We'd rented an apartment here for a week in Palermo Soho, nice part of town with plenty going on. We got off to a great start by leaving one of Maria's bags in the taxi, but after a few frantic phone calls later (forever indebted to Skype for the cheap calls!!) we'd arranged for them to return it to us at the flat that same night, so all good. The apartment was a 1-bedroom affair, all we needed, but I think it took us a couple of days to warm to it. We'd arrived after 9.30pm so it was basically a case of sorting stuff out with the agency regarding the rental and unpacking a few things, then launching a mission to get Luis some milk at around 11pm at night, like Mary and Joseph knocking on doors in Bethlehem, but we managed it.....just. Late night kiosks, another great invention. (Maria's telling of this bit is way better than mine).
So, Buenos Aires, steaks, ice cream and dulce de leche here we come!!!! Palermo was a good choice of place to stay, had a nice, relaxed feel to it, seemed popular with families, and there were plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants, parks etc. We went for breakfast at a cafe then spent the morning wandering around, trying to find an outlet where we could buy Maria something to keep her warm, and at this point we were still considering the option of going to the Perrito Moreno glacier down in Patagonia which would have required even warmer clothing (we've since shelved this idea!). After lunch we went our separate ways, me and Luis trying to find a park, Maria continuing the search for a thermos flask-like jacket (I was in shorts and t-shirt at this time mind). We found a big shopping centre and explored but to no avail, everything was too expensive so yep, we decided to shelve the idea. Had the first taste though of BA's famous ice cream in a branch of Freddos. Like s**t off a stick, unreal!
For dinner that night, after a mini domestic in the street, we were thankfully pointed in the direction of Club Eros - now now, not what it sounds like. Maria and I are liberal but not that liberal. This place is a cafe come restaurant come sports club and isn't much to look at, but man, when they put those muckle steaks down in front of us, with the chips and the red wine. One of the best steaks we've had, period.
Wednesday was spent checking out the centre a bit, bit of San Telmo, including having lunch at possibly the best italian restaurant in town (thanks Fer), Puerto Madero, Plaza 5 de Mayo and the main shopping drag, Florida. You quickly realise it's not as spectacular as Rio, but more a city that you could probably live in, if you're happy to dodge the dog poo everywhere and take your life in your hands at times when crossing the road. Bus drivers especially seem to rag it everywhere! We'd met the owner earlier who had come round with a cleaner to give the place a once over and she mentioned she had a B&B, so we floated the idea of us maybe staying there for our last night in BA when we return, just before we fly back to London.
Thursday we met up with a friend of our friend Fernando, Riccardo, and hung out with him for the afternoon. I had to finish that freelance job so didn't escape the hoose until later on, but when it was done, it was done. We stumbled upon another plaza in our neighbourhood which had cool bars and restaurants and a playground and merry-go-round, so were set for the next hour. Friday saw us with a bit of park action and more wandering around, all the time building up to the ice cream for the day. It was nice just having the flat to come and go as and when and having Palermo on your doorstep.
I think it was today that we checked our bank accounts - we had trouble paying for lunch on a card, so checked with the banks and a block had been on our cards automatically the first time they'd tried to be used in Argentina. That was resolved but when we looked at the bank accounts it was like, 'bugger (or something a bit stronger), we'll need to tighten the belts between now and hometime!' So, although we were planning to take a night bus to Mendoza anyway, we looked for hostels instead of hotels to stay. We found Hostel Alamo on Trip Advisor, it had good reviews so booked it.
aupa chavela!!!!
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