La Cascada Townhouse Hotel Buenos Aires

Yet another glorious day warm and sunny.
I will probably just hang about at Dakar Motos talking bikes and journeys.

Went to a restaurant (parilla) round the corner for lunch and had just about finished when Javier and the Saturday bike crowd turned up. We ended up having a second meal and more beer.

This will be the last entry until I get home on Monday night ...

... two toes go on one side and the rest go on the other side? 3) Hammer pants. Yes, the 80's are back in a big way. We have only seen these on women so far. The difference is that the legs below the knee are very tight to the skin, and then above the knee it balloons out into the huge billowy Hammer pants we all remember and love. It looks so ridiculous on these tall pretty women - giant hammer pants that looks like they are wearing a diaper underneath. Please Hammer don't hurt em.

... jewellery, mulled wine - you name it, its got it. I split from the group and buy some funky t shirts which you can practically design yourself, I stroll along the bustling streets where street performers compete for space with the tourists and the markets. Drinking mulled wine on this argentian winter's afternoon - this is perfect.

Tangoin' with a legend...

That evening we take our seats in the famous Cafe Tortoni where we are sat at little round ...

... Ended up getting sidetracked (surprise?) on the way to Palermo yesterday. Spent some time wandering around the Plaza de Mayo (not pronounced My- Yo as it should be, BAers have their own variation of spanish that adds ´sh´to that sylable)**. Saw a protest by the Madres, who slowly circle the monument in the middle of the square to silently protest the kidnappinf of a great number of sons years ago. Apprently a long-standing tradition, they have been doing this ...

... just fancied a McPollo and a strawberry sundae - they went down a treat. Lorna didn't miss out either, although she had a little strop when she couldn't have chocolate sauce on her ice cream! It was funny to see. At Parque San Martin there are a load of bear statues, (that's bear as in the animal, not as in naked you perverts!). Anyway, these bears are all individually designed to represent the 140 countries of the United Nations. They ...

... houses and artistic atmosphere. The Cathedral was more than interesting as it has the tomb of Jose San Martin, a revolutionary hero of Argentina (comparable to George Washington of America). The Recoleta cementary has a good collection of famously wealthy dead people, most famous of which is Eva Paron (Evita). The zoo is an excellent place to visit during a Sunday. Of course at any given night, Buenos Aires truely comes alive after sunset, which is around ...

... USD20 for a photo of Bill, Littles and myself. I found this really annoying so took video anyway, no-one asked me to stop. Gavin decided not to come as dancing was not his thing, and with the cost it was probably the correct decision. Bill and I also bought some sleeping mats and a tent, so camping here we come! We bought Marks sleeping bag from him, which should hold me in good stead. Some of the camping stores will do discounts and some ...

... waterways (really desirable weekend homes by the water...). Checked out the Palermo district the next day (did not find anything exciting enough to take a photo of!). Took the bus down to La Boca on the last day - very touristy but a great place: colourful, free tango shows at the cafes, stalls, have photo taken with Tango dancer ... Great place ... looking forward to second visit in the New Year !

... one? We finally find a policeman and when we ask him, where is the synagogue, he does not know. We find this strange, but then a woman comes up to ask the policeman something and she joins in the conversation. Oh, our Spanish! We say "sin-a-gog" and when we say "sin-o-gog", they know immediately and direct us! Just one syllable change! We must be very difficult to understand, but portenos seem to have so much patience with us! We walk ...

... very nice at all, as the window is merely a hole in the wall, and everyone seems to be struggling to get to it at the same time. Nevertheless, it looks worse than it is, and I eventually arrive in front of the hole to purchase seats. "Just one price" I am told. I find this rather strange, as in all stadiums, seat prices vary considerably. I think that perhaps as this is a minor game, with a single price for all seats. I pay my 10 pesos (US$ 3.50), thinking that ...