As usual, we woke up for our breakfast at 9am. Today, we decided to have a better breakfast at a nice cosy bakery at the corner of the street near our hotel. The breakfst was filling and i am satisfied with the big omelette and a glass of freshly squeezed grape juice.Headed straight to the shop that we spotted yday, and I got myself a few nice clothes. then , we set off the our itinerary for the day. First stop-Recoleta Neighbourhood. It is one of the most luxurious and sophisticated neighbourhood in B.A, and Gosh!! i think i had fallen in love with this place.
The first building that welcomed us is the the colonial Iglesia del Pil
ar (the Pillar Church), the oldest church in B.A. I followed Steven into the church and the gals went recce at the nearby weekend fair. This was the first time i stepped into a catholic church. It seemed so rich in gold colour.. The sculture attracted my attention immediately when i looked at them. It is an 18th century church built by Jesuits. The sanctuary revealed beautiful, vibrant carvings. The carvings are vivid portrayals from the Bible. They fill the sanctuary with life and tell a story at the same time! The church was having its daily service when we entered and hence we just stood there watching and listening to the open hymns. Not being a Catholic, I went in the church without any expectation of anything like spiritual ecstacy or even empathy.Then came the part where everybody in the church gets up and in single file goes up to participate in communion. Interesting but not especially impressed. Out of a sudden.. i felt a flow 
of warmth ran through my veins and an urge of crying immersed from the inside of me.. Its an unexplainable feeling dat could not be pen down by any mortal words. I felt shaken... weird... confused.. and fragile.. As if someone had grasped me and held me by the hand, and i was so vulnerable to react to the odd sense dat i was going through.. It was such an unexplainable experience dat i had nvr came across b4. Despite my effort of suppressing the strong urge of releasing my feelings, my face suddenly scrunched up and I co
uld not hold back the tears! It was odd, uncanny! I wasn't sad! I wasn't feeling devout or sacred. I had no idea what had hit me. My tears simply rolled down uncontollably after stepping out of the church. Steve who stood beside me observed my weird behavior.. leaving me a smile saying dat i was touched by the Holy Spirit. Was it so-called 'the tear of Joy' or a sign of calling upon me?? I doubt so... My eyes was red, there was an underlying sadness, even when my understanding of my emotional state or my perceived spiritual condition is fine. It's either that or the collective consciousness of the attendees of the service was enough to tilt me over the edge, even without my willing it to happen. At any rate, the tears were unbidden. It was an unique experience which had been unknown to me until now yet would not leave me from that moment onwards.
The plaza near the church of Recoleta serves as the largest outdoor handicrafts fair in the city, 'La Feria de Recoleta'. Taking place every weekend, one can see shows by street performers that are offered to the passerbys along with thousands of gifts on sale through the park. Joined the gals shopping and bargaining spree at this artisan fair. The goods and the vendors were interesting. Bot some very nice pendants, rings and a beautiful clay decorated wine bottle. Cost a bomb but its sooo San Telmo dat i fell in love with it at the first sight.Satisfied with the Shopping Spree, we moved on to the next attraction. The highlight of Rec
oleta. Weird it might sound, but yes, the Recoleta Cemetry located behind the church of Pillar is a must visit. Well, personally I think the place was not at all spooky even thou it was a burial for a bunch of dead rich people. It has not fail to attract tons of tourists since its well-known as one of the most distinguished cemeteries of the 
world. Founded in 1822 by the recoletos monks. It has famous sculptures and graves where illustrious personages rest, many of which are considered to be Historical Monuments. Ok Ok I don't know the history of Eva Peron aka Evita nor her struggles with Argentinian history but as a tourist, I knew there was something to see here, her family's mausoleum. Lies in the cemetry, there are mausoleums and tombs of the very very rich Argentinians. They are fabulously decorated and structured. To use that kinda resource for commemorating one's death simply means one thing= these ppl sure got some serious bank!! Nonetheless, this is an outdoor musuem which brings tranquility and peacefulness to all who visits it.After emerging from the Recoleta Cemetery, we strolled though the shade trees of the surrounding small Plaza Alvear toward the nearby shopping area. I had not seen a Banyan
