Backpacking South America

It was a hard, but necessary realization that guidebooks aren’t always right and that hostels are more apt to give you the safest, but not always the best advice.  In Buenos Aires, we’ve learned how to balance the information from guidebooks, hostels and local residents to get out and see things that one, or the other, may not necessarily recommend. 

While there have been numerous examples, there is none more obvious than La Boca.  On our first day, our hostel strictly advised, only visit the two touristy blocks in La Boca.  The guidebooks stated the same.  One informed us that we would most definitely be mugged and the other said, “You might be tempted to stray from this touristy area and find the ‘Real’ La Boca: don’t.  The surrounding streets are notorious for violent crime, you will almost certainly be a very obvious target…”

So, we had written La Boca off the list of to dos until we moved in to our homestay.  Our host was insistent that La Boca and the area around the tourist area wasn’t so unsafe, just go during the daylight.  After all, it was only 8 blocks away.  After a couple of weeks, we worked up the courage and decided to go against the advice of the guidebook and hostel advice and consulted Lili on our route.    She made a few recommendations on places to see, told us to go in the early afternoon and to not carry our passports or much money (camera was fine).

So, off we went.  It was a bit liberating to break free from the confines of the book, plus, we had a great walk through one of Buenos Aires most famous barrios.  You can view the pictures and read the rest of the story below.

La Boca has been and still is a rough neighborhood with a colorful past.  It was the bustling harbor of early Buenos Aires and is still best known for its brightly painted, tin-sided houses.  It still retains the bright colors, but only in two blocks that are abundantly and overwhelming touristy. 

Our first stop was the touristy street called Calle El Caminito.  After we finished up there, we rounded the corner to visit the acclaimed PROA Fundacion, a new contemporary arts building.  Once we saw the building and stepped inside, we were reminded of the ICA in Boston.  Unfortunately, they were between exhibitions and the next one opened the day we left town – regardless, we wandered through the building and enjoyed the bookstore.

It was then on to the Bellas Artes Museo de La Boca, there was a strong collection and exceptional exhibits by two young Buenos Aires artists.  We then visited the top floor, former residence and studio for Benito Quinquela, now an area that documents his life and displays some of his paintings.  We got out on the roof and snapped some great photos of the neighborhood. 

After the museum, we made our way to the famous home of the famous Boca Juniors fútbol team.  The stadium, La Bombonera, is famous and we do hope to make it to a game before we leave Argentina, but will have to wait because we haven’t had the opportunity to catch them at home.

Our last stop was El Banchero, a famous pizza restaurant that is now a Buenos Aires chain.  We had a delicious, deep dish pizza.

We were glad that we were privy to our host’s knowledge of the neighborhood.  While guidebooks do offer good recommendations, it seems that it is almost always best to go with the locals’ advice.