Don't Cry for Me Argentina ....

Goodbye to El Calafate

2010-02-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we left El Calafate and our wonderful local guide, Laura, and flew back to Buenos Aires. We stayed at the Sofitel, which was extremely comfortable and very handy for shopping ! We variously went to visit some of the highlights, like the Eva Peron Museum, and La Boca, and Tricia and Mike went tango'ing ! before joining us for our final dinner, fittingly, huge steaks !

The journey home on Wednesday (well Thursday actually ) was interesting. In a tropical storm, our aircraft developed a technical problem and our 10pm Wednesday flight turned into a 2.30pm Thursday take off ! Some chaos with baggage reclaim, bussing to hotels back in Buenos Aires, and eventually back to the airport. The flight went smoothly second time around and we landed in Madrid and transferred to Gatwick. A few missing bags notwithstanding, we survived and arrive home safe and sound !!

Top 10 highlights (from Andrew !)

Buenos Aires

Tango

Argentinan Golf Course (notably NOT Brazil)

Iguazu Falls

Bariloche (spectacular scenery)

Calafate

Argentinian People

Our Guides

Great Company !!

Barry's Golf Lessons.

Very special Thanks to Janet and Andrew for the photos and blogging for El Calafate !!

Bye for now - till next time,

Kate.

(catherine.docherty@tinyworld.co.uk)

Iceberg Expedition !!

2010-02-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

Today, we split into two groups and while the keen golfers took to the fairways, we boarded a catamaran for a trip around Lake Argentino to visit some more glaciers.

We set off for the Upsalla Glacier which has the biggest surface of them all (595 sq. Km. !!), 60 km long, but we couldn't get to the glacier as there were too many icebergs blocking the way. We sailed around the vacinity marvelling at the size, shape and wonderful blue colour of the icebergs.

We then headed off to the Spegazzini glacier, which can measure up to 125 metres tall ! Here we didn't have the errant icebergs and could get very close to the face. Afterwards we went back to see the North Face of the Perito Moreno, as we had seen the South Face yesterday. The other face was equally impressive and we spent some time gazing and marvelling at the awesome sight.

When we left the boat we met up with the golfers at a local Estancia, a large sheep ranch. Here we given a very impressive afternoon tea, followed by a tour of the ranch and sheep shearing demonstration. Here too, Janet found a 4 legged friend .. a horse to ride ..

We continued the evening with a Lamb Barbeque and tango show .. not quite as spectacular as the one on Buenos Aires, but all good fun nevertheless. We finished up with a

'Calafate' nightcap at the hotel (So we're definitely coming back !).

Magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier

2010-02-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Today, we visited the wonderful Perito Moreno Glacier. It was a truely spectacular sight on approach with huge cliffs of ice about 60 metres high. The glacier is about 30 kilometres long and 5 kms wide with a surface area of 195 sq. km.

The Perito Moreno sometimes experiences a Glacier Rupture. This happens when the glacier moves forward until it reaches the Magallanes Peninsula, creating a natural dam which blocks the flow of water between the two arms of the lake. The ice bridge that has been formed by the dam eventually collapses under the pressure of the water and the weight of the ice, creating what has been described as one of nature's most awesome spectacles ! We didn't see this unfortunately ! but we did see experience lots of loud cracks and bangs which resulted in many large icebergs crashing into the lake.

The glacier displayed some amazing hues of blue, depending on the compression of the ice.

The Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers said to be in 'Equilibrium'. This means that the rate at which the falling snow adds to the ice field, which feeds the glacier, is matched by the blocks of ice detonating off it's face .. so it remains largely the same size.

Our recreations of the famous Titanic scenes brought some puzzled looks from the other boat trippers ! And so to dinner in El Calafate - a lovely meal, where large Gin and Tonics all round were needed to absorb so much ice !!

Tomorrow it's out on the lake in a boat to see the icebergs first hand !

Off to El Calafate ....

2010-02-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Blogging duties are now being taken up by Janet and Andrew, to cover the extension to El Calafate. First and foremost, there are NO penguins in El Calafate ..I had asked them to bring back some nice penguin photos .. so we have a photo instead of some cousin penguins from South Africa !!!

The flight to El Calafate followed the Andes southwards with some spectacular views. El Calafate is situated on the Lago Argentino (Lake Argentina) and surrounded by harsh rolling steppe and of course the Calafate bush which gives the city it's name. Local legend says that visitors who eat the jam from the Calafate bush will return (El que come el calafate volvera).

El Calafate has expanded hugely in the past 10 years due to visitors coming to view the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier. However, the afternoon was not spent viewing glaciers or eating jam, but sampling and confirming the quality of the local ice cream !!

Adios Asuncion

2010-02-09T08:59:00.001-08:00

I was very sad to leave Paraguay today. I tried hard to bring my best friend with me. I even got him an Irish passport, but No, Sylvana wouldn't have it and Conor stays at home.

Today was another scorcher ! The sign on the street as we drove to the airport said 42 degrees. Although it's tough now, I'm sure I will soon be longing for the heat when I get back to London !

We arrived at the airport and check in was straight forward. Just time for a quick coffee and then away. Adios Asuncion and Muchas Gracias to Alberto and Celeste and family for a wonderful time in Paraguay.

Wonderful Farewell Dinner

2010-02-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

Thursday was my last evening in Paraguay and we had a lovely family dinner to say Adios. Here's I am with the family (and Conor !). The Ireland and Ulster Rubgy Shirts were a theme of the evening ! Both Alberto's and Celeste's Mums came along too, which was wonderful. I felt very privileged to be part of a lovely family gathering.

