Loco for Paloko: Bowling in Belgrano

Hi folks,

Reporting live from Paloko!

This post is for all of you who've felt, at some point or another, that nostalgia for something close to home. Living abroad we all feel it at some point, a strong desire for a remembrance of the culture we left behind, be it in movies, food, or activity, sometimes we get a tug to do something, dare I say, patriotic. Well, I've felt the desire for foods, and for certain movies, but most recently I've had the strong urge to bowl. 

clockwise from bottom left: Me, Nick, Virginia,
Martin, Jojo, Luis

Tincha does the zombie crawl!

I felt the desire to grasp that big, cumbersome ball in my hand, to swing my arm and watch the ball fly down the lane, at times smashing into the pins, sending them flying upwards, backwards, and sideways, or at other times missing the pins completely. For me, half the fun of bowling is in the social interaction you can have. While not a very popular activity in Buenos Aires, I've found it to be a wonderful, slightly comical, and quirky alternative to the typical nightly engagements. At the least it is a fun, relaxed way to bring friends together for an evening with no social expectations.

Some may say bowling is bowling, but I've found bowling in Buenos Aires to be that much better because it seems to be a bizarre throwback to a culture that never really existed here.

Trying my luck with the age-old granny shot

I've gone bowling twice in Buenos Aires, both times at a place on Avenida Cabildo in Belgrano called Paloko. The atmosphere is fun and kid-friendly, though the staff were rather morose, which doesn't matter so much as you go there to interact with your friends, not the staff. It cost a reasonable $40 pesos per person per game, and aside from a few missing pins now and then, the bowling apparatus worked fairly smoothly. 

Second place! Not bad.
Granted 67 points is nothing to be proud of.

In conclusion, BsAs has some fun, authentic nightlife, but sometimes you need an alternative from the incessant joda (party). One wonderful alternative is bowling. It's a great way to spend an evening with friends, and to fulfill some of those nostalgic urges. 

For a list of bowling alleys and their locations check out this link to the Argentina Independent.

Cheers and all best,

Kyle

A wonderful group for bowling