Our parting gift from Venezuela was food poisoning. We spent our last night huddled around the toilet in sweats. The following day we had to spend a forgetful day travelling down to Buenos Aires on Aerolinas Argentinas. Now I thought air travel and airplane food had come a long way in recent times. A glance of the stuff served up by these cowboys was enough to send you to the banos (toilets), food poisoing or not. They also didn't seem to have a clue about safety. As we landed people were getting up and strolling around as soon as the tyres hit the runway and throughout our 15 minute taxi, the air hostesses more bothered about checking thelmselves out in their handheld mirrors.

Anyway, Buenos Aires... This is definitely a European style city with South American culture. Cafes are on every corner, the architecture could have been transported from Paris or London, dance music blares from bars and people are even bopping to their iPods on the underground. After our trying exploits in Venezuela it feels like home. The surrounding districts of the city centre are awash with colour where old guys strum guitars in the parks and as the world capital for Tango, everywhere seems to advertise dance classes. 

We took a "Cul-tour" city tour with some guys from the local university, specialising in a different type of tour for travellers. It was focused on telling Argentina's rich social and political story of the last 70 years. Apparently we were right, the city was actually modelled on Paris, so much so that they have gone to the extraordinary step of putting dog shit down every ten paces, a step to far me thinks. We weaved passed them to learn about the city's past.

We were given a run through of Peronism (Eva and Juan) who brought major social welfare and economic reform to the country as well as heavy control and a touch of fascism. We were given the rags to riches story of Eva, who came to Buenos Aires as a 15 year old actress and moved into a social welfare career, whom with the support of her husband, helped to secure votes for women in 1951 - though it is said Juan needed the femals vote in '51 to secure another term. It was interesting to see the place where Evita (they add "ita" to the end of a name to signify affection or a close friend) worked and where her embalmed body lay after she died aged 33 of cancer. It was also where Eva's body was kidnapped and hidden in Milan for about 20 years during a coup to remove Juan Peron and all things Peronism in 1955 when the Air Force and Navy dropped bombs on the presidential palace and Plaza de Mayo, killing 300 people. Although the coup was initially unsuccessful Peron resigned a few months later. We saw footage of it, it seemed just like a normal day in the city, people shopping and then pointing at the sky at their own aircraft bombing the city not even running away, god knows what they thought was going on. Peron returned nearly 20 years later before dying after just a year or so back in office. Even today Juan Peron is either loved or hated by the people, there seems to be no in between, a bit like Chavez in Venezuela.

We were also given an insight into the 'dirty war' of the late 1970s and early 80s when the dictatorship and military rule 'disappeared' 30,000 people, which meant in all likelihood torture and then death. These people were never found and to this day mothers and grandmothers march every Thursday afternoon for a half hour in the Plaza Mayo, not to bring their children back, as they know that they have passed, but to bring those responsible to justice and of course in rememberance. On our walk round we were taken to an excavation of a 'concentration camp' where some people were kept, it was the basement of an old police station. The station was knocked down in the late 80s and a flyover road know coasts above it, so excavation has been difficult. Interesting that they chose that exact site to build a new road. 

We were also shown the points, each commemorated with its own plaque, where 5 people were killed by police during government protests in December 2001 when the economy was on the verge of collapse. At that time unemployment soared and banks restricted withdrawals of peoples own savings, uniting working and middle classes onto the streets. That week Argentina went through 5 presidents within 2 weeks. As you look around and wander the streets it is hard to believe this was just a few year's ago. It was a truly shocking and revealing tour.

We took in Recoleta, probably the smartest neighbourhood in the city, to visit the Cementerio de la Recoleta and see Evita's grave (her body was returned to her family in the early 1970s). The sarchophagus is very unassuming down a narrow walkway within the high walled cemetary, it was much smaller than we had imagined. The face of the sarcophagus is adorned with flowers and people huddle to look in. Recoleta is worth a good stroll, it is full of leafy plazas, restaurants and bars.

We enjoyed La Boca, a fascinating area and home of the local port, working class and Boca Juniors football club, whose most famous export was that cheating handballing Diego. Note: the dog mess is particularly bad around the stadium. The district itself is a colourful array of corrugated and wooden buildings. Local artists display their works outside and restaurants spill out on the streets with their own tango shows, it is a great place to people watch. We also loved Palermo with its parks and trendy cobbled streets, lively bars and beautiful people.

There isn't really one building that stands out in the city but is a great place to walkaround and just take in the atmosphere. The air also seems to have a constant smell of BBQ or may be that is just me craving the sumptious steaks so reknowned in this part of the world. The other night we were served up one so sumptious, large and juicy that you went near it with the knife and it acted like a wand, the meat just fell apart, it was awesome.

The hostel we are staying at is a real find and probably the best we have stayed in to date. Portal del Sur is in a great position in the centre of town with tube stations nearby to access all points of the city. Our double room is better than the hotels we have stayed in, it has wooden floors, pastel colours, ensuite and a big TV. The place also has a cool roof top terrace to savour a beer as the sun comes down on the roof tops.

On our final night we took in one of tango shows, Sabor a Tango, held in a grand old theatre with 50s sytle decor. It isn't too cheap but it was worth it, a show full of passion, colour and grace, as well as a few laughs.

We loved Buenos Aires, it is one cool city. We have also got our certification as professional dog mess spotters.