Saturday 21 January
Vaguely heard the revellers come back but the greater disturbance was the constant techno THUMP THUMP coming either from the all-night reception staff or a neighbouring club. It stopped at 7.15am! MJ hauled her mattress onto the floor under the fan because it was hot.
We were up well before brekky at 8.30, which was very nice. They served those small cook-it-yourself rolls that we get at home. They came steaming from the oven. Hung around drafting a letter to Oasis then went to join the free 11am town walk, which was very interesting and entertaining.
A young fellow runs it as a business and lives on the tips. He told us a lot about Argentinian history, particularly how they became independent from Spain when Napoleon kidnapped the Spanish king, and the 30,000 people who disappeared during the reign of the military junta in 1976-83. The mothers and grandmothers of many of those people still mourn them every Thursday at 3pm in the square. It became a bit laboured when he went on about the children who were adopted by the people who had killed their parents and have only found out in their 30s. How good was he . . .we left him a tip . . . enough said! The walk lasted about 2.5 hours so we were ready for another baguette to go with the remaining cheese and ham.
Congress building
The Windmill Coffee Shop, that is now inhabited by squatters...takes 30 years before government steps in to 'rescue' old buildings.
The first sky scraper in Buenos Aires (right) then the one on the left topped it. The Avenues have very nice buildings such as these, they brought in architects from France and Italy to create a very elegant city.
What was once the widest boulevarde in the world. Ave 9th Julio. 16 lanes wide. Has been overtaken by one in Brazil. Evita sculpture on side of building.
Looks like a civic building doesn't it. It is the Cathedral, beautiful inside.
The oldest building in the city. Was where the original government was run from.
Casa Rosada (The Pink House - Presidential Palace) - Evita spoke from the balcony directly behind the horse statue.
We were in pole position for the Happy Hour and sampled large glasses (very) of Sex on the Beach and the Millhouse (hostel signature drink). I think the tots were unrestrained because we both transcended Happy to Snoozy in short order. The party crew stayed in for the party and then mostly moved on to night clubs. They returned as late as 4.30. Apparently nightclubs here don’t open at all until 2am. And close at 7.30am (but we knew that). I will say this carefully: it felt strange to hear the boys saying they were going out to find a gay club. It sounded so natural, whereas every other time I have heard the term it has come with an implied giggle. We have never spent so much time with a male gay couple before.
Still on the sex theme, we are sandwiched between two “adult” cinemas and the bathrooms on our floor open onto a small enclosed void that channels the sound upstairs and the movies are very definitely X rated.
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