So, Mendoza was lovely, Crodoba was beautifully boring but Buenos Aires was superb.

So far my favourite place, this city gave us everything we needed. Matt got a shit load of Empanadas and I got to go shopping.

We stayed in San Telomo which is BA’s oldest Barrio and has cobbled streets and the most sensational architecture.

We had a market close by that sold fresh fruit and veg as well as meats, cheeses, eggs, bread and soccer jerseys. All your essentials. Matt picked up an old school Argentinian jersey for 150 peso’s (about $20), didn’t even bother bartering he was just super stoked about it.

On Sundays they have a fantastic market that runs the whole length of Defensa St (1.6km) selling amazing antiques and hand made stuff (from leather bags to friendship bracelets) including people just walking up and down selling empanadas, churros, and any other food Matt or I could possibly want. We had a 65peso Parrilla lunch (steak, chips and a coke, that’s about $8 for those playing at home) and it was better than any steak I’ve ever had in Australia, but not our best Argentinian steak.

At the markets I bought heaps; a scarf, some earrings, a hoodie, two necklaces, a ring, a little ceramic box thing, pair of old school Ray Bans (circa 1990’s, quite possibly fake) and a headband. All for under $150. Matt bought chimichuri sauce.

 

I think I could probably write a whole post that was a blow by blow account of all the food we’ve eaten but I’ll just say this; we’ve had amazing steak at dirt cheap prices, we buy beer by the litre, have had empanadas you can only dream of (they cost about $1), tried fugazetta (an onion and cheese pizza big enough to feed a family of about 10!!), ‘hot dogs’ that are chorizo that has been cooked over coals in yummy crunchy bread slathered in chimichuri sauce called ‘choripan’ as well as churros, doughnuts filled with ‘Dulce Leche’ and the worlds best halados (ice cream). Roll me to Brazil.

 

We visited the Barrio of Palermo on a drizzly day, we caught the subway there, hand on bags at all times (I’m over cautious but so far have not been pick pocketed. Touch wood.). Palermo is a slightly wealthier suburb, trees everywhere and beautiful boutique shops up and down all the streets.

We’ve visited Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada where are Evita sang to the people of Argentina from the balcony, I believe she sang ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’, followed by an encore of ‘Non, Je ne Regrette Rien’.

We went to a cool bar that’s underground in a Florist, it’s hidden and unless you knew it was there you would have thought people were walking into a fridge! (Elle, maybe a business idea?!? Secret bar???).

We also visited the famous Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried. The cemetery is unreal, with huge mausoleums for the wealthy families for BA, some relatively new (around the 60’s) and some falling down from the 1800’s. There were feral cats everywhere which added to the eeriness of the cemetery!

I will mention one meal we had specifically though. Matt found this hole in the wall place, that was filthy and consisted of a giant grill (full of different meats) and a few bar stools against a wall covered in yellowing notes written on hundreds if different bits of paper, napkins and news clippings. We ordered a Choripan each and, of course, a litre of beer. Matt gets to chatting to the guy in his limited Spanish and the guys limited English and discovers one of the meats on the grill is Pork. Matts favourite. So he orders the pork in a roll. The meal was sensational! The guy keeps giving us bits of meat off the chunks on the grill to try and after, when our bill was tallied up, it totalled about $6. We tipped him 100% and he shook our hands. It. Was. Delicious. We went back again the nest night. And then the best day for lunch!!!!

 

 

We also visited the zoo where the highlight was this weird sort of ant eater animals schlong. It was weird. 

 

We spent the last fee days wandering around before we boarded a bus for Iguazu Falls. A 17 hour bus. Which is where I will leave you for now! And take up our story again at the falls!!

Adios Argentina! Don’t cry for me, we’ll cry for you!!