South/Cental America #4 - Buenos Aires

l. Buenos Aires
2. Mar del Plata

Photos: Argentina

Well I hope that everyone is well.

I think I left you in San Martin, the prettiest town that I have ever seen and we were on our way to Mar del Plata, well that was the plan until a series of brain explosions (by Matt) led us to miss the bus, with all buses booked over the Easter break and all hostels booked in San Martin we caught the bus the BA.

Wow, what a city! BA is certainly a city that everyone should visit, the streets are lined with impressive colonial buildings that remind me a lot of Paris, the wide, and I mean 20 lanes wide avenues send streams of traffic through the city, yet though a hassle to cross (takes two light changes) you do not seem to mind. But then off these grand streets lay quaint little side streets that house some fantastic eating places. Well as anyone who has travelled with me knows I like to walk when I hit a city, so dragging Matt around we walked and walked for two days taking in a number of the great neighbourhoods of the city. We sat a date on the pavement until 2am, great balmy evening, found out that we can catch a boat to Montevideo (from strangely enough a place called Boocabus) and visited a couple of the local drinking holes. One highlight has to be finally eating Thai food again, very cool restaurant and the taste melted in my mouth.

But Matt decided that it was time to visit a friend in Mar del Plata, beach resort 4 hours south. So we took off and found Mar del to be a bit like Nice (France) crossed with Bondi. Over summer this place swells from 700,000 to over 3 million people. Hotels everywhere, those stupid private beaches that you have to pay for, great pubs, excellent nightclubs and some nice looking locals as well... Her parents have been very accommodating and Matt and I both feel like we are part of the family, I am sure that tears will flow when we leave.

Well me met Ale and feasted for the next 5 days in her restaurant that her family owns, boy her mum can cook. Ale and her sister Julie, cousin Angie and brother Mariano have shown us some great nights. On that note days go like this, wake 11, lunch at 2, dinner at 10, out at 1 and home at 6-7. Strangely enough the body does not seem to mind the abuse.

We hired some hikes and rode out to the lighthouse, went for a swim and also visited some sea lions; I was so close that I got snorted on by one of the smelly creatures.

So I am off now to visit some of Mel's relatives who showed me unbelievable hospitality last time I was in this part of the world and then meeting Matt back in BA before we head on to Uruguay and beyond.