Houston, We Have No Problems

Katherine Settles in for the 10+ Hour Flight to Houston

It was a 10+ hour flight from Buenos Aires to Houston, but with only an hour time change and the late departure, it meant that we had a good long block to get some solid sleep.  We had dinner and then both set up our beds and slept through until they woke us for breakfast, about 90 minutes from landing.  We'd left early and arrived into Houston around 5:15am.  We had two hours until our connecting flight to Dulles, which was a good cushion, as we had to clear Customs and Immigration, claim our bags and recheck them, and then go through security again.  We did have about 30 minutes to kill in the lounge, which was serving breakfast, but we were both simply fooded out at this point.

The flight to Dulles also left and arrived early, and we had zero issues along the way.  All of our bags made it in one piece, amd all of our bottles of wine arrived intact.  We arrived around noon on Monday and Dulles was quiet, so getting an Uber home was quick and very easy.  Within a couple of hours we already managed to unpack, start the laundry, and pick up Chip from the kennel.  To say he was happy to see us would be an understatement.  

As I write this, the entire trip still feels somewhat like an abstract dream, especially considering how far we traveled and all that we had seen.  Still, neither of us have any hesitation in saying that the trip far exceeded our expectations, which were admittedly high to start.  It was certainly a trip for the record books.

Gauchos, Gluttony, and Goodbyes

This was the last formal day of the trip and, in the original itinerary, it is left free, for people to do whatever they want.  All of Gate1's tours offer optional excursions on various days, allowing folks the freedom to determine how active they want their vacation.  For this trip, we signed up for every optional excursion, not knowing when (and if) we'd ever get back.  This final excursion was an "all-day Gaucho party," which comprised our driving about 90 minutes outside town to a large Estancia (ranch), where we'd get to "experience" the Gaucho (South American cowboys) culture.  Originally the Rieckhoffs had not signed up for this, but earlier during the trip they changed their mind and signed up, along with everyone else in the group, other than the two "girls" from California.

We did not have an early-morning departure, which was very welcome after the very late preceding night.  We expected Veni might be moving a little slow this morning, given his apparent birthday celebrating from the night before, but he was charged up and ready to go.  As I've written, he is Brazilian, and this day was also the run-off election for president of Brazil, between incumbent Bolsonaro and former president Lula.  Veni had shared several times during the trip, in side conversations, his rampant support for Bolsonaro, who is often called the Trump of Latin America.  Veni dismissed all of his errant behavior and lying, arguing that things were going well in Brazil, and saying that -- unlike Trump -- he had very competent people in his government who were actually running things well.  We also learned that voting is mandatory for non-retired people in both Chile and Brazil.  If you do not vote, you are fined, and they do not allow early voting.  They give you up to 90 days after an election to vote -- which seems odd -- but Veni wanted to avoid the potential fine, so he went to the Brazilian Embassy to vote in person.  We saw him at breakfast, triumphantly returning from the embassy after voting, sporting a Brazilian soccer jersey and with a Brazilian flag draped over his shoulders.  He was excited, confident, and ready to go.

Unlike the day before, it was now cloudy with light rain, and the temperatures were in the 50's.  A huge change from Saturday's heat.  As we drove out of town, we passed the Brazilian Embassy and there were thousands of people in line to vote.  I tried to get a photo, but the rain on the windows made it impossible.

The Estancia we visited is a working ranch, but also clearly caters to tour groups.  Our bus was one of several, with another Gate1 tour arriving a short time after us.  There was a also group from Cosmos -- mostly Canadians -- and a group from Romania.  We thought that a bit ironic and odd.  We got to walk the ranch, visit the original homestead and chapel, take a ride on a horse-drawn wagon, and watch as they grilled a huge amount of various meats for a lunch.  We ate in a very large dining area, with a stage in the center.  It was a multi-course family-style affair and the grilled meats were quite tasty, even if we weren't overly hungry.  Still, with good food in front of us, we all ate too much.  After eating we had, essentially, a stage show, with demonstrations of Tango, Gaucho dancing, folk-song singing, and -- my favorite -- a Boleadora demonstration.  There are actually weapons, formed by putting rocks into leather pouches on the opposite end of a rope, which are then twirled and thrown to kill prey.  They have also been adapted for use in dancing, and we had a couple of really impressive demonstrations of how they can twirled.

