Buenos Aires is everything everybody says it is, and more. I can see why people may hate it, Buenos Aires is another huge city. The sheer area it encompasses is difficult to comprehend and therefore it can often take forever to get anywhere, it is loud and busy, your concept of personal space is certainly redefined on any mode of public transport, the traffic can be interesting to negotiate, it is very European - you almost feel like you're just in Spain and, it has a tendency to be dirty.

But I can see why people fall in love with the place, it is electrifying. In Buenos Aires, there is always something interesting and fun to do. There is a wealth of both history and culture on display in scores of museums, the nightlife is varied and will easily keep you entertained well in to the wee hours, it is hugely multi-cultural, the dancing and music is enticing and the food is incredible ... all for relatively cheap!

On our last few days in Buenos Aires, Thursday evening -early Monday morning, we managed to see quite a few of the 'must-dos' and of course, eat a lot. We were lucky enough to not only have one lovely tour guide in Sas but also a couple of her friends; another Kiwi Sus and a German/Portuguese/Englishman Philipp, who together made for some fantastic fun.

I'm all about the food and in Buenos Aires, you're never disappointed when it comes to food! I particularly enjoy their variety of hot chocolate, 'submarino', a glass of hot milk and a bar of dark chocolate - mix yourself = delicious. I have even enjoyed a couple of Argentine red wines, they're not as rich as they are back home. We treated ourselves to a great Parilla (steakhouse) which is a must in Argentina.The meat is amazing and they love it - everywhere you go on the side of the road you can get a 'choripan', very Argentine, delicious sausage in bread basically.

Saturday 9 July was Argentina's National Day of Independence - celebrating 25 years. We went out to Feria de Mataderos which is usually on every Saturday but, due to the National Day, we got way more than we bargained for. There was a fantastic outdoor Asado, more meat Yum and also a large outdoor all day show/concert on and, a Gaucho display! We got to see traditional dancing from throughout Argentine history, some local bands and singers, some traditional music and drummers, all of which were amazing to watch and very catchy to listen to! Argentines love their music and dance so much all the spectators just starting dancing in the streets as well - it was awesome.

Apparently Gaucho shows in Argentina are expensive to come by but, due to Independence Day there were several Gaucho's around with their horses and there was even a Carrera de Sortija competition on. This is where horse-riders at top speed try place a pencil sized rod through a key-ring sized ring hanging from high. Pretty incredible to watch, looked extremely difficult!

We also managed to fit in Recoleta cemetery, La Boca and, watching some tango; must do's in Buenos Aires. Recoleta is a fascinating huge cemetery that really just looks like a mini town with its collection of extremely grand tombs, some of which you can see the coffins through. This is also the place where Eva Peron rests. La Boca is the colourful houses that everyone thinks of when they think Buenos Aires. Despite the fact that it is quite touristy - it is great fun with lots going on; tango dancers, live music, stalls and food.

As well as getting to see Tango on the streets of La Boca and San Telmo, Sarah also took me out to a local 'Milonga' at La Viruta in Palermo. Milonga's are the places locals go just to dance. Anyone can dance in the middle of the hall here although, according to Sas you should wait until a man asks you to dance. Sarah showed us how it was done a few times but, Philipp and I were quite content just watching and taking in the atmosphere - which made for some great people watching and, the dancing was a pretty high standard! It's not the kind of place you go in the middle if you don't know what you're doing, you would certainly stand out! They even had breaks from Tango music and busted out some Rock 'n Roll - that was good fun!

This morning (Monday 11 July) we got up outrageously early for our 7am flight to Quito, Ecuador. The flight has been delayed but we should be there by the evening! Sad our Argentine adventure couldn't be longer but, excited about Ecuador and coming back and exploring more of Argentina later.