Buenos Aires - Part II

Day 7: Second Free walking tour and Japanese Restaurant   

That Tuesday was again a very hot day. They were announcing temperature of 38°C in the middle of the afternoon. We stayed in for a bit but then went out to San Telmo where Roxana had seen some things on Sunday that she would like to buy. We went in those antique stores and sure enough she found the hand bags that had caught her attention. We left the store with three of those leather bags, each of a different size.

Then we sat down in a very old bar to quench our thirst and have a bite. The bar was left untouched since several decades and had a “belle époque” style to it.

Itadakimasu! 

We joined our second free walking tour that afternoon and went through some of the most exclusive areas of Buenos Aires. The city was one of the wealthiest in the world in the early 20^th century and a few very rich families started building private residences, some of which 10.000m² they called palaces. They wanted the city to look like Paris. They even built streets and squares to that purpose and imported building material directly from Europe. It was both entertaining and eye opening.

That evening we fancied something a bit different and we went to a Japanese restaurant. We had some great Sashimis, Niguiri Sushis and Makis. After that great dinner we lazily strolled back home.

Day 8 : La Boca!

That day was going to be a relaxed one. We took a bus to the (in)famous neighbourhood of La Boca. This was the first port of Buenos Aires (BA has three ports nowadays) and it has a bit of a bad reputation. But there are a couple of very touristy streets where all the houses and stores are painted in bright colours and where there are tango dancers all day long.

Obviously we could not be at La Boca without going to the Boca Juniors football club. This is one of the clubs in the world that has won the most titles, at national, continental (Copa Libertadores) and world level (Intercontinental Cup). 

"God" is never too far

La Bombonera - Boca Jr stadium

Legends like Maradona, Batistuta and nowadays Riquelme have worn the famous Blue and Yellow shirt. The story of this jersey is actually interesting: when they had to choose its colours, they said that they would adopt the colours of the flag of the first boat that would come through the port. The first boat that came in the port that day was a Swedish boat! The colours of Boca have been Blue and Yellow ever since ... 

Day 9 : Puerto Madero and BBQ

Cheers to a great evening

We went to the newly refurbished Puerto Madero to see how one of the oldest part of town has been transformed into an ultra modern jet set kind of “place-to-be”. Unfortunately we had to rush back home when I realised that I had been pick-pocketed. So after making all the phone calls to cancel the credit cards we were in no mood to do some more sight seeing.

Fortunately that evening we were invited to Will and Archanna’s place for a BBQ and that was just what we needed to get our minds off that bad experience. The BBQ, which was prepared by Tiago, was excellent. We were on the roof of the building and Will insisted that we should finish a bottle of vodka and obviously some of us ended up in the pool.    

Day 10 : Shopping and Milonga

They glide effortlessly across the dance floor

I decided not to do much that day and Roxana went out to do some shopping. She got quite a few of the things she was looking for. She came back home with quite a few shopping items and a big smile on her face.

That evening we went to a Milonga place that had been recommended by the Danish friends we met on Easter Islands. It was a big dance ballroom filled with locals. People came to have a good time and dance all night long. We enjoyed that a lot.  

Day 11: The Pink House, Japanese garden and MALBA museum

One of the Salons of the Pink House

On our penultimate day in Buenos Aires we went to visit the Presidential Palace which is this pink building on Plaza de Mayo. The visit was really interesting and we could visit the rooms where the presidents have their meetings and make their speeches. We saw the balcony from which Eva Peron addressed the crowd and the other balcony where Maradonna and his world champion team saluted the joy drunken crowds in 1986.

A stark contrast with the surroundings

Then that we went to the Japanese Garden close by. It was a neat beautiful garden with little ponds, fish and bonsais and everything. It was very refreshing to get away for a short time from this very busy metropolis.  

After that we went to the MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) museum. It was a great modern art museum showing the evolution of Latin American Art since early 20^th century. We really enjoyed the vivid colours and patterns in the temporary exhibition.

