Gauchos, Pampas, and Cafes: A Glimpse of Argentine Life

After sailing away from lovely Rio, we had two busy sea days before arriving in Argentina.  We kept busy attending lectures and participating in the many other activities provided.  One Good Morning Amsterdam guest was Chief Officer Friso Kramer, who was born in the Netherlands, but who now resides in Asbury Park, NJ when not at sea.  This immediately made us think of our friend Phyllis, who lives in neighboring Ocean Grove.  Officer Friso is second in command on the ship and we expect that sometime in the near future he will be at the helm of his own “dam” ship!

Cruise Director Bruce held a Question and Answer session with Doc Severinson and the San Miguel Five which allowed us to find out more about each musician, the history of the group itself, and a lot about Doc Severinson’s background.  I was particularly pleased to see Charlie Bisharat was part of this musical group because I’d seen him a few times in Chicago as a backup violinist at two John Tesh concerts, and he is also a violinist on some of my Yanni albums.  The entire group exudes tremendous energy, and their fondness and deep respect for each other shows on their faces as they share their experiences and during their performances.  It was a privilege to participate in this session, and we were thrilled to find that they would perform a second concert before disembarking in Buenos Aires.

Each of us finds things of interest on our days at sea.  Chuck and I took a walking tour of the ship with onboard florist Eddy as the guide.  He explained how he and the other florist work to create the artistic arrangements that grace the grand voyages as works of art.  Right now they are using a “pampas” theme, which means many have cow horns in the arrangements.  Al opted to watch his team, the 49ers, in their super bowl playoff while Pam chose a seminar on vitamins as nutrients.

Formal night was a festive Copacabana Samba theme, complete with boas for the ladies.  Though decorative, the boas were short lived at our table because the moment we put them on we felt like we were molting!  There were too many feathers that didn’t stay where they belonged, but it was a colorful sight in the dining room that night.

We couldn’t help but think about two very special people as we sailed up the Rio de la Plata on the 23^rd of January.  Our dad and our uncle Lyman were born on the 23^rd just over a century ago!  This made us feel particularly close to family, despite the thousands of miles separating us geographically.

The Rio de la Plata is one of the widest rivers in the world, reaching a width of over 130 miles at its widest!  As we sailed into the beautiful cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires, we were amazed at the very muddy color of the waters beneath us.  We slid backwards into our berth among hundreds and hundreds of tractor trailer size shipping containers stacked high like children’s blocks and between the ms Veendam and an MSC cruise ship, both of which departed later in the day.

Because of our location among huge cranes and containers, we had to shuttle into the terminal to board our day-long shore excursion, Gaucho Life on the Pampas. Pam, Al, Chuck and I were all on this excursion, and we were pleased to see that there were only two buses that would venture out of the city to the flat farmlands where we would enjoy the day. 

We drove through the city and picked up the Pan American Highway for our 1.5 hour drive to the ranch.  Upon our arrival we were directed to a corral area where we were seated for the first of a series of entertainments.  About a half dozen gauchos put several horses through their paces, and what looked like cattle dogs kept the horses herded together.  The horses were grouped about four to six horses, with the lead horse wearing a bell. We got a kick out of watching one of the dogs peeking through the bushes seeming to watch wistfully as other dogs ran among the horses keeping them in line as they kicked up the dust. 

Then the gauchos showed their skill in capturing rings.  Three rings about an inch in diameter were strung from a frame and the gauchos galloped at full speed in hopes of capturing one of these rings using just a sharp stick about the length of a ruler.  If the gaucho captured the ring, he would present it to a lady in the audience.  Pam and I were each pleased to take home  souvenirs given to us for a kiss on the rider’s cheek. 

After the gaucho performance, we had a selection of options:  we could tour the large and elegant hacienda, which was furnished as it would have been 75 to 100 years ago, or we could opt for a horseback ride (needless to say I didn’t make that choice), or we could take a ride on a horse drawn cart (far more to my liking than a horseback ride).  We took advantages of all the choices except the horseback riding, and we were surprised to learn that as we took the cart ride, we could see corn fields as far as the eye could see!  The other major crop in that area was soybeans!  I came to Argentina to see corn and soybeans?  Very interesting! 

