Day 1
Our first day in the city was hectic but fun. I think we walked 8 hours straight taking in all of the sites and sounds. It was raining for the first half of the day but the weather got better as we walked.
Our walk began at the Plaza San Martin. It was empty of people and pretty but boring. We ended up back at the Plaza on a sunnier day and it was much better. Afterwards we went to the famous Plaza de Mayo, known for the Casa Rosado. Many protests take place on the plaza but we only saw many police standing with barricades.
Although we were tired we decided to continue to La Boca. The area has colorful houses and tango artists perform at every restaurant and on the streets.
Tip/fact: Learn to speak English at a slower pace. You meet people from all over the world in the hostels. Learn to speak Spanish for Argentinians. Few people speak English.
Day 2
The thunder was so intense it woke us up multiple times that night.
It continued to rain in the morning of our second day in Buenos Aires. We had made some hostel friends and decided to venture into the rain as a group to check out El Ateneo Centenario, an old theater that has been converted into a large bookstore. It was beautiful but we all ended up drenched from head to toe. After drying off and sipping on coffee we walked to Florida St, known for great shopping and the ideal place to exchange money on the black market. The current exchange rate for Pesos is 7.5 but through the black market you can get 11 or 12 for a dollar.
Exchanging money was one of the highlights of the day. We also happened upon Tetro Colon, a beautiful theater known for opera, before ending our day out for drinks with our new friends.
Day 3
Day three started off weird but turned out to be amazing. The day started off with Hannah saying that she wanted to spend the day sleeping because she was jet lagged and tired. I was itching to go out so I mentioned my predicament to my new friend Baptiste. We decided to go to the Recoleta Cemetery, resting place of Peron Avita and home to beautiful and elaborate tombs. It was fantastic. If it hadn't been so sunny and hot I would have spent the majority of the day there. After the cemetery, we saw the Floralis Generica sculpture in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas and cooled of in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
After walking for so many hours, all we wanted to do was take the metro back to the hostel. Yet, you need a card to get the metro and getting said card was proving difficult. We spent an hour trying to find a kiosk that sold the cards and ended up asking people on the streets for help. Finally this lovely older lady ended our suffering by taking pity and giving us her card. It was amazingly kind.
After dinner we ended up at a carnival/festival. I still have no idea what it was for and will look it up and edit this as soon as I have the time. The outfits were really colorful and sparkly, while the dancing and music were exciting. Children were spraying each other with shaving cream during the parade and celebration. I ended up walking back to the hostel covered in the white foam.
The day ended at 3 am dancing in the rain with an Israeli outside of the hostel. He taught me how to salsa. No alcohol was involved...on my part at least. I had spent the majority of the night bonding with 5 Israeli boys who had just finished their army duties.
Tip/fact: Argentinian people are incrediably friendly. Every time I took the metro or ended up looking at a map on the corner of a street there have been multiple offers of help.
Day 4
Our fourth day was spent walking around the famous San Telmo market. It was insanely busy, colorful, and overwhelming to the senses. It was fun to people watch, look at the crafts, and listen to the street performers. Afterwards, Hannah and I walked to the bus station where we bought our ticket for Sante Fe. The rest of the day was dedicated to planning our trip itinerary. For dinner we were determed to try Parillas, a meal of mixed meat cuts. It was delicous but too much food.
Tip/fact: Argentians eat around 10 pm. We always went out for dinner around 9 or 10 and the restaurants would be crowded. Any earlier and you're surrounded by tourists.
Day 5
We went to Tigre Delta, an hour train ride outside of Buenos Aires. It was a nice change of pace but it was raining for the majority of our trip. I ended up having my first Cafe Dulce de Leche while hiding from the rain. That evening we went to La Bambo del Tempo, a huge drum performance that happens at the Konex Cultural Center every Monday. The music was fantastic and we were dancing the entire time.
Tip/fact: It seems to rain every day in Buenos Aires and its not a light drizzle. I've never seen rain as heavy as I have in the few days I've been here. We learned to always have a rain coat on hand.
Day 6
Jumped on an early bus to Rosario, Sante Fe. We spent the afternoon walking around and people watching. While its a beautiful area and seems to be popular with tourists, we're planning on leaving tomorrow evening for Iguazu Falls. Although the cities have been nice, I think we're both ready to be around nature again.
Monuments nacional a la bandera (flag monument)
Tip/fact: There seems to be some weird fades in Argentina. The dread-mullet is a popular haircut. This is when you have the front of your head shaved or styled short and the back is all dreads. Its popular with both youth and business men...I don't understand.
Journal, hostel, showers
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