Buenos Aires Day 1

After a decent day flight of around 11 hours, we land in BA at about 4:00PM local time. The weather is cloudy but pleasant, and the airport is modern and clean and efficient. We draw some pesos (AR) at a HSBC ATM and easily find our transfer waiting for us.

After a little wait we are introduced to "Charlie" our taxi driver. He is oldish, charming, exburant and friendly and speaks excellent English with a very American accent, not what we had expected at all. He takes a liking to Wendy in the front seat and tries to give lots of fatherly advice, ending each time with "you got it??". He says "watch the taxi drivers, they will take your hundred peso note and then quickly switch it with a fake one, then asking you to give them another". He shows Wendy a counterfeit note and then makes her check the security marks on a real note. He also says "all taxi meters are in pesos, if they try to tell you it's in dollars, tell them F@&* off!" (Hand signal included)... He also shares how easily phones can be taken, and demonstrates on Wendy and her actual phone.

After all these warnings, he then proceeds to try and rip us off anyway! :) asking more than what was agreed when we booked. We eventually settle on an amount in the middle, around AR240, as he assures us we need to cover the tolls. Great start.

We check in and then decide to have a wander in the streets of San Telmo, the most cultural and traditional area in BA. With cameras hidden and bags strapped to our fronts, we pass attractive looking buildings and old men walking their dogs. Eventually we reach the main square of San Telmo, plaza Dorrego. The centre is like an open paved area, decked out with many chairs and tables from the surrounding cafes, restaurants, bars, Heladarias (ice cream parlours) and even cigar shops. The atmosphere is pleasant and we decide this is the spot to grab our first beer - Quilmes. At R50 a pop, it's expensive but tastes great.




After enough people watching, it starts to get chilly and we feel ready to find a restaurant to try the famous Argentinian steak. We go to El Desnivel nearby - it's a parilla or local steakhouse. The place is traditional and bubbling with the chatter of locals and tourists, and the delicious aromas of beef and potatoes. We try out the Santa Julia Malbec and order a steak stuffed with mozzarella, ham, peppers and mushrooms. It is supposed to be a portion for two but is easily enough for the three of us. It is delicious and tender. They cut the steak with dessert spoons here!




Eventually we head for bed, it's around 3:00AM South Africa time so we have lasted fairly well on our first day :)

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Location:Calle Chacabuco,Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires,Argentina