Our first Whirlwind days in Buenos Aires..... The city that starts at 2am

They say in South America, if you turned off the music, the cities would just stop. That couldn't be more true in Buenos Aires. You can feel the rhythmic beats in every conversation you have, every sound in the street and sight you see. That beat constantly changes and evolves like an epic kitchen jam, but there is always a powerful rhythm that's ingrained in the BA fabric.. you just feel it in your bones... (it starts with a dance like extra step in your walk and ends in a full on body groove)

That rhythm and beats are exactly what we felt when we pulled into BA. Its a different kind of energy at first. We thought it was because we were back in a big city again, but really it was just the pure hustle of BA. You feel it in every hood you cruise through. 

• The laid back vibes of Palermo (which become not so laid back at night :))
• The colourful and passionate vibes in La Boca - a low class neighbourhood that help set the stage for BA and home of the Boca Juniors
• A high-class kind of shuffle you feel when roaming the streets in Recoletta
• The middle class, rock n roll feel in San Telmo
• The cultural togetherness you feel when you dance your face off at La Bamba

Its there in every moment in BA... And that really is the beauty. Its a feeling you don't have to search for like you would in some other cities... it, in fact, seeks you out.


Some of you may be wondering why we have gone silent on the blogging for the last week or so and to answer that question I only have two words...... BUENOS AIRES! We arrived here just over a week ago and we have been going non stop to see, do and experience all the incredible things that Buenos Aires has to offer and let me tell you, it lives up to the hype. There is so much to share and write down about Buenos Aires that it would take a novel to share it all and it would take you about 3 hours to read it all if we tried to put in all in 1 blog (plus we would need to sit inside for a day just to write it all lol) so we will try and break it up in a few instalments


We arrived in B.A via overnight bus from Mendoza on Wednesday afternoon (Feb 7th). It was an uneventful bus ride but not quite as luxurious as our ride from Salta - only feed us cookies and pop instead of hot meals, but I will take it! Immediately when we arrived we dove right into finding our way around the city and hopped on the subway, or called the Subte here, to try and get to our hostel. After wandering around the street for a bit looking for any form or subway sign we finally asked a cop how to get there and after a few minutes of trying to describe what we meant by subway we finally got in and directed us to the spot after warning us to be extremely careful with all of big bags while we are on the Subte. It was only a few short stops before we got off and after crossing a few wrong streets finally got to our hostel, the Milhouse (highly recommended to us and known for being the best party hostel in town)...... or so we thought. Turns out there is 2 Milhouse hostel locations and we were booked at the other one. Uggggh so we put our massive packs back on and headed back out in the 35+ degree heat - Luckily it was only about a 5 min walk away.


Around 430 - After getting all checked in, settled into our 8 bed dorm and grabbing some food at a typical Argentinian cafe/pizzeria  (Side note - there is so much to share about Argentinian food that we are going to have to include a whole other blog on just that so this update will be light on the drool worthy food description.....but rest assured the food in amazing!), Jonny and I decided we were going to take a walk over to the Neighbourhood of San Telmo. Kait and J.J headed to another part of town, where they were hoping to find an Apple store so J.J could fix some issue with his Iphone - I have no idea what he would do with himself should it break haha!


San Telmo is an super cute neighborhood with a very Boho vibe. The streets are all made of cobblestone, high trees, amazing Juliet style balconies and funky antique shops with some of the most obscure stuff that you have ever seen. Its really common also to see impromptu Tango dancing on the streets. We spent a very relaxing few hours wandering through streets and shops, enjoying a beer on a patio and people watching, including this little kid who was trying to beg for money by juggling with only 2 balls and he kept dropping them both. It was a great chill day and way to start getting our bearings in B.A. Sundays are really the day to hit San Telmo since all the streets are closed to cars and there is a massive outdoor market set up outside - more on that later. 

