I flew into Buenos Aires early evening and checked into Milhouse Hipo hostel in the centre of town. Everyone in my room was also British and keen for a burger and a pint. The sister hostel – Milhouse Avenue – hosted karaoke night and so we brought sounds of Oasis and The Killers to South America.
The next day we joined a walking tour around La Boca, a colorful neighbourhood by the port. We learned about the history of the area and saw many restaurants where diners were entertained by tango dancers. We then had lunch at a BBQ spot and enjoyed a Lomo sandwich whilst sitting in the winter sun.
After lunch we visited the La Boca stadium which was full of character but nowhere near as big as the Maracanã stadium I recently visited in Rio.
Once we had returned and napped we went out in search of a good steak. We had a recommendation from other travellers but unfortunately for us it was a national holiday in Argentina, meaning most places were closed! We eventually found somewhere (a restaurant with no name) and were all sat hypnotised by our amazing fat steaks and red wine.
The day was rounded off by listening to some live music at the hostel and playing pool.
On Thursday I met up with my friend Sol, who I know from the hostel in Rio. She took me all over BA and we enjoyed walking in the winter sun. We started with the infamous Obelisco monument and walked around the neighbouring streets. We then arrived at the Recoleta cemetery which contains hundreds of mausoleums and is the final resting place of Eva Perón. It’s slightly strange that this is a Top 10 attraction but it was eeire and beautiful all at the same time. Sol then took me to a fabulous restaurant called Pani, which does every meal you can think of. We settled for brunch (at 3pm haha) and watched the football match (Argentina v Croatia). Due to Argentina’s loss we ended up comforting eating Milka chocolate cheesecake.
We continued on our walk past the university and into the park where the Floralis Generica is, a huge rose that opens and closes. After a few more kilometres in the city we took a cab back to the hostel and I took part in a tango lesson. It was very fun and I pleased with myself for learning two sequences of the dance.
