Sunday for many in this world is a day of prayer and family gatherings. It is the same here in Buenos Aires, only the prayer is done in mass chanting during a Football match and accompanied by your colors0kin, aka fellow fans. Oh yea, Diego Maradona is godhead...DO NOT TAKE HIS NAME IN VAIN!
Last sunday I decided to check out La Bonboniera, Boca Jr.'s stadium, storiesch do not exactly match its chocolatey nickname. As per usual, I spoke with the hostel staff in order to gain some friendly advice on purchasing tickets and getting there. Seeing as they offer 'packages' for the matches, I should have figured that they would try and deter me from pursuing my goals on my own. "No, there are no tickets available, and if there are they are all fake, and if you get them the fans will crucify your gringo ass." To paraphrase the great Ari Gold, 'its the Israeli blood in me, we just don't take shit.' Essentially I nodded them off, and headed down for the 20 minutes walk to the stadium. Their package, at a 'measly' 160 pesos, provided standing-room tickets plus transportation to and from. If you step up your girngo game, you get yourself a meal as well for a miniscule 80 peso increase. Perfect for innocent European tourists, not so much for an Israeli Muchillero.
60,000 fans, no big deal...about the same as a Brandeis Basketball game...
So...I walked the 20 minutes to Barrio de Boca, the 'other side of the tracks' according to the Hostel. Actually, its just a blue collar neighborhood, not too different from most towns in Pennsylvania or New Jersey...only with better music blasting from cars. Needless to say, on my quest for tix i ran into more Israelis. By 1 I was at the Stadium, by 2 I purchased my genuine 30 peso standing room ticket from the box office...no line either. By 3 my new friends and I dined on steak, chorizos and beer...30 pesos each. By 5 we had another round of quilmes (local beer) from the tap (rare in South America), while watching tango dancing and Japanese tourists using 3 different lenses for the same shot of Maradona's statue...10 pesos. By 8, Game on. By the way, the match was amazing, with Boca going 3 to 1 against Huaracan. Only tough spot is some liquid spilling on the people next to me...It was the rain, we hope. Return fare by bus...i gotta treat myself some time...1.80 peso. total- 71.80 pesos. Needless to say, upon return to the hostel i called them out. Not for making a bundle off innocent tourists, after all its a sucker's fault for being one. But for lying about availability of tickets. That is just bad Business. So...Do not believe the hype, or you will be stuck being a Euro, and we do not want that, right? (hear that? that's the national anthem in your ears, yea and thats a tear in your eye...)
Can you guess who the chubby man pointing at the bottom of the photo is?
Yea, its this guy...
M A R A D O N A ! ! ! 
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