After a fun packed month spent with friends and family, we were back on the trail again. Leaving dark, rainy London behind and landing on the sunny soils of South America, we knew we would treasure the last 4 months of our adventure. After a detour via Sau Paulo, we arrived in BA. By 1pm we'd hopped on the local bus into the city center. Handing over our 30p fare, it was good to be back. By 3pm we finally arrived in San Telmo, the bohemian arty barrio famous for antiques and markets. Navigating the grid-locked streets, we checked into Pax, a hostel recommended to us by Franziska, a friends from Ecuador. She checked into the hostel a days later with her sister, back with friends and sleeping in bunk beds, it was like we'd never been away.
For a first night in BA, we headed to Bar El Federal, with sidewalk tables, a big counter and it's own wine cellar it was a packed out classic. We toasted our arrival with delicious ($5) vino tinto. The next few days we spent exploring BA by foot. Scouting out the central plazas and monuments, oldy-worldy theatres, beautiful parks & gardens, the newly built docks and the many street markets - getting some ideas together for our two weeks in the city with Linda & Tony at Christmas.
Unlike other parts of Argentina, there are no colourfully dressed, stoical Indians lining the streets or gaucho's striding down the streets feather in hat. As people say, BA is not like 'Argentina' but it's also not just another European immitation. It's a unique, extremely chic city. Always a fiesta (cream fields to tango), a market (from antique treasures to up & coming cool kids selling garms), it's outspoken (graffitied monuments, street art & protests in the plaza) and it's diverse (oldy-worldy to down trodden, to ritzy barrios - all unique).
We had a beautiful evening out in San Telmo watching some sultry Tango musicians in a private theatre bar in San Telmo. After spilling out of a Parilla onto the street, the accordian player approached us and invited our group to the theatre around the corner. It was like being treated to a performance in your front room and the music was a treat.
Ferria San Telmo was celebrating it's 40th birthday, and the usually vibrant market sprawling with stalls selling antique curiosities and crafts was in full swing with tango dancing, street performers, mime artists and mad-hatter style tea parties out on the streets. I can't wait to do our Christmas shopping there, so many amazing trinkets to choose from.
But before Christmas time, we are fully equipped with camping and trekking gear ready to head south to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego to climb Andean mountains in Argentina and Chile. First stop the green alpine town of Bariloche - a place of mountain adventure, beautiful lakes and chocolate shops.
For a first night in BA, we headed to Bar El Federal, with sidewalk tables, a big counter and it's own wine cellar it was a packed out classic. We toasted our arrival with delicious ($5) vino tinto. The next few days we spent exploring BA by foot. Scouting out the central plazas and monuments, oldy-worldy theatres, beautiful parks & gardens, the newly built docks and the many street markets - getting some ideas together for our two weeks in the city with Linda & Tony at Christmas.
Unlike other parts of Argentina, there are no colourfully dressed, stoical Indians lining the streets or gaucho's striding down the streets feather in hat. As people say, BA is not like 'Argentina' but it's also not just another European immitation. It's a unique, extremely chic city. Always a fiesta (cream fields to tango), a market (from antique treasures to up & coming cool kids selling garms), it's outspoken (graffitied monuments, street art & protests in the plaza) and it's diverse (oldy-worldy to down trodden, to ritzy barrios - all unique).
Billboards in town led us to the ritzy barrio of Palermo, to BA's Grand National horse racing. Argentinians love their horses, it was an experience to surrounded by stocky Latino men, old and young, jumping around with excitment when the horses thundered down towards the finish line. There was off course a VIP area too but the main arena was open to everyone for free. I won my bet on a horse called Villien - enough to buy us a couple of infamous dulce de leche icecreams!
We had a beautiful evening out in San Telmo watching some sultry Tango musicians in a private theatre bar in San Telmo. After spilling out of a Parilla onto the street, the accordian player approached us and invited our group to the theatre around the corner. It was like being treated to a performance in your front room and the music was a treat.
Ferria San Telmo was celebrating it's 40th birthday, and the usually vibrant market sprawling with stalls selling antique curiosities and crafts was in full swing with tango dancing, street performers, mime artists and mad-hatter style tea parties out on the streets. I can't wait to do our Christmas shopping there, so many amazing trinkets to choose from.
But before Christmas time, we are fully equipped with camping and trekking gear ready to head south to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego to climb Andean mountains in Argentina and Chile. First stop the green alpine town of Bariloche - a place of mountain adventure, beautiful lakes and chocolate shops.
que lindo! yo fuy en enero/marzo 2010...ahhh :(
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