Welcome to the long-awaited and much anticipated trip to yet more places I never thought I would go. When my friend, Genny, began talking about South America, Antarctica, and Penguins, I went from interested, to visions of icebergs and Ernest Shakelton, to “Penguins!?!…are you kidding??, “I’m in!!!” This particular trip has taken the least amount of planning, as it is all cruise, and the most amount of luggage – as the temperatures are predicted to run from 85 to as low as 0 and back to 85 over a three week period.
Our faithful friend Dianne, who voluntarily braved all weather and traffic to get us to the airport, put out the oars and drove through this week’s never-ending rain to drop us at Atlanta Hartsfield on Saturday for our 9:10 p.m. flight. We were scheduled to arrive exactly 10 hours later – at 9:10 a.m. – in Buenos Aires, Argentina (yes, a two hour time difference).
There was a very short wait to check in – which turned out to be a good thing. As I placed one of the larger bags on the scale, we noticed it was canting to one side. Whaaaat? A broken wheel – and we were just getting started!! Fortunately, the guy checking us in was quite patient, and the wheel itself was okay – but the plastic housing was damaged and was close to tearing off and taking the wheel with it. As an Emergency Management professional I always travel with 50% of the “FAD” (Fix Anything Duo) of duct tape and WD-40. Guess which one? Correct!! Duct Tape!
You don’t need to carry a whole roll. Just take a strip of cardboard like the backing of a yellow pad of paper, cut it to the width of a roll of tape and about three to four inches long. Transfer duct tape from the roll to the cardboard, evenly and as thick as you’d like, until you have a flat pack of duct tape. Stick it in an outside pocket of the suitcase and you’re good to go.
I asked the guy if we could make a temporary repair attempt and he agreed, so we dug out the tape and went to work, applying several long strips to hopefully hold it in place. When it arrived in BA, the wheel was still there! Woohoo! We’ll shore it up and see if it makes it home at the end.
The flight was VERY cold, but otherwise uneventful and we each managed to get a little sleep as we flew toward Argentina.
After arrival, it took about an hour to clear immigration, get our bags, hoist them ourselves into an x-ray machine at Customs, and exit the airport to meet our driver Cesar. Another hour later – with some “interesting” driving amongst “interesting” traffic, we arrived downtown at the Buenos Aires Marriott where we were allowed to check in early. We were upgraded to a spacious suite with a balcony that overlooks the “Times Square” of Buenos Aires, complete with large electronic screens, tall green bushes shaped into “BA” – a popular spot for pictures, and the iconic 221 foot high Obelisk, erected in 1936, on the spot where the Argentine flag was raised for the first time over the city.
After settling in and resting a bit, we headed out for a restaurant named “Parilla Peña”, a highly rated, “locals more than tourists” – which we prefer – steakhouse. Here is an explanation of a “Parilla” in Argentina from a Viator site. “What makes Argentine parrillas different from other grilling restaurants around the world is their use of both fragrant wood and wood-base charcoal to cook the meat slowly throughout the day, allowing the meat to tenderize and develop a flavorful crust. Parrillas also cook a variety of meats—including offal (achuras) like intestines, liver, and kidneys; and sausages like blood sausage (morcilla) and chorizo—all together on the same grill.”
When we asked at the hotel for directions, we learned it was closed today (the owners are on vacation), but another was recommended – “La Estancia” – “The Stay”, and it was right around the corner.
After perusing the menu, and munching on delicious bread with various dipping sauces of spices and oil or tomatoes and onions, we communicated enough with the waiter to choose a sampler of different meats that came with fries. He said it could feed one or two – it could have easily fed four!!
Unfortunately, one of the pictures blurred so you can’t see the other side of that pile of meat, which included suckling pig ribs, rolled flank steak filled with spices, and two sausages that had to have weighed a half pound each. One was chorizo and one was blood sausage – which we had told him we did not want. He took the blood sausage away but brought a second chorizo in its place! You can see the size of the sausages on a similar platter in the corner of the picture below. The picture on the left is of the sides of beef, pigs, and lamb being cooked in one room, with the sausages, cheese, steaks, and other items being prepared on the right.
The meat was sizzlin on the pan with a wood-charcoal fire underneath, and was all outstanding – exceptionally tender, flavorful, and filling! When we finished, the waiter took it away, never offering a doggy bag, and we had to wonder what happens to the leftovers.
After dinner we walked through a bit of the downtown, past the candy and sundry shop that is open 25 hours a day, and returned to our hotel for a full night’s sleep and preparations for boarding the ship the next day.
We are excited about and grateful to God for the adventures ahead. We pray to honor Him and bless others as we enjoy His gifts on this continent of the world. Thanks for going along with us – I’ll try for two more updates before we depart Buenos Aires. One tonight, and one tomorrow after our excursion to “Gaucho Life on the Pampas”.
Love to all!