14.07 - Day 25 - Buenos Aires, ARG

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Wednesday 14th July 2010

In an effort to see a new part of the city and with a tearful farewell we leave Antoine, Kato and Martin (the mute from Superman II) and check in to Pax Hostel in San Telmo. Moving from a twin room to a 12 bed dorm is a shock and not fun. We grab a taxi to the MALBA Museum - which includes following conversation when we get in the cab:

Driver: Where you from?
Matt: Londres, Ingles.
Driver: Ingles. Oh, Alemenia! Them Son of a beetches!

and enjoy a compact gallery of two exhibitions showcasing modern and also photos from a man whose statement reads: “I search for perfection in form. I find it in cocks. I find it flowers.” Hmmm. The tulips and black and white portraits were good, less so the penises with knives in. Art wise – Rafael Barradas my pick for the cubist city landscapes.

Good steak at a coffee house and then a stroll round Jardin Japones – quaint with the pink blossom. After negotiating another bus – finger on map following route we try a new heladeria Dylan. Orange and brown set up and over 60 flavours to choose from. As I eat my Chocolate Patagonia (Rolo) and Naranja (Orange) with Mango we work out that if we were to have two flavours at each sitting for three meals a day it would take two working weeks to get through all there is to offer. I’m always up for a challenge.

Nearby is an English pub – any bar offering Happy Hour is good enough for us. £1 a pint of Quilmes. Whilst the fittings suggest UK, Argentinean beers, Spanish customers and European landscapes on the walls do not. 

Initially suspiciously but subsequently amusingly a lady from a talent agency approaches us and inquires if we’re available next week to appear in an American & Canadian TV commercial. We’re not. But we tell we are, give some details, she takes a couple of photos of us and asks if we know of anymore people “like you” here in BA. 

Rock stars in Chile and now models in Argentina…