A Day of Leisure in BA

Anyone who knows me would appreciate that I am usually an early riser, in fact for most of the past four weeks I have getting up between 4.30 and 5.00 am. I think I lost the ability to sleep in once I passed the age of 21. You can therefore imagine my great surprise when I was disturbed from a complicated dream by a large bang outside my hotel room door. It took my eyes some time for my eyes to focus, and my brain a lot longer to emerge from its nocturnal confusion. I struggled to check my watch. Surely it cannot really be 9.10 am ??? Actually it was. Apparently all the excitement of those long legged tango dancers the previous evening had left me so exhausted that I had slept for over 9 hours. Absolutely unprecedented.

I quickly showered, got dressed and went to the breakfast room. Only three of my fellow travellers were still there. Apparently the rest had already breakfasted and disappeared out int the city. A look out the front door showed that it was to be yet another perfect day. If this weather could hold for just one more day we would be able to take enormous pride in the fact that the entire trip had been spent without a drop of rain during the day time.

I decided that I would spend the day doing what I often do in cities that I do not know well. I would just walk the streets and see where my feet took me. I was also hoping to get another memory card for my camera since my previous one had failed the day before.

When I asked the concierge where I might be able to buy such a card, he rolled his eyes. "But today is Sunday", he said, as if that explained everything. I looked at him. "Everything is closed today", he added, in case I was a bit slow.

When I left the hotel I soon saw what he meant. The streets were deserted. Almost no walkers and even fewer cars. It was quite eerie. All the shops were closed and covered by grates or shutters. At least it was easy to cross the road. I could have just walked down the centre of the road.

I set off looking for any sign of life. My circuitous route took me finally back to the main avenue of the city, the mighty Avenida 9 de Julio. This enormous avenue is over 140 m across and was named after the date that Argentina obtained its independence. I had to admit that, in the brilliant late autumn sunshine, it really did look superb.

Without having any other real aim in mind I gradually worked my way towards the waterside. The old harbour area has now been converted into a trendy waterfront entertainment precinct, filled with cafes and outdoor eateries. As the day wore on, gradually more people started to emerge and wander the waterfront paths. I found a nice place to have lunch while where I could watch the world pass me by just outside.

This also gave me a great chance to think back over the past few weeks and evaluate how the trip had gone. At the end of every trip it is easy to reassess and think where things could have been improved. In this case I came to the decision that there was virtually nothing that I would wish to do differently. We had all shared an incredible experience together and everyone had cooperated brilliantly to make sure that it was a fantastic success. In a couple of days the group will all go their separate ways but I know that the time we spent together in this incredible continent will remain with us for ever.

I decided to cross over the far side of the waterfront to take advantage of the warm sunshine on that side. I had not walked far before I stumbled upon a large concrete area which had been taken over by a large crowd of testosterone charged teenage boys on special trials bikes. Each lad took the centre stage for a few seconds to demonstrate his latest tricks. One by one they performed impressive jumps, mono wheeled riding and all sorts of quite clever tricks. A few teenage girls looked on, waiting to be impressed by the next performance. I had to admit that it really was interesting.

As I made my way back towards the hotel I could not help but notice how much Buenos Aires really does remind me of Paris. Not only are many of the public buildings and apartment buildings built in the classic French style, but even the gardens and street lights look like they could have come straight out of a French planning guide.

I detoured back around the Casa Rosada (the official office of the Argentine President) and more famously known as being the place where Evita addressed her adoring masses in the plaza. Soon I found myself in the middle of a huge street celebration. To my surprise it was celebration of all things Russian. Russian dancing, clothing, food, travel and music. The streets were full of Russians. I wasn't expecting that, but that is sort of what South America is all about. It is certainly never boring.

I have a simple way of numerically classifying how much I like any particular city. I simply ask myself how long I would be prepared to live there if I had to. While some cities, like Juliaca in Peru would get a 1 day rating, I think I could give Lima and Cusco a one month score. On the other hand I really think that Buenos Aires would rightly earn a 1 year score. It is a lovely city with a lot going for it. The streets are generally clean, the parks are amazing, the shops modern and even the traffic flows freely. Because the city plan is largely based on a square grid , it is very easy to find your way around. As well as all that - you can even flush your toilet paper down the toilet. What else could you ask for ?

Tomorrow we rise early for the final leg of our adventure - the journey across the Rio de La Plata to nearby Uruguay.Read more