More BsAs, Rosario and Colonia in Uruguay

Milonga

As I mentioned before we went to a fun Milonga (tango party) at an Armenian Community Centre in Palermo Viejo. The night was called "La Viruta" and here are some pics and video.



Milonga in Palermo Viejo from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.




A favorite Argentine restaurant near Palermo Viejo

We had a few great lunches at Hermann’s. It was a great place for people watching and observing how the local’s do it.

Little old ladies sat and had lunch and drank their coffee or tea and on Sunday it was especially busy with families, kind of like a Buenos Aires White Spot…

One sight that we found funny happened near closing time. A big roast with raviolis in it was set out on a large table. At first I thought it was a huge family order, but then we realized it was the meal for the staff.

One server was opening bottles of red wine for the table with a huge smile on his face. This was when we realized it must be for the staff. Why else would he look so happy? Then they sat down to eat, signalling that the restaurant was closing and it was time for them to have their lunch.

In this little movie of Hermann’s, he is the man on the right. Looks like he enjoys his food!


Hermann's Restaurant in Buenos Aires from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

Speaking of Food, this was a sight we had at the Supermarket...




Rosario: Kind of a Bust

The Lonely Planet raved about a smaller town called Rosario, claiming it was the perfect Argentine city. We took the 4-hour bus ride over to visit and were really underwhelmed.

The main architectural sight of this town of about one million is the Monument of the Flag, which holds the original Argentine flag. Oh yeah, it was also the birthplace of Che Guevara. Other than that we didn’t feel it had much to offer.



Another bummer was that two of the most highly recommended restaurants from the guidebook did not exist anymore. According to the hotel concierge, they were “broken”.

Part of the problem was that we weren’t there in the right season. It seems that the author of the LP guide must have been drawn to the bustling, riverside beaches of summer while we, of course, were there at the end of their autumn. Surprisingly, Rosario was unusually hot and humid for this time of year, so Rocky and I were wearing shorts and t-shirts and still sweating.

We took the cab a ways out of town to have a look at the beach. Since it was warm there were some people doing the beach thing, so we did manage to see some cute little Argentine bums in thong bikini’s. Rocky definitely understood how this could be an excellent place in the summer!







The best part Rosario was that 'Husband' wanted a break from hosteling, so we stayed at a nice hotel in the downtown core. Apparently a four-star hotel, it was more like Holiday Inn, very simple but clean and spacious.

We enjoyed it very much and got rid of that gritty feeling that hostels can sometimes leave you with. I enjoyed the huge Jacuzzi tub both nights. It felt like a well-deserved splurge at that point.

Oh yeah, one other highlight was on our walk through Parque Urquiza. We came across the boche court where the old men were gathered for a tournament. You can really hear the Italian influence in the way they are speaking.


Boche in Parque Urquiza, Rosario, Argentina from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.


Boche in Parque Urquiza, Rosario, Argentina from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.


Colonia del Sacramento



We caught a bus back to Buenos Aires and then a boat to Colonia in Uruguay. Colonia is just across an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean from B.A. The trip was an hour by fast ferry.

We stayed overnight at an HI Hostel called Hostel Colonial and there was a cute, playful doggie there that I liked. His name was Oso (bear in English) and we made friends and played fetch a bit. He was super friendly, but even still Rocky said “Watch out for rabies!”

The next morning we had a bit of a scare as there was this sign that said something like “Prevent Against Dengue!” So we had to ask a few people what the Dengue status was, which was apparently nada and the sign was just for prevention. They had a few cases in the past.

Colonia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was a real treat. It used to be a Portuguese colony with buildings dating from the mid 1600’s. The entrance to the town was an actual drawbridge, and I found myself whistling the theme song to “The Friendly Giant” as we passed through.

Inside the town there were cute little side streets with lots of photos ops. We walked through the main plaza and looked at some of the little museums and “typical” houses from the time of the Portuguese colonies.

We had lunch at a cool place called The Drugstore. Actually I had my first cheese fondue ever there and it was delicious! We dipped various vegetables and bread into a really tasty cheese mix.

I also tried my first mate (matay), which is a really popular South American tea sipped through a metal straw from a decorated gourd. It was interesting, pretty good, but quite strong and smoky. According to our Lonely Planet guide, about 92% of the population of Argentina drink this regularly.

Other than that, I’ll let the pics of Colonia speak for themselves. There were lots of dogs in the town, hence all the doggy photos.

View Colonia photos here.

Buenos Aires

Rocky and I have been in Buenos Aires for a week and a half now. We've stayed in two hostels in different neighbourhoods to get a feel for different areas.

To cut to the chase, click on this link to see photos (Facebook account NOT necessary).

First we were in San Telmo staying at the Garden House Art Factory hostel -- www.artfactoryba.com.ar. We had a fantastic experience there because of the friendly people that we met from various places.

Actually, it was one of the best hostel experiences for both Rocky and I. Breakfast was placed at a low round table in the central room. It was easy to meet people that way and see who was coming and going. The hostel was also a bit chilly, so people gathered 'round the gas fireplace and chatted in the evenings.

