The Cat Who Went To Church

On Sunday March 15 we went to mass at Our Lady of Pilar Basilica in Buenos Aires. The 18th Century Basilica is a beautiful church built by the Jesuits. Built in 1732 it is considered one of the best examples of Argentine colonial architecture.

Toward the end of the mass, I looked up on the altar – at about the second story level – and out of a small hole came….a CAT! He/She walked to the center of the altar, sat down, and stared down on us. Look at me – bow down and worship!

I poked Elisabeth to show her and then others in the congregation saw the same thing and started pointing. The priest had his back to the altar – he must have wondered what was going on! At the end of the mass, someone showed the priest and he started laughing.

This reminded me of the old joke – Cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt – they have not forgotten! Our cat Jake would have been impressed but I do not think he is particularly religious! He sleeps in on Sundays – actually he sleeps in every day!

The Recoleta Cemetery which is adjacent to the Basilica is home to many cats – well fed and cared for by women in the neighborhood. The cats even have their own website.

I imagine our Catholic Cat came in from his cemetery haunt to see what the living were doing!!!

The Day of the Pickpocket and Our first day Iguacu Falls!

I better get busy before I forget the details. There is a lot to catch up on. Before I go into our trip to Iguacu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina, I should fill you in on our grand adventure last Sunday, March 8. We went to mass at the Cathedral on the Plaza Mayo (See picture above - Was it a preview of things to come?). We walked around the square. The Casa Rosada – Argentina’s White House – is on the Plaza. We stopped at an ATM for some cash. From here we decided to walk to Puerto Madero to meet our friends Paul and Marilyn Whisenand for lunch. We decided to stroll around the back of the Casa Rosada to take pictures.

Suddenly, I felt and smelled that a bird had landed a “present” on me. I then broke all my rules. I let a “helpful” woman give me tissues and she started to help me clean off the mess. Next thing I knew Elisabeth had been “hit” by a bird too and the woman’s “friend” started helping Elisabeth clean up. Suddenly it HIT me. This was a scam. By the time we woke up, the two left and jumped in a taxi. You have it – pick pockets. They got some lose bills in my pocket but they unzipped Elisabeth’s purse she had around her neck and only took the large bills. Of course, we had just been to the ATM. The good side is that they took no credit cards and we do NOT carry our passports with us – only copies.

Back of Casa Rosada - Scene of the Crime!

I have foiled pick pockets in Paris by having a wallet that attaches to my belt and is carried inside my pants. We have warded off gypsy scam artists in Rome and Florence, etc. Why we went brain dead is what upsets us. After traveling together for 37 years, we know better. Never let anyone touch you for any reason! Carry large amounts of money after going to an ATM in a concealed wallet that attaches to you. It was a tough lesson – but one that will make us safer. If I had been thinking, I would have known that the bird had to be a Giant Condor considering the mess that was left! What is interesting is how the brain takes over and all you want to do is clean up and you forget to really THINK!

Our friend Marilyn Whisenand told us she never even carries a purse – she sees it as a target. She just carries a lipstick and a small amount of cash in a pocket. Not a bad idea. We later learned that the same bird scam was used on the previous renter of our apartment. However, he lost an entire wallet with credit cards, money, and passport. He spent a lot of his time in BA getting a new passport and dealing with credit card companies. NEVER carry your passport – unless it is a travel day. Just take a copy. We also have sent a PDF file of our passports to our son who has stored these on his computer so he can email them to us if necessary.

Now for the fun stuff – our trip to Iguacu Falls!!

One of our first view of Iguacu Falls - one of the 275 Falls in 2.5 kilometers!!!

We flew from the domestic airport in Buenos Aires to the airport on the Argentina side of the falls on LAN airlines. As an aside, LAN is a wonderful airline. It is part of the One World Alliance with American – so you can earn miles with them. Since I just hit the million mile club with American, I get bonus miles on all my travels.