After doing all the offered events, we found a seat and waited for our grilled lunch.  We were offered all the drinks we wanted as we waited – including water, soft drinks, wine, and I think beer, which certainly made for a happy group!  The gauchos who had performed earlier then began bringing us our meal: in addition to bread with some kind of garlic spread (which reminded us slightly of what is brought to the table at Parmesan’s in Frankfort) which was put on the table as soon as we sat down, there was a dish of cooked carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs.  We saw that they were serving salads, but we found later that Holland America prefers that passengers don’t eat fresh salads just in case they’re washed in the “wrong” kind of water.  Then they brought out two kinds of sausage – beef sausage and blood sausage.  I took a pass on both.  Next came the steaks, whose aroma had been tantalizing us all morning, and finally chicken was served.  The steak and chicken were really tasty!  We had a small but yummy pastry for dessert. 

Then came the entertainment, which was a folkloric show including tango, singing, and a kind of gaucho performance using ropes with balls at the end of them.  The performer was obviously very skilled in rope work! 

The day was absolutely lovely, and it was wonderful to experience what life was like for the gauchos.

Chuck and I were the only ones signed up for a tour on our second day in Argentina.  This one, Buenos Aires: Subway and Café Tortoni, was a half-day tour around the city of Buenos Aires.  Located on the Rio de la Plata, Buenos Aires is a very cosmopolitan city, and if we didn’t know better, there were some areas that looked very much like a large city in the US!   We only had two major stops, and the rest was on the bus.  The first stop was the Plaza de Mayo (May Square), quite possibly the most significant square in the city.  Surrounding it were the Casa Rosada (Pink House – their equivalent to our White House, though the president doesn’t actually live there), the Metropolitan Cathedral, the new city hall, and the former city hall, which is now a museum.  Plaza de Mayo is where people come when they want to participate in political demonstrations.  We were given twenty minutes to explore, and while Chuck went off in another direction, I opted to explore the cathedral, where General San Martin, who is credited with gaining independence for Argentina, is buried.  Our guide had told us that his tomb would be guarded by two soldiers, so I was quite surprised not to see any there.  However, just as I left the cathedral, about a half dozen soldiers marched in.  I followed them, and was able to watch the commanding officer post the first two guards of the day. 

From Plaza de Mayo, we took the subway two stops to the well-known Argentine restaurant, Café Tortoni.  The subway is significant because the cars used were the third oldest in the world and the oldest of their kind still in operation.  The car we were on was made of wood, and the doors were hand-operated. 

Café Tortoni is a Bohemian-type café dating back to the mid-1800s.  The dark wood paneling reminded us of the Berghoff Restaurant in Chicago.  There were Tiffany-style lamps and stained glass windows, as well as pictures of well-known Argentine artists, writers, musicians, decorating the interior.  We enjoyed having a light snack and exploring the vibrant café.

Back on the bus, we continued through the city, visiting beautiful mansions, significant historic sites, and very poor areas that recalled the favelas of Brazil.  In one area, the homes were made of metal painted in bright colors.  Our guide explained that people who had originally lived here couldn’t afford to buy a lot of paint so they would go to painters and ask them for whatever color happened to be left over from their last paint job.  One day they might get yellow, then next day, blue, the next day red.  So the siding would be painted whatever color was available on a given day, providing a kaleidoscope of color. 

We found it very interesting that both the guides referred to the Malvina Islands.  They both talk about them and the conflict with the British in 1982, and the guide today explained why Argentina would like to negotiate with Britain to get the Falklands back.  They are concerned about the British digging for oil in the area.  As we got off the bus the tour guide on the 24^th told us to enjoy our trip to the Falklands.  It was the first time on either tour that we heard any reference to the name Falklands rather than Malvinas. 

Just before we arrived in Buenos Aires, we received warnings from the ship that the dreaded gastro-intestinal virus was starting to spread.  While very common on ships, it’s the first time we’ve ever experienced it.  Signs of the precautions are everywhere:  from the restaurants, where every single food item is given to us directly by staff rather than picking up serving utensils ourselves, to the cabins where the stewards have disinfected ice buckets and are skipping vacuuming in an effort to avoid cross-contamination.  Even the shuttles we take to and from the terminal are wiped down with disinfectant (rails, etc.) each time passengers disembark and before the next passengers get on.  As much of an inconvenience as it is, we very much appreciate the efforts of the crew to make sure that passengers stay healthy.

We are now just three hours ahead of Chicago time and we welcomed a time change that meant gaining an hour rather than losing it!  However, as we sail toward Montevideo, we must once again set our clocks forward the hour that we just gained, making us once again four hours ahead of Chicago! 

BT