Blog: Buenos Aires / The best 5 week party of all time

Looking back, I couldn’t imagine a better way to arrive in Buenos Aires.

From Montevideo we caught a bus to Colonia de Sacramento, and directly boarded a ferry accross the Rio de la Plata, which seperates Uruguay and Argentina. The ferry was rather dull for the first little bit, but we managed to make friends with some locals and we sat arround drinking mate, and in no time the boat was nearing our destination. It was close to midnight and there was no scenery to entertain, and as a result the Buenos Aires skyline stood out well before we docked. The sight was the most impressive arrival i have ever witnessed, like out of a movie or somthing, and we knew we were in for somthing special…

Buenos Aires has just under 100 hostels to choose from, and we choose, out of pure luck, the best one in the city: The Limehouse. We got there just as an era was ending. Renee, a guy from Vancouver, and a legend among the people staying there, quickly showed us the ropes. He had been staying at the hostel for 30 days, and our first night was his last. We tried to convince him that he should stay for a few more days, and he was quick to say “No! I HAVE to leave tomorow”. We didnt understand this need to leave at first, but as time passed we soon learned his dilema. The hostel was what made the stay special. Our arrival, as i mentioned, marked the end of one era and the begining of another. Our original plan was to spend 2 weeks, giving us enough time to see the many sights the city had to offer, and quickly move on, but things change quickly when your travelling.

Buenos Aires was the best 5 week party anyone has ever attended. The city has one of the most amazing club scenes any city has to offer, and except for sunday, monday and tuesday, there is a happening place to go. Fortunatly, the hostel was a party, and we easily made due for the 3 days off a week by sitting arround drinking beer and listening to music. The people was what made the place… There were so many people from so many different places, that at no point did you find yourself bored. With such a mixture of cultures, its easy to see how the party can go from ´just a few beers´ to an all out party. At one point, 5 British guys arrived at the hostel on a 2 week vacation from England, and quickly Stewart, Martin (one of the coolest travellers i have ever met) and I quickly unleashed our plan; to fill the table with beers. The table was the centerpiece of the main sitting room, and we calculated it would take 160 empty bottles to fill it (keep in mind, these arnt regular beers, these are 1L bottles of beer, and its not until you try to undertake somthing like this that you realize how difficult it really is). We quickly rallyed everyone at the hostel and the challenge was on. Things were looking dim, but with the help of Martin´s Braveheart-esque speach midway through the evening, we managed to make our improvised goal: 100 bottles of beer (aka 100L of beer….). Of course, in the span of 5 weeks you are able to accumulate a million and a half stories to be told, and i dont think i would be able to compile them if i had the rest of my life to complete this task, but if your still currious, ask me when im home….

I dont want it to seem like Buenos Aires was all about drinking and clubbing, but the party overshadowed anything else. The Limehouse, like I said, was what made Buenos Aires great. It became my home away from home, and the people became my family, and as a result, it was probally the hardest place i have ever had to leave. In the end, the reason we decided to stay for 5 weeks was to watch the Brazil vs Argentina futball match in Buenos Aires, and to obtain tickets we showed up at the ticket office at 7am, and waited in line for 7 hours before finally arriving at the front. The next week was intense, especially since this was our last 7 days in the city, and by the time game day arrived, we were all stoked and ready to go. Most of us bough jerseys, some of us bough flags and banners and all of us painted our faces in some way or another. This was our going away party! Fortunatly for us, Argentina quickly got on top and never looked back and the 65,000 people jam packed into the stadium went nuts when all was said and done: 3-1 Argentina. This game had so much riding on it. Not only is this one of the biggest football rivalrys in the world, it gave the Argentians 1st place in the South American world cup qualifing tournament. After the game we retreated to the hostel and celebrated our last night in style; everyone still wearing facepaint and Argentinan flags as capes, and the beer flowed and the people partied. And with this wonderful climax, even though there was still party to be had, somehow we managed to leave Buenos Aires; but Buenos Aires would never leave us……