It’s been a great time in Buenos Aires. The city has a great vibe, even if we got some rain.
Last night we went straight out to sample Buenos Aires night life. We were told that the Palermo district were a great place to start.
Since we had no clue where to start we got in a taxi and went to Plaza Italia. From there we wandered for a while to find a vegan restaurant. Two of my fellow travellers are now vegan, and when lonely planet got a tip for vegans that reads; “Find a hostel where you can make your own food” the challenge was on.
After some time we found the place we were looking for. It looked very nice and we did end up having dinner there. I got a vegan coconut curry that would have been great, except for the fact that it hardly tasted anything at all.
At least our vegan friends got something other than rice and fries.
After dinner we set out to find somewhere to dance, nightclub of sorts.
Not the easiest task either since we had no clue and just some vague references from Maps.me
We came across one venue, with a huge line. Apparently Paul van Dyke was playing that night.
After a while we settled for a drink at Yolo Bar. Then we split up, some when home and the rest of us went for one more try at finding a place to dance.
After a lot more walking we ended up near Plazoleta Julio Cortázar, which is where we should have gone in the first place. Lots of bars and people, a vibrant and great atmosphere. We had another drink and went to do some dancing. No luck again. The places played a lot of music, but none had a dance floor.
We got a tip to try down Honduras street, so off we went.
There we found a place, it was packed. We got inside, found a space on the dance floor only to see everyone else fleeing the place. And I mean fleeing, after just a few minutes we found our self to be the only one in the place. Asking in the bar we found that to be “normal” and that everyone would back in an hours time.
So we went to have a look for a place with more people, found a few. Since not all of us brought an ID we didn’t get in there.
In the end we ended up back at the place with no people, did a bit more dancing until we left for our hotel.
Day 16 – First day in the city
First day in a new town and we started out with a “free” three hour long guided walk. Free as in you don’t pay anything up front but give a tip in the end for whatever you feel the walk is worth.
I was not aware of these walks, but apparently most large cities have them in one form or another. Worth doing a search for “free city walk” in whatever city you visit.
This particular tour talked about Argentinian history in general and some more details around how Buenos Aires came to be. A great introduction to the city.
The walk ended by the cemetary where Eva Peron is buried.
On weekdays the guide would take the group all the way to the grave, but this beeing in the weekend they tend not to since the place is so crowded.
After the walk we ended up in a cafe nearby, Pink Dely, where we had a nice lunch. Food was good, drinks were excelent the speed of service was so so.
I guess the staff felt the same because as we asked for the bill we were offered to pick three pieces of cake to take with us.
Thus we ended up in the part nearby sitting on the gras having a lovely piece of cake.
We talked about going to La Boca in the afternoon, but in the end we ended up just walking back to the hotel.
Later in the evening some of us went to the Hard Rock Cafe Buenos Aires for dinner.
Day 17 – South side in the rain
Today we really wanted to go to La Boca. The plan was to get some breakfast at the hotel and then catch a bus out. This was when the rain came, and not just a shower, it seem to rain hard for most of the day.
To ride the buses in Buenos Aires you need to get a cash card. The numerous tourist information site will be able to get you one at a cost of 25 pesos. Then you need to fin a place to charge the card, a subway station is good for that. A single trip costs 6.50 and you can have more than one passenger on each card.
We gout our loaded up and caught the 152 bus that ends up in La Boca.
La Boca is a neighbourhood in the south of town and is famous for all the colourful buildings and vibrant life. The building were colorful, but as it was still raining hard the city life was toned down a lot. Still worth a visit.
After walking around there for a while we headed for San Telmo where we had lunch at Hierbabuena another vegetarian / vegan restaurant.
This place got amazing food and very good service. After we ordered the waitress came asking if we wanted a small starter, but with her lack of English skills and our failures in Spanish we ended up getting this at no cost. A great little bonus.
After lunch I headed back to the hotel. I was planning a day trip to Uruguay the next day, and thought that I needed to go down to the docs in order to get ticket. Back at the hotel I found that booking the ticked online worked just as well.
In the evening we had the official last dinner gathering everyone one last time before some go home day after tomorrow and we head on south.
Day 18 – Day trip to Uruguay
Got up early today, hoping for some sun, but the grey is still on.
At seven four of us walked down to the docs to catch the fast ferry to Colonia del Sacramento, just across the bay in Uruguay. The trip takes about an hour and all customs work is done at the Argentinian side which is nice, no need to queue when you get off.
While waiting in the terminal we came a cross this Italian lady speaking Swedish. What’s the chance of meeting an Italian living in France who speaks Swedish 🙂
When we arrived in Uruguay the rain was pouring down and it was quite windy. Not the best day to see the sites.
Off we go, getting wet hasn’t stopped us yet.
We walked to the historic part of town and found a place to get a coffee and dry up a bit. Then we did another stint of walking until we got to the docs, here we settled down for some lunch. Dutch potatoes with some great salsa and a Grolsh beer, then a Caipirinha to top it all.
By then it cleard up and the last hour and half before going back to the ferry we could walk around and see some more of the place. Coming here on a proper sunny day would be great.
Back in Buenos Aires later that night we had dinner at a Pirate Bar, saying another goodbye to those that are leaving us tomorrow.
Världen är otroligt liten 😀