There were no sleep ins for the birthday boy today as we had our half day city tour and we were being picked up at 9.15am.  I gave him his birthday card with $70 worth of scratchies - in the hope that he may win enough for another trip!  We'd discussed what he'd like for his birthday before we left home and agreed to defer any additional gifts till we're back home.  A kayak was mentioned at one point - so we'll see.  Meantime I had to think of something small and lightweight so scratchies it was.  He's yet to scratch them - saving that for when he can concentrate and has time to study!

Breakfast was down in the hotel foyer - a fairly simple affair - but a bit of fruit, some cereal with scrambled eggs and toast hit the spot nicely.  Our tour guide arrived a bit early so we had to race down stairs to meet her - not Phoebe as I thought yesterday but in fact Viviana - lord knows how I got Phoebe.  There were only six of us on the tour - two ladies from Melbourne and a couple from Queenstown, New Zealand.  This last couple I spoke to briefly in Iguacu and they're going on the cruise too.  What we're finding is that there are a fair number of us antipodeans doing the same touristy things and all ending up on the cruise so you keep bumping into people you recognise from previous locations or flights.  We'll be like one big happy family by the time we get on the ship.

We had a good tour and Viviana provided a wealth of information - almost too much - she had an incredible memory for dates and conveyed the exact date down to day, month and year for every single thing she told us - and of course it goes in one ear and out the other!  We visited the Metropolitan Cathedral, drove through some of the various districts of the city and visited La Boca which is a working-class area with a cluster of attractions near the Riachuelo River. Steakhouses and street artists surround Caminito, a narrow alley flanked by brightly painted zinc shacks that evoke the district’s early immigrant days.  (Copied that last bit from Wikipedia) We had about half an hour here to wander round and take pictures or visit the souvenir shops.  We then drove past the shanty town area - looked a lot worse than the favelas in Rio - and onto the harbour area where many of the old warehouse have been converted to apartments and the cranes have been left  as decoration.  Life is pretty tough in Argentina at the moment - and sounds like it has been since their currency was devalued overnight back in 2002.  The average wage equates to only about $250 a week and inflation this year is running at 25 per cent - last year was 35 per cent.  We noticed a lot of homeless people throughout the city - some even had little communities in parks with mattresses and old settees and armchair - there are currently 8,000 homeless people in the city - a very sobering figure. I also learned that Argentina takes it name from Argent the word for silver due to the silver mines in the north of the country.  Our final stop was at the Recoleta Cemetery which was quite fascinating - it's a collection of mausoleums and crypts - not gravestones in which the wealthier people of the city are buried.  It's also the site of Eva Peron's - of Evita fame - grave.  You'll see from the pictures how diverse all the different mausoleums are.  Viviana shared stores about some of them - the one where a 18 year old girl who suffered epilepsy was buried but turned out to be alive and subsequently died of asphyxiation, or the one where a young woman was killed by an avalanche in Switzerland on her honeymoon and then when her dog died it was buried there too - she didn't mention what happened to the husband - maybe he's still living?

We said our farewell to Viviana outside the cemetery - all our hotels were only about two blocks away.  We were thirsty and figured it was time for a birthday beer so headed back in the direction of where we'd been last night.  We'd got chatting to the couple from Queenstown and they ended up coming with us and we found a nice little bar/restaurant with a nice shady outdoor area and enjoyed a couple of beers with Alan and Joy and then we each ordered a pizza to share.  Very tasty.  I think it was close to 4pm when we all parted company.  We headed back to our hotel and since we knew we had a late night ahead took the opportunity to have a little siesta.  We were picked up about 8.15pm and then went to a couple more hotels for pick ups and then to the Tango night.  http://es.esquinacarlosgardel.com.ar .  I've included the link as there are some beautiful pictures on their website - we weren't allowed to use flash so my pics are a bit far away and somewhat hazy.  It's a beautiful theatre with tables set up for dinner rather than rows of seating.  We had dinner first - Craig had empanadas, and BBQ roast chicken, while I had Vegetable soup with Angus Tenderloin - a massive hunk of steak!  It was really tasty.  Then for dessert we got a little plate with a tiny creme caramel, some delicious coffee ice-cream and a little slice - not to sure what it was - it had aniseed in it which I don't like but it looked very pretty.  

Then Mark sprung his next surprise for Craig - a group of waiters arrived at the table bearing a gorgeous little cake with a candle and launched into singing Happy Birthday.  The look on Craig's face was priceless as he hadn't a clue this was going to happen.  I initially got the blame but I couldn't take the accolade for this one - it was all Mark's doing.  Thanks Mark - you got him a beauty!  We had hardly any spaces left but managed to fit a bit more in - it was a delicious rich chocolate mousse with creamy icing on the top.  We shared it around the neighbouring tables.  

Then around 10pm it was time for the show to start.  It was a different stage set up with the orchestra sitting above the stage and made a spectacular vision.  The show itself was fantastic - I've always thought of the tango as an exotic dance but these guys took it to a whole new level - it was incredibly sensual in parts.  The dancers are so lithe and agile and just a joy to watch.  There were also two singers - one male and one female who were wonderful too.  All in all a fabulous evening and a memorable way to end Craig's big 70 day.  The show finished around 11.45 and our driver was waiting at the theatre entrance to take us back to our hotel where we collapsed into bed and I think would have been sound asleep in two minutes.  Big days!