A 14 hr bus ride, Denzel Washington's redemption in "Flight" and a massacre of bugs on the windscreen of our bus and we arrived in BA. Side note, it was very difficult to enjoy drinkies on the long bus ride as a) the red wine was chilled - yuk, and b) the hostess filled the glasses up so much that every bump in the road resulted in serious spillage or a narrow but stressful miss.

BA - what can I say? Unlike it's mellow little sister Mendoza, BA is hyper and possibly a little mad! B and I agree that BA offers up some of the highest highs and lowest lows. You've got to love it's charm and pace until it kicks you in the nads and steals your wallet and dignity.

The Highs

1. The 24 hr buzz. You gotta catch zzzs when you can get them cause there isn't really a down time in BA. After busy days exploring the sights, a nap is required before dinner and then bar hopping. No matter what day of the week, there are people out partying. Last night, Monday night, B and I went to a gig in what looked like a derelict car yard. There was a queue out the front when we arrived and the bar inside was shoulder to shoulder!! Btw, the gig was awesome - mostly drumming with some tracks with vocals, bass or beats over the top. We also got delicious empanadas at the bar. In fact, since I was ordering the food at the bar and B the drinks, by the time I was up there for our third order, the bartender asked me if I was smoking the marijuana.

2. Markets galore. On the weekends, there are kilometers of markets to explore selling anything from what looks like stolen headphones to antique nicnacs to local made crafts to imitation handbags and clothes. At the Recoleta market, we broke up our browsing sitting on the grassy hill listening to live folk music and eating chorizo in bread with lots of chilli sauce! We also strolled through the nearby cemetery where gravestones are as tall as surrounding buildings and often house their own chapel. Eavesdropping on a tour we learnt that the height of the crypt was used as a symbol of wealth.

3. The Opera! Yes, we got tickets to see Verdi´s "Un Ballo in Maschera" at the Teatro Colon, which I heard was one of the best places in the world to see an opera. And I loved it! Brent said he wasn´t sold on opera. The theatre is a magnificent, old building in the city centre of Buenos Aires. Because we booked at the last minute we had to fork out for some expeno seats in a balcony stall we shared with four other people. It was challenging to understand the story line as the singing was in italian and the surtitles in spanish, but we got the gist. And the music was incredible! One of the ladies informed me that the female lead was the most famous opera singer in Argentina - Virginia Tola.

4. Our awesome airbnb apartment in Palermo which had a pool, gym, spa and sauna, and was in a perfect spot for exploring, bar hoping and most important, feeling safe! BA was stinking hot so the pool was heaven during the day and heated at night for those late night swims. We spent one stormy night sitting on our balcony drinking wine and planning our next stops - a welcome change from hostel living. I also managed to get my second middle eastern cuisine fix a short stroll from our place at a really popular (based on the crowd of people waiting outside and the hour wait for table) restaurant called Sarkis. While we were waiting we popped into a bar called Mundo Bizarro and had the most amazing cocktails - mine had pisco and malbec in it! I must admit, after two, I was pretty drunk and at dinner, with another bottle of wine, I was very very merry. Brent let me order and I pretty much cleaned up our entrees of kibbi nayeh, sardines and tabouleh alone! I was waiting for a belly dancer to come out, but one never did. Oh and while I´m on food, I must mention two amazing cafes that we went to - Oui Oui (a french brunch cafe with the yummiest french cakes) and Bio (an organic vegetarian restaurant where I had the most delicious quinoa risotto dish with creamy goats cheese all through it).

The Lows

So you´re probably thinking it´s hard to come down from such highs, but there is definitely a dodgy undercurrent in BA. A peruvian waiter at a restaurant called Chan Chan made some insightful comments about the "real" BA. Outside an imaginary line bordering the suburbs mentioned in the guidebooks, he suggested that BA was covered with the poorest ghettos and none of the European architect or grandeur you find in the centre. The Government has prohibited access to foreign currencies within the country in an effort to keep tourism within the country. As a result, the currency has deflated but cost of living has increased and many Argentinians are trapped within the borders and resort to the "blue market" to obtain American dollars which can hold their value.

Even within the imaginary line, there is a lot of poverty, the streets are lined with garbage and we felt unsafe in some places we went. We had a lot of trouble obtaining money as not many places took credit, there were few ATMs that worked, and of them, even fewer recognised my 28 degrees travel card, and we could only take out a small amount of money at a time and pay a huge fee for every transaction. After dinner at Chan Chan we went in search of an ATM and would have tried no fewer than 20 and got the fright of my life when I walked into the lobby area of one bank and there was a naked woman cleaning herself with diapers. We also encountered a disproportionate number of people with really nasty injuries, homeless persons and drunks/addicts.

After a few stacks in the streets (the pavement is really uneven and after a few drinks... although the Argentinians seem to manage fine and in heels!) and being hustled on more than one occasion, we still made it out alive! And for the most part, I think BA has got a lot to offer and I would definitely come back.