Sun Nov 2nd - Buenos Aires

I was up first in the room, just before 9am. I got out and about early. I wasn´t sure what time kick off for the Boca match was so I wanted to be back in the hostel for 1-2pm. Outside it seemed as if the whole of San Telmo was being taken over for the Sunday market. Stalls were being set up in all streets around Plaza Dorrega.

I took a subway to the Barrio of Recoletta, a wealthy quarter in the northern sector of the city. At 9.30am the Portenos were still sleeping off last nights excesses. It was quiet. On the way to the subway I passed by 4 street kids by a news stand huddled together asleep on a narrow matress under a blanket. Like the kids yesterday these were dead to the world. What stands out about them are their expressions as they slept. It wasn´t the relaxed, peaceful you´d see on a child at home. They had a tight, tense look about them, almost a grimace as they slept.

Recoletta certainly has a wealthy air to it. Wide avenues lined with tall buildings. Expensive looking shops, wealthy looking apartments. I was heading for the centario de Recoletta where Eve Peron (Evita) is buried. I´d heard her grave had become something of a shrine for locals so I thought it would be good to go along and visit one of the true icons of Argentina.

Situated within a large public park the cemetry is the last resting place of many of the wealth elite of B.A. Entering through the gates of the cemetry I was in for a surprise. Theis was no ordinary graveyard. If most cemetries in North America had been small, simple, dignified affairs. This was the polar opposite. Las Vegas appeared to haver come to this graveyard in a big way. Money dripped from every edifice. It was a necropolis in the truest sense of the word. A city of the dead. Streets were laid out, tightly lined with mausoleums, some of them magnificent temples dedicated to the deceased.

Tucked away in an unassuming corner lay Evitas tomb, a relatively simple mausoleum in comparison with many of the large tombs. Faced with blñack marble and lined with dedicatory plaques. Evita´s tomb always had 15-20 people to pass it.

Outside the cemetry the bells of the beautiful Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Pilar rang calling chuchgoers to sunday mass. Retracing my way back to the subway I passed by a street girl I´d seen earlier´ Then she had been asleep under a blanket on a sofa along the side walk. She looked about 13-14yrs. Now she was awake and sitting on the sofa with an infant in her arms. I hadn´t seen the baby earlier. She watched me as I passed by. Perhaps she had seen something of my surprise register in my face as I looked at her.

When I got back to San Telmo the street markets were in full swing. Crowds thronged the narrow walkways between stalls seeling all manner of trinkets, clothes and antiques. This marke is renowned for its antiques and draws dealers from far and wide to search for bargains. Back in the hostel a kick off time of 5pm was confirmed for me. The look of that homelees girl still lingered with me. One minute I´m looking into the eyes of a homeless mother no more than a child herself. The next I´m shelling out a fairly exorbitant amount for an afternoon at a game of football.

Leaving the Hostel for the game I didn´t bring my camera. I was feeling a bit uneasy heading into La Boca after hearing how rough it was. I think the staff at the hostel play on that a bit hoping to sell all-in tickets for the games with beer in pizza thrown in for ridiculous prices. A total rip-off. As it was I was paying 4.5 times the face value of the ticket but that was only half what the hostel were looking for !! Oh those Portenos are such pranksters!!!

I had a very circuitous route I should follow given to me in the hostel in order to avoid dangerous parts. In the end I just followed the crowd to the stadium. It was a heck of a lot quicker. The game itself was a big one for Boca Juniors. A top of the table clash and local derby against San Lorenzo, the league leaders from the wealthy north of the city.

Getting to the ground meant entering the warren of streets that is La Boca Barrio. Its a rundown, rough looking area but at its heart lies its jewel La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors. The streets were crowded with Boca fans, thousands of them. My ticket was for the terracing behind the goals at one end. In with the Ultras! The atmosphere was going to be good....... If I made it that far.

I was a little uneasy as I joined the huge queue that snaked back from the ground. I really felt I stood out as a pale-faced gringo. But that was more just paranoia on my part. To be fair to the Boca fans around me they no more cared who I was nor where I was from. There was only one thing on their mind - Beating San Lorenzo and taking top spot in the league.

As the queue crept closer to the ground 2 english speaking lads appeared on my right shoulder. It turned out they were from Dublin. So with a sense of relief I chatted with them until we got past the security check and into the ground. I lost them after that.

I got into the ground an hour before kickoff. Already both ends were filling up. All the top (shady) part of our terrace was crammed full. I had to join a queue which crept slowly down to the lower part of the terrace which was bathed in sunshine. 30 mins before kickoff the ground was rapidly filling up and the atmosphere was really cranking up. The Boca fans started their chants and songs, jumping up and down in rhythm to a samba band belting out beats behind the far goal. The ground has three tiers. I was on the second tier. The top tier above us held the San Lorenzo fans.

As the game kicked off the atmosphere was in full swing. A real South American vibe, very different from anything I´ve seen in Europe. The songs, the chants, the gestures were all very different. After 12mins Boca went 1-0 up from a corner with Riqualme of world cup fame scoring. Cue party time. This goal proved to be the winner. While the first half was very good with both sides having chances and big tackles going in. The game flagged somewhat in the second half as Boca dug in to defend their lead and ultimately take the win.

However the quality of the game was secondary to the experience it provided. Talk about the game flagging in the second half, so did I. The sun was very strong and with no suncream or hat I began to suffer. I had to put my top over my head early on to stop being burned any more than I already was. I now have a very bright nose and forehead.

Throughout the second half a constant shower of spit rained down from the San Lorenzo fans. This was very reminiscent of Wales v Italy in the San Siro in 2003. With 10 mins to go the taunting of the San Lorenzo fans began. Boca fans around me turned their backs to the action to shout insults and gesture up at the away fans. By the end of the game their taunting became merciless. Faced with a torrent of abuse the river of spit from the San Lorenzo fans dried up and they disdainfully shuffled away in defeat. We were kept in the ground for a full 45 mins after the final whistle, presumably to allow the San Lorenzo to get away safely. Finally the police cordon allowed the fans out and the Boca fans streamed out happy and content on top of the league.

Tonight I had my dinner in a new restaurant ( I thought I´d better try something new after last nights fiasco) I watched highlights of other games of the day perturbed by the fact that I´ve now seen Boca Juniors win more games over the past 10yrs than I have with Cov!! Strolling back to the hostel by Plaza Dorrega I stopped to watch an open air Tango session which was in full swing. This was the first time I´d seen the Tango as 20-30 couples swayed to the music. Old time waltz it was not. It was fascinting to see. All around the temporary dance floor people sipped wine or beer into the warm night, totally laid back.