Argentina

Sunday, 10/13. Clear skies. Walking/bus tour of the city. Martin, our Trip Leader, stopped frequently to share history. Pointed out the cathedral Pope Francis was in charge of. Flame honoring the Unknown Soldier. Saw the presidential HQ, not lived in. President has a nine square block residence 20km away. At a cafe listened to a filmmaker who documented an interview with his grandfather who played a role in their “Dirty War” of the 1970s. 30,000 people disappeared. Interesting. The work to identify bodies has made Argentines world renowned for the skillset.

Visited the Boca section, an odd place. Walked back through a massive 10 block market. Had a late lunch of breaded steak. Excellent.

Home hosted dinner was very interested. Two sisters, who had three other sisters. Terrific hosts, sharing lots of useful story.

  • Our Trip Leader with wife and son, plus one group companion.
  • Street art is back! Strangely missing in Brazil.
  • The balcony used by Eva Peron to speak to the people. Madonna acted the part on the same balcony. Locals displeased by that.
  • I’m not sure. Bored wait staff?
  • Boca district. Lots of statues. Lots of shops.
  • Catsup packs for my fries. WIth a helpful pair of scissors.
  • Home hosted dinner. Hosts are the two on the left, standing.
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Saturday, 10/12.  Ordered an Uber at 4 AM.  First response was “nothing available”.  Bit of fear.  But seconds later a ride popped up.  Good, fast, red-light ignoring ride to the airport.

Flight arrived in Buenos Aires at 10:08.  We deplaned at 2:25. That’s not a typo.  There was a deluge earlier in the day that closed the airport for departures.  My flight was the last to arrive.  Others were diverted. Before the normal passengers deplaned we were visited by an ambulance, then two police cars.  One passenger apparently felt the airline was working against him personally.  Arrived at hotel at 4:15.  Thankfully I’d only flown from Rio. Others on the trip had 10+ hour flights before the wait times.

At hotel we got the Standard briefing (“Get along, accept changes, be on time”). The Trip Leader added his personal touch.  I skipped the tango lessons to change cloths and prepare a laundry bag.  Intro tour of the area. Great Italian dinner with excellent wine.  So far my tour companions seem excellent. They tolerant me, which is the best I can hope for.

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Sunday, 10/6.  On the road again.  The Blog continues.  As a reminder (to myself), I maintain this blog as more of a ship’s log than a beautiful essay on world travels.  Sentences may not be complete, flowery language may be missing.  Hopefully the photos will show what the prose does not tell.

I’m writing this from a hotel room in Annapolis.  There was a convenient juxtaposition between a Naval Academy mini-reunion (43 years) and my trip.  Met old friends and their better halves. Watched an incredible football game.  Spent far too much money on far too much food and wine.

Four days in Rio de Janeiro on my own, then an 18 day Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tour of Patagonia, beginning with Bueno Aires.  An extension will take some of us to Iguazu Falls, a competitor of Victoria Falls in size and beauty.  The base tour includes a four day cruise in and around Tierra del Fuego (Cape Horn, Strait of Magellan, etc.) with twice daily zodiac rides to shore.  OAT warns to distraction the varied weather we may have.  I’ve got layers of cloths and thick skin.  Our Trip Leader has already communicated twice by email and once on the phone.

Patagonia is well known not only for it’s variety of nature but also the diversity of humanity.  Natives (rare), German, Spanish (Basque), British, even Italian.  They brought their culture and it all meshes sloppily (I’m told).  Nature, though, is the prime purpose of the tour. I’m sure we’ll gain more reasons to believe that the earth is warming. Adding to the excitement is Argentina’s political problems and collapsing economy.  I look forward to it all.

It all begins Tuesday morning on Copacabana Beach, which is now playing second fiddle as an attraction to nearby Ipanema Beach.  Every web site warns of the dangers of Rio.  I’ve got a day and a half of [protected] tours.  Otherwise I’ll be on the beach, where danger is less than elsewhere.

  • 43 years ago these were the Navy/Marine Corps’ future. Desperate times.
  • The new future, from a new present. Stood throughout the game. Who are these guys?
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