Buenos Dias from Buenos Aires

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We awoke on the final full day of our wonderful cruise to Antarctica and back, realizing that this dream would soon be over. As we ate breakfast in the Lido, we realized that we were already at the pier. Again we had French toast and juice. We knew that it was “Tuesday” from the mats in the elevator. The captain announced that the ship had been cleared for passengers to go ashore about the time we got to the Showroom. Many other passengers were already assembled there for their tours. We were in the Red-12 group, so quite a few others would disembark before us. Jen is the HAL member of the excursion team that has been in charge of keeping things orderly in the Showroom, and Sharon and I both agree, things have run smoother on this cruise than any of the four other HAL cruises that we’ve been on together. In every port on this trip, tour-goers mustered in the Showroom, were given timely directions by Jen, who controlled exits to the gangway or tenders so that there was virtually no waiting in the hallways or stairs. Jen’s job is not the easiest, repeating the same information over and over again, so that new people coming into the Showroom hear what they need to hear, and doing it cheerfully was much appreciated by us. We both much prefer meeting like this, rather than simply going ashore at the given assembly time. Jen also kept people from congregating by the exit door, which can impede people from getting ashore.



We walked down the gangway, and as Jen had told us, we needed to board a bus to shuttle us to the passenger terminal. Buenos Aires, like Valparaiso, is a working port with many containers stacked on the pier, and it wouldn’t be safe for pedestrians to be roaming around on or near the pier. We walked through the terminal, filled with plenty of vendors hawking souvenirs, to the waiting buses out front. Our tour guide pointed out some of the buildings and places on our way out of town, such as the domestic airport, and the soccer stadium, which obviously had a Coca-Cola sponsorship by the famous red-and-white logo that ringed the top of the stadium. The airport serviced only the main Argentinean airline, and carriers from local countries, as this airport serviced domestic travel (such as Sharon’s trip on her previous Antarctic adventure which took her to Iguassu Falls) or international travel to nearby countries, such as Chile, Uruguay and Brazil. We passed through a couple of toll booths on our way out into the country. We were surprised in the city to see one or two horses grazing freely in the grassy meridian. Our guide told us that the tango was the dance of Buenos Aires, but today, we would see a different dance that is performed on the pampas. There is much sediment in waters resulting from the confluence of two rivers here in Buenos Aires. There are 40 million Argentineans, 3 million of whom live in the city of Buenos Aires, 10 million in the surrounding countryside. We were given a map of Argentina, and as Dr. Wilson had told us during one of his lectures earlier in the cruise, this map called the Falkland Islands “Islas Malvinas”, and they were designated as belonging to Argentina. This is required by law in Argentina.



The current president of Argentina is the wife of the former president who died in office, and perhaps the best example of why it’s not a good idea to elect for president the wife of a former president, even if their “white house” is pink (which it is). One thing that became clear in our journeys in Chile and Uruguay, is that there is one thing that they take very seriously in Latin America, and that is football (or what Americans call soccer). It is like a religion. In fact, Diego Maradona, some might argue the greatest soccer player of all time, inspired a parody religion “The Church of Maradona”. The organization reformulates many elements from Christian tradition, such as Christmas or prayers, reflecting instead details from Maradona, including a special Ten Commandments. In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In a World Cup tournament game Argentina defeated England 2-1, Maradona scoring both goals, including an un-penalized “hand ball” christened the “Hand of God” and the winning goal was a 60 meter shot past five defenders that was dubbed the Goal of the Century. They also idolize actors and models. There was one male model that appeared on many billboards and bus advertising posters. The most popular of these made a disparaging comment about the president, suggesting improprieties in the wealth her family has accumulated. The next day he began suffering the full wrath of the occupant of that pink house, including death threats and a media blitz hatchet campaign. A peace, of sorts, was achieved following a retraction, of sorts, that clarified the meaning in non-confrontational way. It makes one appreciate living in a country where the press isn’t controlled by the government… well at least those at Fox News aren’t drinking the president’s Kool-Aide.



