I have to admit I felt a little sad to be leaving the comfort and safety of New Zealand. It's been nice understanding people and communicating freely and I can say that I am feeling a little anxious about the next leg of our journey. So much of it is unknown (and typically we have done no research) and the sheer size of the continent is more than a little intimidating. I have come to realise how necessary it is to know you have accommodation booked, it’s reassuring to have a destination. We booked four nights in a lovely airbnb in Palermo and it was much cheaper than we had expected. It was a traditional Argentinian “chorizo” house, so called because it meanders deep into the city block, all hidden behind the street facade. It was built in 1889 so came with buckets of charm as well as Dani and Mariana, two of the loveliest hosts we have had so far. Buenos Aires is a great introduction to South America, oozing charm with crumbling colonial architecture portraying its affluent and romantic past. It’s a port city built by immigrants predominantly from Europe, where different neighbourhoods developed their unique styles. At times you could be mistaken for thinking you were in Paris or Madrid, although a moderately dystopian version. Ubiquitous, mindless graffiti is a serious blight on the city, which also hints at the poverty a stone’s throw away. A number of areas even in the centre are considered out of bounds to tourists (and locals) for security reasons, and walking around at night generally comes with risks. This is fairly self-evident by the large number of armed police standing on every other corner. That said, Buenos Aires is a city that definitely comes alive at night. Food is taken very seriously by Argentinians, although no-one eats before 9pm and even that’s considered early. This is also the first place we have encountered the ‘free’ city walking tours. Young local people offer tours for tips, which is a great way to hear locals discuss the history and current issues of the place, with a fair bit of politics and left-wing ranting thrown in. And the infamous Recoleta cemetery stands up to the hype, Catholics do it best. Lastly, don't mention the Falklands. P.S. We took a small number of bad photos in Buenos Aires.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |