Hello! It is April 4th now, and we are in Tupiza, Bolivia... heading off on a 4 day tour of the salt flats tomorrow. We have dated this entry March 28th though, as we have decided we need two blogs to give justice to our time in Buenos Aires.

We arrived in Buenos Aires (BA) on Tuesday, March 25th after a marathon bus ride. (We had left Puerto Natales at 11:00am on Sunday and didn´t arrive in BA until midday Tuesday... 3 buses, two overnights on the bus, and one border crossing later!) Got off the bus at Retiro Omnibus Estacion, found the Subte (underground metro), 4 stops later, found the hostel and got settled. After cleaning up, we went down the street to an all you can eat buffet which cost 16 pesos a person - about 5 dollars each. We each started with a large plate of salad... two for Maya... Braden started into some flame grilled steak and ribs (included in the all you can eat).... a few more plates later and we finished with banana pancakes topped with strawberry icecream, bananas, more fruit and whipped cream. Braden loosened his belt - Maya was thankfully wearing pants with an elastic waist - and we went back to the hostel for some much needed rest in a real bed.

The next morning, after eating breakfast at the hostel, we went to the bank and headed to the River Plate Stadium to buy some tickets for that night´s game. We tried to take the Subte, but apparently it is quite old, so soon after we boarded, it broke down and we didn´t get anywhere. Pulling out our map to try to figure out an alternative route, we were quickly approached by two Argentinians who kindly told us of the safest and fastest route. Again, we were amazed at the friendliness of ordinary people. Made it to the stadium, found the ticket booths, and asked for 4 tickets in the best seats available. (We were buying tickets for two Chilean guys we met in the hostel.) As the ticket agent processed our tickets, Braden turned to talk to Maya. Big mistake. As Braden turned, the ticket agent changed one of our 100 peso notes for a counterfeit note, and then told us that we had given him a false note! Unfortunately, we had not written down the security numbers of our particular bills, so we could not prove him wrong. Truth be told though, it didn´t occur to us that he had changed the notes - rather that the bank had given us a false one from the ATM machine. (After leaving the stadium, we returned to the bank, and that was where we discovered the truth.) At the time of purchasing the tickets, we were lucky to have an extra 107 pesos on us. We gave the ticket agent another 100 pesos, he gave us our tickets and the false 100, and we were left with 7 pesos in our pockets - just over 2 dollars. Not enough money for a cab back to town. As we left the stadium... we had almost no money, no map of the area, and Maya´s knee was quite sore (she had hurt it hiking in Patagonia). We walked for about an hour until we needed to use a bathroom - went to the first restaurant we saw - and the staff there told us of a bus to catch back into town. Back in town to deal with the false bill - no luck there. Then back to the all you can eat to console ourselves. Many plates later (this was the only real meal we had that day - breakfast was bread and coffee and we had cookies for dinner) and we went to meet our Chilean friends at the hostel.

That evening, the four of us caught a cab to the stadium. On the way, we saw hundreds of people in the streets and on their balconies banging pots and pans in support of the current agricultural strike. (Throughout Argentina, agricultural workers have left their farms and factories and have taken to setting up road blockades. At main intersections on most highways, the agricultural workers are preventing argicultural vehicles from passing through. As a result, store shelves are becoming empty and food all over the country is going bad before it reaches the market. We should add that the farmers are doing this to protest a tax hike - doubled we think - on soy products).

At the stadium, got patted down and our bags searched. Our water bottle was confiscated and when Braden asked why - Por que? in Spanish - the security officer threw up his hands and said BOOM. To prove that we were not carrying liquid nitrogen to make a bomb, we had to finish the water on the spot. Looking back now, we can´t remember the score of the game. The soccer was good, and River Plate took the game. Afterwards, as we went to leave the stadium we were held up for about 10 or 15 minutes. When we asked why, we were told that we had to wait for the visiting teams fans to leave, as to minimize the chances of a riot. We should add that the visiting team fans had to have their own section separated by a high fence topped with 45 degree wire to prevent anyone from climbing over. Back to the hostel for some more rest.

