Hi

Ok, I take back what I said yesterday.. Today I walked around and got to see a very different Buenos Aires. When I wrote yesterday I had only been to the bank and back, and the streets were literally bare but then in the afternoon I walked around this area - San Telmo - and had a look at the antiques market, which was amazing, so much jewellery, vintage handbags and shoes I could have happily bought but I restrained msyelf. I also walked down to the area by the river called Puerto Madero which is a new developement basically. Lined with nice cafes and restaurants etc.

I'm going to say it once and then not again cos it's probably quite rude.. but its really cheap here, there's about 5 pesos to the pound and to put it in perspective I bought 2 pairs of sunglasses today for 50 pesos.

Anyway, today I basically walked the length of BA! From the hostel in San Telmo, down to the shopping precinct in Florida street, then the long way to Recoleta, bypassing a book store I had to go to (thanks for the tip Fran) that is housed in a big old theatre. In recoleta I went to the famous cemetary there and saw where Evita is buried. To be honest, the whole place is a bit grim, and at I felt a bit queasy. Its all massive big mausoleums side by side and you can see the coffins in lots of them. Evita's wasn't that spectular but I took a pic anyway..

Then I walked back home through the leafy streets of Recoleta, back through the city and then to the hostel. So I basically walked for 6 hours. It's quite a strange city - people call it the Paris of South America.. but it's a combination of beautiful old buildings, but lots of them are really dirty and not in good condition, office blocks and other buildings. And its's quite dirty which is to be expected I guess. After my walking in thongs today, the soles of my feet, ankles and back of my legs were covered in grease and dirt and I had to scrub them in the shower! The men beep and yell things out to you when you walk past, but thanks to Cynthia, I wasn't too surprised cos you warned me about that before I left! Also - it's only old guys that do it, where are all the good-looking young ones?! Speaking of men, they all seem to be wearing Davidoff Cool Water!? Seriously walked past about 6 who i could smell it on.

But on the upside, there are some seriously good pastries here! Yesterday I tried empanadas, really delicious. And there's the fabulous place near me that has amazing pastries of all kinds. Little biscuits filled with dulche de leche (almost like spreadable caramel - also got given it to have on toast this morning at breakfast, hmmm.. taste those calories!) churros, and danishes and so many other things - I have to say I think they're better than ones in Paris.

I think I'll have another early night tonight, I had 12 hours sleep last night and still had the most horrendous bags under my eyes, and my whole body is aching from the walking.

xx

p.s photos from Switzerland and Manchester in the albums