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Published: September 8th 2015
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Trip advisor and various other sites recommended a trip to La Boca, so we decided to see what all of the fuss was about. We took a bus from Plaza Italia which took us all the way to the famous El Caminito street.
La Boca is considered as the working class barrio of Buenos Aires and a lot of articles online suggest that the place is considered dangerous after 5pm. Whilst doing my research, I had read that we should remain within the tourist parts, as even in broad daylight, this place could be unsafe. So we took their advice and remained within the main tourist area.
We arrived around lunchtime and there were quite a few restaurants on the two main streets. They spoke English and every single one of them approached us and invited us into their restaurant. One particular promoter, who looked like a cross between Robert Downey Jr and Al Pacino, even shouted 'Shah Rukh Khan' as we walked past, which was quite amusing! There were also lots of artisan shops and small shops with beautiful, colourful art work, as you can see in the photos attached. There was one street,
in the middle of the two restaurant streets that had beautiful art work for sale. But the most eye catching thing about this place was the colourful buildings all around. It made the place so lively, bright and cheerful. Tango dancers were present on the street and for a price, we were able to dress up and pose with them, which was quite fun. Tango dancers were also performing in nearly every restaurant, which kept customers entertained whilst they enjoyed their lunch.
Restaurants on that stretch were significantly pricier that those that were slightly away from the tourist hot spot - they could charge more as this was considered the safer area! We decided to bite the bullet and eat at one of the restaurants on one of the main streets, to be safe. We were also able to watch live tango with live music while we dined. We enjoyed a Parrilla (Argentine BBQ) which was very tasty and very filling. The Parrilla consisted of beef, chorizo, liver, Tripa Gorda (large intestine) and chinchulin (small intestine). I'm not a big fan of liver, but this was nice. We tried a bit of the intestines; the large one
was a soft and mushy and looked like a chorizo, but was darker. We didn't really like it as much as the rest of the Parrilla. The small intestine was better and was thin and looked like a cocktail sausage. This was the heaviest lunch we've had on this trip so far and we felt like we needed a siesta!
Alex and I agreed that La Boca was the highlight of our trip, we loved the colourful buildings, the ambience and the creative nature of the street...
...until we attended a game at La Bombonera Estadio CABJ aka the Boca Juniors Stadium. We were very lucky to get tickets for the two top teams in the Argentine league - Alex managed to secure two seats the day before the match. We had read on a number of blogs and sites that a trip to Buenos Aires is not complete without experiencing a futbol game. I have only been to a couple of football games in England so had some idea about what to expect at such a game. We went with a tour group of 25 tourists / travellers; the company organised a shuttle
bus with lunch at a restaurant in San Telmo, which was good as we got the opportunity to speak to others about their travels and experiences.
The vibe en route to the stadium was ecstatic! People were dancing and chanting on the buses, wearing blue and yellow. Right outside the stadium, Latino music and reggaeton was being played, which made the atmosphere really lively and energetic. I expected the security to be like it was at the airport, but they only checked my back (above my jeans) for weapons. We were not allowed lipsticks, perfumes, lighters, food and drink inside the stadium - anything that could be thrown at the players. You are allowed to smoke in the stadium, but you aren't allowed to carry lighters or match sticks inside - funny rule! Bags were being checked too, but we didn't carry one with us.
Inside the stadium, fans were already chanting and were clearly very excited about the game. The stadium was smaller than the ones I've been to in the UK, even if you had a seat really high up, you still had a decent view. When the home team arrived on
the pitch ready for the match, the crowd began to chant and they threw shredded and torn paper around; it was quite a view! Alex has uploaded a video on Facebook if you want to see what I mean by this. The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic, we felt like a fan! However, when the San Lorenzo players entered the pitch, the crowd started whistling; you only whistle for the opposing team. One thing we learned about Argentine football is that away fans have been banned from all league games in Argentina. The tour guide said that fights break out within team fans, not between team fans. From what I understood, there is a guy at the top who is the leader of the group and he makes millions a year on merchandise etc, and other smaller groups want that power, and these smaller groups begin fights with the group at the top. Sounds Mafia-like to me!
Unlike in the UK, alcohol was not being sold at the stadium. Cola and soft drinks were being sold and venders were walking up and down throughout the game selling soft drinks, nuts, crisps and hot dogs.
It was quite an intense game but it ended in San Lorenzo scoring in the 90th minute. The Boca Juniors fans expressed their dismay with fowl language, some fans began to throw drinks / cups at the players and no one but the players celebrated the goal - just what you would expect when there are no away-fans at the game. On the bright side, at least we got to see a goal!
Nonetheless, it was a great experience and we would highly recommended going to a game if you can! It was an awesome atmosphere and if we got the chance to go again, we most definitely would! So the Boca game currently tops the chart as the highlight of our Buenos Aires adventure.
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Nikki
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Fun read!
I wish we had gone to a futbol game... looks crazy. And sadly we didn't go to Boca either. So, we didn't do the 2 top highlights of your trip so far...lol.