We had a lovely meal in the wonderful new dining room. Celeste, who is an architect, designed the extension to the house, which includes 2 beautiful big reception rooms, a lovely luxury lounge and a magnificent dining room, where we had dinner tonight.

Tomorrow it's back to reality and probably snow in London !

Asuncion

2010-02-09T07:39:00.001-08:00

Today, Thursday we explored Asuncion. Here's Alberto and Celeste at the Government buildings, at the port on the river. We visited the oldest house in Asuncion, which is now a museum. We strolled around the port and through the city centre. As the local attractions were closing for siesta, we headed for lunch at one of the most established cafe / bars, on Star Street. The Paraguay flag has 2 different emblems, one on each side. One of the has the Star and the Palm, and the other has the Lion. Here's the Lion emblem from the museum we visited this morning. The other emblem, the Stars and Palm gave their names to 2 of the major streets in the city, Star Street (where we had lunch) and Palm street nearby where the other old established bar is. The meal was lovely, more Surubi for me ! It's very much a local bar with no tourists.

After lunch we visited the Cathederal, which boasts one of the side altars taken from the Franciscans Church at Yaguaron.

Then we went to the Pantheon (like in Rome) where many of the national heros are buried. One of the most prominent was Mariscal Francisco Solano Lopez, whose father Don Carlos Lopez was the first President of Paraguay.

Before Lopez senior, Paraguay was ruled by the dictator Gaspar Rodriges de Francia (Dr. Francia) who defeated the Spanish on 15th May 1811, and ruled as the distator until he died.

Mariscal Francisco Lopez led Paraguay against the joint forces of Argentina, Brazil and Uraguay. The war ended when he was killed in 1870, with Paraguay a much small country than it had originally been before the war with it's neighbours. Before this war, Paraguay had been the second biggest country in South America after Brazil.

Mariscal Lopez's lady escort was Madame Lynch, originally from Cork in Ireland. Madame Elisa Alicia Lynch had already been married in France, so they never married, although she travelled with him and supported him to the end. They had 8 children together, one of whom died as a baby and is buried close to her mother in Asuncion's Recoleta cemetery (same name as the famous cemetery in Buenos Aires where Evita is buried).

We stopped at a market in one of the city squares where the native Indians come to sell their wares, mostly leather and lace, and we bought some souviners. Then we went to the Recoleta cemetery to see Madame Lynch's grave. The cemetery is very similar to it's namesake in Buenos Aires, with very elaborate mauseleums built like small houses. This is Madame Lynch's grave on the right.

Afterwards, we went to see Alberto's Mum who lives closeby. I was delighted to see her. I had met her in London.

We came home via the supermarket, where we found some K-Zero chickens ! I got a nice welcome home from my new best friend Conor ..

Natan's Farm

2010-02-09T06:42:00.001-08:00

We called in to see Celeste's brother in law, Natan and his family on their farm. It's a big farm with Soya crops, cattle and lots of fruit trees. There are also plenty of dogs !

We sat around under a tree with the family chatting and drinking Terere, my first taste of the local delicacy. Drinking Terere is very much a social ritual where the cup (the Mate) is passed from one to another and the refreshing drink is shared among friends and family. Terere is made from the Yerba Mate leaves, the same leaves that are used for Mate, which is made with hot water. Terere is similar but made with iced water. Natan made his with iced water, lemon and mint. It was very refreshing in the heat.

Natan and his family are of German descent and definitely look more European than South American. Natan was a very gracious host and spent time showing us around the farm. Here he is pulling leaves from a Yerba Mate tree. This is how they are harvested .. by hand.

Natan has some areas of forrest where the native Guarani live and work for him. The trailer above, in the main picture is used for transporting tree trunks. It's huge. The wheels are taller than him and he's over 6 foot. It takes 6 bulls to pull the cart.

Natan also pulled some mendioca for us to bring home and we also picked some grapes .. It was a really lovely time at the farm, relaxed and sunny as a guest on a real live farm .. certainly not a tourist trail !

A Day out in History ....

2010-02-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

Today, we drove about 300 kilometers to Itapua in the South of Paraguay to see the Reductions. These were small towns built by the Jesuits in the 1500's. The were called Reductions because they were small and integrated. All of the buildings and services were close together in the centre of the town.

Celeste told me to bring extra clothes and plenty of sun cream as we were going to Scotland ! - the distance to Scotland, definitely not the temperature of Scotland ! It was about 40 degrees today too.

On the way we stopped off to visit another National Treasure, the Chapel at Yaguaron. This was built by the Guaranies, under the direction of the Franciscans in the early 1600's. It's a magnificent building with a hugely elaborate alter carved of wood and painted with gold and vegetable dye, which is remarkable as the Guaranies had no experience at all of this kind of construction before the Franciscans came. It's still a working church and there was a funeral coming in just as we left.

We drove on to the Reductions. There are 2 close together, one called Trinidad (the Trinity) and the other is Jesus. The Reductions are extremely well preserved and the sites are very well looked after. Originally, when the Jesuits came, they learned the local Guarani language and taught the local people in their own language. The Jesuits were very well respected by the Guaranies, and in fact created a huge area of influence, almost like an Empire. The Spanish, who had always kept the Guaranies as slaves, felt threatened by the partnership the Jesuits built with the local people and this contributed to the Jesuits being expelled by the Spanish in the 1630's.

