Farewell Ushuaia, Farewell Patagonia

All good things must come to an end. Today marks the last day of this leg of the trip for me. We bid farewell to some new friends and the cold weather, returning north to bustling Buenos Aires. Goodbye penguins, goodbye glaciers, goodbye Patagonia. Til next time ;)

The warmth of the sun greeted us as landed at AEP and it was summer again. We piled back onto a van to our hotel and then almost headed out again right away. We checked out colorful streets in La Boca, and then wandered the Sunday market in San Telmo. Some of the streets were packed while others were astonishingly quiet in stark contrast.

La Boca isn't too large a neighborhood to explore. The birthplace of tango has a few streets of interest to visitors. Colorful buildings draw your attention and street air depict life scenes. We had a chance to check out one of the houses, now converted into a restaurant to see how tight quarters people were packed into to live.

Later in San Telmo, I was glad to have another chance to check out the market since I'd missed it earlier on. This old neighborhood had lots to offer this Sunday afternoon. Various artisanal and antique stalls lined the streets. Tango dancers and musicians played in a small square, while I stopped for a Dulce de Leche Frappuccino in a Starbucks located in a historic building. Several stores even offered dulce de leche tastings, of which there were many varieties. As always, don't forget to look up to see the old architecture that still remains. There's ornate decor and there's more in other BsAs neighborhoods as well.

Next Florida Street, pedestrian only and lined with shops for the shopper in you. Some were already closed because it was Sunday and the evening was drawing near. Still neat to walkabout though, and less crowded.

Tonight, I normally would've gone to the farewell dinner, but had prebooked a tango show and dinner instead. Given the choice again, I would've gone to the dinner and done the tango show another night since I would have more time in town. It would've been nice to hang out with everyone once more, but alas. We don't say goodbye, only see you later.

My roommate and I walked to the restaurant nearby. Oddly enough my prebooking had included a transfer which we found extremely hilarious since we really were going 3 blocks away. The entrance though was not quite as easy to find, as only one of the sets of doors was the actual entrance. We arrived quite early though you could arrive later as well, depending on your time. Dinner included unlimited drinks, and since I don't drink much wine, our 1 bottle to share was a bit of a challenge. Must say though, the syrah malbec was really nice and hopefully I'll be able to find something similar at home.

Food-wise, we had our choice of appetizer, main and dessert, all of which were Argentinean and delicious. I settled for another steak, but just couldn't finish it. An advantage of arriving early is not waiting too long for your food, and we had plenty of time to chill out before the tango show began.

The lights dim and you're taken through the history of tango starting back in the late 1800's and early 1900's I think, progressing through dance numbers and musical breaks up until the present. Early tango seemed more conservative with the times, and it's the later rhythms and melodies that we find familiar and associate with modern tango. The show is a wonderful note to end the tour on.

Tomorrow, I'm back on my own and off to Uruguay for 2 days before venturing back to the Argentinean capital.Leer más