A Day with the Gauchos!

We did something touristy today – but it was a lot of fun! We went to the Estancia La Alameda about 120 kilometers outside Buenos Aires on the pampas. A bus picked us up at a hotel near our apartment for the drive to the Estancia. Most of our fellow passengers were from South America – Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, etc. We seemed to be the only Americans. The trip was interesting – first there were suburbs and then the pampas – very, very flat fertile farm land. It was like western Kansas but very green.

The Estancia is now a small hotel, only nine rooms. They put on day “entertainments” for the tourists. The day started with horse rides – but not for us – we settled for a ride on a wagon! Then it was empanadas and wine (above). Empanadas are wonderful – small meat pies in pastry. We have had them often in Argentina – beef, chicken, cheese, vegetables, etc. The wine was excellent!!

This was followed by free time around the ranch – of course a stop at the gift shop! Roaming the estancia were horses, colts, llamas, roosters, goats, and a pig or two. Elisabeth’s camera was busy!

We also spent time watching the “gaucho” cook while he barbecued lunch. The meat was on sticks placed near an open wood fire. Sausages and other meats were on a grill placed over hot coals. The smells were great.

Lunch was in a large Hall – with salads, wine, breads, and meat, meat, meat! Argentinean beef is fabulous – real taste! The meal ended with a type of crepe with leche dulce. Very sweet but good!

Next came a folkloric show – the dancers and singers were excellent. For some reason, I was not expecting much but I was very surprised – the quality was superb. After the show the gauchos put on a horse show – putting a small wooden peg through a small ring hanging on a wire while galloping at full speed. Quite the showman!

The Mate Drinker!

The day ended with a sampling of mate – a South American (mainly Argentina) drink made from Yerba Mate. It tasted like very strong tea. Actually I liked it – but I do like strong coffee and strong tea. Then it was back on the bus to Buenos Aires!

We had a great day on the pampas!!

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!!!

Au Revoir Iguazu Falls – Day Three!

Another Dam Picture!

Our last day at Iguazu was a short half day! After checking out of the Pousada, Ricardo took us to the Itaipu Dam on the Parana River. The Dam is amazing - a joint venture of Paraguay and Brazil. The American Society of Civil Engineers has listed it as one of the Seven Wonder of the Modern World (along with the Panama Canal, Empire State Building, Chunnel, etc.). It is second in the world in generating capacity – only the new Three River Gorges dam in China produces more. 90% of Paraguay’s energy comes from the dam and almost 20% of the electricity for Brazil. This seems amazing considering that Brazil has a population of around 190,000,000. The dam spans the Parana River just outside Foz de Iguazu. Touring the dam is well organized with a visitor’s center where there are exhibits and a short film on the construction and history of the project. Group buses then leave the visitor center for a close up view of the dam and lake.

After our tour, we headed to a place to change travelers checks to pay our bill and then on to the airport in Argentina. Our return flight on LAN was just as good as the first and we were back to Buenos Aires 15 minutes early! GO LAN!!!

Back to our apartment and Eva Peron!

You say Iguacu and I say Iguazu….

Day two at Iguazu started at 8:30am – but we were waiting for Ricardo at 7:30am – why? He forgot to tell us that Brazil went off of Daylight Savings Time at the beginning of the month – Argentina does not change until March 14/15. Oh well…at least we were not late.

We drove first to the Parque das Aves – a Bird Park. The Park was set in the natural jungle setting – there were some cages but mostly giant aviaries. It was a lot like the Wild Animal Park in Escondido/San Diego. The Parque also rehabilitates birds. Two Scarlett Macaws were there because poachers had cut out there wings for the feathers…how awful!!! The Park was well maintained and had explanations in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Next we drove to the Falls after stopping at a small museum at the entrance to the Brazilian National Park. Ricardo took us to the starting point of a pathway down into the canyon of the river. At the top we saw a large coatis – a raccoon like animal whose habitat runs from Central America to northern Argentina.

The walk down the path was spectacular. Since most of the Falls are actually on the Argentinean side, the views are really best from Brazil. The path continues to a natural ledge that is about half way down into the gorge of the Iguazu River. Views from here are spectacular – there is that word again! There are viewing platforms seemingly built out into thin air!

There is an elevator that takes you back to the top – where there are more viewing platforms and a restaurant. We again indulged in a great buffet lunch – which served as our main meal of the day. From here, we took a park bus back to where Ricardo’s car was parked at the hotel – the one inside the Park on the Brazilian side.

The last stop of the day was the BEST – the Macuco Safari by Boat. The trip starts with a ride through the jungle in a “wagon” type vehicle with seating for about 20 being pulled by a jeep. After a while, you switch to the back of a truck fitted with seats. Finally, you reach the river. On a floating dock, you take off your shoes and socks, put on a life preserver, and board the Zodiac with outboard motor. Off WE GO! The Zodiac flies down the river – what a great way to cool off. After a while, the Falls come into view – and the Devil’s Throat – what a sight from the floor of the canyon from the river! After waiting our turn, the Zodiac raced up the river toward the main part of the Falls. Along the side of the canyon there were three large falls. The “captain” swung around and we approached the water – suddenly we were really close to where the water hit the river. Drenched! Did I say “Drenched?” I mean soaked, drenched, water-logged!! No wonder we were told to take off our shoes and socks.

