Back to Buenos Aires

The weather empathised with our moods on leaving the Estancia giving us a spectacular thunder & lightning storm to welcome us back to Buenos Aires. We were now staying in Palermo Viejo, a more trendy, café filled area of the city, in an architect designed B&B. We were disappointed to find that the Polo game we were going to the next day was cancelled due to flooding, so we headed back to San Telmo to check out the antique markets. It was great for Ben and I to recognise many toys from our pasts but once again were dismayed when our boys assumed we used gramophones when we were kids! After a swift history lesson we sat down at a stall for more Malbec and spicy empanada’s.

More Malbec & Empanada’s!

Our B&B

With the lovely Dishman Family

We also managed to meet up with the Dishman family again, swopping stories of our different ‘Gaucho’ experiences over a very tasty and healthy lunch. We tried to go to the park and the Planetarium with them only to find that everything except cafes really do close on Mondays! So it was to be an afternoon of ice-cream and parks, where all the kids were terrorised by the local toddler with a stick! Then back to their rented apartment in Palermo Soho for a pasta dinner and some serious kids movie watching.   They boys have found a shared love of all things ‘Miranda’ with Fintan, Florence & Laila. We had also been in contact with Pilar, our estancia friend, who bravely invited Ben and me to her Tango class. Yes, with other paying clients, but Natalie the tango instructor at Tango&Tango was very determined that we at least master a couple of steps! I blame the fact that we don’t have any proper dancing shoes with us! Thank you Andrew & Amy for babysitting too, hope Peru is amazing, see you on the plane!

This was about as good as it got! Not quite Strictly, is it?

Our final night in BA we wanted to spend with Pilar and her Tango partner Fede, and met at a local Parilla for a fantastic dinner. Ollie ordered his favourite Argentinean specialty ‘carne milanese’ (a bit like Wiener Schnitzel) and Cameron practised the Spanish he learned from Pilar on Fede, and we shared our final Argentina beef feast!   Spending time with Pilar has been brilliant as she and Fede gave us an insiders view on life in BA that you don’t get from guidebooks and we can honestly say that Pilar has become a good friend who we know we will see again, maybe in the UK!

Dinner with Pilar & Fede

Now we are off to Patagonia, Chile for the next part of our adventure. Ollie is very excited to see what wildlife Chile has to add to his animal spotting, Cameron is wondering just how ‘chilly’ it’s going to be and Ben has his camera ready for his first sight of the Andes!

A long flight from BA to Santiago, to Puerto Montt and finally to Punta Arenas in Patagonia, Chile – all in one day!!