LN Aparts Buenos Aires

... level. We were not supposed to take photos, but I snapped a few without using my flash, which seemed to upset the lady next to me, because she got the waiter to come and tell me off (just like in school). Luckily I don’t understand Spanish because she then gave me a mouthful too, I’m not sure why. I just replied “Gracias”

(I might add, there were lots of people taking photos with flash).

... cool. Brian and Colin don´t have much of an excuse.

The next day we venture out into the city. Find an amazing spot for lunch! Gormet lunch special: appetizer, entree and desert for 26 pesos ($6). The tiramisu is to die for and we return the following day. We explore parks, zoos, shops, street after street. I´m beginning to appreciate this place. What a beautiful city! We find Garret´s ...

... The book goes through a lifetime of a cactus and all the animals/insects that lived in the cactus and discussed exactly what an educational children’s picture book would discuss. So the whole weekend every time I saw cactus (which was A LOT) I just pictured that book in my head and thought about how old those cacti must be! Some of them were HUGE and apparently cacti grow something around only one cm per year!! Other than visiting ...

... safely.

-       Eating too much red meat (they don't do much else to be honest) and dulce de leche (aka boiled condensed milk/the toffee bit of banoffee pie) in and on everything.

-       Surviving a 25 hour bus journey that included a two hour wait for a mechanic, who, when he arrived, spent less then two minutes fiddling with the engine before sending us on our way.

-       Marvelling at the beauty and ...

... consisted of a slow plod around a couple of fields with reluctant horses who were much more interested in eating the vegetation than anything else. Still, it was probably for the best as none of us professed to be proficient in the art of controlling a horse, much less cattle driving.

We then headed back to Buenos Aires for Emma and Rob´s last few days, this time opting to stay in the more salubrious Palermo district, home of funky shops and bars and a multitude of ...

... which I was obviously expected to leave via when I did understand the directions. Now, after about 3 or 4 repetitions I vaguely understood what the name of the place he was telling me to go to was called so just started walking.....and FOUND IT! I was so relieved. However, the cambio also had the longest queue in the history of the world. And I was the only tourist and was being stared at. Very amusing but got my pesos and was on my way. Then I got ...

... from almost unbearably hot and humid to absolutely pouring with rain! This will be my first taste of the rainy season and the first use my rain jacket and umbrella will have. This evening is another overnight bus taking us to Iguazu falls. We cannot wait to get there as we are more than ready to leave the big cities for a while and see some of the natural beauties of South America rather than its man-made ones. I`m just hoping that this bus ride doesn`t come with a leaky roof!

... parts of Argentina, but BA is well and truly put in the shade by places like Rome, Berlin and yes that's right Sydney. Overall I enjoyed my stay but it never crossed my mind that I would move to BA. It simply doesn't offer as much as many other metropolises I've been to and the dysfunctional way it grinds along would bug me after a few weeks. If you'd like to see my photos from BA they're here.

... more interesting to hear the history while standing in the location where it was made, rather than reading about it.   Both Argentina and America gained independence within 50 years of each other.   Portenos are proud of their European roots and everyone from the tour guides to cab drivers emphasize the European sophistication of the country.  Historically, America has emphasized the benefits of being a melting pot of ...

... the crowd loved it. Not far away a middle aged man was drawing his own audience with some passionate denouncement of the Catholic Church. And you can´t walk a few metres around here without being confronted by La Paz´s notorious balaclava wearing shoe shine boys - according to Lonely Planet, many are university students who need the cash for their studies and choose to hide their identities from friends and family - and the ...