Reconnecting with Friends

After coming back from our trip, J and I hosted a "We're Back!!" party to reconnect with our Seattle friends. Aside from the fresh Costco strawberries we strictly served drinks and snacks that we encountered during our world travel which included Coopers Pale Ale (Sydney), Estrella (Barcelona), Tsingtao Pure Draft (Beijing), San Pellegrino Limonata/Aranciata (Rome), Malbec (Buenos Aires), Dulce de Leche (Buenos Aires), assorted salami from Salumi's and marinated mozzarella (Rome).
 
For a little bit of entertainment, J and I decided to have a friendly photo contest during the party. He and I each picked and anonymously displayed 5 of our "best" photos and asked our friends to pick their three favorites. The winner got to decide our next vacation destination! Here were the winners in descending order:
 
1. Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand
2. Bluff Cove Lagoon, Falkland Islands
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Barcelona, Spain
6. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
7. Barron Falls, Australia
8. Paris, France
9. London, UK (tie for 9th)
10. Tongaririo Crossing, New Zealand (tie for 9th)
 
Right now, I'm thinking the Maldives. =)
 

RTW Lodging: A lovely apartment in Buenos Aires

Suipacha y Arroyo
Suipacha 1373 5D
Buenos Aires, Argentina

A nice place overall for a reasonable price
- studio loft with great layout: downstairs - kitchen, dining area and living room; upstairs: queen bed, sitting area and bathroom
- cleaning service once per week
- safe location in the Retiro neighborhood
- a real shower with elbow room and great water pressure!
- washing machine
- air-conditioning (really important when the outdoor temperature is like 95F
- two very small elevators servicing the entire apartment building
- broadband internet (1 wired, 2 wireless)
- $865 for 15 nights ($58 per night)

Nice owner who manages the property itself
- the owner lives in the building and is very responsive to concerns
- unfortunately, she doesn't speak much English

Mixed feelings on BAires Apartments Argentina (www.bairesapartments.com)
- booked apartment through them
- responsible soley for advertising the property and arranging check-in
- had an extremely hard time coordinating check-in (everyone seems to speak excellent English EXCEPT for the check-in coordinator, Lucas)
- they also sell tours and tickets to shows

Restaurant Alert! A break from steak in Buenos Aires

 

El Cuartito
Talcahuano 937
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Apparently, pizza is a local specialty in Buenos Aires. J and I did not know that until we started doing restaurant searches online.

When you enter El Cuartito don't let the interior intimidate you. We were so intimidated that we almost walked out. The restaurant is separated into three sections. The kitchen just happens to be the middle section, where customers walk in, with two rooms of tables on either side. There are no hosts or hostesses. Just grab a seat in either the left or right section and a waiter will be with you. During the lunch rush the waiters here work hard so it may be awhile before they get to you. However, J and I still found them polite and patient.

The first time we ate here we ate a notoriously memorable pizza - the anchovies were so salty that I could only stomach one slice. In the meanwhile, I was admiring the white fluffy pizza that everyone else seemed to be ordering. From a distance it seriously looked like banana cream or lemon meringue pie. On the way out, J asked the waiter what that pizza was. Fugazetta, we were told. We had to come back.

And, so we did go back when J's parents came to town. This was the 3rd and final restaurant we ate at a second time and we got straight to the point. A small fugazetta for 4 people was just enough and it was amazing! It's a white pizza of onions and three types of cheese - provolone, mozzarella and reggiano. This is something that I'll be trying to replicate when I get back to the States. 

Restaurant Alert! A cheap parilla in Buenos Aires

Desnivel
Defensa 858
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Desnivel was another restaurant we visited a second time with J's parents. It was already on our shortlist of restaurants to try based on favorable reviews online. Then it shot up to the top of that shortlist after our bike tour guide pointed it out during the tour as his favorite parilla in Buenos Aires. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. The atmosphere felt casual and down-to-earth. The food was delicious and cheap. However, the service was just OK. The first time we went, they forgot to bring the salad we ordered. The second time we went, they forgot to bring the beef tenderloin. *shrug* Good food is good food.

1. Beef tenderloin in garlic sauce - OMG, so tasty!
2. Beef milanesa - best breaded steak I've ever had. This dish was previously featured in a How Much?! post

Restaurant Alert! An "expensive" parilla in Buenos Aires

La Brigada
Estados Unidos 465 (San Telmo)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
(multiple locations)

J and I went here twice. Once by ourselves at the beginning of our two week stay in Buenos Aires and once at the end of our stay with J's parents. In between we sampled many of Buenos Aires most recommended and popular "parillas" including La Cabrera and El Mirasol, which we didn't think were as good. I'd have to say our first time was much better because during our second visit we made the mistake of ordering a variety of cuts, hence magnifying the fact that some cuts are inferior to others.

Here are two quotes from J during our first visit to La Brigada:

J after his first bite of Bife de Chorizo (Sirloin Steak): "We're screeewed!"
J after his last bite of Bife de Chorizo: "I feel like I should go lift weights now."

We are screwed. We'd might as well turn vegetarian because we'll never eat steaks as good as those in Argentina ever again!

1. La Brigada storefront - if we  weren't looking for it, we would've thought it looked too sketch to go in.
2. Inside the restaurant
3. Bife de Chorizo, a punto (medium)
4. The bill (top to bottom) - 2X table fee, 2X bottles of local beer, 1X bottle of water, 1X garlic fries, 2X best steaks we've ever had in our entire lives = 35 USD

M's Day 1-4 Cruise Stats

Number of days in port: 3 (Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Puerto Madryn)
Max. number of meals in one day: 5
Max. number of courses in one supposed 3-course sit-down meal: 6
Number of beers consumed: 2
Bottles of wine ordered: 1
Number of gym visits lasting more than 30 minutes: 1
Number of spa visits: 1
Number of animal towels: 3
Deviation from Day 4's body weight in lbs: 0

Day 79: Good-bye, Buenos Aires!

J and I are headed to our cruise ship now for a 2-week trip around the southern tip of South America. Blog posts will be scarce, if any, during this time since we can't get internet in our cabin. But, I'll do my best to keep you updated!

Garry - we need a post by text messages from a foreign mobile number feature! =)

See you in two weeks from Chile!

Current Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

A piece of reality in Buenos Aires

Some of you have picked up on the negative tone of my blog posts regarding Buenos Aires. I have always pride myself in "telling as it is." No embellishments. No exaggerations. I'm comfortable reporting facts with very conservative interpretations.

Look at the pictures below and tell me how you feel. Now, imagine seeing similar (though on a lesser scale) things all over the city.

1. A comparison of The Thinker between the one in Paris (left) and the one in Buenos Aires (right).
2. Front-side of the Thinker in Buenos Aires
3. The face of The Thinker in Buenos Aires
4. The feet of The Thinker in Buenos Aires
5. The backside of The Thinker in Buenos Aires