Argentina/Uruguay
18 August 2012 - 29 August 2012
The two-timer tour - WRAP
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San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina (2010)
As has
become standard for me when I've ended a trip I've taken to doing a last summary
or a 'greatest hits' review whenever I managed to complete the final
entry on the 'how, why, when and whatever else may have been alcohol
related' blog series of my most recent escapades. Sticking with tradition
and therefore adopting the same template that I've used in the past, see
also;
I therefore bring you the close out of the Argentina/Uruguay experience which now continues within the new life of my blog, known by the
name, Life in a Year Full of
Saturdays. In actual fact the two-timer final cut is more of a tale of two cities than two countries, that being Buenos Aires and Montevideo, but I'm sticking with tradition in terms of delivery for this final entry. So lets do it, lets check out the highs, lows, hits and misses of the two-timer tour!
Argentina-Uruguay - 'The Final'
Argentina-Uruguay - 'The Final'
Favourite places
Usually
my 'favourite places' are a city based list but as I didn't hop around from city to
city on this tour this list is going to be more about places within the cities themselves.
1. Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - (Uruguay) - Oh the irony! Actually, may I make the point of re-stating that by saying, 'oh, the dramatic irony!', because in that sense what I now say about Montevideo and it's relation to my ironic conidtion is in actual fact correct and hence I need 'no lecture or tickets to a disco!' regarding the use of irony and its context! Just to advise,when the character or shall we say main protagonist in a movie or play does something out of ignorance or that which is contrary to the truth that the audience is already well aware, then that my friends is known as dramatic irony. For example, it's like that time I got married... (...ummm, ok, lets leave that story for another day also!). Anyway, many of my friends would have known that I should not have returned to Montevideo, we don't really gel all that well, and low and behold I got kicked in the teeth for tempting fate in any case. Broadcasting the fact that I think she, Montevideo, sucks sweet juicy balls, may not have done my cause any good at all, BUT...
..........then there came the Mercado del Puerto (sound the trumpets, or at the very least just imagine them being sounded!)
How is it that a place like Montevideo, a place so bland, so boring, so uninspiring, has a space that is a shrine to all things grilled meat related! If you were making a sauce from all things meat inspired then this place would be the exquisite reduction of all things good, and wholesome, and just and honourable about meat.
Prior to making my way to Montevideo I read somewhere that the Uruguayan love for meat makes Argentinians look like vegetarians! If you know anything about how Argentinians roll then that is a MASSIVE statement to be throwing out into the wind. The mercado however is literally just jammed with parillas, their wood fires churning out lomo, morcillas, chorizos, pollo, asado...just keep talking. It's smokey, it's intoxicating, it's got my stamp of approval! Montevideo, you may not like me but I can almost forgive you for providing me with the Mercado del Puerto. I'm happy to call it even!
Prior to making my way to Montevideo I read somewhere that the Uruguayan love for meat makes Argentinians look like vegetarians! If you know anything about how Argentinians roll then that is a MASSIVE statement to be throwing out into the wind. The mercado however is literally just jammed with parillas, their wood fires churning out lomo, morcillas, chorizos, pollo, asado...just keep talking. It's smokey, it's intoxicating, it's got my stamp of approval! Montevideo, you may not like me but I can almost forgive you for providing me with the Mercado del Puerto. I'm happy to call it even!
Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - Uruguay
Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - Uruguay
C'mon, give me more jamon (yeah, I said that!)
...how about this then, 'I was jamon a good time!?'
Didn't Bob Marley have a song called jamon? I'm sure he did!
...how about this then, 'I was jamon a good time!?'
Didn't Bob Marley have a song called jamon? I'm sure he did!
Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - Uruguay
2. La Bombonera - La Boca - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I sometimes wonder how it is that places just take up residence in your head and constantly nag you to hunt them down, ex-girlfiends aside. South America managed to somehow draw me into its space even as a youngster. It was a dark, mysterious continent that had an edge about it, a pervasive edge that permeated into that impressionable young mind of mine and ballooned into an enigma by the fact that (I) didn't know a great deal about it. In the same fashion La Bombonera, the home ground of the legendary BA team Boca Juniors, existed in my mind in the very same fashion. As a kid I would watch grainy games replayed on World Soccer each Saturday afternoon and wondered where the hell it in this world that crowds would erupt into a wild frenzy just for the fact that their team turned up on the pitch! Down the tack I ended up finding out the answer to the question, and on this trip I ended up satisfying one of the many travel wants (....or is it needs)! La Bombonera is a cauldron, the fans are typically passionate and emotional. Designed by a Yugoslav, painted in Swedish colours and with the atmosphere that you can only get in Latin America, this was a great place to be!
La Bombonera - home of Boca Juniors - La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Game time! It's time to 'set it off' in La Bombonera!!
3-2 with 10 mins to go. It was a cracking game but unfortunately for Boca and the home town faithful the game ended up in a 3-3 draw. Advertising boards were thrown!
3. San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - Sometimes you learn by the process of osmosis, right? Isn't that when a liquid passes through a 'semi-permeable' membrane and then settles elsewhere? I don't know actually, I'm trying to recall facts from my Yr 8 science glass and I'm drawing blanks, but there's a point here. My first time in BA was in 2010 and I elected to stay in San Telmo for that initial stop. Why? Because somehow, from somewhere by some fanciful process that I haven't as yet figured out I made the assessment that San Telmo was the 'cool part' of Buenos Aires. In actual fact it's not - Palermo Soho is the 'cool part' BUT San Telmo is my style cool. Cobble stoned streets, old classical style architecture, the aroma of charred meat filling the air from the parillas that inhabit every corner, establishments that exude the charm of those old world speakeasy's...it just suits me down to the ground, and I have to say that if I was to ever live in Buenos Aires or stay here for any 'real' amount of time then this barrio would certainly be my home.
San Telmo street art - near the corner of calle Peru y Chile -San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Calle Chile, San Telmo, on a brisk Sunday morning
On La calle Defensa, Bernabe Ferreya, aka 'Gardelito' - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Bernabe has been peforming the songs of Carlos Gardel since 1972
Gente caminando por San Telmo
4. La Boca - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This is the 'working class' barrio of Buenos Aires and is the cities true cultural melting pot. It has a strong Italian influence but also has pockets of Spanish, Germans, French, Arabs and Basque. It's kind of gritty in that true working class manner but also colourful, has soul and is full of life. Apparently it's not the 'safest' barrio to just wonder around but since when have I taken notice of 'safety measures' outlined in any notable travel guide - please see the entry on a puma tried to rip my nuts off for proof of that! It's right here if you're interested - The 3:10 express from Yuma
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Puerto La Boca Riachuelo Transbordador - La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Calle Caminito - La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Backstreets of La Boca near La Bombonera
5. Panamericano hotel - San Nicolas - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I'd seen many photos taken of the famous Avenida 9 de Julio and the Obelisk but had not quite figured out from where they were taken , that was until I zeroed in on the top floor of the Panamericano hotel. What the top floor of this hotel should be is a bar, perhaps one that opens out magnificently onto the BA skyline for all to enjoy. What it is however is some type of ordinary observation deck that backs off a pool that can only be utilised by hotel guests.I was not a hotel guest. I did however try my luck and took a ride to the top floor. I managed to time my run so perfectly that the gentleman attending the service desk just stepped aside for the briefest of moments as I took my first steps onto the floor - nice timing dude!
The view was spectacular, let me say that now.
View from the Panamericano - San Nicolas - Buenos Aires - Argentina
View from the Panamericano - San Nicolas - Buenos Aires - Argentina
View from the Panamericano - San Nicolas - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Most Surprising
1. Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - (Uruguay) - I had hoped that the Mercado del Puerto would be good, especially for the fact that I didn't make it there on my last visit to Montevideo, but man oh man, it exceeded all my expectations and then whilst in that process it also held court as my heart palpitated and the exhiliration brought on by the endorphin rush made me forget that I was actually in a town that I had quite some contempt for. Love is blind, it's a fact!
Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - Uruguay
Coolest place for a night out
1. San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I know this isn't the 'cool bar' centre of Buenos Aires but that doesn't concern me, but it does have its fair share of cool bars let me just add that now. This barrio is vibrant, it's inviting, warm and like the rest of BA it only starts to think about turning in for the night when the colour of the dark sky starts to change. Heading our for dinner early here means that you're in a restaurant at 10:30pm, seriously, that's an early dinner and that in itself is the signature of a barrio that resides under the tag line that says 'Cool, yeah we invented it'.
2. Palermo Soho - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - Now this is the fashionable corner of BA. For those that are wondering the Palermo Soho cocktail is a shot of fashion, a shot of restaurants and a double shot of bars. It's hip (cliche), it's trendy (cliche), it strives to be hip and trendy in an alternative way (cliche squared) and it's where all the BA 'young guns' hang out.
Street art - Palermo Soho - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Palermo Soho - Buenos Aires - Argentina
3. Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This is reclaimed territory of sorts. An area that used to be a land of forgotten and worn docks and warehouses has in the last 20 yrs been revitalised and is filled with restaurants and bars that are more than happy to satisfy both the carnivorous and alcoholics amongst us, or if you're like me, then the carniholics amongst us.
Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Best accommodation
1. Ayres Portenos hostel - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This place takes out the honour by default as I only stayed in one other place for a night and there's just no way that anything from Montevideo was going to take out a title, well other then the Mercado del Puerto but I think it claimed sovereign rights from Montevideo long ago under the 'We're not accepting responsibility for a crappy city like you' Act.
Ayres Portenos hostel - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Best place to get lost
1. Reserva ecologica - Castanera Sur - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This may appear to be an odd choice in that my track record suggests that usually the best place to get lost would be in a specific town or suburb of a town, but the crown has to go to the reserve. Fronting the Rio de la Plata and acting as the 'intermediary' between the city of BA and the Rio de la Plata, this 3.5km2 tract of lowland is just the tonic for those jaded Portenos and tourists alike who just need to drop out and lose themselves in nature for a little while.
Reserva ecologica - Castanera Sur - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Best drink
1. Malbec - (pick your restaurant or bar) - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - Its ubiquitous, it has become the national varietal style of wine and considering that the Argentinians predominantly drink red the odds are that if you're wanting a glass of red then you're going to be having a malbec, in all likelihood, from Mendoza...and who the hell is going to complain about that? It's freakin' glorious! It's absoutely my favourite grape variety and it flows in the streets as easily as the dulcet tones of Barry White will put you in the mood for some afternoon delight. It's partnership with Argentinian beef is what Serbian dreams are made of!
My malbec from Mendoza, my beef in Argentina!
(Apologies to E.Hemingway for bastardising his line)
2. Pisco sour - Avenida 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - So this isn't Pisco sour heartland, in fact I'm having this drink a long way from Peru, the place where it originated...but....I haven't been to Peru, nor have I been to Chile where they have their own style of sours, and of the ones that I have had thus far the several in Buenos Aires were so far ahead of their predecessors that I had to honour it with a place on the roll of achievement.
Avenida 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires - Argentina
3. Cortado - Cafe Tortoni - Avenida de Mayo - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - So this is just an expresso cut with a little bit of warm milk but that's the way I like my coffee these days, I think the location, Cafe Tortoni, had a lot to do with the sell of this caffeine hit. How could Jorge Luis Borges have been wrong? He couldn't! Don't think about it because I've provided you with the answer!
Cafe Tortoni - Avenida de Mayo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Best meals
1. Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - (Uruguay) - it was just THAT good! The morcillas were the best I had ever had! Some would say 'delicious', I would say delectable, and of course I could wax lyrical about the mecado but it still pains me that a place so exquisite, a place so in tune with my needs is located in THAT city! Damn you Mercado del Puerto, just move already!
Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - Uruguay
2. Brasas Argentinas Buffet and Grill - Avenida Alicia Moreau - Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - Some may not rank this the culinary experience as one that epicureans may strive for because a buffet by definition is more based on quantity that quality, but man alive, the meat! Of course, right!? Blood sausage, chorizos, beef, lamb, ribs! It's all that I wanted and as much as I wanted! It was bliss!
Make no mistake, I was in heaven!