Estancia Santa Maria, Outside of Buenos Aires

Caracara Building Its Spring-time Nest

Grilling for Lunch

Parrots Filled the Trees (and Made Quite the Racket)

The Original Ranch Homestead

To end the visit, we all filed outside to a small grandstand, where we watched them bring out groups of horses.  We saw a demonstration of how the horses are corralled and driven.  It was the first time I have seen dogs used to herd horses.  Two sheepdogs ran like crazy to keep the horses in formation, but it looked so dangerous, as it looked like at any moment they could be trampled.  It was not very relaxing to watch.  At the very end, we also saw the Gauchos do a "ring competition," which involved the setting up of a gallows-like frame, from which hung three long springs.  At the end of each spring, a small ring (finger-ring size) was hung.  The Gauchos then galloped at full speed under the frame holding a small stick in their hand.  The goal was to stab the ring with the stick, and then present the ring to a woman in the crowd.  It looked really difficult and I was surprised how often they were successful.

The "Ring Competition"

With the change in our departure day, our transfer for the airport was to pick us up at 6:00pm from our hotel.  I had asked Veni and Max when we should be back, and both said "between 5:30 and 6:00," with no guarantees.  To be safe, Katherine and I had packed up our suitcases and they were ready to go as soon as we got back.  Not wanting to take chances, I watched the clock closely at the estancia and was glad when we were finally all aboard and heading back to Buenos Aires.  Traffic was thankfully light and we returned around 5:20, which provided us some cushion and time to freshen up before heading to the airport.  On the way back, by the way, Veni was ecstatic as early Brazilian voting results were coming out.  Bolsonaro was clearly ahead at this point and he was over the moon.  A few hours later, while sitting on our plane actually, we saw the announcement that Bolsonaro had in fact lost, and we imagined his mood at the farewell dinner, which was underway at the time.

Veni was intent to wait with us in the hotel lobby until our transfer arrived.  He was under no obligation to do this, but it was a nice and appreciated gesture.  I was a little concerned about the time of our pick-up and departure of our flight to Houston.  We were to be picked-up at 6:00pm and our flight was at 9:00pm.  I did not know how far away the international airport was located and I didn't know what to expect at the airport.  For the first that I can recall, our transfer did not arrive early.  In fact, he didn't arrive until 6:05pm, which had me more than a little concerned.  Rieckhoffs were to be on the exact same flight the following evening, and their Gate1 airport transfer was picking them up at 5:00pm, so that extra hour had me slightly concerned.

To my surprise, there was little to no traffic on the way to the airport.  There was a long line to clear exit immigration, but otherwise we had about 10 extra minutes for a quick stop in the lounge before we headed to the gate.  Boarding started pretty much exactly when we arrived, so it all worked out well.

Don't Cry for Me, I'm in Buenos Aires

This day, Saturday, was to be our only full day in Buenos Aires proper. Our original departure day and time was to be 9:00pm on Monday night, so we had expected to have a spare day to further explore the city.  With our need to move up our departure a day, we lost this cushion, so we were determined to see as much as we could on this one day.

In Our Hotel Lobby -- Made Entirely From Driftwood

Max met us all after breakfast and we embarked on an extensive city tour.  He was a very knowledgeable guide and we both really enjoyed this tour.  The weather, by the way, was perfect.  Blue skies, a few clouds and believe it or not, it was hot.  It was in the 80's and felt like summer.  I'd gotten so used to wearing layers while in Patagonia, I ended up leaving several jackets on the bus, as they were certainly not needed.  I even ended the day with a pretty noticeable sunburn.

