La Boca

The day began with a nice 5-mile run through the nearby park around Plaza Francia. Unfortunately, there were a few more "male tight spandex" sightings. There was also a guy walking like 14 dogs at a time, a policeman smoking a cigar while sitting on a bench, and an old homeless lady taking a fully-clothed bath in a fountain. Not sure how she planned on drying her clothes when finished, but I guess it beats the alternative for the rest of us.

Then we packed the day bag and took off to La Boca, Argentina's rough and tumble blue collar neighborhood that houses 2 important draws: the Boca Juniors soccer stadium (where Diego Maradona once played and unquestionably the country's most famous team) and the charming "tango barrio" featuring the picturesque El Caminito building and colorful surrounding shops and restaurants. Beyond these two sites, La Boca is a don't-visit-after-dark-or-with-children type of place. But man...the cute tourist section is sure cool!

Here is the soccer stadium from a couple blocks away. Notice that it looks nice, save the ugly and sketchy parts all around it:

 

After taking the above photo, I turned around and snapped this beauty:

Something tells me the actual professional soccer players and most of the spectators do not live in this neighborhood. 

After passing the stadium and feeling scared for our wallets once or twice, we made it to the nice, busy, well-appointed section of town around El Caminito. In case you're wondering why we had a multi-block trek to get to the nice area, it's because we took the local $1 bus to get there and walked on our own from the bus stop, as opposed to the fancy climate-controlled tourist bus that lets off dozens of camera-flashing visitors smack in the heart of El Caminito. Upon arrival, it was actually amusing watching the guide and bus driver corral the tourists straight into a waiting over-priced souvenir shop as they stepped off the bus.

Here are some photos from the day:

We ate lunch at a spot featuring a "free tango show while you eat"...as long as you tip the dancers upon leaving.

Following a joyful afternoon spent walking around, we took the bus home. We made spaghetti and sauce in our apartment for dinner, which everyone enjoyed...all seven of us in the photo below:

Tomorrow it's another day of exploring!