La Bomba & San Telmo - Adios Buenos Aries!

On the Sunday before leaving Buenos Aires I visited San Telmo – the largest antique and vintage market in the city. BA is created in blocks, much like New York – the market covered 4 or 5 blocks - and as you walk along the way there were food stalls, entertainers – brazilian drum bands, puppet shows, spanish guitarists, artists, tango – basically, it was brilliant. One of the reasons I've fallen for BA is the San Telmo area, and the market culture – very laid back, very creative, very cool.

On my final night in BA a group of us got taxis and headed to the outskirts for a night called 'Bomba De La Tiempo' – a Brazilian drum night, in a warehouse. I've added a couple of clips below which hopefully give an idea of the night we had in there – fantastic music, everybody dancing and bouncing – shirts off – proper sweaty! After that back to Milhouse and partied at the hostel. Happy happy days.

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Buenos Aires - the love affair continues

Five days and I have fallen in love - I was due to leave Buenos Aires two days ago – but I'll be here for a short while yet. I may never leave. It's not just me, everybody in the hostel has been here far longer than planned.

A couple of nights ago, a group of us travelled to La Boca, and saw Boca Juniors' first game of the season – I've seen a lot of football, and been to the biggest, noisiest, most religious nightclubs and festivals – but I can honestly say I have never been anywhere quite like La Bombonera – The football club is the identity of this poor part of BA, (even Coca-Cola advertise in black and white here as Boca's fierce rivals River Plate play in red and white), and for 3 ½ hours 40 odd thousand people sang, danced and bounced...in perfect rhythm...without stopping.

The day after I headed to San Telmo, which is a bohemian, artistic part of the city and wandered around the antique fairs and coffee shops – its also the part of the city that wears a lot of the cities street art – so I visited various walls, galleries and shops. I'm going back on Sunday, as they have the cities largest food and antiques market.

I also visited Recoleta – north of the city centre and famously the resting place of Argentina's leading celebrities, including Evita. It's an unbelivable place – the money that has been spent not just on the tombs (that are open so you can see the coffins), but on renting the space is incredible. Last night we visited an all you can eat steak house on the outskirts of BA...for 45 Pesos (£10) we ate and drank like kings...again, I have never had steak like it...and the bottle of Malbec at 9 Pesos (£1.50) was phenonomal. Finally, for this entry, the nightclubs are great here – they start at 2am and close at around 9am...so, basically I'm loving it out here, and will be sorry to leave on Monday when I head to Iguazu on the Brazilian border.

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Buenos Aires - La Boca

'Buy the ticket, take the ride.'

Dr Hunter S. Thompson

So, I'll start this by declaring my hangover – sorry mum! So daunted was I by being out here, the other side of the world, and not knowing anyone, that I decided to party with the rest of the hostel...this despite having not slept for 48hrs. The first thing I learnt was that a large beer (they drink Quilmes here) is 80p - It was good fun, and I met people – so, as I sit here writing this I feel a lot more relaxed, and ready to take on the world than I did when I first wandered in.

Yesterday, my first full day travelling, I went on a walking tour of La Boca, a neighborhood, or barrio of Buenos Aires. Like the rest of BA, Boca feels very European – we were told that many of its early settlers were originally from Genoa, and that the area is so called as it sits at the mouth ("boca") of the Riacheulo.

La Boca is fantastic and very beautiful – it feels very alive - with its colourful houses – apparently the rich of BA used to paint their boats as colourfully as possible, and that when they had finished with the paint the poor of Boca would pinch what remained and paint what they could of their homes.

La Boca is also known for the 'Caminito' – the street where Tango artists perform, Boca Juniors and bbq's – 20 odd of us ate a traditional Argentine bbq in a beautiful court yard (steak, chorizo sausage and wine, in the sun for lunch!), and then walked to La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors. We did the tour of the stadium and I've booked tickets to see a game on Thursday – which should be pretty phenonomal – the stadium only holds 35,000, but the atmosphere in there is bonkers. Out here Diego Maradona is literally a God among men – and there are pictures and mock statues of him everywhere.

The weather – well its winter now, but it feels like Spring in England, quite crisp, but very warm in the sun. If it stays the same tomorrow, I'd quite like to go on another tour - the street art of Buenos Aires - its everywhere and, like the city, very creative and vibrant. We'll see...

I'm knackered. I never thought I'd sleep in a bunk bed again...btw, as I sit here writing I'm watching Liverpool beat Stoke, (GGGGOOOOOOOOOOALLLLL TORRRRRRRRES!!!!) and Utd lose to Burnley. Life is pretty good as it goes.