Prior to arriving in Buenos Aires many people that we had met along the way had described Argentina as their favourite country in the world. For the first couple of days we really struggled to understand why this would be the case, the ATMs charge between £4 and £9 per transaction (if they actually have money in them at all) with a maximum withdrawal amount of £120, and most shops only take cash. On top of this the accomodation is of a much lower standard than other countries but costs more.
Our first day in Buenos Aires we decided to join a free walking tour from the National Congress to the “Pink House” (the office of the President of Argentina) in Plaza de Mayo, crossing over the world’s largest avenue. This tour told us some of the history of Argentina from it’s ruling by Spain right up to the modern day. Seemingly the reason behind many of the ATM fees was the turbulence of the banking crisis in 2002, when the Government ordered banks to close leaving the citizens unable to access their money. There is still a lack of trust of the banking system in Argentina.
The following day, feeling the effects of our walking tour, we decided to take it a bit easier. Brunch at the famous Cafe Tortoni, with the same decorations and layout for over a hundred years was followed by a tour of a privately owned archaeological museum.
The tour was lead by an Argentinean lady whose pronunciation of the English language was of the highest order and would not have been out of place in Buckingham palace. The building itself had originally been purchased to become a restaurant, however once the owner discovered the origins of the building he decided to create a museum.
Our day concluded with a visit to Plaza Dorrego where we drank Sangria and watched the tango dancers in the square. At one point an old well dressed lady came over taking a cup out of her bag and asked if she could have some of our Sangria!
By the end of the second day I was really starting to appreciate the attraction of Argentina. Buenos Aires was filled with parks, the architecture was pretty and there was a particularly relaxed atmosphere! Once you accept the ATM fees as an unavoidable cost the country itself is very attractive. If only the hostels were kept remotely clean!
Our third day started with the worst breakfast so far, two pieces of stale bread and some orange cordial. We again took a free walking tour heading from the Teatro Colon to Recoleta cemetery. On this tour we bypassed a memorial to the Argentinean people that died during the Falklands war. The guide took the time to explain that from the beginning of their education Argentinians are taught that the Falklands belongs to them, hence why it is still a particularly emotional subject.
Finishing the walk we decided to spend some time in the cemetery. There were a number of pretty mausoleums however I still find it difficult to appreciate the value of a cemetery as a tourist destination.
For lunch we found a small bakery selling empanadas for less than 50p each. These empanadas are like deep fried pasties, not particularly healthy but very delicious. Our day finished with local Ice cream that had been highlighted as a must try. It was also very delicious!
Given that our hostel was about £2 a night cheaper than the hotel across the road we decided to dump it (pun intended) and move. The difference in price was more than compensated for by the fact we got a filling breakfast and fruit for lunch! We have decided that where prices are not much different between a hotel and a hostel we will now go for the hotels as we can make our lunch at breakfast.
Sunday 25th - League cup final day! I spent all night researching bars to watch the football, with 3 in mind I was confident one would be showing the game. Knowing that there might be competition for seats we set off and hour and a half before the game. Bar number one - no longer existed. Bar number two - didn’t open until 4. Bar number three (suggested by our receptionist at the hotel) - didn’t show football at all and was half an hour walk out of our way, bloody idiot. Nearby Irish bar - showing Spanish football. Our last resort was a 30 minute bus journey to a pub called the Gibraltar. Speed walking through the streets we managed to miss just five minutes of the first half!
I got chatting to a lad at the bar who was from Bacup. He was actually a United fan but was still very friendly. He had lived in South America for 18 months previously and loved it so much he had decided to move back permanently. He had as broad an accent as they come but switched easily to Spanish. He claimed that he didn’t have an accent when he spoke Spanish. I would love to know if that was actually the case.
Leaving the bar on a high we walked through the never ending San Telmo markets and back to our hotel. That night we had a steak dinner and a local delicacy, Milanesa (essentially a giant chicken nugget). We also met up with Danny to watch the Boca Juniors game at a bar with the locals. Probably not Cara’s favourite day so far but she at least got a steak dinner.
Rising early the next day we headed to the port for a ferry to Uruguay, more specifically Colonia Del Sacramento. The ferry cost £65 each as the tickets were last minute but we were nevertheless pleased to have made it.
Colonia del Sacramento was formally a Fort with the old city gates still in place. We walked around the outskirts of the town and paid our £1 entrance fee to climb the lighthouse. There were some fantastic views from the top and we could just about make out Buenos Aires in the distance.
Taking lunch by the shore we watched the locals fishing before visiting the nearby old port, a whale skeleton and the famous ‘street of sighs’. We are not sure where the name comes from but apparently the street used to be home to some prostitutes…
Walking through the town there are many cafes, ice cream parlours and restaurants. Given that we are trying to save our money and had already had a steak dinner the day before we decided to spend our remaining time sitting/snoozing on the shore. It is a beautiful little town but 6 hours was probably an excessive time to spend there.
Both Argentina and Uruguay really are beautiful. We came to South America to tick it off the list as it is not an easy or cheap place to visit from the UK but now we would definitely like to return in the future. There is definitely an opening in the market for some cleaner more affordable hostels so maybe we should do just that.
Joe Dunleavy