The tree lined streets of San Telmo

Strolling through the antiques market

The interesting finds in the Market

Enjoying a sunny afternoon on the patio in San Telmo

After San Telmo we headed back to the hostel to take a bit of a siesta - which unfortunately for us is not really part of the culture in Buenos Aires. We are starting to miss those.  We knew we needed a quick nap for the day since we were going to attempt to go out Buenos Aires style at night. Which means you pre-party to go out until 2am and then head to the clubs around 230am when they open until 5am or 6am. So we napped, grabbed a quick bite and then put on our only outfits that might be considered "going out" and headed down to our hostel bar party around 1130pm for the party. Somehow in the time that we had been napping our hostel had been completely turned into a club and it was filled with people much, much, much younger than us. So we tried to fit in and grabbed some vodka redbulls, which are the promotional drink so real cheap, then we watched all the single guy and girl travellers try and work their game, which lead to many many dance floor make-outs - so hilarious to watch. After a couple vodka's we were feeling pretty good and somehow we got the idea that we needed PANCHOS before we were going to head out to the bar (for those who have not seen the earlier post - Panchos are Spanish for hotdogs). So we headed down the street for to the place we saw earlier in the day and grabbed a few. After this we really felt we needed french fries so we stopped in at a restaurant across the street (there was no where fast food around and the hot dog guy didn't have any). I think it may have been the vodka's talking but when we sat down J.J decided that we also wanted a steak to go with his french fries, and he did. By the point we had all eaten and gotten back to the hostel party the buzz had worn off and we were beat and it was almost 2am so we did not make it past the hostel party on night one. 


The long overnight bus and the attempt at going out caught up to us by day 2 so we took it easy in the morning and then just decided to go check out a few different barrios (neighborhoods). We wandered through Plaza de Mayo, where there are alot of government buildings with stunning architecture, including the famous Casa Rosada where Evita Peron used to wave to all the people. 

Out from of Casa Rosado

After walking through the square we headed to Puerto Madera, a very trendy new 'hood down by the harbour. It is filled with little cafes, interesting looking buildings, condo's etc. While strolling along the board walks Jonny and I were approached but a cute little Spanish girl who had a T.V crew with her. She informed us that she was trying to win a trip to Bariloche, Argentina and in order to win she needed to get boys to sing love songs to girls on T.V. so Jonny serenaded me with some old school boys to men. 

Views in Puerto Madero

Crossing over the Bridge in Puerto Madero

Jonny overlooking the Bridge

Following Puerto Madero we wandered back to the hostel via some of the shopping streets, where Kait and I exercised our credit cards a little.  We decided to stop and pick up food to make our our dinner so that we would pace ourselves a little better this time as we were determined to make it out to an Argentinian night club this time.  After partying until 2am at the hostel bar, we bought our tickets for Club 69 - which is supposed to be the hottest spot in town on a Thursday hit the town. This is not the kind of spot that we would normally be caught dead at in Toronto, more of a Cancun on Spring break type club, but it offer great entertainment and the perfect intro to B.A. partying. Think transvestites, break dancers, half-naked girls dancing in crazy costumes all going on around you. We partied there until around 430am before making our way back to the Milhouse, making a pancho stop again of course. 


The next day definitely ended up being a recovery day, we didn't end up getting going about 1pm, which actually seems to be pretty standard here in Buenos Aires. We spend the day wandering around the high-class area of Recolletta, checking out the sights including one crazy cemetery that has hundreds of crazy mausoleums, including the one where Evita Peron is buried. 

Beautiful Church in Recolleta

Another View of the church 

Picturesque streets in Recolleta 

Jonny towering under a Mausoleum

Mausoleum in Recolleta

The amazingly large tree in Recolleta

It is quite the tourist attraction and I must say that some of the mausoleums are incredible beautiful, others just really interesting to look at but we both started to find the whole thing kind creepy after a while so we headed home to get ready for our real culture experience for the day - Argentina Soccer game!! La Boca home opener to be exact.


