December 10, 2010. Buenos Aires Bus ride Bores Boys by Hollis

Today we set off on one of the most boring informative trips Bowen or I have ever set foot on. It consisted of a roofless bus (which in the rainstorm that consumed most of the day was not too fun to be on) and headphones that were waaay too loud teaching you about statues. Probably the most eventful part of this was when a kid in the Boca neighborhood threw a bun at the top of the bus.

On the way through town during this tourist bus trip, we got off and looked around. We eventually got tired of the rain pounding on us so we went inside a small art studio. Much to my surprise there was a wheel of a deal on a very nice local style knife. Not wanting to turn this opportunity down I bought it on the spot.

After this we ventured down the side streets, seeing many strange stores much like the ones on 17th ave back home. We saw stores selling piggie banks made out of some strange material, custom shirt stores, even those stores with semi-goth things in them, like hairy smurf lamps. After being slightly inspired by all these sights we decided to get back onto the tour bus. Oh joy. After another excruciating hour of mindless text-to-speech spanish dudes talking into our ears we headed home and had a pasta dinner.

Hollis

Ok, now for the parents point of view.... This was a great way for us to see the city and figure out where we wanted to return to in the future. Our kids seem to think that we are all knowing. They forget that we need to figure things out as we go and sometimes we have NO IDEA where we are exactly.  The rain was a surprise for sure but at least it was warm so we weren't freezing as well as being drenched. Besides, we never would have found those cool galleries and that knife if we hadn't been looking for shelter!

Even though it's not really fair we can't help but to compare our experience here to that of Mexico. Here are some early observations/comparisons for those of you that like Mexico and may be considering a trip to South America:

1) I have yet to find a toilet that does not have a seat and a supply of toilet paper. Here in Argentina, I can put the toilet paper right in the toilet as opposed to in the bin beside the toilet.

2) The street food in Mexico was incredible. Often we could eat lunch or dinner for $10 for the whole family including beer. Here the prices are similar to Canada. $4 - $5 for a beer in a restaurant. $75- $80 for dinner for 4 including 2 glasses of wine. People don't really cook on the street here. Sometimes if we are hungry we can get an empanada for $1 or Torta for $3.50 but it seems you have to be in the right neighborhood. Beer in the grocery store is good and costs about $.75 each.

3) We take a taxi everywhere here. A 15 min trip will cost about $7 max. Mexico is about the same but is not metered. You must agree to the price before you get in the car.

4) Limes are hard to come by even in the grocery store. Mexico they are served with EVERYTHING. We love lime

5) Bartering in the flea markets is not really welcomed

6) People LOVE their dogs here. They don't LOVE to pick up after them though so you have to watch for the piles on the sidewalks. In Mexico all the dogs run wild and they bark all night long.

7) English was spoken more in Mexico than here.

8) Wine is plentiful but is not cheap. The Luigi Bosca we drink at home is the same price here. We have found some nice alternatives though for about $10/bottle.

9) It rains most afternoons here. - In Mexico it rained once in 4.5 months!

10) The water from the tap is perfectly fine to drink here in Argentina!

Generally I'd say Buenos Aires is a very upscale city. It is beautiful and has incredible parks, boulevards and buildings. Every roundabout is adorned with a statue or sculpture and has at least 6 lanes around it. There is a photo op around every corner. The wine shops here are a sight! They are exactly what you'd expect from a wine shop in Argentina. Lots of old dark wood, dusty bottles of malbec and an open counter loaded with cured meat, aged cheese and delicious bread. We visit them as often as possible!
The locals eat dinner between 9 and 10 pm. We thought that would be late even for us but we have settled into the late night routine very easily. I guess it helps that we can't seem to get out butts out of bed before 10 am. Must be all that walking and wine!
Here are some shots from our "boring bus tour" , the best empanadas yet! and inside our Architectural Digest apartment.

Liz