Tiempo para América del Sur (Time for South America)

My first (and so far the only) rendezvous with my sixth continent began when my 14 hour long flight from Paris landed at the Ministro Pistarini Airport in Buenos Aires. In hindsight, I am surprised they haven't named the airport after Eva Perón, but more on that later.

Argentina - a country obsessed with steaks, football and Evita. A country known for its Malbec and Tango. A country 85% of the size of India, yet with just 3% as many people. I visited the country in April 2012.

Unfortunately, in a short 2 week trip, there wasn't much I could pack in (specially because Brazil and India had to be done in that time frame as well). I saw Buenos Aires, and then went to see the mighty Iguazu Falls.

The city of Buenos Aires has a very European feel to it, which is not very surprising considering that almost all of the immigration that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries was from Europe. From the architecture to the wide boulevards, the cafés to the opera houses and palaces - the city is distinctly European. Due to the emphasis on arts, music and culture given in this city, it is also often called the Paris of South America.

In a MBA-type bullet-point style, I will try and recall what I did in the city.

• Roamed around on the city's main square - Plaza de Mayo. This area houses some of the important administrative buildings of the city : Casa Rosada (the office of the President of Argentina), the May Pyramid (which was built to commemorate the May Revolution, which marked the beginning of the Argentinian War of Independence), the City Hall, etc.

The May Pyramid at Plaza de Mayo

• Saw the grandest and the most beautiful book store I have ever seen. It is called El Ateneo. It was originally constructed in the early 1900s as a theatre, and was subsequently converted into a cinema, and is now a book store. The decorations, the carvings, the lights, the stage curtains - no wonder it was voted the second most beautiful bookshop in the entire world. 

• Watched Boca Juniors (one of the most famous football clubs of Buenos Aires) play on their home ground in the La Boca neighbourhood. A tip : do proper research before you buy tickets. If you go via agents, they would try their best to fleece you. Do not end up overpaying! Just google for the best way to procure tickets. Also, La Boca can be a bit of a rough neighbourhood. So don't stray away into the by-lanes all by yourself.

Diego Maradona, painted on a wall in the La Boca neighbourhood

• Visited the Caminito street in La Boca - a super colourful street, with asbestos houses painted in green and yellow and red and blue, and street performers doing tango, musicians playing instruments and artists selling their crafts. 

The colourful houses of Caminito

• Do not miss watching a Tango show. We went to Cafe Tortoni (one of the oldest ones around). The show was good, and the place looks splendid from the inside. Go there for a cup of coffee during the day to see the interiors properly.

Tango dancing in Caminito

• Visited the San Telmo neighbourhood to see the Sunday craft fair. This is the oldest neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, and this fact is quite visible from the cobblestone streets and old colonial buildings. You will see a lot of tango performers on Sundays here. There is an old couple who have been performing tango on Sundays in Plaza Dorrego for decades (!), and their performances are obviously quite popular. 

The old couple performing in San Telmo

• Saw the Floralis Generica - a huge sculpture made of steel and aluminium and in the shape of a flower in the middle of a park

• Went to Puerto Madero (the docklands of Buenos Aires) - the area best known for its upmarket bars, restaurants and nightclubs, luxurious hotels and modern buildings. 

Puerto Madero

• Visited the Recoleta cemetery to be amazed at how huge it is (you can easily lose your way) and more importantly, to see the grave of the most famous and beloved person of Argentina (after Maradona I guess) - Eva Peron or Evita - the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 till her death in 1952. Evita is everywhere in Buenos Aires - painted on building facades, in all the museums and administrative buildings and on the lips of every resident. Be ready to be inundated with the love and affection people in Buenos Aires show to Eva Peron. I will let you wiki her to know why people love her.

The 3 most important people of Argentina - Maradona, Evita and Juan Peron

• We also did a pub crawl on one of the evenings. This is organized by a company formed by students who have moved to Argentina to learn Spanish (oh how I love that language!). They kick the evening off with pizza and then take you to 3 or 4 bars - each of them offer a free drink and discounts on more (if you want them). Overall, it is good value for money.

• Last, but definitely not the least - Do not leave Buenos Aires without going to a steakhouse (called parrilla in Argentina) - and specially La Cabrera - for a steak meal. This is the best steakhouse I have ever been to. It was recommended to me by a colleague. The friend I went to Argentina with doesn't eat beef, so I decided to go to La Cabrera all by myself, and I was completely completely blown away! The beautiful cutlery, the size of the servings, the multitude of delicious free sides, the on-the-house glass of champagne while you are waiting, the willingness to give you a table for one even though there are many couples and groups (i.e. revenue) waiting in the queue - everything was just perfect. No wonder the place is so highly rated by reviewers. 

The cutlery

The food

The happy me, eating at La Cabrera :-)

All in all, Buenos Aires was a great introduction to Argentina. The country is huge, and the only other place I visited during my stay there were the Iguazu falls (will come in a separate post). There is so much more I want to see in Argentina - Mendoza (the wine growing region), Cordoba, Salta, Patagonia. One day, one day.

PS : Oh, don't forget giving Malbec a shot. It's awesome!