tree before thou i had heard of it owing to the famous 'Banyan Tree Resorts'. The size of the Banyan tree here really blew me away! Banyan trees are native to India and adjacent countries. They are actually a type of strangler Fig. Very often, they germinate from a seed dropped by a bird into the foliage of another type of tree. The seed sprouts there and sends it's roots down to ground level. As it grows over time it's numerous roots completely encase it's original host, killing the tree. By then, the well-established Banyan continues to send it's branches out horizontally, with further support roots dropping down to ground level every so often. Banyan trees, with the world's largest leafy crown, can grow to be 100-ft high and cover an area of 1-2 acres (0.8 hectares). Because of their often hollow main trunk, where the original host used to reside, determining their age can be difficult. They are estimated to have a 1000-year life span but reports put this tree in Buenos Aires at between 200-350 years old. I noticed that some of the large branches had man-made supports to keep them airborne, probably due to some of the 'down roots' being lost due to human interference. Buenos Aires Design Center, an upscal
e shopping mall where Hard Rock Cafe is located, is a tremendous shopping boulevard which devoted to interior design. We bot a lot of Hard Rock T-shirts, comparatively cheaper than other Hard Rock ard the world. Filled our empty stomach with the huge portion of platters, we set home physically exhausted but mentally recharged.After a short while of resting, we continue our shopping spree at Santa Fe, just a turn around our hotel. It is a famous long shopping street which you can shop till you drop without burning a hole in your pocket(Well... ultimately it still depends on how big is your pocket). At first we were told all shops at the street would be closed by 6pm, but when we started about 5pm many shops were still opened. We walked for about one and half hours, and I got myself an oversized silver color Puma gymbag. Peachy!! It started raining and we decided to go to Puerto Madeiro (again!!), for our last dinner in BA.
Estilo Campo , a restaurant highly recommended by our brasilian colleague Roy. Its some sort of upscale Parilla(Spanish word, meaning GRILL). We were attracted by the Asado- an open fire of glowing coals around which a number of vertical metal crosses hold carcasses of goat, lamb and pork meat. In a glassed-in enclosure, the restaurant's Asador faces the street for optimum effect. According to the chef, the meat gets the most benefit from the slow rotation above the glowing embers.
The restaurant was very clean and had a rustic motif. The waiters were dressed in gaucho attire and worked hard to please their customers. In short, Estilo Campo is the quintessential upscale Argentinean steak house dripping with ambiance, complete with the "merry go round" style roasting pit, scads of committed professional waiters, and a full line of appetizers, wines, desserts, brandies and Cuban cigars.
At our waiter's recommendation we ordered the Asado al Asador (Roast on a Spit). Steve, Dawn and I shared the pork rib and our vegetarian friend, Pauline chose a very tasty salad. The flavor was good. The food went down smoothly and warmly with the San Telmo Malbec introduced by Gonzale. A very pleasant dining experience.
After food the rain stop, we walked to the Faena Hotel which was again highly commented by Roy - the beautiful swimming pool and the must-see toilet.After a few minutes of running our fingers across the map, asking for directions in the breezy, cold night, we finally found the Hotel situated at a corner. On the outside it did not seem impressive, or even like a hotel. So we went in with doubts, where 2 bellboy ushers us through a little door. My goodness... there was no lobby, only a wooden door with red curtain at the entrance leading to a long hallway. The aisle was red carpeted, and
curtains flowing from the high ceiling. Along the way there were windows revealing the posh and stylish designed bars and restaurants - GORGEOUS. One that caught my sight was the chic Bistro. It was in purely white interior design with white/gold table and golden-clawed-feet white leather sofas. Another highlight was the swimming pool with great personality situated in the terrrace garden. It looked more like a pond cos the water was flowing rather than barricaded. It was really stunning!!Update: I dint know that this Hotel is actually a 5star hotel and the real name is 'Faena Hotel + Universe'. A tribute of Philippe Starck, his most recent hotel Project as well as his first residential project. It is a dilapidated, turn-of-the-century, English- redbrick former grain silo. Today , with the help of this French design Guru, this 100-year-old landmark of the city has became the 'Faena Hotel + Universe', described by its creator as 'a temple to pleasure'. The interior is pure Starck. Why Hotel + Universe? After it had it's guts ripped out, this 25,000 sqm building was converted in to 83 hotel rooms and 80 private apartments. (Selling the apartments is a smart way to quickly make back some of the US$ 37 million invested in the project.) The best part is: its so unconventional. There isnt any concierge and receptionist, the guests are given a cellphone and a private number to an experience Manager who will guide the guest throughout his stay. The room is a bit pricey thou, from $300 to $1,200 a night, well.. considering you get to sleep on the signature Starck white white-upholstered bed.
Labels: Argentina, Sheepish Breakaway