Jonny wanted to be the one to share our soccer game experience so he has detailed our experience below:



I have never loved soccer. In some instances, unless its at a pub or sometimes FC game, accompanied by enough gentle pints for the whole game, I might even go so far to say as I dislike soccer. Not as a sport. These guys are amazing athletes. Perhaps just as a means of entertainment. I'd rather read... and if Im reading, its because there is nothing else to do (or travelling :) My mom would be so proud. I just finished a 1,000 page book and didnt even skip a chapter).


I can say that BA has changed my opinion. IUts been wiped of all cold FC games and replaced with the intense passion and non-stop entertainment of the Boca Juniors. Every lonley planet and travel book similar will tell you a Boca Juniors match is part of the BA experience... They arent always right (i.e. there is an ATM in Copacabana, Bolivia), but this time... they have never been MORE right. Maybe its because their abbreviated team name is the same as our beloved Blue Jays (sick new logo :) Super different).
Boca is considered a dangerous hood. Even in the day time if you wonder off the gringo streets and especially at night, no matter where you are. Opening day, as a foreigner, even more so. That fear that hostels drill into you leading up to the game quickly disappears and is replaced with a differerent sensation. One of passion, pride and living for the moment.

Getting ready to head to security

After passing through 3 security pat-down checks (starting 5 blocks away from the stadium), after a lovely evening stroll down the low class streets of Boca, foreigner mocking chants quickly change for Boca merch for sale chants, Litre Quillmes for sale chants (basically a Boca merch it self), high fives and BBQ'd parilla (chorizo was our meat of choice that night).



After the last pat-down you're at the gates to the stadium and its lit up likea menorah.. Just raging like the shamash (middle candle on the menorah) on night 8. You hear the chants from the ground floor, and soon, your one of the voiceless bodies in a crowd of mayhem. You get to your seats (the only ones available for gringos) and quickly get over the fact that you and the other 10,000 people will be standing for the next 3 hours. Standing becomes swaying with the cheering and what seem like rehearsed songs which at one point even becomes coordinated songs with DANCE (you can imagine my excitement... Conny: it wasnt the same with out a back to swim on bro... get tight).
Boca Juniors are welcomed with sonds that sound great but cant be made out by most gringos (especially us). So we pretended via humming along like Mitch Ritter to most hip hops songs blaring in his 92 Toyota Tercell (this statement is false if you consider Mitch's knowledge of Rosa Parks and most outkast songs).

Starting our first match!

Our Gringo seats across from the Hooligans

Close up for the Hooligans sections

The game starts slow and the Quillmes are wearing off (Boca Junior games are dry... What is this.. the new queens homecoming post 2005 when a car was flipped and set on fire and cops beaten up?) and I start to think, "well the moment has passed... which team is the FC?" as memories of cold, rainy April home games come back to me.
Then Boca scores. This wsa an eruption unike anything I have seen at a live sporting event.. NFL, NHL, March Madness are put to sham eby this crowd of 60k+.
Gol - gol - gol gol gol (but it sounds like yol, which is both amusing and sounds better) is raged by the sold out crowd and surrounding streets. We could join that one... that one was SICK!
Boca won and the addrenaline fueled us for the night (much more happened during the game, but this blog is getting too long and you get the idea I think.. If not, go to a game your damn self). If you ask me, it this to comes back to the music of BA. Its unique Boca sound shakes the cement bleachers uniting the stadium with their team, neighbourhood and epic city.
Futbol doesnt suck... its epic. I just needed a change of scenery to figure that out. That and never go to an FC game again (I would say watch to, but I don't even think they get aired.. .if they do.. stop it.. its gross). Maybe they could use the stadium exclusively for Ti-cats vs. Argos games.. OSKI WEE WEE! So from now on, when the footy show hits The Score on Sunday AM's, you can find me at the futbol factory on Bathurst and Queen, drowning myself in gentles. Anyone have plans in November?

Check out the link to our Boca Juniors Experience Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viAYnMUKu7o