The city felt much larger than Santiago, and it certainly was.  The entire country has about 45 million inhabitants, and about 17 million of them live in the greater Buenos Aires area.  "Only" about 4 million live in the actual city limits, but it is a sprawling city.  It was quite clean and looked very modern.  There remains, however, a shortage of affordable housing, about which we heard several times.  It is yet another city to adopt the "Paris" moniker; in this case, it is the so-called Paris of the Americas.  You could certainly see the European influence across the city, but whether that is Italian, French, or Spanish is hard to say.  Still, it was very pleasant and traffic seemed quite reasonable for a city of its size.

Typical Architecture We Saw Throughout Buenos Aires

Part of the University

Floralis Generica Sculpture -- Made From Old Airplanes (Closes at Night and Opens and Moves During the Day)

Aside from some photo stops, our first proper stop was at Recoleta Cemetery, in the very affluent neighborhood of the same name.  Considered one of the most unusual and beautiful cemeteries in the world, the site was declared the city’s first official public burial place in 1822. Aside from being the resting place of the deceased, it is completely unlike a normal cemetery. The place is full of elaborately carved scroll-work and stately pillars that only reach up to your shoulder because all the structures are weirdly mini; it’s more magical than macabre. There are more than 6,400 people buried in the cemetery, including multiple past presidents of the country, Nobel Prize winners and, of course, Eva Peron (Evita), the wife of former dictator and president Juan Peron.  It was a very interesting place to visit, particularly as each mausoleum was its own little work of act, with no two alike.  We heard the sad story of how Evita came to rest in this place.  She died at the very young age of 33, from cervical cancer, while Juan Peron was at the height of his power.  She was embalmed and plans were made to construct an immense memorial (larger than the Statue of Liberty) in her honor, within which her body would be on display, similar to Lenin in Moscow.  Before it could be completed, Juan Peron was overthrown during a coup in 1955.  He had to flee the country for Spain, and was unable to secure Evita's body before leaving.  The military junta that took power essentially stole the body, and then kept moving it to different hiding places.  Under this regime, it was illegal to even utter the name "Peron," yet it seemed that wherever her body was hidden, word would eventually leak out and then flowers would begin to amass outside the location, forcing another move.  After years of this, the military government had the body secretly buried in Milan, Italy, under a pseudonym.  In 1974, Juan Peron learned the location of her body and had her exhumed and moved to his house in Madrid.  Three years later he triumphantly returned to Argentina as president, along with his third wife who became vice president.  Juan died two years later and his wife ascended to the presidency.  She had Evita's body flown back from Spain, to be displayed alongside her husband's body.  She was then interred in the Recoleta Cemetery, in the vault belonging to the wealthy husband of her sister.  Ironically, Evita spent most of her official life railing against the wealthy and  upper classes, and now she was buried in their midst.  Plans were underway to build a large mausoleum for Juan and Eva Peron is his hometown, which had become a pilgrimage site for devote Peronists.  When it came time to move the bodies there, a conflict broke out within the Peronist Party, as to which party officials would accompany the body, and in what order.  That quickly devolved into gunfire and other bloodshed, and the planned elaborate procession was cancelled.  Juan's body was eventually moved there in the dark of night, but they never bothered to move Evita, so she still remains in her sister's family crypt -- the Duartes.

