argentina: puerto iguazu and iguazu national park

one of the things i do when i travel is check the unesco sights list for that country/location...one of the most famous sights in argentina is on that list...it's a national park, split over brazil and argentina...i've forgotten the name of the brazilian side (you have to get a proper brazilian visa to go to that side, even if you're only doing a day trip!) but the argentinians call it igauzu national park...
we arrived in puerto iguazu, the nearby town, around noon...the entire town is based on the national park...we walked through, checking prices on a few hostels, and chose one of them...we sorted out laundry that needed to be done, got info on getting to/from the park, thought about a couple other tours, etc...

there is a bus from the bus station to the park that leaves regularly, so all we had to do was walk back to the bus station...easy to do...we ended up on a bus full of high school kids from san diego and tijuana...we were traveling in argentina a week or two before world youth day, in brazil, so there were religious groups traveling all over south america at this time...i ended up chatting with a girl who was planning to attend purdue the following school year...
the entrance fee to the park was not cheap, to say the least...(170 pesos!!!) that tends to happen with unesco sights...argh...sometimes i wonder what the money is used for...

we got a park map, then started following a trail...bo was fascinated by the creepy raccoon like animals we saw almost straightaway...they're not raccoons, but i can't remember the name...whateva they are, they're smart, and have learned from the behaviours of humans in the park...all the rubbish bins in the park are closed in such a way that is supposed to prevent these animals from getting in...i don't know if it works...
eventually, we got to the falls...the whole set is called iguazu falls...beautiful...they stretch a loooooooong way....some spots on the trails are better for photos than others...not surprisingly, we took HEAPS of photos...(so did everyone else, leading to me getting annoyed with people for doing the same thing i wanted to do, oops)...bo probably got annoyed with me wanting to stop constantly for more photos at slightly different angles...

the trails on the argentinian side of the park take you up close to the falls...very close...there are a couple places where you get totally soaked if you go all the way....SOAKED...(by contrast, the trails on the brazilian side give a better overall view of all the falls)...lots of falls have individual names, i found one named after me, how awesome is that?
we followed one trail as far as we could, until we found a park ranger who shooed us the other way, saying that the park was closing for the night and people had to leave...darnit...
that night back in puerto iguazu we ate HUGE steaks...HUGE...we should've shared a steak, but as usual, had no idea how big they would be when we ordered...also as usual, they were cooked perfectly...
breakfast was included in our hostel price, and there was a good spread set out that morning, yahoo!!
we decided to go back to the park...entry fees are half off if you go back for a second day with your receipt for the first day's entry...

we walked the first trail again, going the way we hadn't been able to go due to the park ranger the night before...i kept seeing rainbows, i really wanted to find the pot of gold, but it never happened...how amazing would that have been?
we also decided to walk a trail that went no where near the falls...bo wanted to see monkeys...and he did...we got to the end of that one, and saw the top of a small waterfall...really pretty, and rather quiet...considering all the other noise and people in the rest of the park, this was pretty awesome...i wouldn't mind hiking more trails in this park, in areas away from the majority of people...

i'd noticed that postcard prices in the park shops were heaps cheaper than in town, so i loaded up before we left...each shop was surprised at how many postcards i bought, but hey, that's what i do:)
before dinner, we decided to walk to a point in town where we could see how the borders of paraguay, brazil, and argentina all come together in this place...i wish we'd gotten there in daylight, but oh well...one day i want to see paraguay and brazil, too bad they both require expensive visas....
dinner that night was a lot smaller, thank goodness:)...we stopped at a random little spot, just a couple empanadas each...i think i was still full from the meal of the previous night!!

we ended up walking through a market, bo wanted olives...i can't stand the taste or smell of olives, but i liked the different cheeses and sausages we found...

argentina: posadas and the jesuit missions

our bus from concordia to posadas wasn't the sleeper bus we'd hoped for...the sits were big and relatively comfortable, but they didn't recline back as far as we wanted...i felt as though i rolled around all night, not getting a lot of sleep...i don't think bo slept any more than i did...we were served food several times, but it wasn't great...
we arrived in posadas at 0600...ugh...
we took a public bus into the city centre, found a hotel, and bo crashed...
we ended up having breakfast when we took the same bus back to the bus station and found a small cafe there...i ate too much, ooops:)

we took the next available bus to the santa ana ruins...the jesuit ruins around posadas are a unesco sight...these ruins were each centres of impressive areas where jesuit priests formed local communities in order to 'civilize' the natives...extensive systems of government existed, and catholicism was the only acceptable religion in these missions...it sounds a bit repressive, but they were also great at agriculture, and were pretty advanced for the time...
the ruins at santa ana aren't visited as often as other ruins in the area, it took us a while to find the entry road after hoping off the bus...to make it all lots of fun, it was raining lightly...(yuck)...

