After a few lazy days (and crazy nights) we decided to see
what Buenos Aires was about during the day so went on a few free walking tours.
We started in the hostel and made our way through San Telmo
seeing some local markets and getting an appreciation for the history of the
area. The problem is that as I write this I have already forgotten most of what
the guide told us. We did see an old church and walked through a running market
place which was built to provide a place for the locals to get products easily.
From San Telmo we jumped on a bus to La Boca where tango was
born. As you get off the bus you are struck by the colour of all the buildings.
This area used to be the port of Buenos Aires and therefore the low class lived
in the area to get jobs. The port was later moved and also the people leaving
the area empty. A local artist decided that he wanted to liven the area up and
painted the houses and people returned. After walking around La Boca for a
while we made our way to the Boca Juniors stadium and then back to the bus
stop.
We jumped on the bus again to head into town to get our
tickets to Colonia (was 3500 pesos each on internet). We managed to find the
Seacat office where we booked the tickets for 700 pesos each for a trip on new
years day.
We then walked back to the hostel and grabbed some emponadas
on the way. At the hostel we grabbed a beer while we waited for the next tour
to Palermo.
We jumped on a bus and made our way to Palermo and took a
walk through the parks. Palermo was where the upper class moved when there was
a yellow fever outbreak in San Telmo. The area is now full of parks and ponds.
They even have a rose garden that is 100 years old and was recently named a
world heritage site. After walking around a while we found a sunny spot to
enjoy some mate. Mate is something that everyone drinks. It’s like tea but has
very little caffeine and has been consumed in Argentina for centuries. When the
colonialists arrived they realised that people longer, harder and with less
food when they consume mate.
Mate is served in a cup and a metal straw. The straw has a
ball on the end with fine holes in it. To make mate you add some mate leaves
into the cup and pour in some hot water (not too much) and then sip it through
the straw. It can be bitter so some people add sugar.
After our afternoon mate session we made our way into the
residential area of Palermo where it was distinctly different to San Telmo and
La Boca in that the apartments looked newer, the streets were in better
condition and there were trees lining most of the streets.
The tour group jumped on the bus to head back to the hostel
but we decided to find a place to have a drink and something to eat in Plaza
Serrano which had been recommended to us by some locals we met on the pub
crawl.
Brian, Damien and I made our way to the Plaza. After a
looong walk we finally got there and found a place that overlooked the street
and grabbed a beer. We finally found Patagonia beer after searching for it
since Iguazu. There were 3 different types so we tried 2 (the other was a stout
/ negro) which were well worth the wait. After a few more beers we decided to
grab something to eat at another place so we took a walk around and eventually
found somewhere and grabbed another table overlooking the Plaza. There we had
some very average food and a few more beers before heading back to the hostel
at about 3.
One thing we noticed from sitting watching everyone is that
so many people go out to party the night before new year’s eve.