Back to Buenos Aires

Before Sandra and I left Argentina, we returned to Buenos Aires to see and do few things we didn't get a chance to do when we first arrived. We planned it that way since it's a large city, and we had to do some planning when we first arrived. 

After our flight got in, we headed to our airbnb spot. It wasn't as good as our place in Bariloche, but we got breakfast and met some locals. We walked around a bit, got on the subway, and went to see the Obelisco. The obelisk was pretty standard, but the large BA nearby was pretty cool.

Big BA.

Someone had mentioned that Casa de Rosada is lit up at night, so we decided to go check it out again. However, it was either a fluke or the lights were out because Obama was in town (and apparently inside the building). Yeah, he hadn't made it to Bariloche yet. There was still hope of seeing him. I thought it would be cool to see him in a different country. Although I've never seen him at home either. Only on TV.

Argentina and the US.

While we were walking around, we noticed the signs for the public holiday which was the following day, Día de la Memoria por la Verdad y la Justicia. It was the 40th anniversary of the coup d'état of 1976 that brought the National Reorganization Process to power. With Obama in town, there were definitely mixed feelings. Some people are still upset with the role of the US in the dictatorship back then. I wasn't alive, and am no expert on what happened, but I hope that everyone can begin to move on. The perception of the US globally is really complex and I do wish more people back home understood what it's like. I don't even fully understand it, but meeting people and learning about other cultures and politics, helps me begin to.

We spent the following morning walking around Palermo Soho, not far from where we were staying. I had to get my laundry before it closed for the holiday, so we couldn't go too far. Luckily, we were pleasantly surprised with what we came across. The neighborhood was super cute. There were murals everywhere, fun shops, and lots of restaurants. We sat down at a Mexican place, got some lunch and margaritas, and enjoyed the nice weather.

Palermo Soho.

After picking up my laundry, we went to explore the colorful neighborhood of La Boca, and especially Caminito, the pedestrian street where tango dancers perform. It was very touristy, but still fun looking at all the colorful buildings. And we got a little tango show. We spent a good amount of time exploring. Once we thought we had enough, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the San Telmo neighborhood. 

Surrounded by color.

San Telmo was another neighborhood famous with a tango connection, as well as it's colonial buildings. 

Colonial San Telmo.

We walked around a bit, and got a sneak peak of where we were watching tango the following night. 

Viejo Almacen.

The following morning, we decided to go see the Torre Monumental, a gift from Britain. It totally looks like it belongs in the UK, or at the very least in Boston. 

Torre Monumental.

After getting some hot chocolate, which consisted of melting a piece of chocolate in hot milk, we paid another visit to Cementerio de la Recoleta. We saw some things we saw before, but went to some unexplored areas. I'm glad we went again and again, I could have spent hours wandering. It's just so cool walking up and down the narrow alleys full of tombs. 

Back to Cementerio de la Recoleta.

Later on, it was time for tango. Sandra and I headed back to rest up before dressing up to watch tango at Viejo Almacen. We waited for a while for our pick-up, but finally made it to the show. We had no idea what time it started, so worried we would be late. But these drivers are experts. I guess since safety is a concern, a pick-up comes with every purchase of a ticket. Good for us since it was on the other side of town. And they dropped us off at the end of the night. 

Waiting for the show.

When we arrived, we were pleased to find out seats were not too far from the stage. There were still some poles in the way, but for the most part, it was a good spot. We got our glass of champagne to enjoy while we waited. 

Paid complimentary glass of bubbly.

The show was pretty cool. I'm definitely amazed with how they can dance so well. This is with most types of dances of course. I like to say I can dance, but not in the traditional sense. I can't follow choreography for the life of me. As much as I was impressed, I still found the performance forced at times. After talking with Sandra, who is more of an expert, she mentioned that since it's more of a show, and not an impromptu performance, this is why I felt like that. Which makes sense. I'm still glad I got to see some real-life tango.

Tango.

I spent the following morning doing one last run in Argentina. I wanted to go longer, but wasn't feeling up to it. However, I still managed to get in over 7 miles, so that was a positive. This was going to be my last run for at least a week. I was headed to high elevation in Peru. And I would be trekking for a few days. No runs for a while. 

