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Published: March 3rd 2017
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Hello. This is our 3
rdand final day in Buenos Aires. Tonight we will sail so tomorrow Patterson can draw another line on his map.
We had an early excursion today and had to report to the Wheelhouse Lounge at 7:00. Of course we were 15 minutes early after having McMuffins and Donuts for breakfast. However the buses had a different expectation of the start time, so we did not leave the ship until 7:45. We boarded the bus and our guide announced that we were leaving 5 minutes ahead of schedule at 7:55. Somewhere there was a miscommunication, but we were off and ready for another adventure.
We started with a drive through town with some of the same things being pointed out as yesterday. Our first objective was to reach the Recoleta Cemetery to see Eve Peron’s mausoleum. It had been too hot for Janet to go yesterday so she had stayed on the bus and looked at the photographs. This morning it was cooler (only about 85) and we both went to see Eva this time. Our guide (Valeria) told us the same story of how she had a big impact on Argentina
back in the 1940s and then all the things which happened to her body after she died. There are about 10,000 mausoleums in the cemetery. 90 of them are such famous people that the city pays for the upkeep but all the rest have to pay a fee each year (kind of a residency tax). If they stop paying then after a period of time then the “occupants” can be evicted and the mausoleum sold to another family which wants to move into the neighborhood. We were told the fee costs about $500K but it all depends on the location in the cemetery. There is a waiting list of potential buyers.
We heard a lot of the same Argentine and Buenos Aires issues as the previous guides had expressed, mainly about the impact of inflation on their cost of living. The private schools will begin on Monday but the public school teachers will be on strike for 2 days. They claim to have lost 7% in value between last year’s raise and the inflation increase. The government says that 2017 inflation should be about 18% and are offering the teachers a 20% raise. They want 35% because
they do not believe the government figures. Water costs went up sharply in January, electricity went up a lot in February, Public Transportation has announced increases of nearly 50% starting in March. Anyway, the expectation is that annual inflation will be about 35%, so that is what the teachers are requesting. The real impact on the country is that the teachers apparently will set the bar for all other negotiations with other unions so the government does not want to go any higher, especially since the other groups will ask for at least as much. A large demonstration is expected in the streets on Monday and Tuesday, so we are glad we will not be here at that time.
Our bus headed north and eventually out into the country. Along the way our guide gave us a history lesson about gauchos (Argentine cowboys). It took about 90 minutes (including a rest stop) before we reached the La Mimosa Estancia (ranch). There are several estancias around 100 kilometers from Buenos Aires but they are strictly “tourist’ ranches. The real cattle ranches are further away. These estancias perform their show any time they get 50 or more customers, which
happens almost every day. The prime tourist/cruise season is from October to April.
The digital sign on our bus had gotten up to 38 degrees before we got off the bus – 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The owner (Mauricio) came out and greeted us as we arrived and we walked in through the front gate. We were immediately given samples of empanadas and drinks (wine or soda). There was a short demonstration of a couple of folk dances and then we were given time to walk past the main house and look in through the windows. It is all decorated in 1920s motif.
We walked around to the back, through a garden and trees, and to a pasture to prepare to watch a horsemanship demonstration. There were some tree trunks along both sides for a few people to sit and everyone else had to stand. David was able to bring a chair from the house and set it in the shade for Janet – several people thought she was very lucky to have such a good husband. The object of the horsemanship was to gallop beneath a ring hung on a string from a bar.
As each gaucho passed underneath they tried to poke a stick (about the size of a soda straw) in the ring and pull it from the string. Since the ring was only about 1 inch in diameter and the horse was going at a full gallop, this was a pretty tough trick. Several gauchos succeeded and a couple failed. If the rider got the ring he presented it to one of the ladies who had been watching and she gave him a kiss. Then the process was repeated with a ring the size of a bracelet but a stick that looked more like an 8-foot spear. Again there were a few successes and a couple of failures. It was really very impressive horsemanship.
Then most people were able to go to a large air conditioned room where the lunch would eventually be served. Those who wanted were given a ride around the pasture in an open-air buggy, pulled by a couple of horses. For the real adventurous ones, we were given a chance to mount up and ride a horse around the pasture. Janet was watching from the air conditioning yelling at David “Don’t fall off! Don’t
break anything”! Fortunately it was a tired old horse which wasn’t eager to move very fast, nor to wander very far, so Gaucho David had a safe ride around the pasture.
Everyone eventually went into the lunch area to cool down. They served as much beer and wine, sodas, and water as anyone wanted. There were several courses to this luncheon. It was served family style with bowls of potatoes and garden salad, with baskets of bread. Then they brought in plates of sausages which had been cooking over the open fire – these were really tasty. Then they brought in plates of steak which had been on the BBQ, which was very good. Next came plates of chicken from the grill and the final serving was grilled pork ribs. There was a pause in between each of these servings as they cooked the next type of meat, but that allowed everyone to continue to talk and drink. Finally they served a dessert course which was ice cream.
After we had eaten until we were filled to the gills, then the 2 gauchos and the 2 ladies in vintage outfits performed a series of
traditional dances. That was entertaining and David tried to take some pictures. Next they went into the audience and pulled “volunteers” to dance with them. Eventually it turned into something like a conga line, including gaucho David again.
When the show and meal was over we returned to the cruise terminal in the bus. By this time the temperature was saying 40 degrees. Most everyone took a nap on the way back with us arriving just before 4:00. We took the walk through the BA cruise terminal one more time, but this time we bought a bottle of Argentine wine to bring aboard. We passed the metal detector test, boarded the shuttle bus from the terminal to the ship and came aboard just as they were conducting the Life Boat Drill for newly embarked passengers. Janet went to the cabin to rest and cool down while David went to the pool. Even with 2000 people tied up in the drill, there were still a lot of people around the pool.
A quick shower and then changing for dinner, and we were ready to go get some more food. Tonight was Italian Night again. As
her entrée, Janet had the appetizer-size portion of delicious tasting special pasta. David had Spaghetti & Meatballs for his entrée. We felt we’d had a busy enough day already so we skipped going to the show in the theater this evening. That wraps up our report for today and for Buenos Aires. We have sailed and are heading down the La Plata River heading toward the ocean.
Hopefully there are no problems attaching the photos this evening – look for 8 pictures.
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