Buenos Aires, Argentina

Country number 3 and city number 8 on the intenerary brought me to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The capital of Tango and beef, what more could a girl ask for? One of my oldest friends, Christina, took a break from Cooperate America in search of some South American fun. We conquered the city in 4 days. We toured the city seeing all the major points of interest:

- Casa Rosa: yep it's called the pink house, good thing there is a female president for Argentina right now, as that is where the president works

- Cathedrals

- La Boca Juniors soccer stadium: the pride and joy of the city

- The Palmero: the neighborhood where Buenos Aires elite rub elbows and also houses their Modern Art Museum and Evita's gravesite

- El Caminito: a colorful street that housed many of the first immigrants to Buenos Aires. All the houses are different colors because the families would use the left over paint from their boats to paint their new house, giving it it's charm. These houses would house up to 5 families sharing common living, dining and bathroom space! (Pictured above)

- Tigre:the bohemian hangout of Buenos Aires. It is an hour train ride out of the city then you have to take a boat to access the picturesque summer getaway. I was thinking that this town was going to be a deserted island type feel but it was more like walking through the canals of Florida.

- Tango show at Cafe Tortoni. Cafe Tortoni is a national historical sight, this is where many artists, writers, politicians and businessmen came together at the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires. A lot of the Argentina literary culture was first pondered over with a cup of coffee here. (Pictured above)

We had a great time in Buenos Aires and I wasn't ready to leave after only a few days. I guess I might have expressed those thoughts because on the way to the airport a flash flood happened. It was just starting to rain as we loaded our bags in the taxi and after 5 minutes of driving we were in a full on rain, thunder and lightening storm. As we continued down the freeway we could see the surface streets under us covered with water. Cars were flooded out and abandoned in the middle of the road. You could tell this was not an everyday occurrence since everyone was standing outside their doors looking at all the water in disbelief. I got my wish and was able to stay 3 hours longer in Buenos Aires, although it was on the runway. Lesson learned, careful what you wish for.