By David, on December 25th, 2009 Argentinian Christmas
Happy Christmas to a very snowy Europe! I had an eventful (warm) Christmas in Argentina with a now properly-coupled-up Ray and Julia. I’d originally planned to spend Christmas in Buenos Aires to see the start of the Dakar Rally on Boxing day, but realised shortly before arriving that it didn’t start until New Years day. Nevertheless, BA was busy preparing, with stands going up all over the main 12-lane central street (Av 9th July or 9 de julio), plus a go-kart track around the obelisk. I met Ray and Julia in central America and convinced them to spend Christmas in BA so it was great to meet with them anyway, even if we couldn’t watch rally cars roar around wide Argentinian boulevards.
Shortly before arriving I spent a very drunken 3 days in Mendoza, which is in the centre of wine country in Argentina. I stayed at the Hostel Laos, which is a really friendly, small, but fun hostel basically full of English getting ball-bagged on the free wine which is laid on the tables every evening. A group of us including a crazy guy from Basingstoke, Rob, a cricket loving Kiwi and a well spoken English girl from East London went out on a wine tour on our second day by local bus to Maipu and hired pedal bikes to tour the vineyards.
The wine tour essentially involves travelling from winery to winery drinking bottle after bottle of red wine. I got so drunk I properly passed out for about 4 hours when we arrived back at the hostel. In true to form drunk British humour, the guys drew all over my face in black marker pen, so I woke with a Hitler tash and thick black eyebrows.
BA was less drunken but no less exciting. For Christmas eve we travelled out to one of Ray’s friend’s houses outside of BA in a small village. Their family laid out a feast for us complete with Fernet, a pretty disgusting but potent alcoholic liquor. After the family meal, we all headed to a party at someone’s house, where black-eyed peas, I got a feeling featured heavily on the playlist (maybe 5 times in 2 hours).
I arrived back this morning to my awesome little Hostel, Kaixo, where some of the guys had been busy preparing a proper Christmas meal with all the trimmings. A little taste of Christmas at home away from home 
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