The Reductions are a big tourist attraction, although there were not many visitors today, probably because of the heat. We only saw two other visitors, two French guys. We had to try and find shade to walk around in all day, but shade was scarce, particularly in the Trinidad reduction, as there is a lot of open space. This one is the most complete with the ruins of all of the buildings and areas well preserved. We visited the terraced houses where the Guaranies lived, the school, the Church and the Bell tower. The Jesus Reduction, just has the Church still standing, but again very well preserved and looked after. We had a guide at Jesus, who brought us around and explained the history.

After our long journey and visit to the Reductions we went to look for lunch. The guide recommended the Orange House, at Jesus, which we had seen on the way in. This was a little cafe, absolutely in the middle of no where, opposite the bus stop. I thought I'd wait for the bus for a while ! It comes once a day, and when it did come, our 2 French friends were aboard. We didn't quite figure out where it goes ..

We had a lovely local lunch at the Orange House and I got a big surprise when we went inside to find an Irish Flag and some smaller ones from Dublin.

The owner explained that a team from Habitat for Humanity in Dublin had come last year to build houses. This is the global charity that I work with and have been away building with a few times. I was amazed at the coincidence that we came across some of their work here, in the middle of no where in Southern Paraguay.

After lunch we left Jesus, to visit some of Celeste's relatives who live close by before we'd drive home to Asuncion.

Golf as it should be ....

2010-02-08T15:12:00.001-08:00

Today, Team Ireland took to the fairways at the Paraguay Yacht and Golf club ! We had a wonderful time. The course is absolutely beautiful and very well cared for.

Other than one other playing lesson with the pro behind us, there was no one else on the course and we played millionaire's golf !

Apart from Alberto and Celeste and myself, we had Fabrizzio, Sylvana and Stefano playing today, all of whom take lesson every weekend at the club and showed off very nice golf swings ..

The game was very relaxed and in the 40 degree heat there was even time for a Terere break under a tree. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze today, which wasn't great for the golf, but absolutely vital for survival ! We stopped for a drink after 9, and then had a very nice lunch before we tackled the back nine.

It was so hot that the iced water we'd brought with us from the 10th, was soon boiled, to the extent that you could almost make tea with it !

We struggled through the heat, but finished with the wonder, tricky island green of the Par 3 18th - a lovely finishing hole.

Tonight, we went out to dinner in a stylish city restaurant. We all had Surubi, the local fish caught from the River Paraguay which flows thru the city. It was wonderful. Here's the Surubi at the fishmongers .. I think he looks a lot better on the plate !!

Down on the Farm .. and some culture too.

2010-02-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Today, we took in some sights and history on the way to the farm.

We went to Caacupe, which is a little like a South American version of Lourdes. The legend behind Caacupe is that the native Indian who was fleeing from the Spanish, hid behind a Yerba Mate bush when he was surrounded and prayed to the Virgin to save him. He then became invisible and the Spansih did not capture him. His prayer was that if he was saved, he would build a statue to the Virgin, which he did. He made 2 statues. One was found floating on the lake Ypacarci nearby and was taken to the chapel where it remains today. - see above and note the Indian praying at the statue (and the hand casts of prayer at the bottom). The name Caacupe means behind (cupe) the Yerba bush (Caa), and has given it's name to the City and the Virgin. On 8th December every year, the Virgin of Caacupe is celebrated and people walk for many miles around to visit the Chapel. The statue is dressed with new vestments for the celebrations every year.

As was the case in some parts of Argentina, the Native Indians in Paraguay were the Guarani (pronounced 'Waranii'). In Paraguay however, the tradition and history seems more apparent. Guarani is still an official language of Paraguay and the currency too is called the Guarani (about 5000 to the dollar, so it's quite easy to be a millionaire !).

We had a lovely lunch at a hiltop restaurant overlooking the countryside. The drive to get there was interesting and we definitely needed the 4 x 4 to negotiate some of the roads ! Here we are at lunch near the farm. The restaurant, which is also a hotel, has it's own small zoo, where we saw lots of parrots, monkeys and a pair of tucan ! I was very surprised to see ducks eating mangos. Mangos are so plentiful here that there is no price for them. They grow everywhere and the dogs and ducks eat them ! The local mango is smaller than the one we know in Europe, but wonderful nevertheless.

And so to the farm. The Farm is mainly a Chicken Farm, but also has many wonderful fruit trees, including Mango (of course), pineapple, banannas, oranges, lemons and tangerines, guava. I had a great time tasting and smelling the fruit.

Here's Alberto and Celeste with their first investment, the first chicken house. There are now 3 more as well as a thriving distribution business. The label is K-Zero, which means Home Made.

And of course we met Conor's cousin Sean. Here he is ..

When we left the farm we headed home via Saint Bernadino, which was originally founded by some German visitors. This is a summer resort for the rish and famous and boasts some magnificent homes by the lake. It is only active for about 2 or 3 months of the year and most of it closes down for the winter.

Home again after a a long and fun packed day. Tomorrow, we'll play at the golf club - really looking forward to that.

Hola Paraguay !!!

2010-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

After many years of threatening, I finally arrived in Asuncion, Paraguay. Here's the welcoming committee. That's Sylvana and Stefano, who came along to the airport with Alberto and Celeste to collect me. The first thing you notice about Paraguay is the heat. It hits you straight away. It's like walking into an oven.

After settling in and meeting the rest of the family, Fabrizzio and Didier, we took a short trip to the hill that overlooks the city. Here I am with the Native Cacique Lambare (Chief Lambare) who led the Paraguayans against the Spanish in the early 16th Century.