Our “on time” domestic flights were an hour fifty minutes each way. No baggage fees, free food and drinks – even beer – wider seats, and more legroom than US airlines. American, United, Delta - are you listening? The service was excellent and the plane was spotless. While waiting for the return flight on Thursday, I noticed two full cleaning crews get on the plane after it landed and before we boarded. When was the last time you saw REAL cleaning crews get on a plane in the States?

When we landed our guide was waiting with a sign for us. Ricardo was born in Santiago but has lived in Brazil most of his adult life. He is married to a Brazilian. His English was excellent. I strongly urge a private guide in Iguacu. The price was not that much and a guide can arrange things so you see a lot more than if you did this on your own. We wanted to see as much as possible with only two nights – one full day and two half days of sightseeing. We packed a lot into the time.

Iguacu is fabulous! Both countries have National Parks around the falls – Brazil for 70 years and Argentina for 74. As a result, it is not commercialized. There is one hotel in each Park and a few concessions. It is nothing like the Disneyland atmosphere of Niagara. We have also been to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and we rate Iguacu higher. There is not as much water at Iguacu but the falls stretch over 2.5 kilometers. They say there are actually 275 falls – but Ricardo said that during a flood, there is only one! We also suggest that you go to both sides. Most of the falls are on the Argentina side so the viewing is best from Brazil. The main cataract is the Devil’s Throat and it is split between the two countries.

Our visit started with a walk through the semi-tropical jungle with views of butterflies, fish, birds, a caiman, and giant spiders. We took the upper circuit which takes you to several observation points – spectacular! We did not take the lower circuit on advice of the Whisenands and our guide. There are many slippery steps.

Next was a ride on a small tourist train (all covered in the admission to the Park) out to the starting point for a walk to the Devil's Throat (Above). What a sight!!! The platform is perched right over the major cataract of the Falls! Getting drenched is not an option – it just happens! It was an incredible experience. We ate lunch at a concession at the Park entrance – a fabulous buffet of all kinds of salads, entrees, and barbecued meat. We made this our main meal at about 3pm.

Next we crossed the border into Brazil on our way to our lodging. Our guide handled the formalities which was nice. To go into Brazil, you need a visa issued at one of their consulates. Fortunately, we had five year visas issued in 2006 for our trip up the Amazon.
Several South American countries have adopted so-called reciprocity fees for citizens from countries that charge their citizens for visas. In Brazil it is a visa and in Chile it is an entry fee paid at the airport. The price is the same their citizens pay for a US visa – right now about $130. The Chilean fee is good for the life of the passport. Argentina has adopted the same thing but it has not yet been implemented.

After crossing the border, we went to the town of Foz de Iguazu, Brazil – a town of about 300,000 that grew up with the building of the giant Itaipu Binacional Dam on the Parana River. We stayed at the Pousada El Shaddai – a sort of bed and breakfast. Our room was very basic – just two beds, one bench, but an air conditioner and TV. It was clean – if basic. The price was right - $56 for two with a great breakfast!

Our first day at Iguacu (or Iguazu in Portuguese) was over, we were tired, and we had lots of memories! We had seen the Falls from Argentina but now we were on the Brazil side. How would day 2 of the trip be? Stay tuned….

Happy Birthday to Me…..!

I had the best birthday! The long saga of the missing suitcase came to a happy conclusion, but not after more frustration. The day started out with Mexicana not calling at 8am as promised so getting up “early” was a waste! Later in the day we called and called the airport baggage number. Again, no one answered. The main office of Mexicana opened but our new good “friend” Augustine was not in yet. Miracles of miracles the airport answered their phone about noon. Great…well….not great! No one was there who could help. Finally Elisabeth called back to the main office and talked to Augustine who was again very sympathetic. He was able to get Fernando to call us back – (yes…someone new in the mix). He said our claim had been closed! What!!!!! Our bag had been delivered. Excuse me – but that was only for one. I guess we had been calling for three days just for fun? He promised to contact Mexico City and get back to us on Saturday – but oops…he would not be working then but would have someone else call us. Sure! Of course, people had been promising us for days they would contact Mexico City.

About an hour later, Fernando called again and….surprise….the suitcase had been found!!! Wonderful birthday present! Where is it? In Buenos Aires! It was delivered to the apartment about 4:30pm. We have a feeling it was in BA all along. Well – now I feel human again. Clean everything.