The MALBA Museum was a pleasant surprise

That evening Roxana found a great restaurant for our last dinner in town. It was very cosy and the food was wonderful. We had what might be our last steaks in Argentina and we thoroughly enjoyed them!

A very well hidden venue with live music

After that we went to a live music concert close to our place. This bar was really in a residential area and would be impossible to simply stumble upon. The place was quite small but looked very nice. We were the only foreigners in there and really enjoyed the concert.  

Day 12: Last Day

We woke up on our last day a little bit depressed. We really loved Buenos Aires. This is the longest we had stayed in the same place and we had done so much. We enjoyed everything: the culture, the music, the sightseeing, the food, the friends, everything really.

So on that last day we simply went into town a little bit to a couple of places we wanted to see one last time and then headed back home. We packed our bags and headed to the bus station in Retiro. 

Pictures of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires - Part I

Day 1: Settling in and Book Store

Libreria Ateneo set in an early 20th century theatre

After the great year end in San Martin de los Andes we arrived in Buenos Aires. We had planned to stay in the country’s capital for just under two weeks and we were very much looking forward to it.

On our first day there we got ourselves some grocery to enjoy a quiet relaxing time in Cecilia’s family apartment. The area was very nice with a lot of small bars and restaurants and a little park. We had a nice lunch at the corner snack and went to look for a book in one of the most beautiful book store I’ve ever seen. It is actually a converted theatre with books everywhere from the ground floor to the second level. They kept the whole interior completely untouched and it was beautiful.

Day 2: Free Walking Tour

Café Tortoni downtown

On our second day in Buenos Aires we took one of the two free walking tours of the city. It was great and our guide Virginia explained the history and politics of this relatively young country with a very fresh youthful view. She is herself a Porteña, that is a native from Buenos Aires, and she keenly made us discover her city.

After the tour we actually went back to one of the cafés we had seen earlier. A huge queue of people was waiting to get in. It looked like the front door of a busy nightclub a Saturday night. The Café Tortoni is the oldest in Buenos Aires and it has a special status of “Recognized Cultural Establishments of Buenos Aires” by the Argentinian government.

After that we went to the Cathedral where the body of the great liberator, José de San Martin rests.  (Wikipedia San Martin). Later that day we met up with Will and Archanna who were also staying in Buenos Aires for a 6 weeks break. We had a few close in a very nice neighbourhood and then parted company around 1a.m. as we had an early rise the next day.

The Mausoleum of José de San Martin

Day 3 : Kevin Johansen Concert in Mar del Plata

Kevin Johansen and his illustrator friend

We have been trying to go to a concert of Kevin Johansen ever since we came to South America. We have been fans of his music for years now and this American born Argentinian singer was on our “to-do” list. The problem is that we’ve missed him by a few days on two occasions already in Lima and in Buenos Aires. We had even considered taking flights and changing our itinerary just to go to one of his concerts.

We had pretty much given up when Roxana found out that he was performing in Mar del Plata early January when we would be in Buenos Aires. As Mar del Plata is “only” a 5-hour bus trip away we got on the bus and went there. This seaside resort is a very popular destination catering mainly for the Buenos Aires crowd. When we got there we went straight to the ticket office to procure ourselves the holy grail. We had some dinner in a very nice place and went to the concert.

Live illustrations of the songs

The venue was a very nice and cosy bar-club-concert hall called Abbey Road in honour of the Beatles. It was very intimate as only 400 people could attend the concert. Kevin Johansen is a great performer and he constantly interacted with the public. His partner on stage was a comic strip illustrator and he was drawing away as Kevin was playing the guitar and singing.

It was very original, especially when they made paper planes with the drawings and threw them in the crowd. After the concert we went back to the bus station and got on the 2.30a.m. bus back to Buenos Aires. We got there and 8 in the morning and were in bed for 9.

