Hotel Ancon Buenos Aires

... brother Alejandro was kind enough to drive me. On game day Luquis loaned me an Argentina jersey and off we went. I sat by myself since I bought my ticket ($30) at a different time than theirs. The game had just started as I found my seat in the 7th row behind and to the left of on of the goals. It was surreal to see Diego Maradona in person, one of the greatest players (not coaches) ever, take the field coaching the Argentine side. To add to the tension, the ...

... BA! Kate and Ben joined the four of us for some exquisite steak - even if it was a bit rare for my taste! Te wine kept flowing and my eyes got heavier and heavier! I was in bed early that night but hey, steak in Buenos Aires, TICK!

The precipitation desisted early Wednesday, permitting an excursion to Recoleta, where the glitterati of Argentina have been laid to rest. Now, i thought my 21st was extravagant - that was before I saw these tombstones! There was one grave ...

... bottle of beer and a plastic cup from the "bar" (doubles as the kitchen area) and took a seat near the dancefloor. I had only been there 10 minutes when I guy using his laptop said "weren't you in New Zealand at a hostel?" I said No but then he said " no it was Sydney I was at the YHA I recognised the tattoo". He was an older guy called James and I remember seeing him at the hostel as he was quite loud and seemed to talk to everyone he bumped into ...

... and is a major national event. Whereever you are in the country, while someone may support their local squad, they will also be a fan of one of these two teams. Nearly all of the top division's clubs hail from Buenos Aires province. As I said before, these people know how to live. Touring the Neighborhoods of BA San Telmo, the neighborhood where we stayed, is the oldest barrio in BA, the heart of tango culture ...

... Recoleta perhaps?) The Recoleta cemetery was well worth the visit as it contained the tombstone of the famous Eva Peron, though lots of tours and tourists were there - you had to queue to see it! The cemetery itself is grand - you literally have streets worth of elaborate and beautifully decorated tombs (all underground) with cats acting as their 24-hour guardians! That brings Buenos Aires to an end - we fly to Ushuaia tomorrow; the end of the world as we know it!

... also increidbly famous. Once again, I had never heard of it:P I took my friend Rian along and Livia brought another Brazilian friend and it was amazing! I expected a dance between two people for and hour and a half, but it was a complete show. Full of men pretending to fight and women acting jealous. There was dancing between 2 people, 6 people, and people changing partners all over the place. there were slow dances, quick dances and everything in between! The cafe was also ...

... and quickly in Spanish. I have no idea what they were saying, but it was hilarious. And I was trying SOO SOOO hard not to laugh!! Finally, it died down and the conversation moved on... and I got to go to sleep a little before 4PM. And, so, it was from this-- and much much social interaction-- that I greeted my Friday night of solitude.

... camera & drove off grinning - very slick. We caught the "magic bus" home - this is just the local bus which goes from La Boca to Palermo past many of the tourist sites - San Telmo, Casa Rosada, Plaza de Mayo, the Obelisco & Av. De 9th de Julio - all for 22p. We spent the rest of Penny's stay, walking around shops, sunbathing in parks, eating huge steaks & drinking Malbec vino tinto - very therapeutic. Dogs The Argentineans love dogs, in Palermo every ...

... bedrooms, however, each night they would decide whether or not to sleep together for that night only...... interesting =) Later on that day (do recall that we didnīt get home til 6am on Sunday), Roxy and I did a **** load of walking around the popular tourist area of San Telmo. Known for its bohemian vibe, cafes, and antique shops. Sundays, however, is where they have a weekly market. It was a real scorcher of a day too (over 30 degrees Celcius Iīd have to guess). The ...

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Tango was apparently invented in BA, in the working class "barrios" of San Telma & Boca, and you can see how very proud they are of that fact.

You see signs of tango everywhere ...