Around Buenos Aires

After all the buses and camping and moving around we had been doing all through Patagonia, we decided to spend about two weeks in Buenos Aires to relax, plan out the rest of our trip and explore enough of the city to feel like we actually lived it, instead of just touring it.

We decided that the most cost effective way to stay in Buenos Aires would be to rent an apartment.  While in Pucon earlier in the trip, we learned (through a fellow traveller) of a website called airbnb.com, where you can view and rent apartments pretty easily.  After our 48 hour bus trip into Buenos Aires, we stayed at a hotel for a few days, and literally booked our apartment from there 1 day before “moving in” for 2 weeks.  It was an amazing place, had everything we needed and then some, and was close to everything that we had planned to visit on our trip, as well as being 1 block from the subway!

View from our porch

Other pictures from around the Palermo/ Olleros neighborhood where we stayed:

 

We went on a walking tour of the city to try and get a little history…

The ‘Casa Rosa’… Argentina’s equivalent of the White House. 

The balcony where Eva Peron gave her famous speeches to the public. 

Congress building:

As our tour guide told us, “No, that’s not a guy eating a sandwich… it’s a mural of Eva Peron speaking into a microphone!”

 

One thing we really came to enjoy about where we stayed in Buenos Aires was its location to many public parks:

The Rose Garden

Wild macaws…? 

Japanese Gardens

Buenos Aires Horse Racing

A very chillaxed day at the Buenos Aires Hippodromo watching horse races

We each bet 5 pesos (about a dollar) on the last race of the day.  It made it a little more interesting to root for a horse. 

No luck for us!!  :(

 

It was a fun day just walking around and people watching.  Very few tourists here… lots of older, Argentinian gentlemen, dressed up and sharing some laughs with friends. 

Tango Show

After several days of eating ramen noodles, sandwiches and other low-cost food that we prepared in our Buenos Aires apartment, we decided to splurge and go out for the obligatory Tango show. A bit touristy—yes… but still an entertaining, memorable and amazing experience.

Outside the theater, a statue of Carlos Gardel… one of Tango’s original singers from the early 1900’s.

A finely decorated, classic interior

Dinner… Argentinian steak!

The show itself was incredible. More than just Tango dancing, it resembled a Broadway show with the live musicians, costume and set changes and the personalities of all the characters coming out through all the various scenes.

The full orchestra perched above the stage:

We didn’t spend too much time taking pictures/ video of the show… but a few little clips to give you an idea:

Buenos Aires Zoo

As soon as we walk in the gates, we are amused and drawn to the numerous cute little “kanga-rabbits” that are just roaming around the zoo grounds.  (Could not figure out their real names… if you know, please leave a comment!)  Right away, we could sense that this would be a different spin on the zoos we are used to at home.  They sell bags of food pellets that you can use to feed the various animals around the zoo.  

We were quite entertained watching this hungry, hungry hippo opening his mouth so people launch food into his mouth!

 

Another South America native, the Coypu, would also wander around the zoo grounds looking for hand-outs:

Giant tortoises

White tigers

The chimpanzees were all charged up by a couple of patrons tossing bananas and apples from over the gates.  Probably not proper zoo protocol but amusing nonetheless.

It’s interesting to us to see how much south americans love their mate… a kind of herbal tea. (Pronounced “mah-tay”). All through south america we see people carrying small hallowed out gords filled with mate and sipping the drink through metal straws.  It’s quite a common sight to see someone carrying a thermos of water for mate breaks throughout the day… on buses, parks, even the beach!  At public places like the zoo there is always a place to buy more hot water for mate!

 

In preparation for our upcoming visit to the Amazon, we visited the insect exhibit.  This is the way I like spiders and other ginormous bugs… dead and behind glass.  :- )