Buenos Aires

Sadly we are currently on a very long bus ride, driving out of Buenos Aires. This will be the first of many long bus rides as we endeavour to explore Brazil. This trip to Iguazu Falls is twenty hours (yes 20 hours!) and is so far to be prooving hard (1 hour in). We paid a touch extra for seats that recline to 160 degrees to ensure a better nights sleep. However, we are stuck at the back where the air conditioning unit is prooving to be uncomfortably noisy and the movie playing is only in Spanish. Time to bring out my trusty ear plugs. By the way, as I am writing this, the lights have been turned off and the overhead light doesn't reach Ed's seat so he is now reading by torchlight. He is feeling very unhappy and disgruntled about his seat!

The last 12 days spent in Buenos Aires have been fantastic. The city has a very European feel to it and feels much more modern than the other parts of South America we have visited. It has been a great spot to stop for a while and catch up on some sleep. We were quite lazy during our stay and didn't rush around seeing lots of the sights. Though as the guide book points out, experiencing Buenos Aires is about living like a local... long cups of coffee in the morning, late dinners in the evening followed by vinos and dancing.



This is Ed eating an empanada (pastry filled with meat and vegies) at the San Telmo market.

Buenos Aires is broken into several barrios (basically suburbs) and we really enjoyed wondering the streets of different areas whilst of course sampling the food. My favourite area was Palermo, full of trendy beautiful people, houses and cafes. It reminded me a lot of Paddington and Surry Hills in Sydney. The streets are cobblestoned and lined with beautiful trees.














The only thing I have to say that I didn't enjoy was the dog poo. It seems there is no rule here about picking up after your dog. For someone like me who tends to wonder with my eyes glued on everything but the ground, this can be troublesome. Luckily, I am married to Edward who is always ready to hurridly move me out of the way of any upcoming dog poo. I only stepped in some once the whole time!

The other small incident worth mentioning from our time in Buenos Aires is my decision to get my fringe trimmed. This is a warning to other potential travellers wanting hair cuts where English is not the language spoken: Cut your hair yourself. I am too embarrassed to show a picture here, but look closely in the future and you may happen to see the problem. My fringe looks a little straight, like someone stuck a bowl on my head and cut the fringe. Mum, you have no reason to feel bad about the trim you gave me last year as you could make a fabuous hairdresser at this salon in Buenos Aires.


This is me sporting my new hat to hide my fringe. Not to mention we have spent weeks looking for the perfect hat for me.

I also forgot to mention the tango show we went to. Fabulous muscians, entertaining singing and great dancing in one of the oldest tango clubs in
BA. A great experience that makes you really cherish your travel experience.













One last thought before I recline in my 160 degree recliner - dulce leche is suberb. The argentians like this sweet caramel sauce on bread, in desserts, in ice-cream and it can be found anywhere. It is almost as addictive as the bon bon chocolates! It is actually a good thing we are leaving Argentina soon as I am developing several bad addictions that are leading to a pot belly I never knew I was capable of growing!

Location:About 2 hours north of BA on a noisy, smelly bus.