caminito

Pick up any Buenos Aires guidebook or visit any BA travel site and you'll see a picture of El Caminito. Images of the colored houses are usually associated with the city but in fact it's actually a very small street tucked away in La Boca. It's not surrounded by the safest neighborhood so tourists are advised to take a cab or bus directly to and from Caminito Street. Here you'll find a few restaurants and cafes, a small fair full of various vendors, and of course, tango dancing.

From images, the colorful houses of Caminito give off a tropical vibe, something that Buenos Aires doesn't have, and therefore separates it from many other parts of South and Central America. The actual reason the houses are so colorful is because this neighborhood held a large community of Italian immigrants about 100 years ago. Most worked in the nearby port and didn't have much money, so stole leftover paint from work to paint their homes, resulting in a mismatched neighborhood.

Since I love a good opportunity to take interesting photos I was set on checking out Caminito for myself. I wasn't really prepared for our experience. Although the neighborhood is interesting and splashed with beautiful colors, it is obviously very touristy. You can't walk 2 feet without someone pulling you into their restaurant or their store, offering various deals and promises. Nowhere else in the city have I experienced such aggresiveness and it was certainly a turn off. The area didn't take long to walk through, so after some photos and taking a stroll through the fair, where we did purchase some jewelry, we hopped in a cab to head back. A sight to see, but not necessarily a priority.



Caminito Street is located in La Boca