despite these ruins being a unesco sight, google maps didn't have the location marked very well...argh...eventually we figured out where to go, (passing a mate - a tea of sorts - plant on the way) and found the entrance...
due to the crappy weather, bo and i had the ruins to ourselves for a while...awesome...our visit started with a quick visit to the information center, and introductory speech given by one of the 'park rangers'...photos of what the area looked like when the ruins were discovered, pictures of what the ruins might've looked like during their heyday, etc...the guide also described specific architecture points...

i could try to describe these ruins, but it would be difficult...you can see what remains of various walls, and the information signs posted all around tell you what would've been in each area of the ruins...there is a graveyard toward the back, apparently there are several layers of burial...it was used during the time the mission was functioning, as well as later, by people who live in modern santa ana...
we walked back out to the highway, and caught the next bus to the ruins of san ignacio...the ruins of santa ana aren't close to the modern city of santa ana...in san ignacio, the ruins are in the modern city...these ruins are visited a lot more, and they feel distinctly more touristy...it wouldn't surprise me to learn that the entire economy of the town is reliant on the tourists who visit the ruins...along the path to the ruins are heaps of souvenir kiosks...

while visiting these ruins it was easier to imagine how life was back then...more of the ruins of san ignacio have been restored...we both wondered what these missions would be like if they still functioned today...the reason all these ruins exist is basically political...at one point a government in argentina decided it didn't like the potential power of the jesuits, so they kicked them out of the country...when they left the country, the locals who lived in the ruins didn't stay there for long, and the places just fell apart...(despite moving out of the ruins, the locals did take some of the farming and religious instruction with them, so the current religion around these areas is a curious mix)
we definitely did not have this set of ruins to ourselves, but at least it stopped raining...
we took a bus back to posadas, and bought tickets to our next destination at the bus station before heading back to the city centre for dinner...we finally settled on a diner...i ended up with a bad white bread sandwich...ugh...i made up for that with a slice of a chocolate tort that was way too big from another cafe...this meal was not very healthy...

argentina: concordia

our walk from our hostel to the bus station in salto, urugay took a lot less time in the morning than it had at night...daylight works wonders for how fast you can walk, especially when you know where you're going...we'd booked tickets the day before...

the bus ride took an hour total, though the distance was not far...it's just a few kilometers, basically just going across the river, to cross the border back into argentina...just like when we took the ferry to uruguay, both emigration and immigration took place on the argentinean side of the border...(emigration and immigration are why the ride is an hour long, for such a short distance)...it's a recent change that americans have to pay the reciprocity fee no matter which way they enter the country (it used to be necessary only when entering by air) so several of the border officers were unfamiliar with what to do with my paper showing i'd paid the fee...several people were called over to watch what to do...good fun:)

the bus got to the bus station in concordia, argentina, and we found out the next bus to posadas didnt leave until 2100...in other words, we had 10 hours to kill in a town that is nothing more than a border town...yippee...

after realizing one street has been renamed (lonely planet had a different name than google maps) we walked to parque san carlos...the 'castle' in this park was originally built (or at least started) as a private residence, but it wasn't lived in for long, and just fell into ruin...lonely planet says you can visit the ruins, but that isn't quite accurate...you can walk all the way around and look in a little, but there is a fence around much of it, and it looks as if some sort of restoration is being done...perhaps someone wants to finish the building as it was originally designed? 

after the 'castle' we walked to the river and the 'beach'...the water was really high, so there was no beach to speak of...of course i loved being near the water...

we walked back to the city centre, and started wondering if there was some sort of running event going on...i didn't see any bib numbers, but there seemed to be a lot of people out running a specific route...at least, they were all running on this one street...

snack ended up being coffee (espresso) for bo, and ice cream for me...i wasn't very impressed with my ice cream:(

there is a museum listed in lonely planet, and we tried to visit...unfortunately, much of it is under renovation right now, so there wasn't much we could see...the exhibit we did enjoy was the set of photos from the 'castle' we'd explored previously...neat to see the people who lived there at one point...there was also an exhibit with old cameras...

