Buenos Aires

Friday was a ridiculously early start, leaving Puerto Madryn at half 4 in the morning to cover as much ground as possible to get to Buenos Aires as early as possible the following day. The issue our truck keeps getting the alternative itineraries due to there being two trucks and some of the accommodation not being big enough to accommodate everyone was once. On the next leg a third truck called Cameron which has come from Cartagena via the Andes route has caught up with us so we now have three trucks together. The Pantanal later in the trip can't handle that many people which means we are leaving Buenos Aires a day earlier than planned, following the same schedule until Foz, where we are then leapfrogging Bonito and going straight to the Pantanal which requires bush camp en route, before driving back on ourselves to Bonito before following the original itinerary to Rio. This has caused a little controversy with certain members of our truck although it's probably a good thing in terms of numbers.

We made really good progress on Friday, stopping en route at a supermarket en route for food supplies, covering over 1000km by the end of the day, with Gus about 400km behind as we effectively drove until 9 arriving in darkness!  Dinner in the evening was spaghetti bolognese, and we then had an early night in our very overgrown camp on the side of the road in long grass.

Saturday was a little bit of a later start being within 300km of Buenos Aires, and arrived in the city by lunchtime. At the mouth of the River Plate estuary (where the Uruguay and Paraná rivers flow out into the Atlantic Ocean) lies the fabulous city of Buenos Aires, the cosmopolitan capital of Argentina. It's a buzzing, energetic city that often feels more European than Latin American, so much so that it's often referred to as "the Paris of the South". We are now staying 4 nights here which gave us 3 full days as well as the afternoon on Saturday. After settling into the hotel I went into the centro district and looked round the shops, buying some new shoes and some trousers. I also saw the impressive obelisk for the sign with the big BA hedge in front of it.

Come evening I somehow agreed to go for a tango lesson which was actually really fun. It's a very simple dance although the footwork is complicated as you have to synchronise with your partner. It wasn't helped either by the heavy to girl to guy ratio which meant I had to do a lot more dancing than everyone else. After the lesson we went to a steak restaurant where I had this ridiculously big steak with chips, although I demolished it. After dinner we went to a local milonga for a night of Tango with the locals which was basically like a big ball with all inclusive drinks. I got told by someone I was worst dancer ever though. After a late departure from the milonga I caught a taxi into the palermo district and went to a club and it was very late night.

Come morning I woke up late, although I was out the hotel by lunchtime and walked out to the Puerto Madero district via the famous Plaza del Mayo. Puerto Madero is the dockland area famous for its high end restaurants. It was a pleasant walk before working my way round to the San Telmo market which takes place every Sunday. Primarily selling handicrafts and antiques, it was full of the very interesting products. I then continued into the La Boca district known most commonly as the home of Boca Juniors fc, and despite being the neighbourhood with the poorest residents and crime record, has a very colourful vibrant vibe. It is also the birthplace of Tango. I didn't go alone however just to be safe, although down the brightly coloured streets it was full of colours and cafes and felt safe.

We stayed here for a drink before catching a taxi back to the San Telmo market, walking back from there to the hotel. I then relaxed before heading out in the evening to the english pub called the Gibraltar bar for dinner where I had the fish and chips. From there I found I headed into the centro district and after looking round the shopping centre went to a nice cafe down one of the streets and had a couple of beers outside before going to bed.

Monday I actually made it to breakfast which was really good, lots of sugar treats, fruit, and breads. I then headed out the opposite direction, passing the Congress building en route to the Recoleta district often described as the Mayfair of the Buenos Aires with its high end establishments. Here was also home to the Recoleta Cemetery which has many high profile Argentinians placed in these massive tombs. The site was a maze of pathways and it was almost big enough to get lost! I then headed out through the Malba district with its gardens and sculptures, eventually getting back to the Palermo district this time in daylight! I had lunch here at plaza Italia.

After lunch I caught the underground out to the Nunez district which was nightmare as I couldn't work out how to buy a ticket, and no one understood me to help me. In the end I just had to jump the barriers and leg it onto the train. When arriving in the Nunez district I headed out to see River Plates football stadium which was pretty impressive. Boca Juniors ground the day before was set in the street whereas River Plates was more of a modern stadium. From here I caught the public overground train which was very basic and graffiti covered back to the central train station. En route back to the hotel I stopped at plaza San Martin, walking back via the centro district to the hotel.

Once at the hotel I had a few beers and come evening I had some empanadas for dinner before heading out to Buenos Aires biggest Monday night, La Bomba de Tiempo. This is a famous drumming show and it was heaving with people, taking place in some old warehouse with a big stage. After the show we followed the drums out the venue and round the streets to a nightclub venue where we partied into the night.

Tuesday was our final full day in Buenos Aires, although I took a far more relaxing approach to the day if going to the police station all morning counts. Someone basically lost their phone the night before so I kindly went with them to get a police report which helps with insurance claims. After a long time in the station we went out for lunch where I had pizza. I then had a nap in the afternoon before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant where I had lasagne. I passed a big protest en route though which was interesting! I then had an early night.