Tango in the Streets - Buenos Aires Part 1

My initial and entirely unscientific impression of standards of living in Argentina is that there is less of a divide between rich and poor than in neighbouring Brazil. The streets of Argentina feel like Western Europe; people are well-dressed, there is little rubbish and cafe culture is clearly going strong. Unlike Asia, we seem to have less disposable income available for meals and drinks than most people here.   In terms of ease of travelling, Spanish is thankfully proving marginally more comprehensible than Portuguese. Dave is much better at it than me, although when it comes to menu reading my expertise is unparellelled. I may not be able to tell you my name but I can sure as hell ask you for a steak sandwich!

Our twenty hour journey to Buenos Aires was not entirely awful, primarily because bus travel in Argentina aspires to be more like air travel, with a stewardess, microwave meals and wine.On a recent trip, we had champagne while watching Shutter Island. We did however wake up at 1am to find an armed and uniformed guard standing over us asking to see our passports. Military presence is everywhere here.

We had heard rave reviews of BA from other travellers and it did not disappoint: it manages to be both charming and cosmopolitan, accessible to tourists but still authentic. It felt very safe, and to a certain extent we let our guard down - we were unprepared when a couple of scam artists tried to rob us in the park. Luckily, we´re always careful to conceal our valuables and Dave caught on quickly so they got away with nada.

Our hostel in BA was more like a boutique hotel where they let you share the kitchen. We were technically in a dorm room, but as it´s low season we had it to ourselves for most of the week we spent in the city.

During that week, we packed in the sightseeing, walking round most of the city and admiring lots of monuments to guys on horses. We tried to visit a few museums but they were all closed. Our hostel was located in San Telmo, an area famous for its antique shops, like a less gentrified version of Camden Market. On Sunday, San Telmo holds a market and its cobbled streets are packed with both foreigners and locals. Crowds gather around the dancers performing the tango in elaborate costumes and makeup. It´s blatantly touristy but still a lot of fun. Jugglers and mimes also work the crowds, along with buskers, who we´ve also seen performing on the tube and the bus, to much applause. Although the city centre  is attractive and interesting in its own right, the yuppie district of Palermo is the true heart of BA. It has acres of peaceful parks and botanic gardens, and its streets are lined with colonial buildings complete with wrought-iron balconies, steakhouses, bars and boutiques. It felt like Ashton Lane on a much larger scale. The atmosphere was especially festive because the week we were there coincided with a national holiday, to celebrate Argentina´s 200th anniversary of independence. Details on the festival, Argentinian food and sociopolitical observations to follow!