Nearly time to leave Buenos Aires

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Blog 5 Puerto Madryn and Back to Buenos Aires



So I woke up early Monday morning and headed off in search of dolphins. My drug concoction seemed to have worked. I went with a lovely company called hydrosport where Patricia welcomes everyone and Marissa is the guide. There were only 18 of us on a 72 seater boat, it was a bit overcast but the sea was calm until we got to the edge of the bay and even then it wasn't too bad. It was a lovely trip but sadly no dolphins ! We did get a great display from the young sea lion pups though. There was a Manx shearwater, they never land , except on water, and migrate to Scotland. We were offered a free trip on Wednesday. Marissa mentioned there are Orcas around all year on the Peninsula Valdes so I decided to book a trip for the next day, on her recommendation. I had the option of a group for 19,000 ARS or a private for 45,000 ARS, and given it was going to be 35°C the next day I opted for the private trip. I decided to risk real food and had a glass real ale and a veggie pizza in a great “pub" with an amazingly friendly waitress. When I couldn't eat all of my pizza and didn't want a take-out she said no worries we keep food for the homeless. Monday night and there was no disco, no live music just a normal day.

Tuesday I spent an amazing day with my guide Daniel, he was about my age and a lovely, gentle and humble man . We stopped first at Isla de Pajeros , we were the only ones there. It was so tranquil and I asked him about flamingos, as I had seen them on the bus into Puerto Madryn. He said they were there sometimes, at which point a flamboyance flew over and landed on the estuary. What a magical moment. They were a stunning pink in flight. ( flamboyance must be one of the greatest collective nouns) Its a spot of pilgrimage for fans of the Antione Saint-Exupéry book Le Petit Prince, the island looks like a part of the story about a drawing. If you want to know more read the book. It looks like a children's book but trust me it is deep. We set off again and stopped at the information centre, very simple but informative. Next stop the tiny town of Puerto Piramides just in time for coffee and delicious vegan orange chocolate cake. Our route was then on ripio road, i.e. unmade gravely tracks lined with guanaco, a bit like vicuna, but once you've seen one you don't need to see 75km of them. There were two possible spots to look for orcas Punta negra and Caleta, we opted for the latter as the high tide was earlier. Daniel had brought a flask so we could have tea and I had made sandwiches, although he didn't want any. It was stunningly beautiful the sea was turquoise all day. We waited 90 minutes but no sign, and there weren't any at Punta negra either. If you have seen the David Attenborough's programme this is where the orcas beach themselves to eat the seal pups. Apparently it is incredibly rare event but it happened on the beach below us. The trip was worth every penny especially as for large parts of od the day there weren't many people around, only two small minibuses and private cars. I managed the whole day in Spanish too , although Daniel knew the animal and bird names in English . We chatted about allsorts to do with life in Argentina and his large blended family, with ten grandchildren. Oh a day in la naturaleza, so good for the soul. I returned to the bar in the evening, but this time only had half a pizza.

I woke up early and packed up, my last day in Puerto Madryn. I went to clean my teeth and when I came back a cruise ship had snuck in, although I knew it was due. So glad I did the Peninsular the day before as there were 8 big and 4 small buses off to do the tour. I used up the rest of my food for breakfast and dropped the apartment key off and headed back to the dock. The staff were lovely and I left my suitcase while I had another trip in search of dolphins. Our captain was Jorge Owens- of Welsh descent ! There were 9 of us returning for the second time. The guide, Marissa, joked we were going over the side if there were no dolphins ! Guess what there weren't! Still a lovely way to spend 4 hours, at sea enjoying the stunning vistas. There were a great couple from Cordoba, in Argentina, who spoke perfect English. Emilio said he worked for an American company and Santiago had learned his English in Penrith, Cumbria- he was working at the Ullswater Hotel. It was great to have a lengthy English conversation. I collected my bag and went to a beachside fish restaurant and had white salmon and a glass of wine. My flight wasn't till 7.50pm so I enjoyed the sea views then finished off with a cup of coffee and oaty biscuit . My kind waitress booked me a taxi and helped me over the road with my bags. At the airport, which had only gate , it had comfy seats and great aircon and free Wi-Fi so it was a comfortable wait for the flight. People in Madryn were so warm and genuine and friendly. Marissa my dolphin guide came rushing over and gave me a hug, she was saying cheerio to her husband and picking up her mother.

The flight back to Buenos Aires Jorge Newberry (nearly in the city centre) was trouble free and early . My taxi pick up was there and my new hotel Up Tribeca was very welcome, for a quick shower and sleep. Back to the big city and the heat and noise and the traffic. I left Madryn with the 5000ARS for my taxi and 750 ( about 2€) to spare. I went to Florida to change money, this time in a small flower stall in the street, the rate had gone up a bit too. Once I had some money I felt comfortable although I have been paying for most things by credit card, it's how the economy here works. If we had been here been even 2 months ago it would have been a big difference as I would have needed loads of cash and lots of tourists were being robbed. On my last visit I had seen the outside of the Recoleta cemetery this time I booked a 2 hour walking tour with Esteban through Airbnb . What a fascinating visit, he was so enthusiastic and his storytelling was great. It was originally the vegetable garden for the Spanish Recoletos monks, who lived nearby. There were evicted and it became a public cemetery, however as Recoleta became more gentrified it became the cemetery for the great and the good. It is home to mausoleums of 60-70 wealthy Portenos ( the people of B Aires) They were mostly built between 1880 and 1930 and were imported from Europe. The people aren't buried but are in double coffins. Of course the most famous is the grave of Eva Peron who did not fit the normal criteria as someone gave her family a plot and some of the snobby aristocrats took their coffins off elsewhere when her body was brought to Recoleta. Fascinating stories and well worth it.

In the evening I went out to eat but this neighbourhood's not great, lots of places barred and locked and not open at night. Eventually after walking round for 30 minutes went into a nice hotel and had dinner there. Food was fine but the service was poor, loads of staff wandering round looking busy but not doing much. When the bill came and they forgot my glass of fizz and I decided wouldn’t say anything.

Friday morning, I was off early to walk to Teatro Colon with a quick breakfast stop. The opera house is stunning and really enjoyed the guided visit but wow the heat when I came out. It is so ostentatious and was restored in the last 10myears. It almost made me wish I liked opera!! In complete contrast its on the edge of Lavelle Park where several families are living.

My long-awaited trip to see tango was next on the itinerary. I had been disappointed by how little there was out in the open, maybe it's too hot. Jim and Gay recommended a show in the basement of Cafe Tortino, one of the oldest and most famous French style cafes in BA. There is always a queue to get into the cafe but you bypass that with a tango ticket. I chose it because it was at 5pm and there was cafe food available and at £20 it was very reasonable. There are very lavish evening shows with dinner but I didn't fancy eating alone. The basement was dark and moody and air conditioned. I shared a table with a Brazilian woman called Jordania, who was also travelling alone. Our common language was Spanish with the odd Portuguese and English words thrown in. I had a medialuna mixta to eat and a glass of white wine, the latter was about a pound. Tango is about the music, the songs and of course the dancing and included a boleador (a gaucho dance) I was quite varied and some of it was in a very open stance and quite folky. Of course, there was some that was much more intimate with unbelievable foot and leg work. A great experience and I will finish there.

Till next time



Norma

PS Chris is still cruising, we meet up on Monday 20^th in Montevideo

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