City Exploration: Intro to Buenos Aires

One of my favourite things to do when exploring a new big city is simply just to head out on the streets, wander and follow my feet. In the Paris of the South, or the city of Good Air, that's exactly what I set out to do on my free day before the tour. Of course, one day is nowhere near enough time for this amazing city, but I'll be back in 2 weeks to check it out some more.

After a good night's sleep, I head out to join a free walking tour through Buenos Aires free walks. You'll find a number of major cities now offer this type of tour (and you'll remember I did one in Santiago as well), where enthusiastic guides take you around the city and share with you stories of history and culture. They work on a tip based, so please do leave them a tip, a good one, they more than earn it.

Our group was really big, though the one I did in Tallinn a few years ago is still the record, but we managed to stay together on our 3.5-4h walk through the neighborhood of Recoleta. Starting in the square behind the Teatro Colon, we would wind our way through the streets, crossing Ave 9 de Julio, passing churches, fancy neighbourhoods, Plaza San Martin (where we learned the history behind the Falklands or as the locals refer to as Malvinas). We saw the Big Ben of South America, marvelled at palaces and period skyscrapers, and entered the famous Recoleta cemetery where our tour ended.

They have a separate paid tour for the cemetery (only $10) but they point out Eva Peron's family crypt for those short on time. If you do have extra time, it's well worth it to wander the cemetery, checking out different crypts and sculptures. This supposedly is the most expensive real estate in the city by square footage, and many families have occupied the area going generations back.

It's about 2pm now, and I have 4 hours before I need to be back at the hotel to meet my fellow tourmates for the next two weeks. I haven't gotten a SUBE card yet (this is BsAs's public transport card for buses and the metro), but I do have a handy dandy app called maps.me . Getting back wasn't going to be a problem at all. Leaving the cemetery, I backtrack a bit and walk back through parts of Retiro towards the water. Some of the streets are familiar as we were just there a few hours above. My destination for the afternoon? The neighborhood of Puerto Madero.

Puerto Madero was the docklands of Buenos Aires but has been reclaimed and redeveloped into a modern and fairly hip neighborhood. It kind of me reminds of parts of our waterfront neighborhoods at home. Shops, restaurants and apartments line the canal, and the famous Woman's Bridge commands one's attention in the near distance.

Before reaching the southern edge of the neighborhood though, it would be a right turn to head back to San Telmo where the hotel is located. San Telmo is one of the older neighborhoods, and the architecture is stunning, not quite as fancy as those in Recoleta, but as a friend of mine told me, don't forget to look up. You won't be disappointed as your jaw just drops. If I could, I would take photos of almost every single building. But then again, there's something about just appreciating what's there instead of getting distracted with the lens.

That evening, I met the 16 people I'd be spending the next 2 weeks with, trekking through Patagonia. We're a good, though usual, mix of Canadians and Americans primarily, but also Swiss and British. Instead of the usual welcome dinner, our guide took us to the La Bomba show, giving us a taste of local life.

Off we went on the metro, it's very easy to navigate if you know where you're going and it gets your farther in this vast city. La Bomba is a group of drummers that gets your adrenaline pumping and your body jumping. They were exciting to watch and a great ice breaker as well. After the show, other locals had their own drums and folks kept moving on to after parties. Us? Well, we have a flight in the morning to head south as we embark on a journey to the End of the Earth.Read more