Buenos Aires

I arrived in Buenos Aires knowing that in a three night stay I couldn’t hope to scratch the surface of such a culturally rich city. I decided to push hard and see as much as I could though, and despite the short time spent here I feel like I really got to know and love this place. From what I saw, Buenos Aires is a city just bursting with beauty, kindness and passion is so many different forms. I’m not planning on every blog post ending up as long as I know this one will be, but as this is really for my own use I’m going to gratuitously let this one run as long as it needs to in order to fit all the brilliant experiences from a busy few days.

After the least comfortable flight I can remember (thanks KLM seats) I arrived very dozy in Buenos Aires, but after finding my way to the hostel, convincing them to let me check in early, a nap and a shower I was feeling a little more human and set out to explore. After changing some money at a black market exchange (the only way to get the best exchange rate in inflation-mad Argentina) and trying to get my head around the sheer number of notes I was holding (94 x 1000 peso notes, worth about £94 in total, I felt like a pimp) I headed out to explore. 

The big buildings in the centre of town are all very pretty and impressive, and a sandwich at Cafe Paulin where they slide your food down the wood and marble bar western movie style was huge and delicious. It was also my introduction to the warm friendliness of Argentinians. With incredible patience for my “Spanish” (Portuguese with some words changed a little), the man next to me insisted on giving me his recommendation for what to order. Thin slices of steak with fancy ham and melted cheese and tomatoes and red peppers on top. I’m glad I listened. I also ordered a smoothie thinking I should start my vitamin intake as I mean it to continue, but given it was very sweet and came with a fair amount of whipped vanilla cream on top I think perhaps I accidentally ordered a dessert.

I was reminded of how much I love travel more generally when an Argentinian friend I met in a Philadelphia hostel 5 years ago invited me to her flat for a birthday jam session with some of her friends. We realised while there that we’d actually met on her birthday in Philadelphia (and played music together then too) so by chance the two times we’d ever seen each other were 5 years apart to the day! Her friends luckily gave me my first experience of Argentinian mate - lucky because after around 3 hours sleep in the last 48 I was really flagging. I managed to make it on to a bus (thank you to the lovely woman to paid for me because I didn’t have the right transport card, another example of Argentinian warmth) and to a gig that a friend of a friend - Fernanda - was singing at. A beautiful night of tango in a small bohemian bar with craft beer and delicious food (provoleta, a pancake of crispy fried provolone cheese topped with a spicy mix of cherry tomatoes, onions and peppers), I was the only non-local in the room and had a great time making new friends there. With my Uber app not working, another kind woman organised me an Uber back to my hostel (going to stop pointing it out now, but seriously they’re all so lovely - except for the president) and I slept like a heavily sedated baby.

Medialunas are dangerous. Small croissants glazed with honey and served with coffee. Yes, for anyone that knows me, I had a coffee. Strangely I genuinely desired it when I ordered and enjoyed it when it came. Something about the Buenos Aires atmosphere makes me a coffee drinker. Bar El Federal, a beautiful bar from another era with wooden counters and stained glass, may well come to be remembered as the first time I genuinely enjoyed a coffee. This was in the San Telmo barrio, somewhere I felt very much at home. Slightly tired romantic buildings with stories to tell of their former glory now being used in fun and artistic ways. Street art, antiques shops (I particularly liked the very specialist telescope repair shop), a bustling food market and a shop with tasters of various dulce de leche flavours (I like the chocolate one as was predictable). At the south end of San Telmo was a park full of the cutest dogs. After a rest (or an excuse to sit and hope said dogs came up to me) I headed further south to La Boca, the famed home of Boca Juniors. Unfortunately there are no matches through the summer and the museum was nothing special, but I got much more of a feel for the club walking around the local area, where street art celebrates various former players and houses are painted in Boca yellow and blue. A poetic image remains in my mind, seeing young teenagers playing football on a basic concrete pitch in the park with the stadium just behind them. There is a fizz of community. I decided it was about time I tried some steak, and found a tiny hole in the wall with a grill run by a husband and wife. I think the bowl of chimmichurri was probably not meant to all be for me, but it was too delicious so now there’s no more chimmichurri.

Fernanda, the singer mentioned above, wanted to show me some of BA’s music scene, and I was very happy to be taken to more events unknown to all the other tourists. With my new SUBE card (I decided I couldn’t rely on kindness for all my transport needs) I took a bus to meet her and Ia and Oya (another singer from the previous night’s gig and a woman I met at the hostel and invited along, respectively) to see Fernandez Fierro - what can only be described as metal tango. A fun and political, if slightly repetitive show and some excellent empanadas later we headed to the next place. It turns out even weeknights go late in Buenos Aires, and after crossing a big protest march against the new president’s new measures (apparently still going from the morning) we found ourselves in Sombra Blanca - a dance bar where it seemed every person knew how to dance chacarera and zamba (beautiful Argentinian rhythms which appear to be eclipsed by tango’s fame) to a high level. Fernanda and Ia were immediately asked to dance, and Oya and I looked on impressed and sipped on cynar (an artichoke liquor served with grapefruit soda that is a new favourite of mine). An hour or so in we were dragged in to a circle dance version of chacarera and had a great time trying to mimic what we were being shown. We were ready to dance more but sadly the band finished - it was 1.30am after all. Luckily this is late night Buenos Aires - the second band started to set up. By 3am we were sweaty messes and had danced ourselves out but had a brilliant time. I’m so grateful to Fernanda and Ia for an experience I just never would have found on my own. I arrived back at the hostel bouncing off the walls, positively high from the brilliant night we’d all shared.

With an incredibly delicious eggs benedict (on a croissant, with ham swapped for pulled pork) for brunch in Palermo Vieja I chatted to the local couple I shared a table with. Looking for the botanical gardens I met a couple of travellers, also from the UK, who were looking for it too. After we discovered it was closed we walked together to the cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, and had a look around before we went our separate ways and I had a delicious ice cream. Something about warm countries seems to make these unexpected connections more natural. It’s something I wish I could bring back to the UK. With my last night in Buenos Aires I went to see a traditional tango orchestra playing in a modern cultural space, another gringo free event (well, except for me) as recommended by Fernanda. The arrangements were stunning and the playing beautiful.

It’s a shame I can’t spend more time in Buenos Aires, but when I planned this trip I decided to prioritise nature, so natural beauty here I come. I’m sad to leave, but something tells me someday I’ll be back.