Day 4: Cemetery and Tango Show

When we woke up at in the afternoon we took it easy and had a lazy breakfast. Then we left home to go to the Cemetery where most of the great names of Argentinian history are buried. It is the Argentinian “Père Lachaise” if you will. We went there like most tourists to see the Mausoleum of Eva Peron (Evita). (Wikipedia Evita).

After this we walked through the small artisans market that was set up around the cemetery and we bumped into Will and Archanna. We had a look at the stalls. There were some nice things although most of these were generic stuff we had come across all over South America, only it was more expensive here!

Spectacular tango show

We agreed to meet up with them the following day at the huge San Telmo Sunday market. That evening we booked the Tango show that Will and Archanna had been to. It was the Homero Manzi show and it was breathtaking. They even had a pick up and drop off chauffeur service which made it even better.

The show was excellent and we had a very good table. The venue was probably 90% full of tourists. Out of those my guess is that about half of them were Brazilians! You could eat during the show that started at 10.30pm but we opted not to as we had already had a bite at home. The dancers were very talented and the choreography was exquisite. We had a great evening out.

Day 5 : San Telmo market

A sea of locals and tourists alike

It was again one of those extremely hot days in Buenos Aires. The mercury had stayed around 30°C through the night and at 9am it was already 33°C. We went to the San Telmo market to meet up with Will and Archanna and their Portuguese friends Tiago and Livia. There also was a girl from Barcelona, Marta, who was living in Buenos Aires for 6 months.

We met around a very busy square where we had a few cold beers and lunch. The food was plentiful and the chips were actually very good. There was a tango demonstration going on in the bar while we were enjoying our food. It was fun to watch but too hot inside.

We then browsed the streets in search of a few items to buy. We did not have anything in particular in mind but enjoyed the atmosphere there. It was very packed. Thousands of tourists and locals gather at this Sunday market to find the rare piece of decoration or vintage clothing.

Tiago haggling over the price of this rare piece

Tiago and Livia were looking for something in particular: a glass Syphon. Those things are really hard to come by in Europe. They were very popular at the beginning of the 20^th century but very few remain today as during the great depression that hit Argentina hard, people were selling the glass and the metal to get some money. One of those in good condition would fetch about 30€ here and might be 4 to 5 times more expensive in Europe.

That evening we wanted to go to the Planetarium in one of the big parks in town. They have this open door every Sunday to promote Astronomy amongst members of the public. The moon was full and bright and we were relishing the prospect of seeing its seas and craters through the telescopes. But then, only 2 minutes before it was our turn, they stopped looking at the moon as it had risen behind the planetarium and out of sight. They had turned it towards Jupiter which we had seen with much better telescopes in San Pedro de Atacama. It was a bit of a disappointment. After that we went back to Will and Archanna’s apartment on their bikes and had a very nice dinner there.

Beautiful evening to be star gazing at the planetarium

Day 6: Shopping and dinner in nice meat restaurant

Ready to attack!

Roxana went out to do some shopping while I stayed in the apartment. I was not tempted to go out at all because of the heat. I caught up with some admin work and waited for Javier who was coming back from Cipolletti. When he arrived, we had a quick lunch together.

In the evening we met up again with the gang of friends and went out to Las Cholas, a steak restaurant in San Telmo where the portions are huge and the bill very small. We had a Bife de Chorizo with chips and veggies to share between Roxana and I and it was plenty!

Trendy bar downtown

All photos of Buenos Aires

San Martin de los Andes

The beautiful lake calls for water sports 

We went to San Martin de los Andes to spend the New Year’s Eve. Juane’s family invited us to their traditional family gathering to welcome the new year. San Martin is a beautiful little town bordering a magnificent lake and green mountains.  

We packed three cars and got their after driving for 5hrs. I must say it was a rather easy trip for me as I slept most of the way. I was “out-slept” only by Pedrito, Cecilia’s 45 day old baby boy! When we got there and unloaded the cars it became pretty obvious what we were going to do during the four days: eat and drink!