Amazing running paths all over. 

Sandra and I spent our last day wandering the parks.

Ell rosedal. 

And getting lunch in the Palermo SoHo neighborhood.

Palermo Soho artwork.

We eventually headed to the airport and said farewell to Argentina. I had a long night of travel ahead of me, so of course I had to have one last glass of Argentinian red before leaving the country. I was excited to head to Peru to meet family and friends. I got to see and do a lot in Argentina, and I am looking forward to a future visit. 

One last glass of red.

Buenos Aires

My tour of Argentina continued to Buenos Aires. I arrived with no issues and was excited to meet my friend Sandra. She's a friend from NYC that now lives upstate. I saw her right before I left on my trip, and was excited to spend a couple of weeks with her. After grabbing my bag (of course it was the last one off the belt), taking the bus to Palermo, and walking to our Airbnb, I made it. Sandra had arrived earlier that morning, so she was already settled in. We caught up for a little bit, while I updated her on my most recent trials and tribulations in San Juan. 

After relaxing for a bit, we went out to explore the city and find lunch. Lunch was ok. I haven't been super impressed with the food here except at the nicer restaurants. They have a lot of stuff similar to home, but not as good. Like the pizza. No good here. No matter where you get it. Once we ate, we walked to some of the nearby parks. We first went to see the Floralis Generica. It's a pretty cool sculpture that apparently opens and closes like a flower does during the day. It would be cool to see it in the morning, or in the evening. 

Floralis Generica.

Up next was the Cemeterio la Recoleta. This was one of my favorite spots in Buenos Aires. We didn't have much time here since they were closing at 5pm, but what we saw was pretty cool. The narrow rows and rows of tombs were really cool to wander and see. When you think about it, it's really creepy. But still so cool. I was hoping to make another visit later in the trip, which I was able to do. We also checked out Eva Peron's tomb. Probably one of the most visited spots in the cemetery. 

Cemeterio de Recoleta.

Eventually we made it back to the apartment to relax and get some sleep. Sandra totally passed out since she had traveled overnight. I attempted, unsuccessfully, to book flights for our next stop. I was able to get it all sorted out the following morning, and we were off to Iguazu Falls. After that was taken care of, we got a nice run in around Parque 3 de Febrero, including Paseo el Rosedal. It was a nice scenic run to see a few more things in the city. 

Running in Paseo el Rosedel.

We walked around Palermo a bit before finding lunch. It's a pretty cute neighborhood, but I think there was still more to see. We saw a bit, but as much as people had talked about it, I assumed there was more. So many stores and restaurants have painted the fronts in cool designs. 

Storefronts of Palermo.

We headed to the Burger Joint, which was recommended by a friend. We got a pretty damn good burger and beer for lunch. I was definitely impressed. The place was a bit funky and definitely had a lot of American references. The Soup Nazi even made an appearance.

The Soup Nazi.

After some communication in Spanish and English, we got a sube card and headed to Plaza de Mayo. This is the area where the city of Buenos Aires was started. It had some cool buildings, including Casa Rosada, where the President works. This is also famous for the movie Evita. Which is being added to my list of movies to either watch for the first time, or watch again, of film locations I've now visited on this trip. 

Casa Rosada.

We walked over to Puerto Madero to see this newer up-and-coming neighborhood. We walked along the dams a bit and over the Puente de la Mujer, the Women's Bridge. After all that walking and the sun beating down on us, we found a spot to relax a bit and have some beer. 

Puenta de la Mujer

Once we were recharged, we continued on our walking tour and headed to Plaza de Congreso. As we approached we saw there was some sort of activity. It looked like it could have been a demonstration, but I think it was some sort of parade. I think this is a regular occurrence, but since I don't know what most of the signs read, I remained out of the loop. 

Parade near Plaza de Congreso.

It was getting dark now, so we headed back to Palermo to get dinner and rest up for the following morning for our trip north. After I got my run in, we headed to the airport in order to see one of Argentina's most popular destinations, Iguazu Falls. 

Running around Buenos Aires.