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).
Click to continue reading “Dismissing Guidebooks For Local Advice – Visiting La Boca”
