BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Determined to get to know Buenos Aires better this second time around, we began our search for an apartment, a monthly rental, as soon as we arrived. Information online is sparse and unreliable, what you sign up for is not necessarily what you get. Most rental agencies offer only higher end rentals with prices starting at nearly $1200, not necessarily what we were looking for. Our three weeks of searching were arduous, but nevertheless ended up being one of the most pleasant periods so far. We stayed at great hostel called Estoril in the center of town, where we ended up making fantastic friends with whom we would meet again later on in the trip.

Buenos Aires is unique and exciting, when given the opportunity it simply has to be seen and experienced. It has plenty of negative aspects though, the lack of security and poor air quality (it's often referred to as "Aires Males") are but two examples. Nevertheless, the energy and architectural beauty of this dense city easily makes up for its not so pleasant aspects. The old traditional restaurants of San Telmo, the cafes of Palermo, the nightlife of Palermo Viejo and Soho, the bustling Micro Center, the pedestrian streets of La Boca, and chic Recoleta are just a few of the must sees.

Using the Airbnb website we finally found a place called One House and moved into a large house we initial shared with two Spanish and one French girl in the San Telmo neighborhood. We then registered in the Spanish school Rayuela only four doors away, which greatly improved our odds of making it on time in the morning. The school was very professional and classes were fun and challenging. Being part of a group containing only 3 people greatly helped and we made much progress in those two weeks according to our Spanish roommates with whom we could now conversate with.

It was a month of excess in many ways. The morning pastries from the panaderia across the street, the steak asados and wine, the late nights out often not ending before 7am and or course all that helado. Although we now had some difficulty fitting into the new clothes we bought that month, it was all worth it. The people we met and the times we had in this city have left a lasting impression on us.