Buenos Aires — Argentina

Back to Buenos Aires! I arrived in the Argentine capital excited to explore more of this city which I visited for a few days back in 2011 before starting at LinkedIn. I had a list of must visit sites that I looked forward to checking off and some top restaurants which I was eager to enjoy!

Once in Buenos Aires the plan for the first day was to meet up with my Finish friends as it was their final evening in South America. I reserved space at the same hostel they had booked to ensure we could all hang out and send them off in good fashion. We spent the afternoon walking around a bit before making our way to a restaurant recommended by some fellow hostel dwellers. Aliisa wasn’t feeling up for it but Valtteri and a new British friend were in, so the three guys headed out to dinner. It was a good proposition, all you can eat asado and a bottle of wine per person for $25 US dollars. That was right in our wheelhouse for those willing to stretch a backpackers budget and so we dined at restaurante Siga La Vaca.

We enjoyed our meal and wine in Porto Madero and then decided we would head towards Recoleta / Palermo to see if there was anything going on. Turned out not to be the case but we still had an enjoyable time getting lost in the streets and trading travel stories.

The next day Valtteri and Aliisa had their flight back to Finland and my new English friend was moving on to another city so it was back to exploring on my own. I set out to walk around Plaza de Mayo, then the Retiro area and see what I would come across.

It was a good day of walking around and enjoying the sites of the city. Buenos Aires is gigantic, and it seems like there are always new areas to explore and discover! In the evening I grabbed a quick dinner at a pizza place which was back on the backpacker budget realm. It was called Pizza Guerrin and was a good recommendation acquired from Mark Lennon, all in dinner was under $5 US. After dinner I did a lap up and down Avenida 9 de Julio to check out some of the sites I had seen during the day when they would be lit up.

The next day was spent walking around San Telmo and sticking close to the area surrounding my hostel. The main attraction of the day would be the fine dinning experience in the evening. I had reservations at Francis Mallmon’s restaurant Patagonia Sur, which is located in La Boca. It was an exceptional experience and did not disappoint! My review: one of the best dining experiences of my life!

Excellent wine! Selected one from Lauren’s vineyard since the driving force for me to dine at Patagonia Sur was mi mama!

The meal was fantastic, and I gave it 5 stars!! I can’t really begin to do it justice in writing but every course was outstanding and the service at the restaurant was exceptional! I was one of five diners, as they only have three tables with a max capacity per evening of ten guests. The lucky patrons on January 26th were myself and an English family, who were as equally enamored with Patagonia Sur as I was.

The following morning I was still riding the high from the meal the night prior and kicked things off by joining one of the free walking tours coordinated through the hostel. The tour covered the downtown area and was pretty bad, I found the European walking tours from the summer much more interesting. However, the positive was that I made a new friend so it was a good trade off for my time. My new friend, Justine, is from Zug, Switzerland (seems to be the city where all the cool Swiss come from, Daniel & Ursi!) but she currently lives in Santiago, Chile.

After the walking tour I grabbed my backpack and headed towards Recoleta neighborhood as I was moving into an Airbnb for the next few days. It was a wise move as it enabled me to explore a new part of the city and allowed for a few peaceful nights of sleep outside of the hostel dormitory style rooms. While getting acquainted with a new part of the city I came across a nice store and ended up acquiring a souvenir, after of course getting some consultation from a fashion forward individual back in the States (aka Stu) I purchased a new leather jacket. I will say this, he was on board for the style, however he did vote another color but I had to go with my gut instinct in the end.

After having accomplished so much (getting my jacket) I treated myself to an helado to celebrate, in case you were wondering it was excellent!

Later on in the evening I enjoyed dinner at a place recommended by my Airbnb host. It was called “Lo de mi hermano” which means my brothers place. The food was solid, the portions were gigantic! The steak was good, but my favorite part was the egg cooked inside the grilled pepper! I ended up only having half the meal and saving the rest for the next day.

The following day I tried to meet up with Justine and the tour being offered from the hostel since it was venturing towards Retiro however I was unable to find them. It ended up being a solo exploration afternoon getting lost in the streets of Buenos Aires. One of the many times during my visit I came across a dog walker, as they are everywhere in the city! It is good to see that one of the most popular breeds is my favorite as well, golden retrievers are abundant here in Buenos Aires!

The next day was a long one, full of walking! I met up with my friend from Zug and we really walked! In total we zig zagged across the city and logged about 20 miles (according to iphone health data…) One of the best stops was a visit to the famous Recoleta cemetery.

Once we had perused the cemetery we moved on and walked towards the center of town and what did we encounter, a protest! Every time I am in Argentina and Chile it seems I run across some type of protest!

After all day of walking an ice cream was in order! I had to check out the place which had been suggested by the Argentines I had met in Uruguay. Rapanui was the recommendation and it was OUTSTANDING! Pay it a visit if in Buenos Aires!

Saturday was a relaxing day with some trip planning, it was settled that I would venture to the end of the world. I purchased my flight to Tierra del Fuego and would be spending some time in Ushuaia following Buenos Aires. Given my big accomplishment another celebration was in order, I headed to my favorite restaurant from the 2011 visit, Cabana Las Lilas.

The next day included a revisit of San Telmo, since the market / street fair was in full force given it was Sunday. I walked around and was tempted to buy some gaucho knives, however I resisted the urge.

In the evening I went to grab dinner at Parrilla Miranda with my Argentine friend who I had met earlier on the trip in Belgium. It was fun catching up with Sophie, practicing a bit of Spanish and giving her a run down of my time spent in Buenos Aires and other cities on the road.

Monday I made my way over and wandered around La Boca. This neighborhood again has the reputation of being a bit dicey after dark so I made sure to do my exploring when it was well lit outside. The streets of La Boca are captivating and full of color!

After La Boca I went North to check out El Tigre which is a city about an hour away from Buenos Aires. It was not that exciting or interesting, really just reminded me of visiting the Delta in Northern California. If you have ever been there then you know what I am talking about. I returned back to BA had an early night as my flight was leaving early the next morning to visit the land of fire (aka — Tierra del Fuego)!

Overall my return to Buenos Aires was amazing, highlighted by making new friends, seeing old ones and enjoying some of the best steak & wine the world has to offer! Gracias Buenos Aires!!