14. Last tango in Buenos Aires.

But first, as promised, a quick update on the Sabatini's dinner experience. Well, I would describe it as fairly average...it was nice to have a different dining venue and a little more privacy whilst eating, but in my view it did not warrant the surcharge. I had a steak for my main course whilst Claire had lobster and it was washed down with a bottle of Chablis. The venue was full, the ambience different to the main dining room, the waiter was attentive and helpful without being intrusive and it was fun watching the Maître D fuss over all his charges like a mother hen. However, I doubt it's something we will do again.

So today, Tuesday, we have been in Buenos Aires. The city is big, and when I say big, I mean very, very big. It stretches along the coast for miles but fortunately we were docked close to the main part of town. After much thought and discussion as to how best to spend our shore leave, we eventually decided to take a city tour. 

We definitely made the right decision. The temperature crept up to well over 30 degrees and to have walked any distance would have meant instant fatigue and probably a touch of heatstroke. The city was extra busy as it was the last business day before the New Year break and the streets were absolutely choked with traffic.

The city also looks like a cross between Paris and New York City. There are wide boulevards and French style chateau buildings mixed with modern high rise skyscrapers, there are green parks and more public art and sculptures than I have ever seen in a capital city, there is high end shopping and there are street vendors, but there is also squalor. 

Our tour took us first to the main square and to the presidential building from where Eva Peron would appear in front of her adoring crowd. On the way, our guide gave us a 10 minute speech about the history of the Falklands and why they should be Argentinian, but he was also scathing over the corruption which is plainly evident in Christina Kirchner's current government.

We then moved on to the most colourful part of the city, La Boca. Think a Latin version of Covent Garden with lots of street artists, boutiques, souvenir stalls and brightly painted pubs and clubs all advertising authentic tango dancing. A tourist trap certainly, but there remained a certain charm about the place. For any football fans reading, we also passed the Boca Juniors stadium which, according to our guide is the most important place in the universe. As an aside, when the club was formed they could not agree upon what colour strip to adopt and so eventually decided to use the colours of the flag of the next ship to enter the harbour. That ship was Swedish, and so that is why the team has played in yellow and blue ever since.

The last stop was the mecca for locals and tourists alike, the mausoleum containing the remains of Evita herself. On the way we passed the latest development in the city, the waterfront. This time think London Docklands, lots of modern apartment buildings and a myriad of shops and modern restaurants serving everything from local dishes to Chinese takeaways to the ever present McDonald's. We also drove through some of the more upmarket parts of the city where large, expensive, turn of the century houses had been turned into embassies for what seemed like every nation on earth.

The cemetery was, of course, heaving but it was also fascinating as many hundred private burial plots have been purchased over the years and there seems to have been a competition as to which family could build the most ornate resting place.

It was now mid afternoon and the heat was sapping our energy so we returned to the ship, changed into swimming costumes and jumped into the pool for a refreshing swim. The fact that it was more like swimming in a warm bath, but that didn't matter. Then as the sun began to sink lower in the sky we stayed up on deck, cold beer in hand and watched the sun set over the city as we sailed away.