While this instalment comes after only 48 - 72 hrs since we left Australia, we have already successfully experienced much of the local culture, food and sport in Argentina which has only strengthened our intentions to see much more.

Day 1 - Buenos Aires aka BA

First of all we can't go past writing about the flight... all I can say is premium economy rocks! We were greeted with some champagne as we nestled into our super comfy seats that reclined pretty much all the way down to a flat bed. Do I need to say any more? After a movie and some lunch that consisted of real food with fresh salad on the side, we lay our heads down and slept for a few hours, Mia aided by some tablets that seemed to make her sleep better, and Brendan by a few stiff Bundy and Cokes.We woke to the most spectacular sunrise over the Andes which was a fantastic way to further wet the appetite of adventure. Snow capped mountains peaking through the fluffy white carpet of clouds with a fire in the sky behind them, the tips of the mountains were stained orange and the colours were changing so slowly before our eyes, we both stared out the plane window for the next hour.The Andes were so high that they rose above the clouds making the mountain peaks look as though they were individual islands rather than part of a major mountain range. The flight was over before we knew it, the easiest 12 and a half hours ever spent in a plane. This part of the trip may well have represented the end of luxury for the next 5 months ... time will tell.

We arrived around lunch time on Sat 24th. After a very warm welcome to the hostel, we were shown to our room where we threw our bags down, packed our day pack and headed straight out.After an enormous meal from a local Peruvian restaurant (yes we appreciate the fact that we are not yet in Peru but thought we would get a head start) round the corner, we had our first lesson in food; one meal between us is enough. We headed outside in the refreshing crisp air to walk the streets of BA to an area called Recoleta and watch the Portenos' (local term for Buenos Aires residents) strut their stuff on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Recoleta is one of the more affluent areas of BA with streets filled with cafes beneath leafy trees and boutique shops. Recoleta is also the home of Cementerio de la Recoleta (Recoleta Cemetery) which is the resting place of many of the famous and elite Argentineans including Eva Peron; the woman who is remembered by most as being the woman who delivered to the world that painful, bordering on excruciating song during the movie Evita. Brendan was also informed that she also did plenty of charity work and helped to lead the Women's Rights campaign in Argentina.

We entered the cemetery and were immediately overwhelmed with the size and detail of some of these graves/crypts. Some were up to seven levels deep, with very narrow and steep stairs leading down to the different shelves where the wooden coffins sat. Whole families lay together and the remaining family members were responsible for the maintenance of these marble/stone and steel houses. Some of the crypts had intricate detail, white stone statues, family plaques, fresh flowers, while others had crumbling walls, smashed glass and iron or steel gates locked by flimsy padlocks. I will let you be the judge as to how each respective family may be using the inheritance. You could look in and see many coffins that lay less than a metre away from you, a little eerie to start. With the many narrow stone lanes that just kept going and going, this place was enormous. We were both more into life, so in fear of potentially being there so long that we ended up as part of the tour, we decided to move onto something a little more lively.

We walked outside and headed straight to the colourful markets. There was the smell of peanuts, incense and leather and the sound of very fast Spanish and acoustic guitar where it was determined that Brendan's only bit of guitar i.e Introduction to Nirvana's About a Girl wouldn't cut it. Colourful paintings were everywhere with each artist determined that their work was the best there. After a wander through and being tempted by many things to buy we started the long walk home. We got back to the hostel and collapsed for about 3hrs to recharge the batteries.

When we woke, we contemplated staying in bed and just sleeping but then we quickly remembered it was Saturday night in Buenos Aires, we were going out. After a shower and a clean pair of clothes, we were back and ready to head out. We got a few recommendations of places to go for a steak so we were set. After a 20min walk down another cobble stone street we arrived at a restaurant called La Desnivel, a very busy parilla or steak house. We walked in and there was a guy standing at a huge 3 meter long grill surrounded by more types of meat than I would like to admit existed.Some of the cuts certainly rated very highly on Mia's "Mystery Meats" scale. We took our seat and Brendan, being the man, went up to the grill to suss out the meat and talk shop with the head BBQ bloke. Returning not really knowing what he ordered but convinced it would be good. Just to be safe Mia ordered mashed potato and pumpkin and a salad to share as well as the house Red. Soon arrived our steak, a sausage and a round delicious piece of grilled something which turned out to be provolone cheese. With an interesting salsa thing on the side we were soon in food heaven. The flavour of the steak was amazing and it was perfectly cooked. It was bigger than any steak you get from the Norman or Brekky Creek Hotels, tastier than Cha Cha Cha, and sharing one turned out to be the right choice. I couldn't fault the mash either and the red wine was beautiful and cost all of nothing. Everything was just awesome. We devoured our meal and then with a recommendation from the couple a few tables over, we ordered the tarantella (not tarantula) for dessert. A very sweet and interesting thing with apple and a custard liqueur base. We were now ready to make the SLOW walk home. What a way to start the first day of our 5 months away.