Buenos Aires
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2008
1
15
Trip End
Oct 04, 2008
Buenos Aires,
Capital Federal District,
Argentina
Sunday, August 24, 2008
We arrived on Wednesday, after a 32 hour journey, including an eight hour stopover in Brazil. Luckily there were televisions in the airport showing the Olympics, but with a marked emphasis on menīs volleyball...
We arrived in Buenos aires airport on Wednesday evening and took the bus into the centre, an absolute bargain at 1.50 peso, even if it does take two hours.
We found our hotel fairly easily. It was right in the centre, on a pedestrian street, so not too noisy as there was no traffic. It was quite old and run down, but very clean and even had a TV. It was handy for cinemas and shops, although we did get a bit overburdened by flyers for restaurants every time we stepped out of the front door.
We pretty much went straight to bed on the first night, then got up bright and early on the Thursday morning. We had a good walk around the area, and then treated ourselves to an omelette in a lovely old cafe. We went back to the hotel and I had a nap while Paul ate winegums, and then we went out for dinner at a tenedor libre, an all-you-can-eat buffet, where we filled up on salad, sushi and noodles.
On Friday we walked around the city, looking for arthouse cinemas and interesting bookshops. We found one that is in a converted theatre. It was huge, with a high painted ceiling, a cafe where the stage used to be, and bookshelves in the stalls and circles.
For lunch we headed over to San Telmo and went to a parillada for some big steaks, chips and salad. We waddled back to our hotel.
On Saturday we went to the zoo. Some of the animals we recognised from last time we were there, although the lopsided llama was no longer there. Maybe ended up in a parillada. We also visited the Japanese Gardens, which were absolutely full of people. Last time we were there it was cold and empty. This time at least it was warm. We had dinner in a Peruvian restaurant, enormous platefuls of rice, beans and meat.
On Sunday we took a bus to the Feria de Mataderos, the gaucho fair. We ate bowls of locro, a local stew made of beans, meat and tripe (which didnīt taste of much but looked disgusting) and empanadas, little meat pasties. We watched some gauchos dancing in the square to a very jaunty music. They were fascinating to watch, especially the men: some of them manic, some louche, some just full of joy.
In the afternoon we watched the gaucho horseriding. They took turns to ride at great speed through the speed and try to snatch a small ring (slightly larger than a wedding ring) while standing up on horseback. Some of them managed to do it too!
We finally left the fair. It had been a hot day and we were tired from standing in the sun. This is supposed to be winter!!
We took the plane to Salta, and the next entry will be from here. Hasta luego.