concordia has a pedestrian area in the centre, we strolled along there for a while...we walked passed the pedestrian zone, hoping to find something interesting, but that didn't happen...we walked back through the area, and found a supermarket...it's always good to stock up...we also found a bakery that had fresh baked cheese puffs...YUM...

by the time we got back to the bus station, we only had to wait for two hours for our bus to leave:)...i found a plug and charged my iphone and checked the news:)

uruguay: salto

we got up early in montevideo, thinking we would catch an early bus to salto, then cross into argentina by noon...that definitely didn't happen...we really should've checked bus times for salto ahead of time...as it was, we got to the bus station, then had to wait for hours...ooops...we arrived in salto after dark and found out the next bus to argentina was the next morning...argh...
so, we spent the night in salto...originally i had thought about spending a full day in salto and trying to have fun with the thermal springs in the area...we changed our minds, so maybe i'll go back another time for this experience...

finding a decently priced place to stay in salto proved to be a challenge...this was a time when school had a break, and since it was winter, places like salto were full...everyone loves a warm escape during winter:)...oh well...
we eventually found a place to stay, dropped our stuff, then walked to find a place to eat...i love it when traditions in a country/city mean that menus are displayed outside a restaurant...i love being able to look without feeling rude if i decide to walk away...we eventually chose a buffet type place...nothing special, but it was enough...
a bit further down the road we found a large supermarket, and picked up snacks for the next couple days...as we were exiting, we ended up chatting with a couple mormon missionaries, who seemed surprised to hear american accents...

the next morning we were up early to catch our bus to concordia, the town on the other side of the river, back in argentina...

uruguay: montevideo

our bus to montevideo dropped us at the bus station, and since i had juan's address, it was easy to grab a taxi...juan was a friend of miranda, (the chick we'd stayed with in buenos aires) and she had put me in touch with juan...he'd offered bo and i the chance to stay with him and his flattie, which was great...he had sent me a message with the information we needed to get to his home, it made the transfer very easy...
we arrived and put our stuff down, and hung out in the kitchen as juan made dinner...lasagna...soooo good...after the meal was nearly ready, juan asked us what we do for work...he was surprised when bo said he is a chef, and said bo should've spoken up earlier...hee hee...

we woke up later than expected and found a note from juan telling us what bus to take into town, and the wifi code...bo cooked breakfast, and eventually we got going into the city...
montevideo is the capital of uruguay...it doesn't really feel like a big city, and there is nothing particularly outstanding about the city...
we started in plaza independencia, which, not surprisingly, has a statue of a guy on a horse...(it seems like every city in uruguay and argentina has at least one statue of a man on a horse)...one building around this square looked to use like it was a rocket ready to blast off...

we followed a pedestrian street off plaza independencia for a while, there are shops and cafes along the way...
we took a turn off this street and found our way to the water...it was super windy, but i loved it...something about being near water always calms me down...my hair was going every which way in a couple photos:)...we passed the port, which was full of containers, and cranes...i would've been happy to turn around and walk back and forth near the water for several hours, despite the wind...it would've been fun to get to other areas of water in the city, but we didn't really have time:(

almost by accident we found the mercado we had previously decided would be our location for lunch...it's called the old market, and instead of being filled with fruit, veggie, and meat vendors, it was filled with grilling restaurants...you can walk around the area and check out different places, though they all generally have the same menu...MEAT...LOTS OF MEAT...i ordered kebabs, they ended up being a lot bigger than i expected...ooops:)
on the way back through town the rain started...have i ever mentioned how much i hate rain? we stepped out of the rain for a few minutes in an ice cream shop...

we weren't paying enough attention on the bus ride home, and missed our stop...ooops...part of the reason is that we didn't know where the stop was on the other side of the street...fortunately, i recognized our street as the bus went past, so we were able to get off at the next stop and walk back...juan's flattie danny made seafood paella for dinner that night...i need to go back to montevideo so i can stay with juan and danny again just so i can eat their food!!
the next morning was the same, we slept in later than expected...and again we got off the bus in plaza independencia, and walked on the pedestrian street...

