As we arrived in downtown Buenos Aires the noise, heat and smells hit us as soon as we got off the train!
So many people, car horns hooting, clouds of diesel, the buzz of mopeds (with whole families on board) shoe shine men on street corners, cigarette smoke, canyon like streets, the drips from overhead air conditioning units, vendors placing their products on cafe tables for you to buy or reject, flag waving demonstrations (27 anos Las Malvinas...we were in the middle of it before we knew what it was for...beat a hasty retreat!), people queuing at banks, begging children, crazy drivers, bumper bash parking and swagger!
Visited the famous Cafe Tortoni and Petit Colon for ‘Cafe con leche’. The coffee houses are on a grand scale, a lot are Art Nouveau and full of paintings and b&w photos of times gone by.
Came across dog kennels in park squares...dogs of all different shapes and sizes being walked and watered for their working owners? The main boulevard in the centre has 20 lanes of traffic which took us 5 minutes to cross and involved lots of stepping off the kerb only to retreat at speed as the lights changed and the race was on to see who could accelerate the fastest! When we got back to the B&B we needed a lie down!
Re-packed the bags and got the bike boxes ready for tomorrow’s local flight to Mendoza. Our friend Buddha will be picking us up again......the last day of being pampered! Had an amazing meal tonight in Cordero y Nother (www.corderoynother.com.ar). As we had been advised the steaks here are nothing like at home, so tender and flavoursome. In fact, all our meals have been very good so far, but it’s back to basics for the next few weeks as we contemplate our trip across the Andes - campsites and pasta from now on. We have heard that people start their cooking at 10.00pm and finish eating after midnight so will have to change the habit of a lifetime and join the locals. Now where did I put those earplugs!
Teresita B&B has been a wonderful base from which to start the holiday. Now the hard work starts.
Demonstrations in Buenos Aires
