Carnival of Carnivorous Carnage

Wherever we've been and met someone who's travelled to Argentina, they've always recommended the meat. Meat to us is every animal put together but to them, it's the cow, the whole cow and nothing but the cow.



Australians like a good barbeque but the Argentines, rather than approaching the sport delicately, are definitely in the heavyweight class. Muscle, intestines, glands and blood to name but a few of the delights thrown on our grill. Fortunately, the more sensitive parts did not appear at our table!



One BBQ for the day and one Disco for the night. When the meat arrived in the afternoon, we knew we were in for a feast. As the last morsals were finished, we were perfectly satisfied. We'd tried the nastier bits and our stomachs had passed the test. F.T.B. Full to bustin. We'd heard a rumour that our hosts planned an evening meal. By 10.30pm we doubted. By 11.30pm as the circular dish was bubbling with the beginnings of a chicken stew, we believed.



A very good evening with several pounds of meat, Camile, and friends.

It would never happen...

It would never happen in the UK. But this is the centre of Buenos Aires so that´s alright!

Mate, Mate?

There is a tradition in these ére parts. As important as a nice cuppa to the English, the Argentinians love to suck on a cup of Mate. Don´t take any notice of the picture above to gain any insight as to what this strong, herby drink looks like - not knowing anything of the stuff, our home attempt at preparation was, in a word, terrible! Adding milk to ours (no doubt a cardinal sin in Argentina) did nothing to placate our tastebuds!

Much more Mate required. Much less water. Suck on the metal straw and hopefully you won´t get any nasty bits. If you like strong black tea, you may well enjoy a bit of this.

Still a bit unusual seeing so many flasks of hot water served up in trendy cafes though.

A typical cafe scene, although not so much that of the Gringo drinking the Mate.

Uruguay not?

Well, it was only across the river so we thought we´d tag on another country to the list. A quick ferry ride took us to Colonia in Uruguay, a stark contrast from the developed bustle of opposing Buenos Aires.



There was sunshine, it really was ´good air´ and ¡Wow! only two bits of hand luggage to carry!



Nice architecture, cobbled streets and no-one else around!



The local car hire gives you some indication of the pace of life...





the lack of need for modern machinery...



...and alternative fashions!

South American Hola-day

Since Maradona´s demise, the Argentinians have found a new idol in Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Home one step from Home

A ´Submarino´- hot milk with a chocolate bar melted in at your leisure. Quite tasty if you add another 6 bars.

Gaucho not Groucho

Something to aim for.