Stage 2 of 6: Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th April 2025

Buenos Aires, with a side of Uraguay

As I mentioned before we left Australia, we have a month away, broken up into six reasonably equal parts.

1. PATAGONIA (Blog part 1, Part 2)
2. BUENOS AIRES (this post)
3. UGUAZU FALLS
4. RIO DE JANIERO
5. CUSCO (Matchu Pitchu)
6. UNKNOWN

When I left off on the last post, it was Monday evening, and I was busy cooking dinner and waiting for Will and Emma to return from their huge day of trekking 27kms to the famous ‘base of the towers’ in the Torres Del Paine National Park.

The beef had been slow cooking all afternoon with a generous amount of local Chilean red wine, caramelised onions, garlic, herbs, stock, and oddly enough, bolognaise sauce. I didn’t use Google translate at the supermarket on the can of what I thought was crushed tomatoes 😉 . Turns out it was extremely delicious… and served with creamy mash and buttered green veggies was the perfect warming meal for the situation.

Except I couldn’t eat it. I was way too excited and emotional!

I missed Will’s message at around 8pm asking me to pick them up at the top of the 500m driveway to our Airbnb, so that meant they ended up walking 27.5kms rather than 27!

We were super keen to hear about their day and jumped on them with lots of questions the moment they stepped inside. “Why don’t you look at the photos” suggested Emma, passing me her phone, “swipe to the left”.

I can’t even remember what the first two photos were of, but the third one was the one below of a sparkling diamond ring with the famous towers in the background. 💍

I asked, “what the xxxx is that?”

“My engagement ring” replied Emma.

Everything after that is a bit of a blur…

After lots of hugs, tears and phone calls (and everyone else managing to eat dinner), we eventually went to bed. I could barely sleep; I was so excited! This was by far the best surprise I could have ever imagined. Even though I have wished for this for a very long time (they have been going out for more than eight years), I had no idea. Will managed to keep it a secret from everyone bar Emma’s Dad, including buying the most gorgeous engagement ring.

Emma is already very much part of our family, and we absolutely adore her. How lucky am I to have both children engaged to amazing people! I said at the end of the last blog that my face was sore from smiling and my heart was exploding – who knew that could get any better – but it did!

Given that ‘engagement day’ is now 5 days ago and a lot has happened since then, I’m going to summarise things a little, by using mostly photos.

TUESDAY 1st APRIL

When we woke on the morning of Tuesday, April 1, it was already Tuesday evening in Australia, as they are 14 hours ahead. The first message I read was from my sister, who was wondering if the call I had made to tell her about the engagement was an April fool’s joke😁. As Will and Emma told their friends over the next day or so, that was a question they were asked a lot! Will proposed to Emma not long after midday on March 31, just to clarify!

After a delicious brunch in Puerto Natales, we headed back in the hire car to Punta Arenas.

WEDNESDAY 2nd APRIL (Happy birthday to my baby sister, Bek😘)

Today was all about travelling. We returned the car (6:30am), flew to Santiago, then onto Buenos Aires, over the Andes Mountains.

THURSDAY 3rd APRIL

Today we explored Buenos Aires on foot, including a long walk along the river (and going to the Buquebus terminal to get tickets for tomorrow’s ferry) and a two-hour walking tour in the gorgeous historic area of La Boca.

We had booked a ‘Rooftop Argentinian Asado Experience’ for dinner, keen to learn about more about the famous Argentinian Barbeque. It was lovely to meet other travellers, and the food and wine were AMAZING!

FRIDAY/SATURDAY 4th and 5th APRIL

Dave has now hit 116 countries, thanks to a quick trip to Uruguay!

The ferry and then bus to Montevideo was fun (total four hours); we had what was my favourite dinner so far (Jacinto); overnight in a lovely old-fashioned hotel; a big morning walk to see the city; then a direct ferry back to Buenos Aires (2.5 hours) arriving back around 2pm!

We checked back into the Ibis Syles hotel where we had already stayed (and left our luggage while in Uruguay), had a quick rest then headed to the renowned and incredibly vibrant San Telmo markets. This place is simply amazing, and I am so glad this was on my list of things to do. The market, located in the heart of the historic San Telmo neighbourhood, was established in 1897 and has certainly retained its old-world charm while evolving into a vibrant food destination. Mostly bars and restaurants, but also vendors selling fresh produce and meat, antiques, vintage clothing and with cobblestone floors, and the most incredible architecture.

We shared a couple of beef empanadas from the El Hornero stall (which are considered the best in Argentina), then sat at a bar and enjoyed a G+T and shared a couple of Choripan (grilled chorizo sausage served in a crusty baguette-type bread), one with salsa and chimichurri sauce and the other a lamb variety with a spicy roasted red capsicum sauce. OMG delicious!

We left the kids at the bar and headed back towards our hotel, but not before a stop in at Burger King for Dave 😱.

We also stopped for some dinner for me (worst Ravioli ever) and by the time we got back to our room, we had clocked nearly 21,000 steps. I was totally exhausted!

SUNDAY 6th APRIL

Sunday (today) was pretty restful, especially for those that may have explored the ‘going out’ scene in Buenos Aires last night. We did visit an amazing bookstore (El Ateneo Grand Splendid), voted the second most beautiful bookstore in the world; had a lunch of pasta, salad and chips nearby; stopped by Soho market; ate an unbelievably good Gelato; then visited the Grave of Captain Hans Langsdorff, who captained the German battleship Graf Spee that was sunk in WW2 off Montevideo. There’s an interesting story and movie behind his death… look it up if you are interested!

Dinner had been planned some time ago. 90 days to be accurate, as that’s how far out you need to book to get a table. Don Julio is considered (and was voted in 2024) the best Steak Restaurant in the world – no small accolade!

We really loved our dinner – not least because it is a very special place to visit. The food was VERY good, probably not the best steak I have ever eaten, but super delicious none-the-less. We are pretty spoiled in Australia after all! I might do a full review of our dinner sometime soon – for those interested in some more details! (Like the yummy sides for example).

And so, our time in Argentina ends. Tomorrow morning we fly to Iguazu Falls. Buenos Aires has been pretty delightful and I would definitely come back if I got the opportunity!

p.s. I think I broke a couple of toes today in an argument I had with a metal doorstop in our hotel room. I am really hoping it doesn’t impact things. Will keep you updated! 🏥

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