We drove home via the golf club. It's the Yacht and Golf Club of Paraguay and looks absolutely fantastic. I'm really looking forward to playing there during the week.

When we got home , the pool looked so inviting, I had to join the others for a dip, before dinner. It was lovely, really cool and refreshing. Celeste's Mum joined us for dinner, which was great, although Celeste had to work overtime in the translation due to my lack of Espanol !!

My theme of 4 legged friends continues in Paraguay and here, I really feel at home as 2 of the dogs have Irish names. Conor lives in the house. He's gorgeous .. here he is with his 'Mum' Sylvana and tomorrow we'll meet Sean at the farm. Conor has a little friend at home too, called Jack.

A really wondeful day and I'm delighted to have come to Paraguay at last to see my good friends the Modicas.

Bye Bye Bariloche ....

2010-02-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning we left the Lodge at Arelauquen and headed off our separate ways. Here's the motly crew leaving the Lodge.

I flew back to Buenos Aires and stayed over at the Sofitel before heading off to Paraguay.

Noonie met us at the airport and we had the chance to have a final drink with her later on.

Thanks to Noonie for a wonderful stay in Buenos Aires.

And very special thanks to Simon for looking after us so well on the trip.

I will continue the blog from Paraguay and Janet and Andrew are going to take up blogging duties to report on Calafate, and the penguins !!

Bye for now,

Kate

Final Dinner .. Great Craic !

2010-01-30T19:16:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe but tonight is our last night together as the main tour is now over and tomorrow we go our separate ways, many to the tour extension to Calafate, Colin and Polly to their R&R in Uraguay, Simon back to Basingstoke and I'm off to Paraguay.

Here we are above, assembled in the lounge at the Arelauquen Lodge ready for our final dinner and prize giving. Simon did a fantastic job on the prizes and was brave enough even to buy jewelry for some of the Ladies' prizes.

With so many different competitions throughout the 2 weeks, there was a prize for everyone and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We had a lovely meal, washed down by the odd glass or two of wonderful Argentinian wine. We finished up with a few stories, gags and of course a bit of a sing song, where Danny Boy appeared again as well as a local special .. Don't Cry for Me Argentina.

A really wonderful evening. Special Thanks to Simon for a great job very well done in looking after us all through thick and thin ! for the 2 weeks and for arranging a great prize giving event. Well done indeed.

Our last Day Together ...

2010-01-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

Today was our last day of the tour and we had a very packed, and fun packed ! day. We started with a tour of the Bariloche area including the chair lift to the top to overlook the lakes. Unfortuately the weather wasn't kind and in fact it was lashing rain for some of the time when we were at the top of the chair lift. However, without the rain we wouldn't have had the wonderful fetching outfits ! the yellow rain coats. The view from the top, even in the rain was spectacular.

The tour continued after we came down from the chair left, around the lakes and we stopped to get a wonderful view of the Llao Llao golf course where we played yesterday.

As you can see above, I met another friend by the Church in Llao Llao. His name is Newal (I think !) and he was adoreable ..

And here's the group towards the end of the tour at Lake Mareno. There are a few folks missing .. the intrepid horse riders, Janet, Sally and Hugh .. and Simon who made a brave attempt to get out on the water in a Kayak .. but the weather defeated the project !

After the tour, it was back to the Arelauquen, for our final game of golf. It was a great fun competition .. a Team Texas Scramble. I played with Barrie (the Number One Coach on tour !), Lesley and Steve. We had a great game .. really enjoyable and I was delighted to get the chance to watch and learn from Barrie.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable time .. but unfortunately, the course didn't respond as well as it might have done to our efforts and we finished out of the prizes !!

Back to base then to get ready for our last evening's dinner !

Llao Llao Golf Club

2010-01-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today, we played at the Llao Llao Golf club. It's pronounced Jauw Jauw and it means Sweet Sweet (i.e. very sweet / Nice). It's called after a very sweet fungus that grows on the local trees.

The golf course was absolutely beautiful, with fantastic scenery throughout, and some nce water holes. Today was individual stableford. I played with Allison, Polly and Janet. We had a really great game, really enjoyed the course ..and we brought in the winner ! Allison was in good form again and won the Ladies event. Colin had a much better day too and won the Men's event.

After golf, we had lunch at the Golf club, and headed back to Arelauquen for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow is our last day together. It's hard to believe that we've been away almost 2 weeks. We have a tour of the Bariloche area in the morning and our final game of golf in the afternoon.

Arelauquen Golf and 4 legged friends !!

2010-01-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Today we played at the Arelauquen golf course, where we're staying. The contrast between this and the last game at the Bourbon could not have been greater. It's a wonderful course with fantastic scenery .. it looks like Julie Andrews will pop out any minute from behind a tree singing 'The Hills are alive .. ' !! Today was 'Hidden Pairs', which was good fun. Everyone played individual stableford and the pairs were drawn afterwards by picking cards. I played with Janet and Colin. We had a wonderful day out and the less said about the golf the better !! We all struggled, but we can't blame the course. It was lovely. Here's the terrible threesome after the game. Allison was the hero today with 37 points and she and her mystery partner, Mike, almost did the trick, but were pipped at the post by another mysterious pairing, Sally and Lesley. Well Done !!

After golf today, we went into Bariloche where we had some time at leisure before dinner at the wonderfully local Family Weiss restaurant. One of the highlights of the day for me were the 4 Legged friends we met today. Here's one with Simon outside the Lodge .. he looks more like a sheep than a dog ! And here's another friend Janet and I met in the Square in Town. He's called Duke. He looks so much at home in the mountains. I didn't check the barrel, but I'm sure it was genuine brandy !