The people we met were really great. There was a couple from Neuquen province in Argentina who were just up for a few days for a conference. They were super friendly and helpful in teaching us the Argentine ways of the asado (bbq), Castellano (their version of Spanish), and their exceedingly late hours for eating and going out. They were Alejandro and Faviana.

I met a gal from Montreal who gave me some tips for our stay in June/July there.

We had a great time with new friends, Neil and Joni. Joni is originally from Vancouver and Neil from London. They met traveling and now live in London but are moving back to Van in the next few weeks actually.

They shared stories of other travels, of their great time at a Buenos Aires soccer game, and also were great company at the Cafe Tortoni tango show and weekend stroll through the park in Palermo neighbourhood. We hope to see them again in Vancouver.

There were also two German guys traveling solo. They were really interesting.

One was bound for great things, we think, as he was only twenty but incredibly mature, interesting, was fluent in Spanish from a year's home stay in Costa Rica, and was taking a Spanish prep course to prepare him for studies in Economics at the University outside of Buenos Aires. Oh yeah, and he studied Latin in high school... nuff said.

The other German guy was hilariously funny as he talked about his travels all over the world this past year, of living in a tent in Africa for a month and eating goat brains because it was too dark to see what it was. He said his hosts there were so excited to bring 'meat' back from the town.

There was also an Aussie gal from Sydney named Alicia, who was sadly was having terrible luck in her first week of traveling alone for six months in South America.

Firstly, she mistakenly went the wrong way around the world. The ticket was cheap but she didn't realize that it went from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur to Cape Town to somewhere else to Buenos Aires. She said it took her 32 hours... yuck!

Then she left her Visa in an ATM and someone had already purchased something on it after an hour. Then her little wallet was stolen out of her purse. I think her spirits were a bit low when we hung out with her.

After five nights we left the Garden House because San Telmo was a bit of a sleepy area after dark. We were lured to the hip, bustling neighbourhood of Palermo Viejo. It could best be described as Main Street x Yaletown + a hint of Commercial Drive.

There are so many funky restaurants, awesome shopping, cool bars and an always busy plaza in Palermo Viejo. It has been a good switch from San Telmo even though we've been a bit lonely in this hostel that has been empty for most of the time. This one is called Giramondo Suites (sister hostel to Giramondo Youth hostel) -- hostelgiramondo.com.ar.

Carolina, our host, was great. The first day I bought a few bananas and four oranges and was charged 14 pesos (5 dollars CAD). I figured I had been ripped off and she concurred. She proceeded to drag me back down the block so that she could chew out the young shop keep for ripping off her patrons. She got my money back so I ended up paying the real price which ended up being one fifth of the original price.

After we got back to the hostel her face was flushed and she told me to feel her pulse. It was racing and she told me some Argentine people who are corrupt like that really make her blood boil! It was awesome!

Our favorite havens from the ubiquitous pizza, pasta and steaks have been Bar Uriarte, Bio Organic restaurant (absolutely the best salad of my life!!!) and Cumana.

We have also had some great steaks and pastas at Hermann's at Santa Fe and Armenia, La Dorita in Palermo Hollywood, and a local Parilla in San Telmo. Parilla means not only can you get choice cuts of steak, but also kidneys, tripe and intestines grilled to perfection. Parillas are everywhere!

It's funny when you travel how food becomes such an important focus. Without it, one's energy is sapped--and hey, I love food. Rocky chuckles because I love to have a running commentary going as I decide what I'm going to eat.

Highlights in Buenos Aires So Far

Tango!
We went with Jodi and Neil to a Tango Show at the historic Cafe Tortoni. I must say that I didn't really understand tango nor have an appreciation of it before this, but it really captivated me.



It was more like a theatre show, a short musical of sorts, but the dancing was really good and the music was hauntingly beautiful, not to mention the violin player herself. Rocky and I would both like to take some tango classes while we are here.

San Telmo Antique Fair
Lots of cool stuff and interesting people to see here. And of course more Tango!

Tango Dancers in San Telmo Antique Fair from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

There was also a Guacho (Argentine rancher) who part of the show. He was kind of a hunk!

Gaucho at Cafe Tortoni from Penny Rocky on Vimeo.

Check out the photos for more details.

An Authentic Milonga (tango party)
One of our Buenos Aires Time Out suggestions for a Friday night milonga turned out to be a really excellent one.

I knew we were in the right place because two of the performers from our Tortoni tango show were there, one dancing on the crowded dance floor and the other--the according player--studied intently as the live tango band played for the dancing crowd.

The milonga was also taking place in the basement of the local Armenian Community Centre, so it was even more legit.

Recolata Cementario


Highlights wouldn't be complete without a mention of the beautiful and eerie Recoleta Cemetary.

Inside the crypts we could see caskets stacked on shelves and eerie little staircases leading down below the ground.

The cobwebs were so ancient. Some of the statues and tombstone message were really beautiful.

Many more photos of this here.