Dynargh dhe'n Blogofrob

Tuesday 1st February 2011

What San Telmo lacks in pleasantly on-trend eateries and shops, it makes up for in dog shit (and, according to a girl I just spoke to, street based armed robbery of tourists). The narrow pavements are full of steaming piles of lovingly curated turd pyramids, just begging for an unwitting flip-flop sole to crush them and disburse smeary fragments throughout the neighbourhood. But, of course that´s a little unfair. To date, I´ve neither trodden in poo, nor been mugged - but have been advised by a number of people to avoid certain streets after 10pm (I enjoyed Kate´s description of passing through a neighbouring barrio, La Boca: "we thought we'd ended up in the Wire"). As well as petty thugs, San Telmo is full of narrow streets bursting with ancient and beautiful crumbling blocks cut through with elegant Parisian style avenues, both housing a weird and fascinating variety of shops, restaurants and apartment blocks.

One such block houses the Art Factory hostel, where we currently reside. I haven't stayed in a hostel since interrailing in 1999, and even then I felt a little beyond that kind of thing. I think I stayed in my last dormitory in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. Coming back into the hostel world for the first time in 11ish years was a pretty easy undertaking. There are differences - now everyone sits around tapping away at their laptops (how do they fit them in their rucksacks?) but the place is still generally populated by newly bearded europeans and excitable gap year students (me: "do you know what the worst thing about youth hostels is? The youth" George: "yep, those who haven´t had their spirit broken yet".) But, it's a good place to be, and I enjoy staying here. That said, there was a little dreadlocked white guy, in long shorts, juggling on the roof terrace earlier. Is that such a terrible thing? It has a similar effect on me as does Glastonbury. There a city lawyer can grow a bit of a beard, forget about work and pretend to take an interest in sustainable dry stone-walling. Here it is the same, and that is, from my current perspective (and considering what I am taking a holiday from) a good thing.

129 - posted at 04:20:36
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Comments

Are you guys there long enough to catch a Boca Juniors game? Those supporters are absolutely nuts. A sight worth seeing (from a distance...)

Wouldn't worry too much about the street based armed robbery (go to Sao Paulo for that...) we were there for a month and didn't see so much as a hint of trouble. Stay out of La Boca durante al noche and you'll be fine.

I think it was slightly worse a few years back during the economic crisis mind, when muggings, robbery and the occasional kidnapping were pretty standard.

1: Matt - 04:37:48 on Tuesday 1st February 2011 (permalink)

Think things have got a bit worse in San Telmo in recent months - even the guy at the front desk at the hostel told us to avoid particular nearby streets after dark. No worse that certain parts of other cities though, I am sure. Might try to catch a Boca game, probably not enough time, sadly.

2: Rob - 15:13:06 on Tuesday 1st February 2011 (permalink)

All in the game, yo. All in the game.

3: Dave (B-more) - 12:53:03 on Monday 14th February 2011 (permalink)

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