Buenos Aires

9 days in to the Argentina leg of our trip and we are still loving it here in Buenos Aires. We´ve been taking it easy most days, exploring the city at our own pace. Eric has been a great resource here, both in pointing out great spots to eat and enjoy the city, but also in facilitating transactions when our spanish doesn´t quite cut it. He´s taking off with us today for our southerly journey through Argentina stopping first in Puerto Madryn for some whale/wildlife viewing, before heading further south to El Calafate and Puerto Mareno for some glacier hiking (apparently we haven´t had enough hiking after the 4 days in Peru). After that, its up to Bariloche to meet Camilla and Erik who are joining us for 3 weeks at the end of our trip. Mendoza for some wine after that, then back to BA sometime around Christmas to see anything we missed there before heading to Uruguay for New Years.

(On the terrace at our home base in BA ¨Casa Jardin¨)

Brunch w/Eric our first day in BA.

The streets of Palermo Viejo

I´m convinced there can´t be a better steak restaurant in BA than this one (¨La Cabrera¨)

The best steak meal I´ve ever had. 6 small tapas style sides with one gigantic steak. The menu reccomends you share. 2 got 2 meats for 3 of us. We´re going back here even though its a far cry from our backpacker budget. That said, all that beef including the sides ran 56 pesos or just less than USD 20. Not a bad deal. But, considering my lunch costs just under $3 (including a liter of beer) that´s a little pricy.

Plaza de Mayo, where the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo walk, protesting the ¨disappearances¨of thier kids in the 70´s. The military junta captured dissodents, tortured them, then dropped them out of planes in the Rio de la Plata outside BA. Argentina has somewhat of a tumultous history.

I counted 19 lanes on this road leading to the Washington Monument...errrr...Obelisk.

Typical ¨Parilla¨where all the meat gets cooked. There´s steak restaurants literally on every corner, and one of these grills on every terrace in BA.

Casa Rosada (Pink House) where Pres. Kirchner lives.

Protests close to Plaza de Mayo. People protest here contstantly. I think they´re teachers demanding more pay, since its tough to keep up with 25% inflation.