Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city. So much class and colour in the distinctive neighbourhoods, very vibrant, especially at night. The summer days were muggy and hot, which made hanging out in the shady Casa Esmeralda hostel courtyard an absolute must.

We only dared to venture out after 4pm, at which point we experienced some of the best that the city had to offer. This included a night watching a fellow hostel guest at her usual haunt, a tango club, where the dance is hot and sensuous, and with its own set of rules. We found an evening salsa class in a club which we attended with gusto, once we were properly redirected to the beginners group (thank goodness!).

Our internal clock changed dramatically in BA; a typical day was waking up at 10:45am in time for breakfast in the hostel courtyard, a leisurely start to the day with some internet and hammock time, and eventually a late dinner at 10pm. One night we left for the bar at 1am, and that was considered early by the locals! Brunch is our favorite meal of the day, and we did it up true BA style with a delicious spread at one of the many trendy breakfast restaurants catering to the post-late night crowds.

When we did venture out during the day, we went out with some friends made during our Macho Pichhu trek, who were delighted to show us around their beautiful city. We ate at one of the best and cheapest Parrilla restaurants in San Telmo, Desnivel, and strolled the streets looking at the gorgeous architecture.

Carnival was spent in BA, and we were lucky to see and dance with a Brazilian samba band at the Sunday market. We enjoyed the day eating some of the best empanadas we had in Argentina while sitting on the sidewalk people watching.




Alas, the heat and humidity won out and we cut our time in Buenos Aires short to head to beach weather in Uruguay. Surfing and camping, here we come!

Ben likes this artistic picture of our daily travel staple, nuts and dried fruit, taken at night in the hostel courtyard while waiting for the city to cool down enough for sleeping.