Tom´s Blog: They (hippies) say travelling is a journey of self-discovery. Well this week I discovered I´m not too shabby at dancing the tango after all. I didn´t even tread on Anna´s toes, and she only shouted at me once...

Buenos Aires (BA) lives and breathes tango. You can´t walk the streets without hearing the words 'Ola chicas!` in your ears, followed by a flyer thrusted in your face for a tango show that evening. I´ve got to say though, sitting in a plaza on a lazy, sunny afternoon with a coffee or cerveza whilst watching a couple show you how it´s really done is something I could get used to (I am 30 now, don't you know?!).

Being so close to the border with Uruguay, we decided it would be rude not to venture there for a day. We took the 1 hour ferry to Colonia del Sacramento, an old colonial town which was formerly a smugglers port for BA. It was peaceful and picturesque to say the least - quaint portuguese-style villas and cobbled streets (anyone for a twisted ankle?). Needless to say, I got into geeky tourist mode with my camera (thanks for your patience, Anna). Then IT happened. Out of nowhere came a procession of floats and hundreds of Uruguayan school kids dressed as characters from the likes of the Smurfs, Avatar, Star Wars, and what I can only describe as the Swedish chef out of the muppets. I looked at Anna... Anna looked at me... It was time for a drink.

Colonia (as it´s known) is famous for it´s sunsets, so we decided to grab a table with a view and ordered a barbecue for two. It was a meat feast. Anna felt it was a good idea to tell me the black sausage I had half-devoured was in fact blood sausage aka black pudding. 'Oh... damn...´

And so we returned by ferry to BA. I successfully negotiated with Anna a trip to witness a fútbol match, having mastered the tango two nights prior. We got to see the mighty Boca Juniors beat Estudiantes 1-0, with Riquelme bossing the game. We were crammed into the cheapest seats (although paid 5-6 times the price of the locals!), which attracts the most emotional fans of the game. The atmosphere was incredible (second only to fortress Fratton Park I would say...) and the locals didn´t seem to mind that we were guessing all the words we were singing along with. Bizaarely, the temperature in BA had dramatically dropped that day, so Anna was quick to agree to wearing the Boca scarf I had just bought. Her post-match assessment: ´I would have liked a bovril at half time...´

On our second to last day in BA I´m proud to say I double-steaked it. Rib steak for lunch in San Telmo (watching the tango of course), before the evening´s main event. We couldn´t leave this city without visiting La Cabrerra, pricey but as good as it gets in terms of steak restaurants in this city. Here they like to toy with your emotions whilst building your appetite. We registered at the entrance and waited 45 mins for our table. Luckily, they gave us a couple of glasses of champagne each to run the clock down. Once in, it was well worth the wait. If not for the ridiculously tasty steak, then to see the waiter slice the slab of meat with a spoon. Like a spoon (!) through butter...

It was sad to leave BA. We both loved it, and feel this city has ´got it´, whatever ´ít´is. But there´s plenty more to come - next stop Malbec heaven. Mendoza by night bus awaits...