In Bariloche we said goodbye to our Japanese motorcycle friend Yuki (who was still having trouble getting her bike fixed) and turned east for Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, once you ride down from the Andes, the 1600km stretch to Buenos Aires turns into a very boring km countdown. The road is flat and straight, leading through Argentina’s agricultural heartland. The sight of thousands of acres of soya and corn plantations can be impressive at first, but the novelty wears off quickly. We had 4 days to reach the capital and the closer we got to Buenos Aires the worse the weather got. It rained constantly, adding to the depressing nature of the ride.

Fencing all the way along the road make bush camping almost impossible, while the prices of accommodation in Argentina discourage entering larger towns for the night. Subsequently, we decided to try one of the many farms we were passing. This particualr one was an apple farm. We rode up to the farmhouse and asked if we can pitch a tent on the grass.
“Of course not!” came the reply “But wouldn’t it be better if you slept in our house?” the owners enquired. We said that camping would be fine. They agreed but insisted we at least have dinner with them. They treated us to delicious roasted carne (meat) and traditional argentine ‘mate’ (tea). As we ate the house began to fill up with neighbours and friends curious to see the foreigners that had dropped in. Special attention was given to the Africa Twin which was photographed from every angle. With the limited spanish that we know, we gave an account of our trip so far complete with a slideshow. We were surprised by the generosity and kindness of these strangers we had just met, that had now become our friends. The following morning everyone got a ride on the Africa Twin (including Bruno the dog), after which we exchanged details promising to keep in touch. It’s these unexpected meetings that often turn out to be the highlights of a trip…

We arrived in Buenos Aires late in the afternoon and got a little lost in the huge metropolis of nearly 20 million people. We did manage to finally reach our destination - San Telmo - and find a cheap hostel. We barely had time to unpack before having to ride out to the airport some 40km away. We were there to pick up Gienek (Iza’s father), who plans to join us for a spin around Argnetina, Chile, Paraguay, Boliwia and Peru. He will most likely buy a motorcycle from another traveler in Uruguay, which will make entry and exit out fo Argentina hassle free. Back from the airport we hit the popular bars of San Telmo for a good steak and wine.

We plan to stay in Buenos Aires for two weeks, to allow for the purchase of Gienek’s motorcycle, servicing of our own bikes, spanish lessons and some sightseeing.

We visited our Argentine friends from Buenos Aires again, Ximena & Jose, who treated us to the best grilled meat we have ever had. ALL Argentinians are really passionate about their meat and they could talk about it for hours…

Tango on the other hand, is really only danced by the elite or upper class and for tourists. Most middle class citizens might enjoy the show, but don’t necesarrily dance it on a regular occasion. Stereotypes it seems, are common wherever you go…