Boca and Caminito

When we were here last time we didn't make it to the area of Boca. Boca literally means mouth and it is the part of BsAs that sits at the mouth of the river. It is a run down part of town, that is not regarded as a particularly safe place for tourists, so is generally to be avoided unless as part of a tour group.

However it does have a little street near to the water edge, that is famous for its colourful buildings. So we left out valuables at home, got on a bus and paid a visit to Caminito.

We were immediately greeted by a Maradona look(a bit)alike, offering to have his picture taken with us, for a price of course. We declined. Next we saw a couple of tango dancers. They didn't really seem to have a great deal of enthusiasm for it, so we passed on them too.
On the bus on the way through Boca to get to and from Caminito, we could see that some of the houses really are painted in bright colours, and have moulded reliefs on the walls, albeit that they are now a little past their best and faded.

So the brightly coloured buildings here are authentic in style but like many tourist sites, they keep them repainted and perhaps over emphasise the reliefs of the likes of Maradona and the Perons for the benefit of the visitors. Still it is interesting to see.

What we could have done without are the additional tourist moneymakers. The Maradonas and the tango dancers are one thing, and you expect the somewhat tacky souvenir shops and the waiters trying to get your to eat at their place.

But really, do you absolutely need to have a dozen of these horrible pictures with holes for you to put your head through and have your photo taken? You could be a tango dancer, or you could be an Argentine footballer with your arm around Maradonna, or be another tango dancer etc. Really? Does anyone actually do that?

Is Caminito worth the visit? I think so. We didn't spend long there but it was only a 17p bus fare each way and you don't have to spend anything there. It is more touristy and tacky than it should be, but it is interesting even so and it does have genuine roots, so is an indicator of the true nature of the area. Just don't go off wandering around the rest of Boca unless you're feeling lucky.