La Boca - district of colourful buildings

Last year we visited Argentina. Italian immigrants from Genoa built working class 'La Boca' alongside the old port in BA. The colourful 'Caminito' is a series of funky streets lined with brilliantly painted corrugated metal buildings.

Local artists display artwork and cafes spill out onto the pavements. Adding to the vibrant atmosphere, musicians and tango dancers entertain the crowds.

Walking down broad Avenue 9 de Julio I felt something drop from the overhead trees onto my head - bird shit! Suddenly, a woman sprang into action, whisking out tissues, wiping my jacket and pulling me in the direction of the curb where a friend appeared. The accomplice began throwing water about and attempted to wrestle my backpack from me. Meanwhile, the woman turned her attention to Brian who had mysteriously acquired suspicious brown stains on his jacket.

Whoa - warning bells began to ring - too much attention here for these Gringo's. Brian grabbed the woman by the hand as she attempted to remove his wallet which fell to the ground! Suddenly, our new best friends disappeared and were last seen jumping into a waiting car before speeding off. We were relieved to have escaped without harm and left embarrassed by the state of our smelly, stained clothing - Such are the hassles of a big city.