Buenos Aires: The First Glimpse of the Southern Hemisphere 12th - 19th February

The sweltering humid heat that welcomed us off the plane was big shock after the bitter cold of NY. A taxi whipped us off to Palermo - a better neighbourhood could not be adopted for a week in BA. It’s tree-lined streets feature an eclectic mix of fancy boutiques and shops, bars and restaurants, on every corner and street, and our flat was situated right in the middle of it all.

Our excellent choice of location meant there were an excess of temptations right on our doorstep. Indeed on Valentine’s Day, a bottle of Argentinian cava in our flat was followed by a delicious, succulent beefy meal and another bottle of fabulous Argentinian wine (Malbec Altas las Hormigas) at Bar Uriarte across the road, after which we thought a brandy on the opposite corner would be an excellent way to finish off the night. However, the generous Argentine measures finished us off a bit more than we anticipated and killed any plans for the following day. Other delights experienced in our newly-beloved Palermo were a GBP3/US$6 legwax (less than 10% of what it costs back in UK), albeit being one of the most painful ever encountered. Less fortunate was the GBP10/US$20 haircut (a complete rip off by local standards), the results of which were quite distressing on peering in the mirror first thing in the morning (a messy mop of long and short hair in a kind of triangular shape). A few random hacks with a pair of nail scissors made the hairstyle somewhat more manageable although aesthetically not much more pleasing.

We were very pleased not to be staying in the centre of BA, which was heavily polluted, noisy and extremely chaotic, and therefore extremely hot. This part of town we saved for the weekend, and especially enjoyed exploring San Telmo, the most historic part, full of quirky antique shops, an even more bohemian market on Sunday, and French and Italian architecture (apparently due to post-colonial resentment of the Spanish). In this barrio we managed to rent a couple of bikes to get a proper tour of the city and its parks. From our bikes, we got our first glimpse of the Rio de la Plata - its very muddy brown hue renders its name ‘Silver River’ a whopping misnomer, and there was no temptation for a paddle, despite the repressing heat of the sun. Various monuments to those who gave their lives to Las Malvinas/the Falklands Islands were encountered. Especially grand was the cenotaph in Plaza San Martin, with two traditionally-attired and disciplined guards watching over it (who must have been suffering unbearably in the blazing sun). From various snippets of radio and newspaper, we get the impression that Margaret Thatcher is not the most popular character around these parts. Needless to say, look at any map of Argentina and you’ll see that Las Malvinas are present, and marked as part of Argentina.

Having spotted a poster advertising a free concert in Parque Lezana headlined by a band called Las Bicicletas, we decided that would be Saturday night’s entertainment. After a couple of refreshing beers, we turned up with the local kids to catch some of the local indie vibe. We weren’t overly impressed with the first support band, ‘No lo soporto’, an all female spikey art-rock combo, and skipped the second one to get more liquid refreshments, but Las Bicicletas were more than worth the admission price with their catchy tunes and dancy beats.

Possibly one of the more harrowing aspects of the city was travelling on the subte (metro/underground/subway). The hot, sweaty, claustrophobic journeys are almost continuously punctuated by pedlars and beggars. If you weren’t having trinkets dropped in your lap, you were listening to various monologues imploring people for money. Sadly these included a heavily scarred woman trying to collect enough money for operations to rectify her badly burnt face and body, and others who were severely handicapped.

When strolling around this great city, it’s imperative to be on the look out as Buenos Aires is matched only by Seville in the quantity of dog poo to be found lining the streets. Indeed, it was disappointing to find that public toilets are sometimes treated with a similar level of respect, two unfortunate habits the Argentines have not yet managed to wipe out in their efforts to distance themselves from their colonial ancestors.

Despite the drawbacks, however, we enjoyed a very thrilling week in this most vibrant of cities, and are thoroughly looking forward to coming back in May.

Recommended after this visit:
Bici Naranja for rental bikes (San Telmo)
Bouchon - good value French restaurant for lunch (Microcentro)
Bar Uriarte (Argentinian - Palermo)
Bar Vain - funky bar (Palermo)
Antares - Brewery (Palermo)
Berberer - Moroccan restaurant (Palermo)
La Cabrera (never actually got there but meat and accompanying sauces look good and is apparently most popular restaurant in BA at the moment) and our first stop when we go back
Most Cinemas, which show all but kids’ films in versión original with subtitles

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