Speaking of “cool drinks”, our guide proudly told us about “terba mate” (pronounced “cherba matté”). This drink must really be important in Latin American culture. So far we’ve heard that it is “like” a green tea, has anti-oxidant properties, has caffeine in it, and doesn’t have caffeine in it, is an herbal tea, and basically seems to be the centerpiece of a laid back style of life. The local denizens enjoy a life-expectancy of about 85 years, attributed to a much more stress-free life than most Americans experience, and it may indeed have to do with the attitude that everything can wait while you enjoy some mate with friends. She brought her gourd cup around to everyone on the bus; so that everyone who wanted to could experience some mate… remembering that the first sip tends to seem very bitter. But get to that fourth or fifth sip; you’ll be hooked for life! I held the cup, and Sharon took my picture, but I think we’ll wait to get home to try some mate that we bought with our souvenir cup.



Before we reached the estancia, our guide gave us some background on the gaucho. Similar to the cowboy of the old west with his own unique wardrobe from the hat to multipurpose neckerchief and the chaps and a six-gun, the Argentinean cowboy, or gaucho, also had his own specialized garb. He would wear one of several styles of hat, but they all featured a wide brim. The gaucho wears a very wide leather belt, and is seldom seen without a long knife placed diagonally between the belt and the gaucho’s back, leaving the handle with easy access in one swift motion from the front. The gaucho goes nowhere without his poncho, which can shield him from the weather or serve as a shield in a fight. And everything the gaucho does, he does on horseback, and is an excellent and versatile horseman, as we would witness for ourselves at the estancia (or ranch) we would be visiting. The trademark throwing weapon of the gaucho is the boleadoras (or bolas). Gauchos spend their lives largely isolated on the pampas. What spare money they acquire, is used to accumulate silver, which is prominently displayed attached to their wide belts. Silver is a status symbol, and those older gauchos with many silver coins on their belts are well respected. And the staple of the gaucho: meat and mate. On the pampas, a gaucho server will serve the mate to a fellow gaucho. The protocol is that that gaucho must drink the entire late, as is, or it may be considered a mortal insult to the server. You don’t stir it, or you indicate it wasn’t prepared properly. You don’t blow on it to cool it down, or you indicate it wasn’t prepared properly. You must finish all that is given to you, or you indicate it wasn’t prepared properly. You get the idea. The mate is made with hot, but not boiling hot water, or indeed, the mate may be ruined. However it is served, you drink the whole thing.



We reached the Santa Suzanna Estancia in the Pampas area where we would see the gauchos and enjoy an authentic Argentinean barbeque. The grounds were quite nice on the hot day. There were several bus groups from the Veendam, and this was evidently one of the day’s most popular tours. We went first out to see the gauchos on horseback, and the demonstration was in progress when we arrived to the covered seats. In the corral were several gauchos on horseback and many more horses being handled in three groups, each with a lead mare and a bell around her neck. The gauchos rounded the horses about the corral, and bringing them back to stop and stand in their separate groups before us. Fortunately the wind was not blowing towards us, because a lot of dust was thrown into the air as they maneuvered in front of us. The gauchos assumed various positions on horseback, including standing from the stirrups, shouting and whooping and swinging bolas as they went. They then performed a gaucho game of galloping full speed under a low hanging tree trunk (or branch) that was hanging between two posts, just on the opposite side of the fence separating us from the corral. There was space for three riders to pass beneath the overhang while riding side by side. On the underside of the overhang hung three tethers, to which a ring was hung about one and one-half inches in diameter. Riding at a gallop, some sitting, some standing in the stirrups, some up on their knees pressing into the horses back, the riders would approach, and then at the last minute raise one arm with a thin six inch metal rod (possibly silver) and attempt to hook the ring. Some riders would approach with their arm up for some distance as if lining up the extension with the ring, some would raise their arm at the very last possible moment; although, not every attempt was successful, more than half were! At first they rode by one at a time, then two at a time, and finally three at a time, side-by-side. On the second threesome, all three successfully hooked the ring. And as the game goes, the successful gaucho then comes over to the crowd and offers the ring to a beautiful woman. The women got to keep the ring, and for their gallantry, the gaucho got to keep the kiss. When the horse-ring game was over, each gaucho had made about ten attempts, it was the youngest who was deemed the winner with the most successful passes, and he got a well-deserved round of applause.



