one of my favorite pics taken in buenos aires.
Monday, April 16, 2007
adventures in south america, part 1 (buenos aires)
i'm baaaack. never got around to blogging on the actual trip. for some reason, it felt like a real chore to sit down and type on painfully slow internet connections when the clock and pesos were ticking away. though i'd give you a nice little play by play when i got back. and as always, i think the photos tell the stories best.
it started out on a pretty long 12 hour non-stop flight from NY to buenos aires. long because i can't for the life of me, sleep on planes. it's so annoying!!! probably the most painful thing of travel for me is that i just can't sleep sitting up. even with drugs. just can't do it. so while martin and everyone else around me is snoring and drooling, i keep myself busy looking at the usually crappy in-flight films and magazines. never the less, we made it and arrived to a sunny warm day in BA.
we headed straight for our hostel, the gardenhouse which was nothing to speak of on the outside but perfectly clean on the inside. we were greeted by a sweet, young and hip twenty-something who spoke perfect english and showed us around the place. it definitely had that backpacker vibe with well traveled youngsters hanging about, checking their emails and reading travel guides on the torn sofas and hammocks which hung on the roofdeck. we had a private room that was perfectly fine. clean comfy bed with nice white sheets. and we even had a sliding door to shared patio deck complete with big hammock. only drawback was that we had a shared bathroom that seemed to be perpetually occupied. whatever. i'm not complaining for $10 a night.
we rested a while then headed into the main bit of san temlo. another slight negative of gardenhouse was that it was quite a good walk to the center of the hood. but whatever, we were only staying there one night. we walked up and down the old streets and checked out the scene. then stopped in the main plaza for a beer at golden hour. it was quite pleasant. we had dinner at des nivel which we thought looked like a good divey place. turned out this place was in all the guide books as every other table had foreigners scanning the menus. it was a famously cheap parilla (i.e. steak place). we ordered yummy steak, basic salad, fries, wine and dessert (delicious dulce de leche crepe with ice cream) which all came to about $15 each!!! this was living! we went home and slept very well. oh yeah, and it was my birthday! happy 32nd to me.
i was excited about the next day because i had reserved a room at the cocker which i had read about and was dying to stay after obsessing over their website. looked like my kind of place... a converted old building with all the modern conveniences. and the furnishings had a nice mixture of antique and modern. this was my birthday treat, to stay in a nice place for 2 nights. we were only a few blocks from it and were greeted by the owner ian and their new employee, will, both very sweet english guys. they gave us a tour around the place and i was STOKED. it was gorgeous. the house was impeccably decorated. they had kept all old touches of the original place in tact, like the cool painted tiles on the floors. there was a long spiral staircase that lead to the upper floors which eventually took you to the rooftop. there were two room on the main rooftop and another room one more flight up. the gardens on the rooftop were beautiful and i felt like i could just stop and stay there the rest of my trip.
it's funny because i've never been that bothered about accommodations before when travelling. as long as the place was clean and comfortable, it was fine. i just wanted to be where ever i was and didn't care about "service." maybe it's travelling in my 30s and wanting more comforts or just appreciating "the finer things." whatever it is, i realized after staying at the cocker, i really liked this level of satisfaction in a hotel. sign me up for "conde nast traveller!" HA!
we had a sweet room complete with big cozy bed, pretty art on the walls AND a huge wetroom with fantastic water pressure. god i loved that wetroom. made me want one in my future home. we slept amazingly well that night after staying out pretty late to check out a local milongra (amateur tango dancers).
breakfast in the cocker was also lovely. tea and coffee and juice and amazing pastries and toast and cereal and a plethora of ripe fruits all served in the cute dining room around a big square table. i also have to say that i've enjoyed hostels because it's easy to meet other travelers. but sitting around that big table in the morning, you got to meet the other guests. we had a very sweet couple from scotland and a girl from munich. all interesting and well-travelled people. we ended up going to dinner with all of them that night and had a fantastic meal at a place called balthazar (i think... will have to check) in san telmo. it was more upscale but again, we ate amazingly well... starters, a few bottles of wine, main courses, desserts and each only paid $30!
