With our upcoming travels set to take us to the Latin Americas, it was with some excitement that we got wind of Melbourne’s 2014 Latin Festival being held in early February (we would have been excited, even had we not plans to head to that part of the world in the not too distant future).

So on a hot, sunny Sunday we found ourselves heading into the city to a nice riverside location to soak up what promised to be some wonderful food and music.

Some Mexican tunes to get us in the spirit

Just like when in South-East Asia, we jump at the chance to get into some Sugarcane Juice!

Grabbing ourselves an icy cool Sugarcane Juice to get us started, we wandered the area assessing our food options before making any hasty decisions.

Eventually we settled on a serve of Empanadas and some Corn with Coconut & Sour Cream, found a spot to sit by the river, and tucked in.

Empanadas with lime and salsa. Deep fried goodness

Sweet Corn with Sour Cream & Shredded Coconut. Not a great portion size for our $5 outlay…

It wasn’t a bad way to spend some of our afternoon, but truth be told, it didn’t seem the vibrant affair we had hoped (much of it was semi authentic food vendors trying to make a buck).

When we went to investigate the bar and see what Latin inspired drinks were available, we were more shocked than anything else. The only thematic drink at all on offer was Corona, not the most exotic Latin beer, and when we saw the exorbitant prices ($12 for a single beer), we knew it was time to go!

A disappointment to end, what had promised to be a great afternoon.

Great weather, big crowd, horrible prices…