Buenos Aires Part Dos

So after ticking off all of the major tourist sites and resting places of famous dead people in our first week, Nicola and I had the luxury of another week. We chose to spend that time at all the places that we had fallen in love with the most. Primarily San Telmo and Palermo which are both fantastic.

Every Sunday they have an enormous flea market in San Telmo which is apparently quite famous in Argentina. We had heard good things about it so decided to go check it out (albeit with slight hangovers from a Saturday night out in Palermo.... one too many Caipirinhas for me!) The market didn't disappoint, it was amazing. It wasn't the usual souvenir rubbish you'd expect them to be offering up to Gringos. They had lots of local art stands and antique stools that had some great stuff. If it wasn't so early in the trip we would have certainly bought some stuff to bring back with us. Unfortunately our bags are heavy enough (especially when you're the one who has to carry both bags if there's a flight of stairs!)

The best part though was that they had lots of live music, and street Tango as you walked through the market which went on for miles! The atmosphere was very South American and a real highlight of our time in BA. Nicola felt particularly at home as every other stand greeted her with a picture or model of her Mum, personified in the form of a famous Argentine Cartoon character. For those who know Jeanne please google 'Mafalda Argentina' if you want a laugh....

Throughout the week we spent a lot of time enjoying the nightlife that Palermo has to offer, spoiling ourselves with some more amazing food and drink! On one particular night we had a bit of an embarrassing moment when we realised we hadn't brought enough cash out to pay the bill. This meant that, on a full stomach, I had to run about 10 blocks back to our apartment to get some more cash. Now anyone who has been to BA will understand that this is no mean feat, and no, not because of the distance. BA is home to dog loving people. In fact, they have so many dogs that there is a need for professional dog walkers! One thing they are not professional at, however, is cleaning up the mess that the dogs leave behind. This basically meant that my jog back could only be described as a high speed 'Dog Sh*t Slalom'. Luckily for me 'Biggles and Co.' have given me great practice at this whenever I venture into the garden at home. You'll be relieved to hear that I made it there and back again unscathed and the waitress got her tip!

Another great night was a Jazz night that we went to at a place called 'Notorious' that had been recommended in the Lonely Planet guide. From the outside it looked like nothing more than an old school record shop. In fact, if it wasn't for lonely planet you wouldn't have thought it a Jazz bar at all. Through the back of the shop it opened up into a great bar/restaurant venue where we saw a local group pay tribute to Billie Holiday's back catalogue. It was an awesome night and another definite highlight!

Something that has to get a mention in this blog is the metro system that they have in BA. We'd heard it was quite dangerous but in our view it was always quite a funny experience. The first thing that stands out is that there is constantly people trying to sell you something. It's rarely willingly accepted by anybody, nevertheless, they plant their merchandise firmly on your lap in the hope that you will change your mind. The only successful transactions we've seen are when little kids think they are getting something for nothing, and cry to their mum when they realise they are not. Two noticeable differences to the tube are that they have their buskers on the actual train, and also have TV screens on the platform that seem to be constantly showing Lionel Messi scoring goals for Argentina. I guess we can't do the latter in England as we need have someone who score's goals first!

Overall, another incredible week. Our days were spent by what felt like a private rooftop pool, followed by late nights soaking up the atmosphere at BA's constantly buzzing bars.

We have since taken a catamaran/bus combo over to our next destination, Montevideo in Uruguay. It was a very choppy ride across the enormous estuary of the River Plate with Nicola and I both feeling a bit green! Along with Montevideo itself, we intend to visit 'Colonia del Sacramento' and 'Punta del Este' which Nicola will have the pleasure of telling you all about in next weeks blog.

Harry & Nicola

Copa del Sh*thead scoreboard: NH 60 - 67 HF