After the gaucho horsemanship demonstration, visitors could go on a horseback ride, or on a carriage ride. After our experience in Vina del Mar, we decided to skip the horses, though the ones here looked a lot livelier than the one that we hired in Chile. It was a pretty hot day, and with the sun beating down, we decided to seek some shady shelter. They offered us empanadas, and these were the best that we’d had so far, with spicy meat and potatoes. Sharon decided to pass… her loss (and yes my gain). And the best part, the empanadas came with red wine. We had about 90 minutes before lunch would be ready. We checked out the store, and spent some time taking pictures, and sat and waited in the shade. I was even able to call my mother and tell her what we were up to, but most of the conversation was about the trouble she was having getting her car fixed. I had tried to tell her three times that we had arrived in Buenos Aires, and finally after she had said how they had made her car worse at Pep Boys, she did finally ask where we were… Oh well, it’s only $2.50 per minute.



We had seen the big barbeque pit where the meat was grilling, just outside the entrance to the indoor restaurant. Inside long picnic style Tables welcomed us. Red wine and water bottles were on the table. White wine or soft drinks (unfortunately it was Pepsi not coke) were available if you asked. There was ample country style white bread with a nice hard outer crust. An appetizer of marinated vegetables and hard boiled eggs were served first. Then came the kielbasa style grilled sausage, cut into large bite-size chunks. The next sausage was plumper and darker than the first, and I guess Sharon thought it was her turn to return the favor for my not telling her about the fried conger eel she had in Valparaiso, because she heard what this was and did not even ask me if I was sure I wanted to eat it. My first bite was enough to raise all sorts of red flags… not having the consistency of sausage, this was mushy. Mushy is never good… It wasn’t good when a woman I once knew stuffed a piece of lobster from her plate into my mouth and asked the question “Does this taste ‘funny’ to you?” And I was having a flashback of just that moment. I was trying to identify the spices in what I was eating, and even tried one more bite, but that didn’t help. That’s about when Sharon decided to mention something about “blood sausage”. They brought around big pieces of grilled chicken next, and Sharon got a nice large chicken breast (and I got a thigh) so we were both pretty happy… and the wine went a long way to drowning taste from the blood sausage. Actually, it was more than just a sip that was needed. Beef rib meat was next, which was delicious. And the best of all was the beef tenderloin. I think Sharon was just happy not to be having hamburger for lunch.



In the center of the dining hall, and against the side wall was the stage. Everyone in the hall had a good seat to see the show from their dining locations. Performers sang local songs and hoofed local dances, accompanied by a guitar. The highlight was the gaucho with his bolas, cracking the balls in beat against the floor, and making them whoosh through the air. He was one of the older gauchos, and had many silver coins on his wide belt.



It was a bit of a ride back to the Veendam with a fairly bad traffic jam. It was our last dinner in the Rotterdam Dining Room, and somehow it was appropriate to be served by the “Ice Man” (Isman) and Eko. They really did make dinner fun, and I still laugh about the first time I saw Eko in the Lido for breakfast wearing his “Elvis” glasses with the thick black sideburns… and always with a big welcoming smile on his face. I had the pastry seafood appetizer with scallops and crab meat. It was delicious. And Sharon got her favorite cold pear soup… by itself… just pears! I had the pumpkin soup, and I’m beginning to think this might be a Latin American staple. I went with the Indonesian dish again, that I’d enjoyed earlier in the cruise, Nasi Goreng. On the Veendam, this dish is served with several components. My dish included one skewer of chicken satay with peanut sauce, fried banana, fried rice with egg, and beef with a spicy sauce. The Ice Man nodded approvingly when I ordered this, and I think I heard him mumble, “Finally, someone orders the Nasi Goreng.” Sharon on the other hand got the prime rib (no surprise here). I loved my meal (again), and Sharon did too. There were two chocolate desserts tonight, so we split the chocolate mousse dish and the chocolate torte.



We went to the show, where ballroom dancing was being featured. I decided to order my third Long Island Iced Tea. The memo here is not to order drinks from the Showroom. It was much weaker than the other two that I’d had, and nowhere near as tasty. An awful lot of soda was used. The dancing was very good, and for a while it kept our minds off the fact that we had to go back to our cabin and finish packing. We had gotten our laundry back, so there would be no excuses. Even though this is our last night on the cruise, we’ll have two more blog entries for our time in Buenos Aires after we get off of the Veendam.

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Photos

Soccer Stadium in Buenos Aires
This team's colors are red and white so they can use the traditional coke signs.