this time we stopped in one of the cafes, i had my first chivitos...it's basically a steak sandwich, how awesome is that?!?! i made room for a chocolate torte for dessert, though i probably shouldn't have eaten the cake...
we found the entry to the carnaval museum, it was on the opposite side of the building from what we expected...carnival is probably best known for taking place in venice, it U20 world cup qualifier...we stayed for a while, it was fun to experience the atmosphere...uruguay won:)
we picked up wine on the way home for dinner, of course bo had more fun picking it out than i did...

danny made pork and potatoes for dinner...YUM...apparently this is one of his best meals, and i could see why...none of us could stop eating...flan for dessert:)

uruguay: colonia

i hadn't originally planned to go to uruguay at all this summer...everything i'd read said it is quite expensive...and it was, the prices seemed american...maybe i've just spent too much time in cheap countries...howeva, bo needed dollars to exchange for argentine pesos, and many atms in uruguay dispense uruguayan pesos and US dollars...i don't know why...anywho...miranda hooked us up with a place to stay in the capital city of montevideo, which was awesome...
we started the day in buenos aires by getting up heaps earlier than we wanted to, and taking a taxi to the port to catch our ferry...it turned out there was another strike of some sort, which messed with traffic where we needed to go, so the cab ride took longer than we anticipated...

getting through the ferry terminal onto the boat involved emigrating argentina and immigrating to uruguay...nice to do it all in one go, we didn't have to go through any queues after landing on the other side of the river:)
a smooth, three hour ride, and we docked across the river, in colonia, uruguay...the official name is longer, but i don't remember what it is...what i do remember is that we decided to spend the day in colonia because the historic center is a UNESCO sight...
walking to the historic center involved walking through a gate in the wall that goes around much of the area...quaint :)

we found the bus station in colonia, took note of departure times for buses to montevideo, and started walking toward the historic center...both of us remarked that we were too jaded to be overly impressed...it was a nice, small town though, and we enjoyed the wander...
i ended up enjoying the areas closest to the water more than the buildings and town itself...nature running wild i suppose...i liked the houses that had traditional tiles on their exteriors...
the search for postcards was not particularly fruitful...not only were the few i found rather expensive, but they all came with envelopes...argh...

we didn't find a cafe that sparked our interest, but one place had decent brownies and cookies:)...our 'real' lunch came from a small supermarket in the form of cheese, bread, crisps, and sausage...
sometime during this afternoon bo found an atm, and withdrew the dollars he would need back in argentina...we walked back to the bus station, and took the next bus to montevideo...since it was just after sunset when the bus departed, we didn't actually get to see much of the countryside...

argentina: more BA

my next day started with another morning walk...on the way to the asado I'd seen the Japanese gardens, I decided I would walk in that direction and see if there was anything to see...from what I could see from the outside, the garden isn't big...maybe I will actually enter that garden another day...
I walked backed to the flat, had lunch, then didn't do much of anything for a couple hours...since bei and Miranda are leaving buenos aires soon, they were both trying to figure out exact travel plans; it was interesting for me to listen...if I did hash tags, that conversation definitely would've fallen under firstworldproblems...

I walked with Miranda to her Spanish lesson, then wandered around the neighborhood for a while...recoleta is a well off neighborhood in general...smaller, more boutique-like stores...I visited the bakery Miranda had shown me the other day again...I thought I'd made progress in self control and portion control, but this visit was an epic fail in both of those...yummy though:)
I met up with two other girls at a bar for happy hour while Miranda and bei went to dinner with two of their other friends...this happy hour had been set up by the American embassy as a sort of 'pre 4th of July' event...of course I didn't drink, but it was fun to be there...

after happy hour we went to dinner...I think we got to a restaurant around 2130, and our food arrived at 2200...or maybe both of those times were later? Argentines eat dinner much later than any other culture I've experienced...the restaurant we chose wasn't particularly argentinean, but we enjoyed the evening...
I was expecting a friend to arrive in the early morning hours, so I slept on the sofa...unfortunately, arrival time came and went, but no friend...I ended up being in and out of sleep until 1100...Miranda was awesome, and had set up an appointment for me to get my hair cut...it was very much needed, I hadn't had a haircut since the end of last September!! A lady from Northern Ireland did the trimming, I loved it:)

When I got home from the haircut, Bo had finally arrived...he spent 4 days on a bus to get here from southern Peru!!! It was only supposed to be a two day trip, but it didn't work out that way at all...
After resting for a bit, we went to dinner at a place called la Cabrera...so good...we ate at happy hour, (1900) which gave us 40% off, woo hoo...lizette joined us near the end of the meal...then we walked to a nearby bar, the other three split a bottle of wine...from there we went to one more bar, I think the name translates to king of cups? The interior decor is supposed to be Moroccan...I had a yummy non alcoholic cocktail, the others split another bottle of wine:)