Roxana and Marcelo by the pool

Two fridges were soon filled with kilos of beef, pork, sausage, a lamb, beers, wines and all kinds of beverages. We admired the view from our chalets and some of us hit the swimming pool immediately. Sadly it was covered because this region also has been badly hit by the volcanic ashes from the Chilean volcano.

During the course of the following 4 we had a great time sitting around the table while Juane’s dad would grill us some meat while his boys would prepare the “entrée” of cheese, smoked ham and beer. Juane’s dad takes his BBQ very seriously and he makes an amazing asado. This meat was juicy and delicious.

It's difficult to put into words how good the meat is here!

Around the table enjoying the aperitivo

Beautiful clear water

We also went to a couple of extraordinary places by the lake side where we swam and chatted. We sat down on the beach and shared maté and cakes. The atmosphere was excellent and I could really relate to this as it was just like in Mauritius at this time of the year. Surrounded by family and simple pleasures.

The two little girls who were the nieces of Juane, Valentina and Lucy, were so cute too. They were really  having a ball with the grown ups and it was fun listening to them converse.

Diving in!

Home made pizza - Pablo on the left and Marcos on the right 

New Year’s eve was spent at home. Marcos, Juane’s brother in law who’s taken a liking to cooking bread and pizzas had us buy all the ingredients at the supermarket. He slaved around the kitchen all day long making the pizza paste. In the evening he expertly prepared the different ingredients and with the help of Pablo started baking these delicious home made pizzas.

When midnight arrived we simply raised our glasses and toasted to the new year. It was a very nice feeling of family that prevailed as we all embraced each other. We were indeed very fortunate to be spending this special moment with such loving people.

The town put on a great fireworks show

At around 1.30am some of us hopped into the cars to go to the lake side to watch the great fireworks show. It looked like the whole town had gathered to watch this spectacle. The show started soon afterwards and we all, big and small, marveled at the beauty of these fireworks. 

Pedrito is happy! 

The girls are enjoying themselves

Juan El Asador "Juan the Griller"

The following day was the first day of 2012. Juane’s dad was on deck as he was preparing the 10kg lamb. The back, ribs and filet were on the BBQ. We sat down in the little dependency as he explained how best to prepare the lamb. When it was time to eat I was taken aback by how good it was. Later that day Gonzalo and Santiago, two brothers of Cecilia also came to pay us a visit and they stayed for dinner.

The Cordero Patagonico was exquisite

When it came time to leave we were sad and did not really know what to say. We had spent a wonderful time in the company of all these people and now it was time to hit the road again. Destination Buenos Aires.

More pictures of San Martin De Los Andes

Mensaje a todos en Cipolletti :

Hola amigos de Cipolletti! Queriamos decirles muchas gracias a todos por su hospitalidad y su amabilidad. Fue un gran placer conocerles a todos y pasar las fiestas con vosotros. Nos sentimos como en casa, parteneciendo a la familia. 

Un abrazo grande, Roxana y Kevin 

Cipolletti

The Asado being prepared - that's a dream start

We finally arrived in Cipolletti after 4½ months of travel. This quaint little town in the north of Patagonia is not in the tourist guide books. But we came here to visit our friend Cecilia, with whom we became close friends in Brussels in 2004/2005. We have been planning this trip to South America for a long time and to cut a long story short Cecilia has had her part to play in us coming here on this continent in more ways than one...

Cecilia, Juane and newly born Pedrito (Pedro) welcomed us at the bus station. We were given a couple of hours to settle in before the party started! That very evening we had our first dinner with Cecilia’s brothers and her father at the end of year party of the family business. Asado was on the menu, no surprise there. We ate and drunk and caught up a little bit before going to bed after a long day of travelling and partying.

