Soccer. South America style.

On our 'South America Bucket List' one of the most important things was to see a soccer (sorry, football!) game. We were sad to learn before leaving that there is actually no football in Buenos Aires in January, because it is summer and they don't generally play in January. We were so excited to find an opportunity to travel to Mar del Plata (a place on the coast of Argentina, approximately 400 kms south of BA), leaving on a bus at 6 am Saturday morning, spend the afternoon at the beach and then travel to the stadium for a 10 pm kick off, to watch River Plate (the Mar del Plata team) play Boca (which is the team from a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires), and the  leave from the game for almost 5 hour trip back to Buenos Aires.

Friday night we had already planned on going out for dinner and then dancing so we decided to go out anyways (like the true Porteñas we are!). We went out dancing, returned to the hostel a little after 5 am, had showers, grabbed our already packed bags and walked to the bus stop. I was able to sleep the whole way and felt somewhat rested when we arrived at the beach. It wasn't too much to look at, but it was HOT and the water was cool. We learned our lesson when we walked from our towels down to test the water and had to break into a sprint on the sand because it was so extremely hot. I am surprised we don't have blistered feet. The water was much colder than I had expected, but it was nice and refreshing. We spent the day with a group of primarily Brazilian (of course!) dudes, an Irish guy, a Colombian dude, and a lovely girl from England. We went to the beach before the Brazilians arrived, because they went to eat first. We were shocked to discover that nearly everyone of them (in all shapes and sizes and ages!) were wearing SPEEDOS!!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes and could hardly stop myself from bursting into hysterical laughter.

After the swimming and lounging we went to eat a quick dinner and then returned to the bus. Everyone was drinking beer in the streets, and people had already began chanting the cheers of the various teams. We had traveled with two buses, one for the River side (which is where we sat), and the other for Boca. Someone had brought a whistle to add to the atmosphere. We were quite the spectacle for the people who lived on the street.

We finally loaded back onto the buses to make the trek to the stadium. On the way there our friend, James, an older Irish dude was given a polo shirt and told to put it on because he had been wearing a Brazil jersey, which would not fly in the River section, as the Boca colours are blue and yellow! We had been given a list of instructions with general directions like, don't getlost, and if you do, go back to the bus, don't flash your camera around outside of the stadium because it could be dangerous, and the most important, do not EVER cheer for the other team. THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. Seriously? I still can't really wrap my head around this.

As we drove up to the stadium we passed hordes of peple, many selling various wares on the street, loads of other buses, some filled with Argentines, others with tourists. One of the most prominent things we saw were the police, everywhere! On horses, with riot gear, complete with large sheilds and huge weapons.

The stands were packed, and the whole time there was chanting and jumping. Lots of jumping. The sections behind the nets were reserved for the 'hooligans' (though I am not certain that is actually what that means in English), there were many, many flags and banners, and the River team had their own percussion band that played drums throughout the match. There was fire works and confetti. River lost 2-0, but the last twenty minutes of the match were possibly the most intense I have ever experienced at any sporting event. The energy in that stadium was fabulous. South Americans totally know how to do football justice!

After the game we left (in a giant, giant crowd, moving as one being), and returned to bus, driving back to the city. We got home at about 6:30, had showers and went back to bed. It was a fabulous, fabulous day!

I love this place.