Buenos Aires

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Argentina is a larger country than one might suspect - larger than Mexico and Texas put together. Independence was established in 1809 when Napoleon weakened the colonial hold by causing a civil war in Spain. Argentina was the first South American country to seek independence and was ruled by a central government in Buenos Aires. By 1825, several regions broke away becoming Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. Argenta means silver and this was the initial resource. Today, grain, cattle, wine and a limited amount of oil make up the majority of their exports. Their government has always been in constant turmoil, swinging wildly from far right dictators, to labour oriented regimes labeled radicals, to strict military rule. Although, the basis for a strong economy has always been there, no government has ever been able to control inflation. It oscillates wildly from 150 to 800% and the result is that over 40% of Argentinians live below the poverty line. This factor and the diversity of the cultures has made it next to impossible for any government to remain popular for long. The urban population along the coast and in Buenos Aires tend to be more liberal - although dominated by the Catholic Church, an astounding 80% are non practicing. The farming population in the Pampas is much more conservative and the cattle workers - gauchos - tend towards extremism. Without delving too deeply into their political history, I will mention Juan Peron who ruled from 1943 to 1952. He started as a backer of labour and unions, and then gradually swung to the right. He tried to make his wife vice president but she was forced to rescind this role. Evita was a popular figure and she fought tirelessly to retain a democratic regime. Her fame today is largely due to Madonna singing her song - Don't Cry for Me Argentina. She died of cancer in 1952 and the military overthrew the government and exiled Peron. Monica and Don walked through Buenos Aires to see Evita's grave site. The story is that her remains were stolen and turned up 20 years later in Milan. Upon her body's return, the grave has been made much more secure. A military dictatorship ruled until the ill fated attack on the Falklands in 1982. Following this, the military leaders were convicted and jailed and democracy was restored. Today, Argentina's leader is a Trump proteget - Javier Milei is a far right libertarian economist who campaigned wheeling a chain saw to demonstrate how he would cut spending and stablelize the economy. After spending over 24 hours in flight, we checked into the Ramada Hotel in downtown Buenos Aires in the late afternoon of January 1st. Simply to shower and lie flat in a comfortable bed felt like a paradise. We slept well that night and for most of the next day as well. Walking through the downtown area, it was easy to understand why they call this the Paris of South America. Every street had its share of steak houses and wine shops. A couple of months ago, one US dollar was worth 300 pesos - today their currency has plummeted to 1000 pesos per dollar. We were told to simply use a credit card or American dollars and avoid the local peso. Despite this, we found everyone quite relaxed and friendly. We ate at a local burger chain - Mardoza's. The meat was good but they use a kind of liquid cheese that makes the eating experience quite messy. By Jan. 3rd, we had regained our energy and spent most of the day exploring the city centre. We had noticed a small steak house down the street from our hotel that had a line up in front of its door starting just after noon hour. Most of the people were locals - not tourists - which made it even more enticing. We lined up in the late afternoon and waited about an hour for a table. The steaks from Santa Marjares were fantastic. Tender, cooked to perfection without a touch of fat or bone. Four of us ate and shared two bottles of Mendoza Malbec all for a total of sixty dollars US. This was the climax of our time in Buenos Aires - and along with the humidity and heat, what I will remember best. The next morning we piled into a taxi and made our way down to the port ready to embark on our cruise.

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