Dinner at the family Weiss was a very local affair with Patagonian Lamb and local trout in good supply. We had a lovely meal and headed back to our Lodge ready for another day's golf at the Llao Llao club (pronounced Jauw Jauw) tomorrow.

More on Mate & Glorious Bariloche

2010-01-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

We set off this morning from Iguazu to fly to Bariloche via Buenos Aires. On the coach to the airport, Maria picked up the story on Yera Mate, and after yesterday´s practical, today we had the history and theory! The Yerba Mate plant was originally grown wild by the native Guanani people. When the Jesuits arrived in the 1600´s, at first they banned the plant as they believed it was a drug, bt when they discovered it was in fact harmless and a lot better than the alternative - alcohol, they adopted it and encouraged it´s use, and cultivated the plant themselves.

Yerba Mate is the 3rd industry in the Iguazu region. First is the Pine tree business for paper, followed by tourism and then by the cultivation of Yebra Mate leaves. The process is complex and takes about a year from picking the leaves to being ready for consumption. The leaves are picked by hand, left to settle, shaken periodically and are ready for sale in about a year. definitely a fine art !

Our flights were uneventful. Thankfully both on time and we arrived as planned in Bariloche about 7.30pm. The terrain on the approach to Bariloche airport was very different to anything we had seen to date in Argentina. In fact it resembled a huge Links Golf Course with dunes and fairways. We reckon it would take a while to get around it with a 7 iron !

We drove from the airport to the hotel through some magnificent scenery and we could see why the area is often referred to as Little Switzerland. It has a very Alpine feel and the lakes and surrounding mountains are truely wonderful. We arrived at our Country Club, the Arelauquen, to find a vast estate of private villas and lodges. We´re staying in the main Guest Lodge, a beautiful building that looks like an overgrown Log Cabin, with a fantastic view over the golf course and the mountains in the background. Here's the view from the lounge in the Lodge .. fantastic. We´re very much looking forward to playing the course tomorrow.

Birthday Celebrations

2010-01-27T13:19:00.001-08:00

Hi,

Well after a not exactly perfect day on the golf course, our local agents redeemed the situation by treating us to a wonderful dinner in Porto Iguazu. We drove into town to a really nice restaurant, for our last night in Iguazu. We had a birthday girl with us - it was Lesley's birthday and we helped her celebrate. We had a great meal, mostly fish, which was quite unusual so far in Argentina. Maria organised a birthday cake and we sang Happy Birthday. We also had a few impromptu tunes and my favourite, Danny Boy got a bit of a hammering.

Lesley shares her birthday with another famous birthday boy. Last night was Burn's Night and we raised a glass to the bard and finished with a rousing chorous of Auld Lang's Syne.

We had a lovely evening and here´s today´s intrepid foursome at the end of the evening.

We´re off down south to Bariloche tomorrow for some golf and relaxation where we understand it´s slightly cooler.

Bye for now,

Kate

A Lesson on Mate & Interesting Golf !!

2010-01-25T13:04:00.001-08:00

As promised, today Maria brought some hot water and Mate, to show us how to make it and let us sample the local staple refreshment. It's something of an acquired taste, but we enjoyed it and I'm sure it set us up well for the day ahead after a very early start.

The Bourbon Club wasn't exactly the most welcoming, with staff who didn't have either English or Spanish and who couldn't fathom why these strange foreigners would want water to drink, when they were only going out in a mere 90 degrees !! It was a struggle but we did eventually get the water and started off on our round.

Today's game was the infamous Men v the Ladies. Lesley and I played better ball against Andrew and Hugh. Here's the intrepid foursome before we started.

It's obviously not high golfing season at the Bourbon Club and the tee boxes and fairways and even the greens had not seen a mower in quite a while. The 11th fairway was a particular challenge. We all hit good drives down the fairway .. all of which proved impossible to find as the grass was knee high !!! Here's Lesley with her ball in the middle of the fairway.

Nevertheless, we survived and had a great game. Andrew started like a dream and with help from Hugh, parred and birdied his way to a 4 hole lead at the turn. We were looking dead and buried ! But we rallied on the back nine and got to the 18th only one down. This was index 1 and all 3 of us had shots on Andrew on this one. It came down to the last put, but we managed to hold on for a win and the match ended in an honourable half .. a fitting result.

Here we are looking not quite so chirpy at the end of it all. The overall result went in favour of the Ladies 2 1/2 to 1 1/2, so our half mattered (Glad we didn't know that on the 18th !!).

We almost had an International incident before we left. We waited on the bus for what seemed like forever, while Simon and Maria sorted out things with the club. They had confirmed the costs yesterday, but our Brazillian friends claimed that the exchange rate had changed so much overnight that the cost had increased massively. Serious difficulties ensued, particularly as there was no common language. The incident was only averted when Steve, with his lawer's hat on (must be the only thing he hasn't lost so far on the trip !) intervened.

We eventually escaped from Brazil and back to our nice comfy and friendly hotel on the Argentinian side. We're off to dinner in Iguazu tonight and tomorrow we fly to Bariloche, where we understand it's a bit cooler than here !

Bye for now,

Kate

Iguazu from Brazil ...

2010-01-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Today we crossed the border from Argentina into Brazil and saw the Falls from the Brazilian side. Whereas yesterday, we were very close to the falling water and could really hear and feel the thunderous noise, today we were a little farther back and could appreciate the sheer size, width and majesty of the Iguazu Falls.