From L to R : Jessica, Cecilia holding Pedrito, Kevin and Roxana

Juane poking the hot ashes - meat, chicken and sausage BBQ 

The following days were spent doing mostly the same thing: more partying, more food and drinks and more amusement. We went to a nice dinner at one of Juane's football buddies, Christian and his wife Veronica.  Juanes’ brothers Marcelo and Pablo are great fun too and we enjoyed a few good ribs at home when the man of the house, Juane, expertly prepared grilled beef, chicken, chorizo and morcilla (boudin noir/blood sausage) for us. Again beer and wine were readily available and enjoyed cold.

Pedrito and his dad - what a cutie, cachetón ! 

During the day nothing much could be done as the heat was simply overwhelming, going above 40°C on two occasions. Businesses shut between 1 and 5pm and life in the streets grinds to a halt. We lived at the rhythm of Pedrito who was asleep most of the time and being fed when awake. He is such a cute baby, he does not cry much (yet) and he is BIG for his age! Anyway we kept inside during the hottest hours of the day and only went out after 7pm. 

A ham and cheese selection (Fiambre y queso)

For Christmas Eve we went to Ceci’s eldest brother, Gonzalo, where the whole extended family joined forces by each bringing a something to eat. We spent that evening in excellent company. We had a great time getting to know and enjoying the conversation with newly met friends. 

Gonzalo, Ceci's dad and Clarita

Javier the skipper of the 130hp Fishing 551

Another highlight was a day out with Cecilia’s youngest brother, Javier, in the family boat. There is a big dam about an hour away from Cipolletti which obviously created a huge artificial lake. And there is an exclusive nautical club complete with the latest in barbequing technology (BBQ or Asado of beef, pork sausage and goat is the national pride of Argentina). The family boat is kept there and it's a great way to spend a hot day. 

We were six in all and took the boat out to a small beach at the other side of the lake and guess what we did for lunch … yes BBQ. Then we had a well deserved nap. After that it was time for some fun. 

Roxana having a lot of fun seconds before falling!

We put the inflated “bun” in the water which was towed by the powerful engine of the speedboat. I managed to stay on it longer that I thought I would but Javier soon manoeuvered the boat in a way that I was thrusted off the bun and into the cold water. Roxana managed to stay on it too but when it came time to fall, she fell face first in the water. At 40km/h that must have hurt.

Cecilia the proud mother and Pedrito

BBQ goat - juicy and a extremely tasty

The following day we were convened to another feast at a hotel Ceci’s father owns about a hundred kilometres away from Cipolletti in a town where petrol and gas are extracted. We arrived there and again family and friends had gathered to spend a good time and that evening there was BBQ’d "Chivo" (goat) on the menu. It was excellent! We spent the night there and in the morning returned rather early to Cipolletti as Juane needed to go to work.

Juane's dad on the right in his orchard

Ceci's mum and Pedrito

That afternoon we went to a leisure centre with sport facilities and a river section in which it is safe to swim. The cool water was very welcome with this kind of heat. We enjoyed the company of Ceci's mum and her partner Alex. Javier and his girlfriend Sandra later joined us. We had a really relaxing time enjoying maté and  "pan dulce" (Panetone).

Javier and Sandra

Juane playing full back on the day

Afterwards I accompanied Juane to the football game he had against a team out of town. His father and both his brothers were on the match list. Juane and Pablo started. The pitch was amazing and would make any British gardener proud. Then at the start of second half Marcelo and Juane’s dad went in.

Before you know it, Marcelo had pulled a hamstring and I was rushed in. I had to find a pair of shorts, socks and shoes that would fit me. I was unsuccessful in the last quest and went in with shoes two sizes too big for me. I played as left defender and during my short (4 minutes) display I managed a few good passes but cost the team a penalty kick! Fortunately the overconfident opposition striker missed it …

Cipolletti was just what we needed, a break with a family feel to it while not doing too much. We went back home and prepared our bags for the the following leg of the trip : New Year's celebrations in the lake district. 

For more pictures of Cipolletti