we decided to check out an official tango show (when in rome) at a place called bar sur, which was recommended to us. it was pricey, about $30 (martin haggled with the host). the place was very intimate and the dancers and musicians were very talently but it was just so touristy. like flashing digicams the whole time. honestly, if i were to do it again, i'd leave the tango show since you can see really great performers for free in the streets.
next day we checked out la boca which was a really cool, brightly colored neighborhood. again, total touristy vibe with handy crafts for sale and tango dancers dancing for change in the hat but the area was just groovy. we took a million photos that day. maybe my favorite picture taking day ever.
we lucked out at the cocker because they had two nights open up for availability, so we took em! just didn't want to move and it was just too good there. we also got to switch rooms which was fun. we checked out the recoleta cemetery which was vast. row upon row of huge statues and monuments for dead people. and of course evita's grave.
again, when in rome... we attended a soccer match of the local team, the boca juniors against mexico. totally fun!! singing and chanting the whole time. man, are they into their futbol. it probably would have been more intense if it was two local teams but it was still a good time.
our last night, martin took me out for my official birthday dinner. we were going to go to the popular las lilas in puerto madero which had been recommended by a few friends. but when ian, our host had told me about a place he preferred for the money, i decided to check it out. they had given us such good advice so far that i thought we couldn't go wrong. besides, he said las lilas was pretty touristy and i wanted to real deal. so we went to patagonia sur in la boca. omg! again, talk about service!! we were the first people there at a 9:30 seating. the place was dark and initimate, only about 8 tables and the waitstaff were the bomb.
it was a 3 course meal and each one was delish, especially the dessert! apparently it was famous argentinian chef, francis mallmann's place, where the restaurant was downstairs and his residence was above. we found out later when we asked to sip our wine outside and they showed us upstairs to the balcony, right through his living room where he, himself was sitting watching TV. talk about intimate!
our last day in BA was spent in ultra trendy palermo viejo. each street was occupied by some cooler than cool clothes or furniture shop. very designy. i felt like i was in nolita or williamsburg. the shops were cool but not really cheap. they were slightly cheaper than ny prices but i wouldn't say "deal." there were also plently of independent designer flea markets happened but nothing i hadn't seen before. i guess i was hoping for more. but it was still a cool hood and we definitely didn't get a chance to really explore.
we left for patagonia the next day which will be in part 2...
and here are the rest of the BA photos
it started out on a pretty long 12 hour non-stop flight from NY to buenos aires. long because i can't for the life of me, sleep on planes. it's so annoying!!! probably the most painful thing of travel for me is that i just can't sleep sitting up. even with drugs. just can't do it. so while martin and everyone else around me is snoring and drooling, i keep myself busy looking at the usually crappy in-flight films and magazines. never the less, we made it and arrived to a sunny warm day in BA.
we headed straight for our hostel, the gardenhouse which was nothing to speak of on the outside but perfectly clean on the inside. we were greeted by a sweet, young and hip twenty-something who spoke perfect english and showed us around the place. it definitely had that backpacker vibe with well traveled youngsters hanging about, checking their emails and reading travel guides on the torn sofas and hammocks which hung on the roofdeck. we had a private room that was perfectly fine. clean comfy bed with nice white sheets. and we even had a sliding door to shared patio deck complete with big hammock. only drawback was that we had a shared bathroom that seemed to be perpetually occupied. whatever. i'm not complaining for $10 a night.
we rested a while then headed into the main bit of san temlo. another slight negative of gardenhouse was that it was quite a good walk to the center of the hood. but whatever, we were only staying there one night. we walked up and down the old streets and checked out the scene. then stopped in the main plaza for a beer at golden hour. it was quite pleasant. we had dinner at des nivel which we thought looked like a good divey place. turned out this place was in all the guide books as every other table had foreigners scanning the menus. it was a famously cheap parilla (i.e. steak place). we ordered yummy steak, basic salad, fries, wine and dessert (delicious dulce de leche crepe with ice cream) which all came to about $15 each!!! this was living! we went home and slept very well. oh yeah, and it was my birthday! happy 32nd to me.
