La Boca

These are all pictures from our visit to the Boca area of BA a couple weeks ago, including La Bombonera, the stadium we'll be at tonight for Boca Juniors vs Racing. Below are El Caminito (the colorful buildings), a big park statue, and the bay.

Speaking of tropical storms

It has been rainy the past few days here- a welcome change to the hot days earlier in the week. But when it rains, it pours, that's for sure. This video doesn't really capture just how hard it was coming down yesterday. Mark and I went to pick up our laundry half a block away, and despite the umbrella over our heads, we were soaked almost instantly. I hope tonight's Boca Juniors game isn't rainy...

There was another blackout last night, right near us. We went to Mito's to see some live music, but the entire block was dark, and people were hanging out outside waiting for the power to come back. It never did, but we found a nice glittering bar next door in which to enjoy a Quilmes (tea lights are key).

Boca Juniors v Racing

Well, we just went down to the stadium for the second time this week to try and buy tickets to tomorrow's game. All ticket windows appeared to be closed (again), but a scalper got our attention, and we ended up buying 2 tickets for about $33 dollars each, which isn't bad...as long as they aren't counterfeit...also, we have really no clue what to expect once inside the stadium, but from what little research I've done, it looks like our seats are in the general admission section. Apparently it can get pretty crazy- people generally don't sit down at all during the game, except at halftime. Also, we may have bought tickets in the visiting team's fan section, but I can't find any info on that online. All I know is, we'll be wearing very neutral colors, and I won't be bringing my bag into the stadium. Just me, a few pesos for cab fare and concessions, and my ticket.

Wish us luck!


A glimpse into the stadium:

Our (hopefully real) tickets:

Brownout in Buenos Aires

Today Mark and I went to Jumbo, which is like the Walmart of Buenos Aires (except without the huge discounts). We thought maybe we could find some cheap clothing for the Patagonia leg of our trip. Decided to grab a bite in one of their cafes before shopping. We noticed that about half of the lights were off in the store, and one of the cafes had a sign saying something along the lines of having a limited selection due to no electricity. Also noticed how hot it was in there. Like, really hot..and muggy. I probably would have just left, but we had already ordered, and needed to buy some stuff, so we stayed. UGH. I was just sitting there, feeling like I was going to faint, when some people in the store started clapping. Weird, kinda like at Chile's when it's someone's birthday. Except they were protesting the power outage that had cut the A/C. I don't think it worked, because the only cool place was in the frozen foods isle. We made our purchases in a hurry and got out of there.

After doing some research, it seems that these brownouts, temporary power outages in random barrios at random times, occur when there is an energy shortage in the city. Apparently this happens from time to time. The weather was nice today, cooler than it had been the past few days. Cloudy and humid from the storm last night (btw, the storms here are pretty crazy, similar to the tropical storms in Florida, very windy and rainy). Maybe they decided to cut the power while the temperatures were down. Who knows, but I'm sure this won't be the last time we experience the fun of temporary power outages in Buenos Aires :P

On a sidenote, Jumbo had some interesting stuff, like this pasta department.

P.S. Yesterday I saw a woman breastfeeding while walking on the subte platform. Like, full-on, boob out in the open, like it was nothing. Is that normal down here? :/

Hello everyone- it's been a bit since I got a chance to update. Been busy planning for when we leave Buenos Aires. So far, it's been slow going, trying to research transport/accommodations, because all useful websites are entirely in Spanish, and most of them don't have an English translation link.

After checking out of our apartment in exactly two weeks, we'll head to the bus station in Retiro, which is easily accessible via the C line on the Subte (subway). We're catching the 7:40pm bus through a company called Via Bariloche, heading to Iguazu Falls. The bus ride is 15 hours (ack!), but we booked super camas (tutto letto), which are fully reclinable seats. Plus, a vegetarian dinner, and a movie. I think it'll be okay, as long as I find a book for the trip. We'll arrive at 11am or so, and go check in to our hostel, Aguara House. Spending the day in Puerto Iguazu, then taking a bus/taxi up to the falls the next day. Back to the hotel, then the long journey back into the city, where we'll catch another bus south to Mar del Plata. Thus will begin our adventure into the vast expanse of Patagonia.

A few days ago I stumbled across info about a burrito restaurant in microcentro. Apparently it was opened by some expats from Cali...Well, obvious we had to go there immediately. I miss Qdoba and just Mexican food in general, so I was pretty happy about this little find. And it didn't disappoint. Could've used to some Cholula on it though! ;)

There was a snowboard video on the TV too, so we felt right at home.



Minnie likey.


Also, last night we were at a bar and a group of Jagermeister girls came in with free shots...made me think of you, Sonya- lol :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends back home! We wish we could be home for the holidays with you, but we'll survive.

Floralis Generica

This is the giant flower sculpture called Floralis Generica. It has only been in Buenos Aires since 2002, but it is a must on the tourist circuit, I assume. Apparently, the flower closes at night and reopens every morning!