Day 116 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

As has become our routine we are out by about midday today to head to La Boca. We get our first ride of the Subte (their tube) and get a pretty hot underground journey from Palermo to Caterderal. Good to see it's not just London that can't master air con on the underground. We then jump in a cab to complete our journey to the La Boca neighborhood of BA. 

La Boca is a popular destination for tourists with its iconic colourful houses and pedestrian street, the Caminito where tango artists perform and all sorts of tango-related memorabilia amongst other tat is sold in the many stores. 

Such a colourful place with each building painted a different colour. 

Good to see their statues of Maradonna are life like - he's hand balling it. 

They even dress the trees in colourful crochet which looks cool. 

We have a bit of a surprise when a huge train comes down the centre of the street in what we though was an old disused train track. We almost walked down the track earlier on thinking it was disused. Even the trains are colorful here. 

We stop for a needed milkshake at Cachafaz. We must all be feeling it now as we ignore beer o'clock today for milkey shaky o'clock. 

I have no idea what this chap was thinking when he got dressed this morning. We see him about all day just quietly going about his business in his dodgy super hero costume as if it's the most natural thing in the world. 

For footie fans, Boca is best known for being the home of Boca Juniors who are one of the biggest clubs in Argentina and play at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando more popularly known as La Bombonera (which means the chocolate box in Spanish for reasons unbeknown to me). 

So of after our milk shakes the boys and Nat decide to head to the Boca Juniors football stadium for a look around. I was very impressed that Nat opted to visit a footie stadium instead of shopping. Traveling must have changed her - I think it is step 14 of finding yourself! 

It is really cool stadium and impressive to see an old school stadium that suddenly springs up from in between the old houses as the old grounds used to do in the UK amongst the terrace houses. 

We head into the museum which was well worth a visit. Statues of Maradonna and Riquelme (who still plays for them). 

The 49,000 seater stadium is actually a really unusual shape and unusually steep. It even needs bars to stop you falling down on the top tier. The lower stands behind the goals are also still terraces. I bet it is an absolutely electric atmosphere here on match day. 

The unusual shape of the stadium has led to it having excellent acoustics and the Boca support being nicknamed "La Doce" (The 12th man). Probably why the mighty Backstreet Boys once played a gig here!

The boys on the terraces shortly before that sprinkler behind us absolutely drenches an unsuspecting kid which was pretty funny. 

The museum had this new panoramic HD footage of the 2009 season when they won the league which was really cool. It gives us a glimpse into the passion and atmosphere in the stadium on match day. It looks mental. 

It's even more mental when they score and the fans try to see who can climb to the top of the 30ft fences surrounding the pitch the fastest. 

We then meet the girls and decide to head back which turns out to be a lot easier said than done. Despite there being at least 20 taxis parked on the road none will take us so we decide to take the bus, which only takes coins. We have no coins and no one will change a note and Boca is not a place where you wander too far from the tourist track. Me and Dad finally track down the start of the bus route in a little shack a few blocks away. We then proceed to sit on a boiling hot bus for just under two hours as it crawls it's way across town in rush hour traffic. Not a great journey. No pool time for us today. 

At least it has now become clear why the Y'ster hasn't been able to join us. He is obviously preparing for his world tour. 

Despite its levels of discomfort the bus ride is actually pretty scenic. 

Portrait of Eva Peron on a sky scraper. 

The congress building. 

After a very quick turn around we get picked up at 8:30pm as it is time to tango this evening (or watch it at least). We have booked to go for dinner and a show at a great place called Cafe de Los Angelitos where you have dinner in a small theatre, tables lined up, and the at 10:30 watch a tango show. 

We have one of the fastest dinners we have ever had. The service is so quick we have literally finished deserts about 20 mins after sitting down. Luckily they plough us with wine at the same rate too. 

The show starts at 10:30 and it is fantastic. The music is brilliant, the costumes really cool and the dancing is superb. The dancers are so sultry and precise yet smooth and really fast in the way they move around the stage. Great to see. 

The girls loving the show. As you can expect Eric was in her element between naps. 

The old man starting to feel the cold in his old age and having to fashion a pashmina out of a couple of serviettes. Or maybe he is waiting for a hair cut?

Not quite sure what this chap thinks he is up to in front of a live audience. Like his style though. 

More iPhone camera experimenting. Love this picture. 

Shortly after my camera died. Absolutely fantastic night though. Thoroughly entertaining and decent value for US$90 including dinner and transfers there and back. Highly recommend.