Maria picked us up and we drove the few hundred yards to the border. There are 2 borders. One to leave Argentina and one to enter Brazil. The line representing the border between Argentina and Brazil runs down the centre of the Iguazu river. We stopped on the bridge over the river, had Brazil ahead, Argentina behind us and Paraguay, visible a little down the river to our left. The flagstones on the bridge are painted in the flags of the 2 countries and cleverly show the exact line of the border. Having cleared both sets of border checks, we continued to the Brazil side of the Park. We left the bus and started on our walk. It was absolutely one of the most spectacular walks imaginable. The trail brought right around the falls from the smaller falls to the largest. We were very lucky in that the river is currently at it's highest and the roar of the water is truely majestic. We saw some boats doing the same journey that we did yesterday. We were too far away to hear their screams, but I'm sure they were just as loud as ours were yesterday !

Here's Maria and me enjoying the view

Our friendly rainbow appeared again and gave an air of magic to the whole scene. We finished our walk with a ride in the lift which brings you back up to the top, had a lovely relaxed lunch on a terrace overlooking the water and had time to reflect on such a wonderful experience of the Falls from both sides.

Golf tomorrow at the Bourbon International across the border again in Brazil.

Wow !! Iguazu ....

2010-01-23T14:23:00.001-08:00

Hi - Today was a real Wow !! Day. We left Buenos Aires early at about 7.30 and flew to Iguazu. It was a very clear and mostly cloudless flight and you could see everything on the ground. The pilot made a wonderful fly over the falls before we landed and it was absolutely spectacular in the sunshine. We landed at Iguazu International Airport. I'd seen the runway from the flight and it looked just like a small road in the middle of a forest. We met up with our new guide Maria and transferred to our hotel quickly and then started on our afternoon tour. We drove to the Argentina side of the Falls to the National Park, which is actually a tropical jungle. We took the small train (The Green Train of the Jungle) to the start point of the walk and then walked across the top of the Falls, over very high fast flowing rapids, apparently the highest the river has been for a long time given the recent rain. This led us to the viewing platform, at the Devil's Throat, where we were almost deafened by the thunderous roar of the water. It's a magnificent sight, complete with rainbow ! We then walked back across the top of the rapids to the meeting point, to start our next treat.. the Grand Adventure. This was terrific and definitely another highlight of the trip. We started off on a truck, with our guide Enrique. We drove through the jungle for about 10k. Enrique told us about some of the species in the jungle. There are somewhere between 200 and 400 species of Butterfly ( I reckon we saw quite a few of the hundreds of species in the few hours we were in the jungle), and about 450 species of birds. Here's one of the colourful butterflies, that took a particular shine to Steve! We saw a Pelican high in a tree by the roadside. Enrique also pointed out some huge spider's webs which stretched from one side of the jungle road to the other, with really big spiders in them. He told us that there are Jaguar in the jungle (or American tigers, as they sometimes call them), that can grow to 140 or 150 Kilos. He's never seen one and I'm very glad we didn't either !

The truck brought us to another meeting point where we walked down a lot of steps and onto the boat for our ride to and through ! the Falls. We got onto what looked like a very large rubber dingy, with seats and life jackets. We'd been well warned by Maria that we'd get very wet .. she wasn't wrong ! We were given big water proof bags to put our belongings into ; told to take off our shoes and put away anything that we wanted to keep dry, like cameras, watches etc. Then we roared off through the incredible River Iguazu towards the Falls. We were almost under the falling water. It was majestic .. and as warned, we got absolutely drowned .. but it was wonderful, a very memorable and exciting afternoon. We even saw another magnificent full rainbow as we sped towards the falls. We didn't find the crock of gold .. maybe tomorrow !

There was quite a trek up various wet and slippery steps and pathways when we got off the boat and we had a few more oportunities to photograph and marvel at the various different views of the Falls .. What a wonderful day.

Tonight was low key and quite. We had dinner in our hotel, which looks terrrific. It has lovely outdoor pools, which we plan to test out tomorrow after our tour of the Brazillian side of the Falls. We look forward to that,

Bye for now,

Kate

Feeling the Heat at Hurlingham !

2010-01-22T14:25:00.001-08:00

Hello again,

Today we played at The Hurlingham Club, in the North West of Buenos Aires, and it is indeed extremely colonial in style. It's not actually a golf club. It's just 'The Hurlingham Club'. The feature activity is Polo, and we heard that The Hurlingham is currently Number One in Polo. Prince Charles has played polo here. There's also Cricket, Tennis and a swimming Pool, and a golf course which plots it's way around the other activities. This would explain why the caddies told us 'Out of Bounds' on the right and the left on almost every hole ! The Hurlingham, founded by members of the British Community in 1888, is extremely exclusive and the extensive grounds and sports fields are very well cared for. We're told that Del Potro comes to practise on the grass tennis courts before Wimbledon. The temperature today, like yesterday was probably 100 degrees +. It was seriously hot and energy sapping .. well that's my excuse for very poor golf. With heat swollen hands and welts on both hands, the clubs felt very alien in my hands today. We had a team game today ; 2 best scores out of 3. Here's our team : Allison, Mike and me. We weren't brilliant and finished a bit down the pack ! Better to come next week.

We enjoyed drinks in the shade of a well placed tree after the round (here's Noonie with Hugh and Steve) then had a very nice lunch of steak, following by brownies and ice cream.

A quiet night tonight as we have a very early start, to fly to Iguazu in the morning. We look forward to seeing the Falls from both the Argentina and Brazil sides and to a game at the Bourbon International Golf Club on Monday.