i was excited about the next day because i had reserved a room at the cocker which i had read about and was dying to stay after obsessing over their website. looked like my kind of place... a converted old building with all the modern conveniences. and the furnishings had a nice mixture of antique and modern. this was my birthday treat, to stay in a nice place for 2 nights. we were only a few blocks from it and were greeted by the owner ian and their new employee, will, both very sweet english guys. they gave us a tour around the place and i was STOKED. it was gorgeous. the house was impeccably decorated. they had kept all old touches of the original place in tact, like the cool painted tiles on the floors. there was a long spiral staircase that lead to the upper floors which eventually took you to the rooftop. there were two room on the main rooftop and another room one more flight up. the gardens on the rooftop were beautiful and i felt like i could just stop and stay there the rest of my trip.
it's funny because i've never been that bothered about accommodations before when travelling. as long as the place was clean and comfortable, it was fine. i just wanted to be where ever i was and didn't care about "service." maybe it's travelling in my 30s and wanting more comforts or just appreciating "the finer things." whatever it is, i realized after staying at the cocker, i really liked this level of satisfaction in a hotel. sign me up for "conde nast traveller!" HA!
we had a sweet room complete with big cozy bed, pretty art on the walls AND a huge wetroom with fantastic water pressure. god i loved that wetroom. made me want one in my future home. we slept amazingly well that night after staying out pretty late to check out a local milongra (amateur tango dancers).
breakfast in the cocker was also lovely. tea and coffee and juice and amazing pastries and toast and cereal and a plethora of ripe fruits all served in the cute dining room around a big square table. i also have to say that i've enjoyed hostels because it's easy to meet other travelers. but sitting around that big table in the morning, you got to meet the other guests. we had a very sweet couple from scotland and a girl from munich. all interesting and well-travelled people. we ended up going to dinner with all of them that night and had a fantastic meal at a place called balthazar (i think... will have to check) in san telmo. it was more upscale but again, we ate amazingly well... starters, a few bottles of wine, main courses, desserts and each only paid $30!
we decided to check out an official tango show (when in rome) at a place called bar sur, which was recommended to us. it was pricey, about $30 (martin haggled with the host). the place was very intimate and the dancers and musicians were very talently but it was just so touristy. like flashing digicams the whole time. honestly, if i were to do it again, i'd leave the tango show since you can see really great performers for free in the streets.
next day we checked out la boca which was a really cool, brightly colored neighborhood. again, total touristy vibe with handy crafts for sale and tango dancers dancing for change in the hat but the area was just groovy. we took a million photos that day. maybe my favorite picture taking day ever.
we lucked out at the cocker because they had two nights open up for availability, so we took em! just didn't want to move and it was just too good there. we also got to switch rooms which was fun. we checked out the recoleta cemetery which was vast. row upon row of huge statues and monuments for dead people. and of course evita's grave.
again, when in rome... we attended a soccer match of the local team, the boca juniors against mexico. totally fun!! singing and chanting the whole time. man, are they into their futbol. it probably would have been more intense if it was two local teams but it was still a good time.
our last night, martin took me out for my official birthday dinner. we were going to go to the popular las lilas in puerto madero which had been recommended by a few friends. but when ian, our host had told me about a place he preferred for the money, i decided to check it out. they had given us such good advice so far that i thought we couldn't go wrong. besides, he said las lilas was pretty touristy and i wanted to real deal. so we went to patagonia sur in la boca. omg! again, talk about service!! we were the first people there at a 9:30 seating. the place was dark and initimate, only about 8 tables and the waitstaff were the bomb.
it was a 3 course meal and each one was delish, especially the dessert! apparently it was famous argentinian chef, francis mallmann's place, where the restaurant was downstairs and his residence was above. we found out later when we asked to sip our wine outside and they showed us upstairs to the balcony, right through his living room where he, himself was sitting watching TV. talk about intimate!
our last day in BA was spent in ultra trendy palermo viejo. each street was occupied by some cooler than cool clothes or furniture shop. very designy. i felt like i was in nolita or williamsburg. the shops were cool but not really cheap. they were slightly cheaper than ny prices but i wouldn't say "deal." there were also plently of independent designer flea markets happened but nothing i hadn't seen before. i guess i was hoping for more. but it was still a cool hood and we definitely didn't get a chance to really explore.
we left for patagonia the next day which will be in part 2...
and here are the rest of the BA photos
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