I have had my first birthday ever with warm, balmy weather thanks to the southern Hemisphere! It was a beautiful warm day but with nice breezes through the apartment. At 6pm we went to the Hotel Alvear Palace for their famous Tea in the L'Orangerie Restaurant. The hotel is one of the most elegant in Buenos Aires if not South America. The Tea was served in an indoor garden in beautiful surrounding. When we ordered two teas, they advised to only order one – with an extra cup of tea. Good advice. First we chose from a long list of teas. The waitresses were dressed elegantly with white gloves. The teas were loose leaf and it was quite a production – hot water poured in the tea pot, steeping for 3 minutes, and then it was poured into elegant china. Then the food began – finger sandwiches, a three tier cake stand with scones, savory and sweet petit fours, lemon curd, marmalade, and strawberry jam. Well that was a feast…and…then they brought the dessert cart! The patisserie was as beautiful and as good as anything in France! Elisabeth agreed! So…did we break the bank? Mais non! This is Argentina. 112 Pesos for the two with tip….or…. (Drum roll)….about $15 a piece!

After tea we walked through the elegant shopping mall of the Hotel and then back toward our apartment. On the way we stopped at the BA Design Center – a shopping center but mostly with modern design shops – very interesting high style things. We then took our stroll with the rest of Recoleta in front of the Recoleta Village – outdoor cafes, cinema, etc. I was reminded of Spain on a summer evening. People watching was the BEST! Kids, dogs, old people, young people, families…a cross section of humanity. We stopped at a sidewalk café for something to drink and listened to a guitarist who was set up on the sidewalk. The breezes were balmy. The whole thing was like Paris – but warm! We got “home” about 11pm. So far - Buenos Aires is fabulous…and even better with a suitcase!!!

Here we go again!!!

The roaming Clarks are about to take off again! This time we will be spending time in Buenos Aires, Argentina for about three weeks. We have rented an apartment in the Recoleta district of the capital. This area looks like Paris! Our apartment overlooks the famous Recoleta Cemetary where Eva Peron is buried. In 2006 we spent two days in Buenos Aires on a cruise and fell in love with the City. This time we hope to get to know BA well! Our friends from Escondido, Georg and Antje Funke will be renting an apartment next to ours for part of the time we are there.

We found the apartment on our favorite website for apartments Vacation Rentals by Owner. Our rentals in Assisi and Venice Italy last September and October were found on this website. The rental we like the most in Paris was also found at VRBO. There is nothing better than really getting to know a city or region by living in an apartment. We like to shop in local stores and "pretend" to be Venetians or Parisians. We like to cook for ourselves a lot of the time - it is so much fun shopping in both super markets and local open-air markets.

While in Buenos Aires, we will spend two nights and three days at Iguacu Falls on the Brazilian/Paraguayan/Argentinean border. Another day is planned for a trip to an estancia for a barbecue and horse show by the gauchos - probably touristy but it sounds like fun. We also want to take the hydrofoil across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia Sacramento in Uruguay - a World Heritage site.

After BA, we will fly to Santiago with Georg and Antje where we will meet the Quastlers - our cruising buddies from Coronado, CA. The three couples have rented an apartment in Vina del Mar, Chile for a week. Yes...another apartment from VRBO. Splitting the cost three ways of this 4 bedroom apartment in a high rise on the ocean will cost about $20 per person per night! Sure beats a hotel!

We have been to Vina before and love it! It is a lovely coastal city next to the more gritty Valparaiso - a major port for Chile. After a week in the apartment, the six of us leave on the Amsterdam - Holland America line - for an 18 day cruise back to San Diego. We have stops in La Serena and Arica Chile; Lima, Peru; Manta, Ecuador; Costa Rica; Puerto Chiapas, Huatalco, Acapulco, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

We leave a week from tomorrow - not long now. Of course, I have to go to northern California for consulting for three days - which means the bags will be packed at the last minute as usual!

Check back to see how our adventure progresses!