Bocas Win, Bocas Win!

Buenos Aires (Palermo District), Argentina

April 1, 2007
S 34°35.045
W 058°24.500

We woke up Saturday morning to what were supposed to be clear skies; they were, at first, but on our way to morning coffee it started to sprinkle. We didn’t let the sprinkles put a damper on our day though.

It was our first morning trip to a café since we’ve been in our apartment; we’ve been taking advantage of our kitchen and having breakfast at home the past couple days. After getting our caffeine “fix” we were headed to see the Boca Juniors play futbol. What more could you want for a Saturday, especially our first Saturday in BA?

As the rain started coming down, we opted to sit inside rather than outside, but the cool café vibe was still there. We sat there, drank our coffee and brushed up on the key words of the Boca Juniors fight song—“Boca Juniors, Boca Juniors.” We got a few strange stares, but nothing to convince us to stop. As the rain came down outside, we hoped for a break in the weather before game time, still thankful it was a warm rain.

Our ride arrived at 2:00 PM and our tour guide was outfitted in Boca gear, obviously a big fan, and seemed very excited to share the experience of seeing a match with us. We jumped in the van and headed off to the match, picking up nine others along the way. When we arrived at the stadium, our guide went over the rules: don’t take pictures outside the stadium or even take you camera out, stay together, and whatever you do… don’t root for the opposing team! The skies were gray, but no rain in site!

The Boca Junior’s stadium is in a sketchy barrio of Buenos Aires called La Boca. There are warnings to stay away from certain rough sections of La Boca even in the middle of the day and this was part of the reason for the guided escort. Plus, it’s almost impossible to get Boca Juniors tickets if you don’t go through one of the approved ticket agencies that have rights to the majority of season tickets.

We climbed the stairs to our seats, looked down and saw a sea of blue and gold; everyone was wearing Boca colors. Fans hung-up their signs to show support for their team including several blue and gold streamers that formed the section holding the “12th man,” a large cheering section for the most devoted Boca fans. At the opposite end of the field, in the very top section, a small contingent of Nueva Chicago fans proudly displayed their colors (green and black). There were at least two-dozen police officers surrounding the section, even though barbed wire fence separated the rabid fans from the Boca Junior loyalists.

Fans were tearing up newspapers, programs, advertisements, anything they could get their hands on, and tossing it into the swirling winds. The winds quickly carried the confetti to all corners of the field; creating small eddies of debris throughout the match. As soon as the Boca Juniors starting line-up was announced the fans went nuts… screaming the Boca Juniors fight-song, throwing confetti, wildly waving their arms, whistling, and essentially working themselves into a frenzy.

From kickoff, until the game ended in a 2-0 Boca Juniors win, the section of fans making up the “12th man” never stopped chanting and screaming. The BJ’s controlled the ball for the majority of the game, but held us in suspense by not scoring until the second half. They quickly added a second goal, to the hysterical delight of the fans.

Before we could leave, our guide made us wait until the fans from Nueva Chicago were escorted out of the stadium. We sat in our seats cheering, for the now 1st place Boca Juniors, for another 45 minutes before filing out to the safety of our waiting van.

After getting back to our apartment it took us a few hours to unwind before heading out to dinner. Dinner at 8:00 PM in BA, is like catching the “early bird special” and you’re still geeky if you go to dinner before 10:00 PM.

We were hip enough to get seated at our restaurant of choice at 10:30 PM and followed dinner with a few beers at a local bar. We left the bar around 2:30 AM; still early since the majority of hipsters don’t even head out until 3:00 AM.

As we walked into our building a group of four girls, dressed to kill, were heading out to the clubs—better them than us. This is definitely why the streets of BA are totally deserted until 5:00 on Sunday afternoon.

We had a truly Argentinean day, all the way down to the late(r) dinner. We didn’t hit the clubs, but remember we’re now only four days away from Marc’s 40th. Is Marc’s vessel too old for all night discotheques? (Find out when Marc writes the blog on his birthday, April 5th.)

Other notes: We attempted to make a reservation for accommodations in Iguazu Falls. The hotel actually requested we give them a deposit for one of the two nights by going to Western Union and wiring money to a designated account. Luckily, we were able to find another place that didn’t require such a ridiculous request.

Also of note… Marc thwarted another pickpocket attempt today. This time it was a group of four people. One lady bumped him and fiddled at his left pocket, while another other lady attempted to unzip his bag. Marc heard the zipper and quickly turned around, made eye contact with the lady and gave her a stiff shoulder to her chest. Without a word or comment, the group quickly turned around and walked away empty handed!