Tree-Lined Streets
by Bwana_Brown
After our walk around the Botanical Gardens, we wanted to do some further exploring of the park-like Palermo district. Immediately east of the Gardens is the Buenos Aires Zoo, but we decided to bypass that in favour of the Japanese Gardens a bit further along and closer to the Rio de la Plata. While walking down Rep. de la India along one side of the fenced-off Zoo, we really enjoyed the relative quietness and leafy cover of the Platano trees on this hot 33 degC afternoon!
Inside the Zoo fence was another smaller fence to keep the people touring the Zoo back from it's perimeter. However, this did not stop entrepreneurs on the street from carrying out their business! With their small bicycle-driven drinks carts parked under the trees, the vendors would talk to the patrons of the Zoo through the two fences. Once the arrangements had been agreed to, long bamboo poles were used to retrieve the customer's money with the required refreshments then being passed back through the two fences via the pole! It seems the concession prices inside the Zoo were being undercut!
Mate
by MDC6
If anyone asks you to try mate, don't turn it down! It's a very popular tradition in Argentina (as well as Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Paraguay). It's a type of tea that comes from a tree grown throughout the Mesopotamia region of Argentina. The tea itself is called yerba mate, and it's placed in a container (sometimes a hollowed-out gourd) called a mate. You drink the tea through a straw, usually made of metal or bamboo, called a bombilla. There's a filter attached to the end so you don't drink any of the little leaves.
The cebador(a) is the person who prepares the mate. He/she will put the yerba in the mate and fill it with hot water from a thermos. It's then passed to another person, who drains the cup, and then gives it back to the cebador, who will then fill it up again and give it to the next person.
Some people say it's an acquired taste, some people just don't like it. I really like it, it has a refreshing taste to it. You can drink it with sugar if you don't like the bitterness, but I've heard that it's bad for your stomach (I also don't think it tastes that great).
Spas in Buenos Aires
by gabylandiva
How to choice a spa in Buenos Aires?
The number of spas is growing in Buenos Aires. After the 2002 crisis many clinics and aesthetic doctors were reconverted to medical spas. Today, there is a lot of high-class spas over the city, most of them in Recoleta, Palermo and Belgrano.
Beside the spas located into the large 5-star luxury hotels, there are several day spa or urban spa with good services and affordable prices.
One of my favourite places is Aloe-Spa Salute per Aloe. This is an urban spa located at the heart of Belgrano district in Buenos Aires. The distinctive element of this spa is that all treatments are performed using aloe vera leaves or cosmetics containing high proportion of aloe vera into the formula.
I visited the venue three times and experienced a swedish massage -with aloe massage oil-, an aloe facial and an aloe body scrub. I enjoyed too much the body treatment, because they cleansed my entire body with an aloe lotion, then exfoliation was made with an aloe moisturizing cream and organic brown sugar (green coffee is also an option). After that, the mask is prepared with volcanic Andean clay, honey and aloe juice. They also mix blueberries, açai or mangosteen as antioxidants.
When the mask has worked and gets dry, the therapist remove it with aloe juice, and use and aloe vera moisturizing gelly to wrap all the body. Finally a smooth massage is applied.
It is a unique experience because you may feel the aloe products into the body. I highly recommend this spa treatment.
THE place to shop til you drop!
by bruingirl about Calle Florida (Florida street)
Calle Florida is a large pedestrian walk street that spans blocks and blocks within the Microcentro. There are thousands and thousands of people on the streets and is quite a sight! There are all types of stores on Calle Florida from women's clothing to men's, sporting goods, wine, shoes, music, movies, and pretty much everything in between. Many of the stores carry similar items so take the time to check out the different stores before buying something right away. AR$30-150. It just totally depends on what you get.
Where the real "night-morning"life is!
by Ivik
I don't know why but nightlife in Buenos Aires and I would say all Argentina is sooooo special!
It starts at about 1-2 am... but if you are going so early you'll be dancing alone! by 3-4 am the club starts to be full of people and finishes at 6-8 am... if it's saturday the best thing to do is to have breakfast, coffee, mate or tea with "facturas" with friends or "new friends"! ;-) Casual dress, probably smart for girls, but will depend with the club's policy
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One person's order!
gateway to the Boka township
Placio San Martin
at Julio Bocca's farewel show