The unsuspecting Tourist about to be drenched!!

In our group of “boaters” were 5 “grandmas” from St. Louis having the times of their lives! Whooping and hollering like teenagers. What fun…and it sure cooled us off! We bought a DVD of our trip. Think I will look at it during the next heat wave in San Diego!!!

Back to the Pousada after another fabulous day at Iguazu Falls!

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!!!

Journey to Buenos Aires!

(One of the views from our balcony of Recoleta Cemetery - Eva Peron is looking at us!)

Our journey to Buenos Aires was fine until Mexico City.

We had gotten a ticket on Mexicana from San Diego to BA via DFW and Mexico City. Why you ask? Well…I found a deal! Since we were cruising back to San Diego from Chile, we needed a one way ticket which is often expensive. I found a one way ticket on Mexicana in Business Class for less than $1,000 from DFW to Buenos Aires – connecting in Mexico City. We bought a coach ticket from SAN to DFW making the whole trip less than most coach tickets. So the inconvenience of three flights seemed a small price to pay for going Business for the long flights DFW to MEX (less than 2 hours but 9 hours to BA from Mexico City.

In San Diego, AA gave us boarding passes for their two flights and said we needed to go to Mexicana in Mexico City for our boarding passes for Buenos Aires. Our luggage was checked all the way through. (A nice thought but more of this later.)

The first thing to be prepared for at the Mexico City airport is that everyone goes through immigration even if you are in transit. At first, they said we would not need a Customs form – more on this later in the blog too. The line for foreigners was very long and was inefficient. The sign said flights for North America, Asia, and Europe. We thought we were in the wrong line until an official said it was for South America too. If your connecting flight is less than an hour away, you can get in the line at desk 20 but if it is longer than that they will not let you in it. After finally getting through immigration after about 30 minutes of waiting, we went to the escalator for connecting flights but because we did not have a boarding pass we had to go out of the entry hall and to the Mexicana desk for check-in. Now we had to go through customs so we did need the form. The walk to Mexicana took a while. We got in the line for Elite Class – we asked about the flight to BA which was not listed. She waved us away and to the other side of the room.

The first person we talked to said we were too late that you had to check in an hour and a half before the flight. We were there one hour and 25 minutes before departure. We protested loudly in two or maybe it was three languages and asked for the supervisor. It was all confusion and he said “we have no responsibility for you because you were connecting from AA.” I said, "Yes YOU are responsible – we have a Mexicana ticket!" Fortunately I had made a copy of the Mexicana Invoice our Travel Agent gave us and I showed him my PROOF. Then he said it did not matter because the flight was canceled and they would not do anything for us for the night. More loud protests were delivered. He was not pleasant but took our invoice and passports to another woman. She was VERY nice! She rebooked us on the flight for the next day and we got two good seats in Business. We also asked her about what we were supposed to do for the night – she said with a slight grin on her face – “What would you like?” I said, “A place to sleep.” She told us to take our new boarding passes to the El Camino Real Hotel connected to the airport and Mexicana would pay. When we got there, a long line had formed behind a sign that said Mexicana. Everyone signed a check-in sheet and EVERYONE put Mexicana flight 1690! Mexicana also paid for our dinner and breakfast.

One thing that makes me suspicious (and several of the other passengers) is why the flight in the morning was not that full. Could it be that they canceled the evening flight because there were too few people? Maybe it was cheaper to put people up in a hotel than to fly a half empty plane.

Also be aware that the Mexico City airport is a maze with poor signage. We stopped people frequently to find out where Mexicana was located, the hotel, the boarding gates, etc. The signs take you the long way around BUT through the Duty Free shops! We did find a Santander bank in the airport to change some money for when our cruise stops in Mexico in April. We used this bank because it has a reciprocal agreement with the Bank of America so there is no ATM use charge.

When we arrived in Buenos Aires, 10 hours later than scheduled, our bags were not on the plane!!! They told us when we arrived that there were three bags that missed the plane and two were ours. Missed the plane? Ten hours to get bags from AA to Mexicana is not enough? This morning we got a call that one of the bags arrived on this morning’s flight – they are checking on the other bag which they “thought” would be on tonight’s flight. So we are stuck in the apartment waiting for luggage. Being stuck is not a problem, however, because it is raining and we are tired from the journey and the jet lag – 6 hours difference from San Diego.

Travel is full of adventures – this is not the first time this has happened to us. Several years ago British Air lost our suitcases and it took a week to catch up with us in Turkey. We were not a pretty sight – or smell! Our lesson was to never change planes at Heathrow. We have now added Mexico City to that list. Fortunately we have some things in our carry-on luggage but it is not enough for 7 weeks!!!

The flights themselves were great – except the coach from SAN to DFW of course! But…it was short and on time – we were on the side with 2 seats which makes it better. Mexicana was very good – spotless plane, great service, good (not great) food, and very nice flight attendants.

The apartment in the Recoleta district is great – ninth floor overlooking the famous Recoleta Cemetery. We have views from every room – including the bathroom. You can take a shower or sit on the toilet while looking at the graves in the cemetery. Hope the ghosts don’t mind!

News Flash - Elisabeth won the lottery - her bag just came - I now suspect American because the bag had an American red and white tag that said RUSH! I wonder if the bags did not make the plane in DFW? Of course, Mexicana and American will just point fingers at each other!