The next day we headed to the Boca Juniors stadium to buy tickets to that nights game. We anticipated that the game would be a really exciting match. Boca Juniors represent the neighbourhood of La Boca - the working class neighbourhood of BA. Here, the football fans are said to be fanatically passionate about their team. (Recall that the greatest footballer of all time from Argentina was a man named Maradona - who played for Boca in the 1980´s.) Moreover, the game was predicted to be exciting because Boca Juniors was playing Chilean Colo-Colo, who they had lost to two weeks prior. Bought two tickets without any problem this time and headed back to town.

We decided to take the day to explore the downtown area around where we were staying. We found Ave. Florida, which is the main pedestrian walkway and shopping area in BA. All of a sudden, we both wished that we had an extra 1000 dollars to spare. This is a place where it is possible to buy nice clothes at reasonable prices - jeans for 25 dollars, sweaters for 30. Maya bought a shirt for only 3. Even though we didn´t purchase much, we had a great time window shopping and trying on the occaisonal item. Again, we needed to find a bathroom. Best place to look - McDonalds. As we entered, we were both blown away by the size and the amount of people eating there. Two floors - an estimated 100 person capacity on each floor easy. Almost every table was full. There were about 5 or 6 cashiers with at least 10 people in line at each till. Madness. Looking at the prices, we saw that it was about 15 pesos for a meal - the same price as our beloved all you can eat! Later, we came across another McDonalds and bought a cup of coffee (some of the best in South America) just so we could have a place to make our sandwiches. As we were eating, a parade of Chilean Colo-Colo fans marched past chanting songs, waving flags and beating drums. We thought this to be quite brave in a Boca Juniors town. (Disagreements between opposing fans often cause fights, riots and even deaths here.) Later in the day, we found a pizza place for a quick dinner. In the front of the restaurant, there was a bar for standing and eating only. This place, like many in Argentina, charge 3 pesos for table service, so most locals, and us included, opt to stand and eat, just to save a dollar.

Headed to the game that evening with our Chilean friends. It is a good thing that we arrived at the game an hour early, because it took us a good 40 minutes to figure out how to get inside the stadium. Numerous blocked roads, no signage, ill informed police officers (who are everywhere - including the riot police with huge water canons), and different entrances depending on your seat and which team you are cheering for. After talking to about 10 police officers, we found ourselves in line and then getting patted down. Again they took away our water and also our hand sanitizer. They also tried to confiscate Braden´s swiss army knife, but Braden told the officer he would go put it in his car, when in fact he went behind a tree and hid it in his shoe. Back through the security check - with a good long look at Braden´s liquid glasses cleaner - was it a bomb? - and we were through. Minutes later, we found out that we had just gone through the area reserved for the visiting fans! Back out into the streets to find our real entrance. (We think part of the problem might have been the Chilean accents of our friends.) We finally found our gate with no security check, got inside, couldnt find our seats so sat in the best possible.

The game was incredible. The stands were packed - 45,000 people. Huge flags and signs flew everywhere. A band continuously led the crowd in chants and song. From the limited Spanish we know, we heard that much of the chants were insults at the opposition. (It sounds nice in Spanish though.) Early on in the game, Boca Juniors got a red card. Soon after, Colo-Colo scored, and then Boca Juniors missed a penalty shot. However, in the end, Boca Juniors won 4-3. It was a very exciting game. As the fans chanted, they were usually on their feet and throwing their arms about wildly and jumping around. This caused the concrete stands to shake and tremble - not very reassuring. After the game was over we made it home after struggling for about an hour to catch a taxi. Better go before this computer freezes. Will write more about BA and catch up on Patagonia when we arrive in Uyuni on the 8th after our 4 day Salt Flat tour.

Missing you lots. Lots of love!

Maya and Braden.

xoxoxo.