3. El Desvivel - calle Defensa - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I love this place, it's what 'tourists' would call 'authentic', whatever the hell that means. By the looks of it though its where the locals like to eat too. The decor isn't spectacular but it doesn't have to be, if I wanted to pay to sit in a place that likes nice then I would have gone to a day spa (or something like that). This place did a mean bife de chorizo and I know for a fact also created magical morcipans, choripans and all else meat related. It was also a 5 min walk from where my hostel was located, it was an easy choice.
El Desvivel - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Honorary mention - La Cabrera - Palermo Viejo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This is on the higher end of the scale in terms of expense but it's well worth it, for the meal and for the service. I made it there one lazy mid afternoon and had a fantastic experience. It has been noted in my future to do list and I will return, with reinforcements!
My meal! La Cabrera - Palermo Viejo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Dedication to the cow - La Cabrera - Palermo Viejo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Best Bars
1. Pool bar - Faena Universe - Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I might have to spend a couple of nights in the Faena Universe, it's a world unto itself, suprise, suprise. The pool bar is the place to be seen and leans a greadt distance to having a type of Moroccan feel to it without going the full Moroccan monty.
2. La Poesia - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - This place was located one block down from where I was staying. From what I know it had only opened up in the last several years but felt as though it had been there from the turn of last century. Pleasant vibe, great service and its proximity to where I was staying made it an absolute favourite.
La Poesia - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
3. Bar El Federal - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - this place IS genuinely old school and you can feel it the moment you enter. I love the warmth, charm and character that wood gives to an old style bar. San Telmo has plenty of them and this place for me was one of the best.
Bar El Federal - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina)
My guilty pleasure
1. The morcipan or choripan - El Desvivel - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - I've got a thing for blood sausage, and chorizo's for that matter, go figure. At El Desvivel they throw them onto the grill, with the wood fire flaming away and the smell of charred meat fills not just your nostrils but washes over your skin, seeping through your pores as you wait...And the reality of it is that it's very, very basic fair, it gets thrown onto a bun and then it's your decision as to what you'll utilise in order to construct your masterpiece. My masterpiece would include a little bit of salsa and then I'd flood the market with turbo charged chimichurri! Perfection!
A typical Sunday afternoon on Defensa - chorizo's anyone? San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Self acknowledgment that I'm a 'World Cup tragic'
Even on the day that Montevideo beat the fun and mischief out of me I still had to make my way to the Estadio Centenario. It's where the the final of the very first football World Cup was played and the pilgrimage paid homage to the years of legendary World Cup football that has shaped many elements of my life (in odd ways of course).
Estadio Centenario - Montevideo - Uruguay
Estadio Centenario - Montevideo - Uruguay
Favourite photos
1. 'Gardelito', aka, Bernabe Ferreya - calle Defensa - San Telmo - Buenos Aires (Argentina)
I've got a black and white photo of this guy (actually the one at the top of this entry) framed and hanging on my wall at home. I walked down to see if this guy was still plying his trade on Sunday afternoons, of course he was. He's an institution and can be found on too many postcards to count. I'm not sure if he's impressed by the fact that I stole his image, he looks as though he could go all Mike Tyson mafiosa on me if he wanted to.
2. Mural - backstreets of La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
I like the intensity of this mural. Part of the reason that I included the edge of the wall on the left hand side of the phoot was to create strong lines and angles which were meant to add to the character of what was painted. I did take another photo of the mural, as below, in order to capture it in its entirety but the photo doesn't have the same feel to me as the first.
3. Window frame - La Boca - Buenos Aires - (Argentina)
There are places where taking photos are just so easy, you point and shoot, everyone's a winner baby. La Boca is one of those places. This shot just has the character that typifies the colour, atmosphere and attitude of this barrio.
4. Rio de la Plata - Montevideo - (Uruguay)
There's nothing fancy or pretty about this end of town in Montevideo. They (the Montevideans) kind of shun the river, turning their back on it in very much the same manner that the folk from Buenos Aires do. Still, I like this photo.
5. Obelisco - Avenida Presidente Roque Saenz Pena - Buenos Aires (Argentina)
This is just a typical BA shot to me. Can't beat a city that looks good in black and white now can you?
