Let’s just say the steakhouse we ate at far exceeded all expectations. When we arrived, we only had to wait for 30 minutes to get a table at (unknowingly to us) a top 50 restaurant in Latin America. The starters were delicious and all complimentary. We tried 6 different dips with different breads and unfortunately, ate a little too much before the actual steaks arrived. When the waiter did bring out the steaks, we were in shock. The portions were humungous and prepared meticulously. It’s safe to say that collectively we consumed at least 2kg of meat in one meal.
This meal was a highlight of the trip for sure. Afterwards, we ventured back towards downtown Palermo and were surprised to see so many people out for dinner and drinks on a Monday night. This city really never rests. While sitting at a table, a homeless man approached us and created little pieces of art right in front of us with only wire and a pair of pliers. Needless to say he was very talented, and we gave him all of our leftover steak and potatoes. His reaction to receiving a full meal both invoked a feeling of warmth for feeding him but also sadness at his situation, like countless others around the world.
Woke up the next day and went for another toasty run. Also found a nearby outdoor gym space to workout at which was fun. We went back towards Florida Street today both to exchange more dollars and to purchase bus tickets at the station in preparation for the journey to Mar del Plata. The online platform was charging us around 60,000 pesos for the four of us for round trip tickets. The in-person price paid in cash was only 40,000.
In the same area, we saw a large group of what looked like protesters gathered around a tall Sheraton building. Our uber driver told us that the Brazilian president was in town and was the reason for all the commotion and police presence. It was crazy to see the massive hotel buildings on one site of the block, and a slum on the other side next to the bus station. The wealth disparity definitely does not only exist in America.
This morning, we woke up at the “ridiculous” hour of 8am to make it to the bus station. The bus itself was a huge double-decker with super comfy seats that resembled those in a local first class flight. Because we were riding in style, we slept pretty comfortably for a decent portion of the ride. The Argentinian countryside pretty much looked like Kansas with many farms and a few small towns that we saw on our way.
The weather here is just like California. 70-80 degrees, breezy, and sunny. The apartment we rented is cozy and plenty large enough for all of us. It even has a bidet which we tried to use, admittedly, without success. We walked the coast of the city and explored today. It seems like this is a popular tourist spot for Latin Americans as we still rarely hear any English being spoken.
As always, thank you for reading the blog! Hope you have enjoyed the posts thus far.
Wow that town look absolutely beautiful. I’m so jealous of the weather.
That wire art is so cool, little trinkets like that are what you’ll remember
Nice sid! Remember to spread the love and joy to those around you—continue to buy ppl a meal whenever you can. And hope you did get some rest on those comfy bus seats!! Keep practicing your Spanish!
Looks like a lot of fun!