Argentina

Tangos shows in BA are considered more than an art. They are romantic, sexual and a great source of entertainment. If you are in BA you have to go to one. I am not normally interested in this stuff and I could usually care less for them, but the show that these dancers put on is incredible. For a tango lesson, a dinner with all-you-can drink wine, and the show , you will pay about 80 USD. They are all over the place and all of them cost roughly the same price. Though the tango class wasn't quite worth it, it is like trying pizza in New York, you just have to do it.

As far as nightlife goes... I think they should call it day-drinking instead because the bars don´t open until 2AM. Well allow me to rephrase that. Bars will be open all day, but popular dance clubs won´t open until 2 AM. And They don´t even close until 7am. I think you can stay there longer, but by 630 I was out of commission. Some of the clubs are 24hrs. One club you should check out in BA is called Roxy. Roxy, along with many other popular dance clubs, are all in the Palermo district. Roxy is a huge bar with two different venues. They had a live band in one room along with a house-pumping dj in the other. I would only bring cash to these bars because they don´t accept credit cards. I would imagine many other places would be the same as Roxy. Only cash! This usually works out to be a good thing in the end because you won´t have an outrageous bar tab.

Cabs are cheap and very reliable. Some guys will try to charge you 40 pesos for a flat rate but generally the meter shouldn't go higher than 25 pesos to get to most places in the city. It starts out at 3.50 no matter how many people are in the cab. So it is best to share one with a friend.

The subway system is also very reliable. You can find stations on any corner in the central part of the city and they make stops every few blocks. Just ask or point to a map of your destination to the ticket clerk if you are not sure where to go. Take it over to the cemetery in Recoleta. I know, I know I said no more sightseeing but this was unlike any cemetery I have ever seen. It was just blocks of above-ground, marble tombs that housed families of the rich and powerful people of Argentina. This is also Evita Persons resiting area. Have fun trying to find her tomb..

Considering I am and American and I have never been to a "real" football game, I felt it was a must do here in BA. These games are crazy to say the least. The fans treat the sport like a religion. I went to the Riverplate vs. Huracan Futbol (that's soccer to some) game. Riverplate was the home team, but Huracans fans showed up first. They actually had barbed wire around the fences and sections of the stadium guarded with police and swat teams instead of fans to avoid any riots. The fences were to deter people from hoping over and the empty seats around the away team fans were to prevent them from throwing anything at one another. Its pretty sick to see. They really do sing and chant the entire game! I would have a hard time being a fan because I would not have the energy to scream and yell like they do. But like I said it is like a religion to them. Riverplate was down 3-0 but came back to tie the game in the second half. This was just as good as a win for them because the Huracan fans were silent. At the end of the game you might as well stay in your seat for a little because the away fans are leaving the stadium first. If they all left at once I am quite sure they might kill one another.

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city but has some dangerous areas. There is so much more to do in BA and I would definitely like to come back in the near future.

So much to do, but so little time. When I arrived in BA, I had thought I was only going to be there for 2 nights. I was later informed I will be there for three. So I was able to do a bit more than I originally planned. As with all city's, you have to be on your guard when in large crowds. A woman came out of her way from inside a store to tell me and two other gringos that we should be careful in this part of the town because there are a lot of pick-pockets. So we were careful and always traveled with one another. Moments later a criminal came running by us and pushed us out of his way. Within seconds there were cops with their guns drawn pointing towards us. And if that wasn't enough it happened to me again only this time the cop through me out of the way in order to continue his pursuit of the criminal. I would imagine they were only petty crimes the guys were busted for.

One thing you should be weary of are the children who live on the street. They will say anything and ask for anything. One even wanted a sip of my Gatorade, which I would have happily gave him had he showered or brushed his teeth in the past month. When I refused he kicked me and walked away. These kids have balls, big ones at that! Case in point: they have literally nothing to loose and an ass beating would be the only thing anyone has ever gave them. They also love to harass woman, so I would recommend dressing conservatively and not like a Westerner. These kids hang out everywhere, but you will mainly see them begging for money along the main avenue of 9 de julio near the Obelisco monument.