The next morning I slept until 0930!! That's the latest I've slept in a while...eventually everyone else got up as well, we started shopping...Miranda and bei were planning to host a goodbye party that night, Bo was going to be doing the cooking...in Argentina you don't usually get all your groceries from one location...we went to two vegetable shops, a cheese and salami shop, a pasta shop, a supermarket, and the butcher...it took hours, but I had fun taking a few photos and watching Miranda and Bo and food...Miranda and Bo are both foodies:)
After returning home, Bo started to prep...chopping and mixing and whateva else...

I ended up taking a 4hr nap, oops...I only expected to sleep an hour or two...people started arriving after 2100, and after figuring out how to lower the grill closer to the coals, the grill was started, and everyone had fun:)
I think I went to sleep around 2 in the morning?
The next morning I was up earlier than anyone else, I'm used to this...eventually Bo and I hopped on a bus so he could see la boca...the weather was completely different from when Miranda took me, but there were more people wandering around...we both took a few photos, enjoying the colour of the area...in some ways the tourism of the area ruins the awesomeness of what is there...the buildings are lovely, but the photos would be heaps better if you didn't see the souvenir shops and outdoor cafes...oh well...

There had been thoughts of going to a wine tasting that evening, but Bo's tummy was playing games, and I needed a night with a 'normal' bedtime, so we stayed in...
the next day i needed to exchange money (have i explained the blue market in argentina?) so we started the day on florida st...from there we walked to plaza de mayo, then to the congreso nacional building...in the plaza de mayo is a small tent area set up to let soldiers who faught in the falklands war hang out...the issue is still very raw for many argentineans, and you have to be very careful talking to them...

at some point as we were walking along the street between the plaza de mayo and congresso nacional, we crossed avenido 9 de julio...argentineans like to say this is the biggest street in the world...i don't know how these things are measured, but it certainly is a big street...lots of lanes...somewhere along our walking path we stopped into a small pizza place for an afternoon snack...yum...
across the street from congresso nacional was an old abandoned building that must've been amazing in it's heyday...you can still see the rundown yet amazing exterior decoration...at that point we looked at the map and realized we had a nearly straight walk home, down avenido callao...if i had been by myself, i don't think i would've walked home, as it was dark, and i didn't know what kind of area the street would go through...

that night bo and i joined lissette, rafael, bei, and miranda at a yummy italian place for dinner...
the next morning bo and i went for a morning walk, stopping first in the cemetary...bo hadn't seen it yet, and since it's huge, i was keen for another wander...after a bit of searching, we found the tomb of eva peron, who is buried under her maiden name of duarte...
after a nap back in the flat, and an afternoon snack of ice cream, bo and i hopped on a bus to get to the ferryboat office to buy tickets...it took us a while to find the building (oddly enough, lonely planet had a better map than google!) and we bought tickets for the next day...

from there we walked to the neighborhood of san telmo...it's pretty touristy, and is mentioned in the guidebook as having a street market on one day of the week...by the time we got there, the sun had gone down, the market was winding down...bo found a bookstore in which he could exchange his peru guidebook, i enjoyed looking around...no matter how convenient a kindle is, nothing will ever replace the feeling of a real book...as we walked around the neighborhood i didn't have a great time...i'm not sure what it was, but i was rather creeped out...
dinner that night was some sort of quiche...we hadn't eaten much all day, and i wasn't at all hungry, but i know better than to skip food...

Buenos aires first days

Since I was completely confused about time, and went to sleep at 0600 my first night in buenos aires, of course I didn't sleep long...I was wide awake 4 hours later...so I putzed around for a while, reading a little, catch up a bit on email, etc...Miranda and her flattie got up around noon:)...
Miranda is a foodie...she loves good food...no matter where she goes, she finds places to get good food...we went to brunch at 3 in the afternoon (this is typical, as I found out later)  at a place that mostly caters to expats...the idea of weekend breakfast/brunch is a Canadian/American idea, most countries don't do breakfast like we do...I ended up ordering corned beef hash...it wasn't at all what I expected, but it was good:)...a friend if hers joined us, he is Canadian...good food, good people, good conversation...

