Palermo

So after yesterday's quick update, I headed out to meet people for lunch. Unfortunately that didn't work out as I think one of them was still sick. So instead, Martin and I headed out on his fancy Brompton fold away bikes (imported on his last trip back from London) to explore more of Palermo, the upmarket foreigner's paradise of Buenos Aires (full of exchange students and ex-pats).  [Sorry dad - you'll hate this bit]

As you might expect, these bikes have no suspension, so riding along a stoned road, almost rocky enough to qualify as cobbled was not the most comfortable experience in the world and led to the uncomfortable sensation of attempting to control a bike whilst your arms are vibrating like crazy! Fortunately this road wasn't particularly long and we soon entered the terrifying ordeal of trying to negotiate rush hour  traffic in a capital city. On a side note, BA is organised in Blocks (or manzanas - yes, like the fruit) as most American cities are, and whilst this is immensly useful for finding your way around it also gives ride to 4 way intersections every 100m which has horrendous consequences for traffic flow!

It wasn't the relaxing bike ride I'd expected, even when we reached the parque de Palermo - the biggest park in the city, comparable to Hyde Park in London. It was a beautiful sunday afternoon (with a bank holiday to follow), and definitely well into double figures so everyone was out. Trying to negotiate countless children on rollerblades, dogs, cyclists, runners, and families on a bike while trying to take in all the other activities going on around us was no easy task!! Circus workshops, aerobics, boating on the lake.... There was everything. I'll definitely have to go back on foot to try and work out what was going on!
After this exhilarating ordeal, we stopped to chill in the quieter half of the park, where we stood apart for not having our mate kit with us. I was surprised at how relieved I was to find a green space; cities can be quite claustrophobic without that so I was glad to discover that there are a few parks dotted around. The perfect place for a sunday afternoon.

In the evening, I'd planned to meet Alex for drinks before going out and Martin came along too. It was great to just sit and chat over a few drinks, and very relaxing. Argentinians live for the night, so going out at 10 was still super early and we were surrounded by people still eating dinner (it's normal to go to eat as late as midnight!). We headed to the club for 1am and met up with some others from couchsurfing. It's a great way to meet people who are part of a community that has trust at its base, you can rest assured that most couchsurfers are lovely!

There was a band playing when we went in, Argentine style music which was really upbeat and got everyone moving. Not long later, the band left and the centre of the floor cleared for a troup of circus performers! They were absolutely fantastic. Every club should have a circus interlude! If this is what clubbing is like in Buenos Aires, I'm not gonna get much sleep :p
La bomba del tiempo - the group advertised as the headliners for the night is apparently well commended in BA and play every Monday at a different club and their set is comprised entirely of drums.

For Samba fans, they're a must see. Their energy and stamina is incomparable! They played at least two hours and finally at 4am, our party decided to leave. Welcome to a casual night out in BA.
I was glad to actually get out and socialise with Martin a bit, he's a really friendly guy and invaluable for his knowledge of the city and the world! He's ridiculously well travelled and probably knows London a lot better than I do!