Coolest moments
1. La Bombonera - La Boca - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - For the simple passion and atmosphere of the game there wasn't anything else that could go past the experience.
2. Panamericano - San Nicolas - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - For the fact that I slipped past security with the skill and dexterity of a Romanian pickpocket.
3. Mercado del Puerto - Montevideo - (Uruguay) - It was the realisation that there was a small area of ground in this world that had invaded my dreams, taken out an element and created a reality that only ever existed in my imagination.
4. Calle Defensa on a Sunday - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - There's nothing better to do on a Sunday in BA than to cruise Defensa, check out the markets, check out the food, listen to the music and just get caught up in the sweet vibe of the barrio.
5. Reserva ecologica - Castanera Sur - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - With next to no pesos in my pocket and lamenting the fact that I wasn't on a flight to Puerto Iguazu that morning this reserve proved to be the perfect foil for that wave of loss that came with the realisation that I was getting jipped on seeing one of the natural wonders of the world for the second time in 18 months!!
Un-coolest moment
1. ATM fail - Ciudad Vieja - Montevideo - (Uruguay) - This was Montevideo getting me back for telling all and sundry that the Big M sucks balls! Well you know what, it does, and now even harder than it did previously! Fair enough, it was my ignorance or perhaps absent mindedness that led to the situation but that's simply because the Latin American process is different to that which I've experienced everywhere else in the world. The ATM's here keep your card in the machine after your money has already been dispensed, asking you 'whether you would like to undertake another transaction', in other places you receive your card first prior to the cash being dispensed. For some reason my mind interpreted this process as - 'cash in my hand = transaction complete = you can walk way now'. Sure I could walk away, but I would also be leaving my card in the machine! Oh well, Montevideo!!! You've screwed me again!!!
Most Random but still cool moment
1. Running into Jorge - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - Running into people you know quite by chance in a completely foreign place is also known as complete randomness. Literally running into them however is complete randomness with a dose of bizarre. So the story goes like this. Coming back from my night out at La Bombonera my ride drops me off near the Ayres Portenos hostel on calle Chile. As I step off the bus I jink inside a man that's walking up the street and he quickly steps the other way and then just as quickly spins on his heel, 'Hey Henry' he calls out..................'Ahh what now!?' is the way my mind summed up the situation. I realised in just a second that it was Jorge, a guy that I got to know on my last stay in Buenos Aires whilst hanging out in Boedo. He was now living in San Telmo on calle Chile about a 40 second walk from the front door of where I was staying. Random and cool all at once.
Best comeback
1. There's nothing like a free meal, or is there? H. Elisher dining out with no $ to his name - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - (Argentina) - To say that I took advantage of Mike would be to do me an injustice. I will admit to playing up to the good nature of my room-mate and betting that he would take the bait. In all honesty if someone had told me the same story I would have done the same thing, so I guess in a way good 'ole Mike was paying it forward by taking me out for a cracking meal and somewhere down the track I might just be able to do the same, but please make my recipient Spanish, female, with long dark hair and....well you can guess the rest!
Travel breakdown
Total number of flights - 2
Total flying hours - 28hrs
Total time spent in airports - 'Not many, if any...' - All recognition and rights to that line go to Scribe, not may people can roll like him!
Total number of bus rides - 1
Total number of ferry rides - 2
Total distance travelled - 23906kms
Total bottles of Malbec that I downed - 22 (give or take)
...and there we have it, that's a wrap of the Argentina/Uruguay 'two-timer tour'. Now that was a hell of a lot of fun and totally unexpected. I thank Aerolineas Argentinas for adding on a new service from BA to Sydney and considering promotional offers as the way to increase patronage! Under $1000 return was just a ridiculous bargain, and like that offer was ever going to get past this Wile E Coyote!?
So where to now? Well I have plans of course! The idea of Cuba has been gently simmering for a while and is now coming to the boil, it's definitely the front runner, but there's a dark horse in Nicaragua and Costa Rica that's just hit the turn and full speed. So thanks for hanging out with me here and look for me somewhere far, far away in the near future, relatively speaking.