Bye for now,
Kate

Sizzling in the Sunshine at Pilar Golf Club

2010-01-21T18:13:00.001-08:00

Hello again,

Today we played golf at the Pilar Golf and Contry Club just outside Buenos Aires. It's a lovely course and we really enjoyed our day. I played with Jenny, Sally and Tricia and we had a really nice round. Today was individual Stableford, but we have some team games to come and apparently the highlight will be a match between the men and the ladies on the last day of the trip .. should be interesting. The heat today was incredible. I don't think I've ever played golf in heat like it. It was 36 degrees, which I'm reliably informed is 102 in English !! We all had buggies today, and we certainly needed them. We made a point of drinking as much water as possible, but still felt the heat. Nevertheless a wonderful day in the sunshine on a very pleasant and scenic course. Here's Jenny at the Par 3 8th, on her way to a birdie, which in fact was about 6 inches from a hole in one ! Well Done Jenny. Everyone at the club was very welcoming and Nuni did her usual job of looking after everyone, and interpreting for the waiters at lunch ! We had a nice relaxed lunch at 'The Old English Pub' in the Golf Club and then back to get ready for Wine Tasting and dinner in town.

We had a very interesting tutored wine tasting event at a specialist Winery and Restaurant. Here's our sommalier putting us through our paces, testing Argentina's finest. We tasted a Torrontes from the Salta region in the North West, a Pinot Noir from Patagonia and the star of the show, a Malbec from Mendoza. All went down very well ! accompanied by some small sancks designed either to compliment or to contrast the wine. All were delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed our wine tasting event. This was followed by another wonderful meal at the restaurant and then it was back to prepare for what looks like another sizzling day tomorrow. Tomorrow, we play at the Hurlingham club, which we understand is as English as cricket !

Will check in tomorrow after play,

Kate.

Tango to Die for .....

2010-01-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

On Wednesday evening, after our wonderful day in the city, and dinner, we headed to San Telmo to 'El Viejo Almacen' for what has emerged as a huge highlight of our trip .. a live Tango show.

Noonie explained to us during the day that the Tango was born around the port in Buenos Aires in La Boca, where we were earlier in the day. It originated as an imitation of the frequent fist fights around the port area and was danced exclusively by men. It was only when the sailors, shipbuilders and port workers began to visit the Ladies of the Night in La Boca that women became involved in the Tango. This is why it was denounced by the Church and the upper classes, as it was seen as obscene and undesirable. In fact at the turn of the 20th Century, you could get arrested and jailed for dancing the Tango ! The young aristorcats brought the dance to Europe and when the French embraced the new fashionable and passionate dance, it then became acceptable in Buenos Aires, given their tendancy to import fashions and customs from Europe, particularly from France. So it became OK to perform the Tango in Buenos Aires.

Noonie explained the Tango and it's music as the Musical Expression of a Changing Culture in a Growing City .... which is a very fitting description.

The show was outstanding, undoubtedly the most amazing dancing show I've ever been to. The energy, the fittness, the skill and pure passion of the dancers was incredible. We had brilliant seats at the very front of the house and had a fantastic view of their feet and legs moving at the speed of light, and amazingly no injuries ! It was a truely magnificent spectacle and absolutely worth a visit to see how's it's done.

As well as the dancing, we were treated to some unique music from a group of Andean musicians, and some songs, including a few from an 87 year old former singing star, whose passion for her trade and her city was very obvious.
A truely memorable evening and definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Evita and our City Tour

2010-01-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hi,

It's only late afternoon today, Wednesday, our 3rd day and we've already had a wonderful day. We started off after breakfast on our bus for a city tour with Noonie, our brilliant local guide. Noonie brought us through a few different disctricts and explained their background and history. We saw Palermo, a wealthy north city suburb with an Italian influence and we drove around Recoleta and marvelled at the large stylish French sytle houses, built by the very wealthy farmers for the families in the 1800's when Argentina was a big force in global agriculture. Recoleta is still a wealthy area and the major status symbol is still a stylish Mauseleum at the Recoleta Cemetery, which is where Evita, Eva Peron is buried. Noonie filled us in on some background on Evita before we visited the Cemetery. Evita was the 5th child of an 'illegitimate' family (i.e. the family of a wealthy man's mistress) in Buenos Aires. Her father died when she was 5 and as her mother was the mistress rather than the wife, there was no provision for her family at all after his death and they struggled to live on her mother's income as a seamstress. Evita was very attractive, and was brought to the city as an actress when she was still a teenager, with limited success. She married Peron at 20, and although she undoubtedly had influence, she did not have an official position in his government when he became President. She continued to work for the poor, but was often rejected by organisers of large Charities, because she was of humble birth and was illegitimate. She died at the very young age of 33.

Public opinion in Argentina is divided on Evita's work to help the poor. It is viewed either as genuinely helping those less fortunate, or alternatively as an opportunity to get revenge on the rich, and a possible reaction to her plunge from wealthy to destitute at the age of 5.

We visited the very stylish Recoleta Cemetery. It's an amazing place with what looks like posh residential avenues. The picture at the top shows Noonie in one of these avenues inside the cemetery. The size and complexity of the burial chambers reflects the wealth and social status of the family. Here's a very well appointed chamber on the 'main road' with a glass front, containing a bust of the occupant !

The chamber where Evita is buried is a lot less spectacular. In fact is wasn't built for her and has multiple occupants. Here's Noonie pointing it out to us. Evita is buiried 12 feet deep under the walkway. Some say it's fitting that she is walked on regularly ..

