Honestly, I don’t like Buenos Aires, I ruddy luv it !
With it’s Spanish features, fab food and as it is the melting point of Latin America it is super cosmopolitan so what’s not to like, right ! Well, maybe the 13 hour flight from the UK is a bummer, but if your lucky enough to be on a globe hope, then that isn’t a crushing factor. Buenos Aires, really is the city of gorgeous people and is a great place to window shop, and with the passionate Tango, it really is the city of luvveeeeee !
There is loads to do in the city and what a better way to explore than to use the hop on hop off topless buses, For a tenner a ticket this isn’t a bad price, it gives you great views , a suntan if your sat on the top deck, and you can navigate the simple route and basically jump on and off. Tickets last for 24 hours and we were given tickets the night before our journey from a previous bus passenger, that were still valid and free for us to use ! ( great saving tip !)
Our first stop was The cemetery at La Recoleta. Honestly, I am not a morbid soul, It’s a tourist spot as this is the spot of where the beautiful, strong and unforgettable Evita was buried. Before you enter the Cemetery, there are several coffee shops that offer seriously good coffee and cakes, and anyone that displays their love for Nutella gets my vote immediately !
The Cemetery itself is very grand, with its over the top graves, that has very elaborate designs declaring the deceased wealth and stature. Often with families buried together in large shrines with the coffins on show, that are often draped in a cream cloth. Some of the coffins on show are hundreds of years old and even though morbid, is really curiously interesting. You can often see people walking around with feather dusters, and these are the shrine cleaners, honestly you couldn’t make it up !
Back on the bus we headed to one of the oldest Areas of Buenos Aires, an area called San Telmo. This beautiful area is still deep in old colonial Buildings, cobbled streets, street markets and passionate Tango Dancers. This is a great place for a snoop around the local craft Market, to sit down with a real cup of coffee and people watch. There are some beautiful churches in the area worth exploring and we found a fabtastic place to have a decent Lunch !
We asked a local person where would they recommend having a bite to eat and we were pointed to this establishment, Don Corsini. Full of local office workers on their lunch break, we were the only non locals in the joint, and that always works for me. With very little English on offer we roped in several tables to translate for us and the meal that was on offer was a 10/10 bargain ! For 150 pesos around £7.50 we had the meal of the day, with a dessert and wine, which turned out to be a pretty impressive glass of Malbec, which was often topped up ! We had a choice of Steak and chips ( Whoop whoop !) or chicken and rice which was also equally delicious. The dessert consisted of a crème caramel like cake which was really good, and the waiter even gave us another piece for free as we enjoyed it so much !
It is a well known fact that Bueno’s Aires are global leaders with there steak and Red wine and if often comes paired up with the delicious Chimichurri sauce, which is a delicious blend of garlic, coriander, parsley and chilies. The only excuse you should carry for not having a steak in Argentina is that of a vegetarian, any other reason is a pile of pants !
Another compulsive must is that of the South American Empanada. These little delights are there version of our pasty’s but are really, REALLY good. Often baked or fried, the dough can contain a whole host of fillings from the common meat filling to cheese, tuna and vegetable. Many cafes and coffee shops offer these, often homemade and great value for money at around £1 each.
Two tips before I sign off, firstly the local folk are really big dog lovers and you will often see professional dog walkers with 10 plus dogs walking around, which is a impossible looking feat ! Parks are often full of dogs and people but they are great at picking up doggy poop, which is a great for clean shoes !
Finally, as with all big cities, there is always going to be crime and unfortunately Buenos Aires is not exempt. Avoid carrying large quantities of money, showing obvious wealth and distraction muggings, A regular mugging tactic was for someone to squirt you with mustard and a fellow random person next to you, would offer to clean you up with tissues stealing your wallet in the meantime !
Have a brill time if you venture here, check out polo ranches, Tango shows and day ferries to other destinations such as Montevideo in Uruguay.