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What a dramatic change… from warm, sunny beach weather to the bitter cold of winter. When we first stepped off of the plane, I didn’t think the 7°C (44°F) was very cold… but that was around 9pm. I had no idea what I was in for.

After getting ripped off by the cab driver, we made our way to the place we were to stay. This was an apartment of a friend of a friend on the 11th floor at Corrientes and Bulnes in the heart of Buenos Aires… well, I think it was the heart anyway. It seemed like every corner was the heart of the place. The city is quite a metropolis… yet another dramatic difference from where we were in Brasil.

I’ve got to give a whole lot of thanks to Javier, the friend of a friend mentioned earlier. He hooked us up with a map, keys to his place, and instructions for getting around by bus, cab and metro. We set out on a tourist adventure for the next few days and got to see a good amount in the city. We saw all around the nation’s capitol buildings, most of the shopping districts, the biggest mall I’ve ever seen with no parking lot, Evita’s grave, Puerto Madero and much more.

The first few nights were so incredibly cold. It was definitely below freezing. I had all my warm clothes on and I was borrowing a jacket… and I was STILL cold. We saw mostly gray and rain until the last couple of days, when it miraculously turned to very nice weather.

The food in Buenos Aires is just ridiculous. It’s meat… and it’s all you can eat… and it’s cheap. I couldn’t get enough at first, but by the end, I was ready for a change. The ice cream is damn good, and so are the milanesas.

But… the single most important thing for me to mention about Buenos Aires is this: La Bomba de Tiempo. Check them out on YouTube or at their website here: http://www.labombadetiempo.com. I’ve never seen a better drum circle. I’m not sure if I would even call it that. It was more of a half-circle. And in the middle… a conductor. That’s right… a conductor… just like the symphony. But this was a symphony of percussion. It was mostly drums, but there were other percussive instruments too, like symbols, cowbells, shakers, etc. There was also a special guest who played a variety of other instruments: guitar, keys, small brass. And the show? Absolutely amazing. I’m running out of words. You have to see for yourself. They play every Monday night down there for really cheap (currently 7 Argentinian Pesos). Apparently, they’ve been doing this for years and have managed to not ’sell out’. I don’t think I’ll be posting my videos of the show, because they don’t do it justice. Look it up, though, and if you can, check out a show. It will be well worth it.

I can’t forget to mention the tango show we saw.  It was at this back-alley Italian social club, of all places.  The crowd was mostly older than me and many were a whole lot older.  We showed up after midnight and the place was pretty well packed.  People were dancing everywhere.  This was my first exposure to tango and I must say… it’s interesting.  It’s a slower dance and is noticeably intimate.  The show itself simply consisted of a single couple dancing around the room.  It was somewhat entertaining.  I think what entertained me the most was this one 80 or 90 year old man who danced non-stop… even during the breaks where everyone else would stop… that and the fact that when we left around 3am, all the old folks were still going strong.  And did I mention this was a Wednesday night not a weekend?  Very impressive, gramps.

Now for some pictures…

Views from our 11th floor balcony




The Pink House


Metro Art


My hoopty… rollin… tailpipe draggin…