Argentina is the 8^th largest country in the World. About 4 and half times the size of France, 2.75 times smaller than Australia. 43 million inhabitants, which is quite low for such a big country. I know, I like numbers. It obtained its independence from Spain in 1816. Immigration from Europe was then strong: Italy and Spain mainly. Argentinians have a very European look, except for the indigenous population in the North West. Very few Africans and very few Asians.

Economy in Argentina is a massive issue these days. The inflation is ridiculously high (+40% in 2015). Prices you see on Internet or on tourist guides are inaccurate. Life in Argentina is actually expensive, close to what we can find in Western countries. Accommodation and food are a bit cheaper. But cars, motos and technologies are heavily taxed and more expensive. 10 years ago, 1 peso worthed 1 usd. Today, the change is 15 pesos for 1 usd! Because the money loses its value, Argentinians do not try to save and prefer to spend it as fast as possible. Even a motorbike could get some value with time! Additionally, people here do not trust banks. A lot of them are paid in cash, or if they are paid by transfer, the money is withdrawn asap. Because of this, ATMs are empty, and I sometimes struggle to find cash.

The capital of Argentina is the 2^nd largest city in South America after Sao Paulo. More than 1/3 of the Argentinians live in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, and I sometimes hear that: ‘everything happens in Buenos Aires’. Historically, the city had a late development. Lima, on the Pacific coast, was the capital of the Spanish empire in America. Because of its European influence, it is often referred as ‘The Paris of the South’. I had said that Cordoba looks like a French city. Well, some parts of Buenos Aires look like Paris. In the past 5 years, the government took important measures to counter security issues. There are now a lot of policemen on the streets and it feels safe to walk around.

In the last 6 weeks, I was on the move. I went all the way to the Southern tip of America, and back up to Buenos Aires. The reason? I did not want to spend Christmas in my tent, and above all I had to catch up with Han who came and visit. I met Han in Darwin not long before I left Australia, and I am very happy and grateful we can spend some time together. She likes good food, wine, dancing, motorbiking, visiting and beaching. Surely it can’t go wrong!For Christmas, we went to the midnight mass:The day after, we were invited for Christmas lunch at The Reja, a suburb of Buenos Aires. Epic 50km in the mud, it was raining. Elisa was my Spanish teacher in France when I was 13/14 years old. I had not seen her for 17 years! But we got back in touch a few years ago, thanks to Facebook. She is now married and mum of 6 kids!We were so glad we managed to find the house… unlimited food!I had no idea what to expect… The family is huge, with lots of kids! We were very well looked after, thanks a million to them.My travels are usually quite slow, because I have time. But Han is here for a bit more than 2 and half weeks, we have to make the most of it. So visit of the city it is!

La Bombonera stadium, home of Boca Juniors football club and Diego Maradona:La Boca area. Boca means ‘mouth’, because it is close to the mouse of the river that flows by. This is historically a poor area where Italian migrants first settled down. And played football in the streets…Our guide, full of energy:I saw Messi:We were staying in San Telmo, a nice neighbourhood with everything handy nearby. From there, we walked a lot. The Obelisco, 68m, built in 1936:La Recoleta and the Cemetery, one of the touristic attractions of the city. It felt weird at first to visit a cemetery, but people show respect to the ‘inhabitants’. All famous and notable Argentinian people were buried here.Visiting landmark cafes and libraries:Puerto Madero is the modern part of the city. It used to be a harbour, then a massive open air rubbish. It’s only in the last 30 years that this area was developed.The Puente de la Mujer represents the leg of a woman dancing tango.With my favourite travel partner, we went to Tigre, a city built on an island created by streams and rivers, 30km North. There, we went on a short and relaxing boat cruise, escaping the heat and noise of Buenos Aires.Expensive houses!Buenos Aires is a great city to visit. Each neighbourhood has its own soul and it is good to walk, get lost, enjoy the cafes, restaurants and bars… Buenos Aires is alive at night. Restaurants are full at 11pm, not earlier, and dancing bars do not open before 1am.

Talking about food: it is part of my travels, but we took it to a next level with Han: piccadas, parrillas, meat, fish, etc… We ended up pregnant with food a few times…Planned much earlier, we took a Tango lesson. Definitively something I want to get into. We then went to a Milonga, a place where tango is danced:Tango is part of the Buenos Aires culture. Street performers are not rare: