Hi there all. I've just spent the last few weeks in BA doing some Spanish lessons and enjoying life in a great city. I hadn't planned on going across to BA but everyone convinced me it was a `must see'. So after another 16 hours on a bus I was in a big city again. My first reasons for being here was to study a bit of Spanish which went pretty well. The other big attraction for BA is the nightlife. On my first Saturday night I headed to 'Pasha'which I'm told was the biggest club in South America. The place was huge and completely packed out (it doesn't start until about 3am). It wasn't my scene as it was full of beautiful people wearing sunglasses (funny, because it was night), drinking water and sucking on lollypops, but it was worth a look. South America as you would expect has plenty of recreational subtances available (don't worry mum, I struggle enough with Red Wine) and anything from pills to Cocaine is dirt cheap and available easily. Rather than the Cocaine, I chose a more expensive and healthier high, so four of us decided to jump out of plane. It was still dirt cheap (about AUD$200). The plane looked like it would fly and the advantage of being in SA is that they don't do all the mucking around before the jump. Just strap on your gear and up and out you go. The jump (tandem of course) was from 11,000 feet so there was a decent free-fall which I've got all on video. On the Sunday I went to my first South American soccer game. Obviously soccer (they hate you calling it that, ITS FOOTBALL!) is a religion here and every cafe or bar has it on 24 hours a day. Every half-hour you hear the famous 'Gooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllll!!! which seem to go on for about 30 seconds. The best team in Argentina (and they say the world) is arguably Boca Juniors. They are also world renouned for being the most violent supporters. Boca is a very working class area (so much so that a poor friend saw someone get shot out the front of a restaurant while she was having lunch there). The rivalry with River Plate has led to some of the most violent after game incidents in the world (I'm told over 30 people have been killed after games in recent years). The atmosphere at the game was amazing. They just sing and jump around and dance all game (the standium literally rocks). I sat in the expensive seats and didn't feel unsafe. Some not so lucky friends decided to go into the standing area (against my recomendation) and left the game at half time after losing all their hats, 2 cameras (smart move to take a camera hey), two punches to the head, and all sorts of threats. Some places in South America really aren't for 'Gringos'. The ground is surrounded by police in riot gear and the 'standing area' fans don't get let out until the other teams supporters and us Gringos get a good 30 minute head start on them. Boca is also the club of Diego Maradona and he was at the game, but a had a little incident afterward. This guy is sooooo huge here. After he went into hospital the television and streets were full of talk and concern and his hospital was surrounded by fans. Good to see, considering he's such a great role-model. The other noticable thing in BA is the poverty. With over half the population in Argentina living in poverty (so the papers say), there is obviously a lot of people doing it tough. At night there is people everywhere going through the rubbish that all the businesses and restaurants throw out looking for stuff to take to recycle and get a few pesos for. Some of the poeple on the street can get a little agressive when you walk past (throw things at you or demand to have anything in your hands) but most of them are only worried about themselves. Overall BA is a very cool city and I could see myself spending some more time here one day. The buildings are amazing with all the Colonial architecture and of course the palace that Evita told her famous speech from. As far as cities go, BA is high on my list. From here I'm headed 20 hours north to Iguazu falls on the border with Brasil. People rave about it so I'll let you know how it goes. Chao.