Karen: First stop in BA was Recoleta Cemetery. The guide book said it's a must and to take your camera as there are a lot of photo ops. Well we thought, how tasteless – but we went along all the same! It was nothing like I expected at all. In fact, nothing at all like a normal cemetery. And yes, there were numerable photo ops. The place was enormous and we were given a 'street map' on entry. The 'graves' ranged from sarcophagi to small replicas of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. You were able to wander round at leisure and peer through the window of any one you chose. Some had coffins on display, others had uninviting stairwells leading down to crypts of all sizes. I'm probably not describing this very well, so you're best having a quick peek at the photos to see what I'm on about. We were told that the people at rest there were mostly BA's rich and famous, with a few politicians thrown in. We found Eva Peron's grave which was actually one of the smaller and less obvious ones.
So after an interesting if slightly macabre morning, we went onto the colonial district full of cobbled streets, craft markets and tango dancers in the main square. We also set eyes upon the famous pink building from which Madonna blasted out a tune or two in Evita. Not that I'd know, I haven't seen the film but that's what the guide book told me.
Also on the 'to do list' was a visit to the district of La Boca. We saw the famous football stadium and even I have to admit, it did look quite atmospheric even on a non match day painted in the team's blue and yellow colours. The whole district of La Boca was really colourful though with the houses and buildings all brightly painted different colours. We were there at the weekend when it was bustling with craft markets and cafes lining the streets and there was a really nice holiday atmosphere about the place. And, yes, more tango dancing!
Ross: Mmmmmmmmmmmm, beeeeeeeeeeeeef. The beef here really is delicious. It is tender and juicy and they give you lots of it. Too much. It's great.
Another thing I really wanted to do in South America was see some football - so we decided Buenos Aires would be one of the best places to do this and organised a trip to see River Plate play San Martin.
The skills on display and passing really were quite silky but the overall quality of football kept reminding me of watching David James: there were moments of brilliance and then there were the calamity moments. Some of the defending was brilliant because it was so terrible.
It was easily the noisiest and most atmospheric match I've ever been to. The fans clearly enjoy the occasion: waving flags, bouncing up and down until the concrete terrace actually rocks (and a little voice says to you: I wonder how well this stadium is constructed?) banging drums (rhythmically, i.e. not the Sheffield Wednesday band) and actually singing tunefully!
The match had it all: an own goal, a bit of a squabble involving handbags, a red card and a last minute penalty and winner for the home side: the crowd went bananas!
Somehow Boundary Park will never seem the same again.
When we have a hostel room there has to be something... be it rats, cockroaches or just a pervading smell of damp. Here we had bedbugs, which, surprisingly maybe, was a first. So I left a note for the cleaners. My Spanish text book has the random phrase, 'This cat is full of fleas!' I doubted whether I would useful it but with a little change, 'This room is full of bedbugs!'
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