Hayley in Wanderlust: Buenos Aires

 

They say that when it comes to love, you'll know when you know. If that's the case then I've found 'The One', because Buenos Aires is quite possibly, the city of my dreams.

 

The first few days spent in the city we're the final few days with my darling G lovelies, so on our first night it seemed only fair that we introduced yourselves to the city with a bang. No trip to Buenos Aires is complete without taking in a Tango show. Essentially, Tango is the It Girl of dance. Sultry, sexy and utterly flawless. We paid AR$600 (around £50) for our evening at 'Complejo Tango.' The evening included unlimited wine, a three course meal, a tango lesson, a tango show, unlimited wine and a hotel transfer to and from (did I mention the unlimited wine?) Easily the best money I spent in Buenos Aires, the food was gorgeous (my veggie option actually had a few of the meat eaters wishing they'd chosen it over steak), the tango class was hilarious (I have the rhythmical ability of frog being electrocuted), the show was mesmerising and to top it all off, we practically fell out of the venue and into that evenings bar. Best. Night. Ever.

The next day a walking tour was a struggle, despite the fact that I had a beer to help me push through, and made me grateful I had more time to walk around again and take it all in.
 

Following the groups departure, one of the other 'BA stragglers' and I headed to our new hostel, and spent the next few days exploring.

I think one of the things I love about it here is the way the people fully embrace that their history has not always been a pleasant one, but show unflinching pride in their struggle. Monuments like 'El Obelisco' and the fact that the biggest road in the city is named after their day of independence show that.

 

Buenos Aires is made up of many different neighbourhoods, and each one has it's own characteristics to fall in love with. The brightly coloured streets of La Boca tell a totally different story to the luxurious streets of La Recoleta and Palermo. We were told not stray from the three main streets when in La Boca, so we didn't, but the place never seemed unsafe. Obviously the colourfulness of the place won me over, and surrounded by Tango once again, I swore my new life's ambition is to remain in BA and become a professional Dancer. I'll send you all a post card once I've made it.
It's also worth taking a walk to Plaza de Mayo and seeing Casa Rosada and the balcony from which Evita gave her famous speech. You will have 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' stuck in your head for the rest of your stay. 

You're welcome.

 

Truly though, this is a city that lives for the night. Nobody eats dinner until at least 9:30pm, bars don't get going until close to midnight and nightclubs are empty until 3am, when everyone starts the party. Don't expect to get in early but do expect to be hangover the next day.

Following our first hostel, we moved to the better known 'Milhouse' hostel. There's actually two of them, and it's easy to see why they have a notorious party reputation across South America. Both hostels have licenced bars and take it in turns hosting that night a party before moving on to the club of choice. Drink promotions means you probably won't remember a whole lot the next day, and with two vodka & speed's (no, not the narcotic, but the Argentinian version of Redbull) for AR$70 (about £5.30) you won't sleep either.

 

Separately, we caught up with a few of the other girls from the G tour who were still in BA and went for drinks in Palermo's Plaza Serrano, yet another part of town that pretty much never sleeps and sort of reminded me of Camden because everything just spilled out on to the pavements. The waitress in the bar recommended we go to a club called Mika, which was within walking distance. Entrance was AR$80 (about £7) and included a free drink. The place was massive and had two dance floors, one room that played Reggaton (my Spanish singing is coming along wonderfully) and another that played a lot of European and American dance music, meaning I was able to sing along in my own language too. Clearly, being able to sing along to the music in a nightclub is of paramount importance to me. 

 

Honestly, I was a little bit heart broken to leave Buenos Aires. The last time I was this sad leaving somewhere, I was moving home from Manchester. I could stay and (attempt to) find myself a little job and head straight to Ecuador in June, the show must go on. Time to throw all my crap back in my back into my backpack (which, btw, I am now bored of. I miss luggage with wheels) and head west to the wine country and then into Chile.

 

-xo