Recoleta Cemetery

Duertes Mausoleum -- Resting Place of Eva (Evita) Peron

Yes, Those Are Bones.  Some Families No Longer Pay Upkeep on Crypts

Our next formal stop was the Plaza de Mayo, on which sits the presidential palace (Casada Rosada) and the Metropolitan Cathedral (the largest in Argentina).  They were setting up for a political rally in the square, and there were thousands of chairs in the process of being arranged.  Several government ministries also circle the square.  The Red House (Casada Rosada) is where the presidential offices are, and we learned that its red color came from cows' blood being mixed in with white plaster. Evidently this was a sign of wealth, in that one could afford to waste the blood.  I found it a little gruesome.  I had not realized, however, just how wealthy Argentina had been.  In the late 19th Century, they were the fourth richest country in the world, propped up by exports of beef, leather, and grain.  Much of that fell apart once the Panama Canal opened, and it became far more expensive to continue sailing all the way down to Argentina and/or around the tip of South America to export/import goods.  Even now we associate Argentina with beef production, but they were passed by Brazil a couple decades ago and no longer hold the title even without South America.  It was interesting, too, to see the mausoleum of General Jose de Martin within the cathedral.  We learned he was the person primarily responsible for liberating Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule.  Once he freed Peru, he met up with Simon Bolivar, turning over his troops, who in turn helped Simon liberate northern South America.  In the square, too, we saw makeshift memorials to the mothers and wives of the so-called "disappeared."  These are the thousands of men who went missing during the last military dictatorship, which ended in the early 1980's.  A new twist is that there is an active campaign to reunite children of the disappeared with their real families.  Evidently there were quite a few wives of men who disappeared, who themselves were killed and/or had their babies taken from them at birth and given up for adoption.  They are now using DNA to help identify those children and reconnect them with their biological families.

"The Malvinas (Faulklands) Unite Us"

Makeshift Memorial Across From Presidential Palace Marking First 100,000 Covid Deaths

Casada Rosada (Red House) Presidential Palace -- Red is From Cow's Blood Mixed With Plaster

Markings To Honor Mothers/Wives of the "Disappeared"

Interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral

Tomb of General Jose de Martin (Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru)

Each Statue Represents One of the Three Nations He Liberated

Preparing for a Political Rally on Plaza de Mayo

Original City Hall of Buenos Aires

We continued the tour to the colorful area of  La Boca, which sits in the shadow of Boca stadium -- home to one of Buenos Aires two primary soccer clubs.  The neighborhood sits on the docks and was once run down and full of immigrants.  Originally the homes were painted all different colors as homeowners purchased surplus paint from ships, after they were painted.  That tradition continues to this day, with vibrant multi-colored homes.  

Approaching the La Boca Neighborhood (at the Harbor)

One of Countless Representations We Saw of Soccer Legend Diego Maradona

We drove through several other areas of town before heading back to the hotel.  The rest of the afternoon was free, and our guide was pointing out things we might want to do.  We grabbed a quick lunch with the Rieckhoffs at a nearby restaurant recommended by Veni, before we broke up and headed our different ways.  K and I spent the next three to four hours walking miles across the city, visiting several areas and going all the way back to Recoleta, where a huge artisan market had set up for the day.  It was a very warm and sunny day, and while we had planned to walk all the way back to the hotel, we finally gave up and ordered an Uber to take us the final leg of the journey. 

Modern Buenos Aires

Interior of the Plaza Pacifica Shopping Mall

Dichotomy of the Old and New

El Ateneo Bookstore -- Built in Converted Theater

"Nothing Without Peron"

Buenos Aires Obelisk -- Our Hotel is Immediately Behind on Left

Hot and Sweaty in Buenos Aires

There was a Tango lesson scheduled for our group at 7:00pm, so we didn't have too much time to wash up and change.  The lesson was in one of the hotel's conference rooms and a pair of professional Tango dancers proceeded to give us formal lessons, to the point that we were all doing some basic steps and keeping up with the music.  The moves are certainly not easy to pick up, but we tried and had quite a few laughs along the way.

There was an optional dinner and Tango show this evening, for which most of the group had signed up.  I was anticipating something cheezy, but I have to admit that we had a great time.  The bus took us about 10 minutes away to a large theater, at which we had a surprisingly good five-course meal with free-flowing wine, following by an almost two-hour-long dance show.  This was also Veni's birthday, and they are evidently a very big deal in Brazil.  There was a cake for him at the dinner, and during the show, he and the other tour guides had retreated out to the theater's bar, where they must have had a great time catching up, as Veni was...let's just say...very happy when we came out from the show.

Dinner and Tango Show

It was after midnight when things wrapped up.  What really surprised us, however, was just how many people were out and about.  Throughout the ride back to the hotel, we passed building after building with people queued up to go in to eat or dance.  It very much reminded us of Barcelona, which we believe is the true city that never sleeps.  The Steeles, on the other hand, went right to sleep once back at the hotel...and we did so gladly.