Eventually we left, and ended up waking to the subway, taking that to a shopping area of town...we didn't want to shop, but this is also an area where people can change money...there is an official exchange rate, but this is not the best rate you can get...the official exchange rate is approximately one US dollar to 5.3 argentinean pesos...the current black market rate is one US dollar to 7.8 argentinean pesos...in other words, it's a very good idea to bring dollars and change them here instead of using a bank card and ATMs, which is what I usually do while traveling...counterfeit money is (unfortunately) common here, so one has to be careful when exchanging money...

After money, we went to Starbucks...I wanted hot chocolate, and Miranda needed a bathroom...I ordered a small, and tried to pay with a 100 (approx $12USD) peso note...they didn't have change!!! A 24 peso drink, they didn't have change for a 100...apparently, this is common...what is not common is what happened next: the cashier told me I would get the drink free, because she couldn't make change!!! Wow!!!
On the way home we stopped in a big grocery store, then dropped everything in the flat...then we took Miranda's dog out for a walk...I went with her, and she showed me how to get to the recoleta cemetery...she knew I would be awake earlier in the morning, so now I knew where to go to see something:)

I did wake up earlier than anyone else, it was good to know where to go...I got to the cemetary around 1040 Sunday morning...not many other people were there, I love exploring in quiet, by myself...the tombs are impressive, to say the least...big, ornate, and very crowded...Eva Peron is buried there, as are former presidents and other important historical folks...I should point out that there is no grass in this cemetery...many coffins are actually underground but that is because there are sets of stairs inside many of the tombs/mausoleums...too many fancy, ornate, overdone tombs...or maybe this is not my style...i wonder how often family and friends visit these tombs?

After the cemetery, I walked through the weekend market just outside the cemetery...lots of leather, jewelry, etc...much of it appeared to be made by the folks selling it...a touristy market, but at the same time there were many unique pieces...
I got back to Miranda's flat to find she and her flattie jast getting up:)...breakfast was at 1300, hee hee...an hour later Miranda and I were picked up to go to an asado...
Argentines have tight families and communities...it is normal to spend a weekend day with your family or group of friends, usually around a BBQ or other food...the gathering is called an asado...

we went to the flat of another friend...he is American, and has been in Argentina for 4 years...his girlfriend is Bolivian...he did all the cooking, and it was awesome...I think we arrived at 1500, started eating around 1600, and didn't stop until 2000!!! Flank steak and filet mignon, two salads, cheesecake, corn on the cob, blood sausage, chorizo...good people, good conversation, good food...needless to say, we didn't eat any more after arriving home:)
The next morning I woke up early, as usual...after hanging out a while, I went for another walk...as i mentioned earlier, no one gets up early here, so a morning walk is really quiet...

on the way home from the asado I'd seen a couple memorials/statues, I figured they might be good for photos...they were good for photos, and I found a couple more places worth walking to...I made it back to the flat in time to go with Miranda to meet a couple other ladies for lunch...we had empanadas, a typical argentinean food...(I'm pretty sure heaps of countries have a variation of this food, and they all call it traditional)...yum! Good food, good conversation...
After lunch and chatting, Miranda and I went walking...she showed me the casa rosada (pink house,) which is like the White House in the US, only the president doesn't live in the casa...she lives in a big mansion, and is flown to the casa by helicopter quite regularly...this is all paid for by tax dollars, of course...

Behind the casa is an area of town called puerto madero...it's a new district, with new flats and restaurants...it doesn't have the soul or charm you feel in the rest of the city, it could be in any big city of the world...after walking through that area, and to the edge of an ecological reserve, we took a cab to another area called la boca...a much poorer part of town, you can really see the difference in the condition of buildings...oddly enough, la boca survives as a touristy area, despite the neighborhood all around...the area is supposed to be big on tango...the buildings are all brightly colored...there are shops selling souvenirs and a few restaurants...after walking around a bit, we found train tracks...

crossing those tracks would literally have put us on the wrong side of the tracks...you could see the stark contrast between the tourist area and the rest of the neighborhood...at times, there are police officers standing guard to make sure you don't cross the tracks!
We took a bus back to Miranda's area of town, and had dinner...well, I had dinner, she just had a bit, to tide her over until her dinner plans later in the evening...(argentineans eat dinner at 2200!!)...not that I needed it, but we stopped at a bakery on the way home...SO GOOD!!! I will definitely be back for more:)