 2 bottles of water, bread and dips and a glass of champagne!)
Bowks writing now…
8th December
We indulged in my new favourite food Dulce de Leche for breakfast at the hostel buffet, tis very yummy indeed! After spending the morning planning the next few days and uploading photos we set out to explore BA. It was a national holiday so the streets were a bit quieter which was nice. First stop was San Telmo which is the home of BA´s main tango culture. We wandered around its
cobbled streets and took a look in the antiques market. In the main square there was another market with local artists displaying their work and also a tango show where we watched them perform their sultry moves. From there we walked onto Puerto Madero a pavement lined dockland which reminded us a bit of the docks in Liverpool. The BA café culture was definitely apparent as each side of the docks were lined with pavement cafes and restaurants offering al fresco dining. We then walked to the more colonial area of BA seeing the neo-classical Cathedral Metropolitana and the Casa Rosada which has the balcony that Evita gave her speech from.
A rest was definitely needed after all our walking so we chilled out at the hostel until it was time for our free dinner that they offered, it was only pasta and sauce but hey it was a freebie so you can´t complain at that.
The next day we walked (passing a professional dog walker with 9 dogs!) to Recoleta cemetery which houses massive tomb like buildings in which the coffins were held. Some of the family tombs were beautiful with really ornate designs and carvings, though
I must say a little strange how none of the coffins were buried so when you looked through the tomb door you could see the coffins in front of you decorated with flowers, photographs and religious symbols. We wandered round and found Evita´s tomb as she is also buried there.
We later went for a bit of a wander round the local streets seeing what the street sellers, with their rugs on the floor, had to offer, nothing of which really appealed so we retreated back to the hostel where tango lessons were underway.
The following day began with a trip to the Obelisk based in a nearby square which is based on the Washington Monument and looked very similar though didn´t have quite the same grace. We participated in a bit of shopping for the rest of the morning on the hunt to find me a new bikini but with little joy. The afternoon we headed off to La Boca to Doddy´s joy at being away from the shops. As we left the hostel we stopped briefly to watch a live band playing on the streets where we recognized someone in the crowd who was also watching,
it was Andreas the Brazilian guy we had met on the salt plains tour in Bolivia 3 weeks ago (small world!) He looked as surprised as we were to see him there. We told him where we were going and he decided he wanted to come too so the three of us caught the 10 minute bus to La Boca. La Boca was a great little town and was a lot more relaxed than BA city centre and the streets were lined with with market stalls where locals were displaying their hand made goods. We wandered round the streets seeing the houses which are painted in an array of colours and looked really good in the bright sunshine. We stopped for a drink at a restaurant, sitting in the shade on the terrace listening to live music. It was very relaxing and great that we were there with Andreas too. As we left La Boca we saw a couple more tango shows on the street and a Maradonna impersonator posing for photos. Back at the hostel we picked up our bags for our onward journey to Mendoza, said our goodbyes to Andreas (who was just checking into the room we
had checked out of!) and caught the tube to the bus station
This time the bus was loads better and after a quick game of bingo on the bus we settled down to watch a film and make our make our way to Mendoza, the home of Argentinian wine.
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AnaTango
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http://buenosaires.giorgioshouse.com/
Hey Friends! I m very glad for both of you and your exiting visit in my city. I usually read blogs from visitors of Buenos Aires and Argentina because I like know what they think and do about Buenos Aires. eh eh eh....Dulce de Leche is the star always !!! Have a great week!