After the Cemetery we went to a very famous and fashionable cafe, the Cafe Tortoni for coffee. It looks very European and reminded me of the old Bewleys on Grafton Street in Dublin. A very nice mid morning break before we continued on our tour of the city. We took a short ride on the underground to the city centre, to May Square, where Buenos Aires was founded for the second time. This was because the original city of the Holy Trinity was not located at the port, but farther north, where today's northern suburbs are. The port of Santa Maria de Buenos Aires ('Our Lady of the Good Winds' - the patron of Spanish Shippping) was to the south. The port became more and more important as the Spanish used this route to transport the silver from Peru to Europe. The Caribbean route was too dangerous because of the pirates ! The port also grew as a huge centre for contraband. The port city was later declared the Capital city of Argentina. The official name of the city is still Santa Maria de Buenos Aires, but always shortened to Buenos Aires.

We then drove on to the wonderful bohemian, artistic district of La Boca (it means the Mouth of the River). This is like a fantasy quarter with very brightly coloured houses and streets with artists painting and selling their work. It's a bit like a more 'in your face' version of Monmartre in Paris.

In the interests of balance, Noonie reluctantly brought us to see the Boca Juniors stadium on the edge of the La Boca area. She told us an interesting story of the influence of the 2 big football teams in Buenos Aires. Coke wanted to sponsor both teams. River Plate readily agreed to Coke endorsements in their club colours of red and white. Boca, however wouldn't have it, and would not allow any red and white (River Plate colours) advertisements in their stadium. Instead they now have the only Coke advertisements in the world which are not red and white. We saw the black and white Coke advertising hoardings. They looked very strange !

After La Boca, we had a wonderful lunch in a cosmopolitan restaurant on the river front in Puerto Madero. There was all sorts of food from all corners of the world, but I stuck with the local speciality of red meat ! and had some wonderful lamb, which you can see being cooked on a huge open spit .. wonderful. I've never tasted better.

After lunch, it was shopping or leisure or whatever .. ready for tonight's dinner and Tango date !

Rusty Golf in a fantastic setting !!

2010-01-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

We just finished our first day's golf here in Buenos Aires. Thankfully the rain didn't materialise and we had a lovely dry round in very pleasant weather. I don't know what the temperature was today, but it wasn't oppressive. We drove out of town for about an hour to the Martindale Golf and Country Club. On the way we trailed the River Plate for a while and learned that it is the widest river in the world, as it enters the estuary. (Our local guide, Noonie, is great. She's a mine of information). We also passed the River Plate Stadium, which Noonie claims is home to the best team in Argentina. There was a bit of debate on this one on the way, from the Boca Juniors fans !

Martindale is a magnificent complex with villas surounded by wonderful grounds with polo fields and a fantastic golf course. The course was in great condition, and with a very temperate climate, there was really no excuse for anything but wonderful golf today .. We didn't quite manage that ! Well, it was our first day following a very taxing journey - so I think I can safely blame the jetlag ! I played with Lesley and Simon. We had a lovely game, and although we all had our moment, we're expecting better to come as the week goes on !
Here we are with the caddies after the round. My caddy today was Charlie. He was a good caddy, and a handy golfer too. He plays off 8. His English was nowhere near as good as his golf though ! and we had some interesting exchanges .. but we managed !

After the golf, it was in to the the all important business of lunch in the club house. Martindale has quite a colonial feel to it and the club house is beautiful too, in keeping with the wonderful course and grounds. Lunch too lived up to the billing. So much so that we couldn't face dinner tonight ! A great first day's golf ; very enjoyable and a good taster of what's to come for the next 2 weeks.

Tomorrow is a culture day where we have some city tours and Dinner with Tango tomorrow night !! That should keep us busy !

Our next golf is at the Pilar Club on Thursday.

Bye for now,
Kate

Arrived !!

2010-01-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

Well we've arrived safe and sound in Buenos Aires, to our hotel, the Emperador, which is very central, just off the main Avenue 9 de Julio.

We started off at Gatwick on Sunday morning about 7.30, under the expert guidance of our tour leader Simon. Flew to Madrid. We had a bit of a delay due to Spanish Air Traffic control problems, but got to Madrid in time for a nice lesiurely lunch and a stroll about before returning to the airport for our flight to Buenos Aires. It was a long one - 12 hours, and we arrived at about 7am this morning, and transferred to our hotel. Today was at leisure to recover ! And we had dinner tonight at a local Italian restaurant near the hotel. We had a lovely meal - very Argentinian .. tons of steak and lashings of red wine .. a good start ! There may be a stewart's enquiry tomorrow if Allison and Colin bring home the bacon, as they were last seen with some very dodgy local substance that was loosley referred to as tea .. see evidence ! And here's Simon sorting out affairs with the restaurant after the meal.

Our first game is tomorrow morning at the Martindale Golf Club. We're hoping that the weather folks here are as bad as in the UK, as there's rain forecast .. so we'll hope for the best. Really looking forward to the game tomorrow and I'll report on it tomorrow night.

Good Night !

Kate

Off to Sunny South America

2010-01-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I'm really looking forward to going off tomorrow on a great Golf Trip to South America.

It's a Jon Baines Tour to Brazil and Argentina. We going to play some great courses in the sunshine !!! It will make a nice change from the snow in London at the moment.

And after that, I'm delighted to be going to Paraguay to see Alberto, Celeste and family.

I'll try to keep the blog updated daily, depending on the internet connections.

All the best for now,

Kate.