I would recommend doing a tour guide if travelers don´t have much time in the city. BA is so large it is not possible to cover it in three days. There were many parts of the city I didn't get to see but I was still able to enjoy myself. Be sure to walk near the Oblesico monument in the center of a 16 lane main road. Then head down a few blocks south to the congressional area to see a few government buildings. Once there you are just a few steps away form the ports and BA´s hip restaurant district. You can eat, drink, snap some photos of the ships and walk up and down the ports.

Just a few blocks north of the ports is San Telmo District.. (This whole walk can be covered on foot by the way). There is a huge market place that people hang out in and sell hand crafted goods. There are also live tango shows for free but you should throw them a small tip at the end because after all, it is how they make their money.

Beers usually cost you 10-15 pesos for a litro. That's about 3-5 bux. Its pretty cheap considering how much beer you get. You can also get a real carne asado, all-you-can-eat buffet for 49 pesos. I mean all the steak you can eat plus a litro of beer or wine and salad bar is an incredible deal. I would recommend going to Sigu de Vaca over near the port area. Its a great place to eat just try not to go with more than 2-3 people because you will late longer for a table. They also have several different parts of the cow to eat as well. Of course I had to try the cow intestines because it is rare that I come across them. They actually weren´t that bad. A little bit chewier than I´d prefer, but it was interesting to taste. I would not suggest the balls of pigs blood to anyone. Those were nasty.

The first thing that came out of my mouth when I entered the road across from the city of Bariloche was "wow." I could not believe the site of the Andes mountains hovering over the Lago Nahuel Haupi lake. Bariloche is the mecca of outdoor enthusiasts. From the moment we entered we saw people paragliding through the winds hundreds of feet above the lake. That is a must do. Hopefully the weather holds up the next few days and I can experience it.

Today is the US election. It is unbelievable how interested people from other countries are in my election. I am glad I am some what politically savvy so that I can explain to them that not all Americans are naive. Most of us are just misinformed. Thank goodness I voted for Obama because I have not met one McCain supporter (not that their vote counts or anything but their opinions matter). People from other countries are actually more informed about the election than many of my friends.

Anyway, Today I did white water rafting through Patagonia Outdoors. I am staying at Hostal Perikos which provided us with a brochure. I visited many other tourism companies and all of them had the same rate for the tour, if not more. The price was 280 pesos (75 USD). We were rafting class 4 rapids for about two hours. Our raft lost a couple of passengers several times and it was actually kind of funny. The tour was well worth the money. The ride had some great sights and the after party was the sauce on the steak (literally). They provided a lunch (dinner is usually around 10 pm lunch at 5pm) that was beyond impressive. A real Asado! Argentinians take pride in their Asados and they won´t let you down. Chicken, steak and sausage over a makeshift grill in the middle of the mountains couldn't made me feel like a real Gaucho. A Gaucho. for those of you who don´t know, is a Argetinean Cowboy. I saw a couple of them today too.

I must not forget to talk about the steakhouse in Bariloche. Bariloche del Alberto is the best steakhouse around. There are several of them all within walking distance from one another in the city. I ordered 550 grams of steak. That is about a pound and a half tho it felt like more once I ate it. It goes great with a Quilmes cerveza

After celebrating the election, some travelers and I went out to a bar for some drinks. Bariloche has some great nightlife during the ski season, but we just headed towards a tavern. Got drunk with some Irish dudes we met and and sang a bunch of songs. I definitely beat them in car bombs several times. If Obama didn't change their perceptions of Americans then I certainly did. Needless to say, we were asked to leave the bar around 430am because they were closing!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to do any activities because the weather didn't hold up. But I grabbed some famous chocolate that was so good I am afraid to go back for more. I was going to have lunch in a well known restaurant here, but I didn't have enough patience to wait for an hour! So I headed for some street barbecues which I believe was probably better and less expensive. I paid 14 pesos for a soda, a choripon and a churassaco. What a deal! If in Bariloche you should head down for a walk on the pier by the lake. I think it would be more appropriate to call it an ocean because it is massive and the waves are furious. The water splashes up and gives you a refreshingly cold shower. Bariloche is beautiful. I hope to come back here one day so I can do some more outdoor activities. In retrospect, it is probably better I didn't do everything so I can save some money for BA and Rio.

Off to a 18 + hr bus ride to Bunoes Aires!