Buenos Aires and Montevideo

January 23^rd and January 24^th

Buenos Aires Argentina

It took awhile to get to Buenos Aires due to the Rio de la Plata. (About 12 hrs) The ship had to sail west about 130 miles in from the Atlantic, up this very narrow, rocky and sometimes shallow (3 ft under the hull) channel to BA. We were only going about 12 miles an hr, with a river pilot guiding us to our destination.   And it was narrow and shallow….ships were passing us, and it was not like ‘ships passing in the night’…to close for comfort is more like it.  After what happened to the ship in the Mediterranean, I was grateful.  I have total faith in our Captain.  After we sail out from each port he welcomes us home’, so he is my new BFF and I hope it stays that way.   After docking, the city center was within walking distance. Which we will do later.  We just completed the first segment of our journey. 88 passengers left the ship in BA to go home and about 300 boarded. Most of them Australians.  On the next segment (from BA to Sydney) the ship will be full, with many getting off in Sydney.   We decided to take a city tour to go to the sites that were not very easy to walk to. Very hot today, about 90 and high humidity. I don’t have to go to the sauna tonight.  We went to the Recoleta Cemetery, which supposedly is the second biggest above ground mausoleum in the world.  The area is huge. Saw where Eva Peron was buried. This place is amazing.  Real-estate is so expensive in BA, that family mausoleums sometimes sell for more than a house or apartment which could run in the high thousands, or low millions depending on how elaborate. Only the very rich can afford them.   If a family needs money and has to sell, or the family dies out, it goes up for auction or is advertised for sale in the local paper.  They never did tell us what they do with the unclaimed remains. The population in BA is about 3 million. They call it the melting pot of Argentina with a huge Jewish, Italian and Spanish population. About 80 percent are practicing Catholics.  We walked around the Boca district where most of the buildings were very old and painted in bright neon colors on corrugated tin. They had Tango dancers on the street and in all of the restaurants.  This is the area where the Tango originated, but now it has moved uptown, and is more commercialized. Very beautiful to watch though. The downtown area is huge. There are many parks and squares where monuments of anything and everybody that has to do with Argentina are standing.  The mansions that were built by the very wealthy and founders of the city, back in the day, are now museums and Consulates.  These buildings are huge and cover 2 or 3 city blocks in the main downtown area.  With elaborate carvings, and stained glass, these have been well preserved.  We walked along Florida St. which is the main shopping district. Pedestrian friendly and no cars allowed. Security on every block. Saw a shoplifter getting the ‘smack down’ which included kicking and stomping….not a pretty site, until the police were called. And this was at 3 in the afternoon. Saw a few protests where people were chained to each other and the media filming.  Even though we did not know much Spanish the meaning was still clear. Protesting and traffic jams are the norm here. Most of the expensive jewelry and department stores are locked, and can only be accessed by security opening the door or by being buzzed in.  The main though fares are 6 lanes wide and we had to cross them, at a cross walk very fast…..and I mean fast.  The drivers in BA do not care if you are in a crosswalk or if you have the right of way….it’s everyone for itself.  I didn’t know such little cars could go so fast. Not an SUV in sight but those little cars are lethal. The ‘walk’ sign means run here. Bruce and I walked for hours in this beautiful city and I am sure we didn’t get even close to seeing everything. You could probably spend a week here and not see everything.  But we did our best. That is the only thing about cruising…..you just get a taste, and then take notes for future reference. So far it’s been amazing……..

January 25^th

Montevideo, Uruguay

The Capital of Uruguay….After sailing back down the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires at about 10 mph, 12 hrs later we docked in Uruguay. I am sure the Captain was glad to get out of that mess. We were docked within the city, so walking it was, and ship excursions were not on the agenda. Kind of nice to be on our own for awhile. The downtown area is small and the beaches on the Atlantic are close.  It is great to be on a ship excursion because the guides are so knowledgeable, but some passengers can be very tiresome and demanding……Americans are very spoiled.  This is a very walk able city, and we followed a map that led us past many old buildings and squares. The old is mixed with the new, with lots of renovating going on. We saw a few horse drawn carts that were hauling produce from farms into the city to sell. They were in the street right along with the cars zipping around them.  We just wandered around shopping and browsing.  Everywhere we went the people were very gracious, helpful, and welcoming.  Not much English was understood but Bruce was pretty good with his Spanish. So far, we haven’t had to change US dollars to any local currency. They have all accepted US dollars with the current exchange rate.  The weather was much cooler here. In the low 70’s and sunny.  As we sail even further into the South Atlantic the weather is going to get colder. Our next stop is the Falkland Islands. The question of the day is whether or not we will be able to drop anchor there. The weather and sea conditions are very unpredictable and we have to tender in.  We will not go ashore if the sea is rough, and 50 percent of the time it is. So we are crossing our fingers.

ON ANOTHER NOTE…….’Purell’ is the alcohol of choice on this ship. It is plentiful and they never cut you off from using it. It is everywhere. And you have to use it. The Purell police are your greeters at the door before you dine and there is a whole ritual if you use the public restroom. If this stuff gets absorbed into your bloodstream over time, we will all be blowing at least a .08 by the time we end this trip. On a serious note though…. I am grateful for the precautions. For the last 4 days we have been under a ‘Code Red’.  Yes…the Noro-Virus came aboard and some passengers became very sick.  So that means everything and everybody is virtually swabbed down once you exit your room. Then your room, the halls, the elevators, the railings, anything that could be touched by human hands is swabbed every day. And then some more.  And I mean swabbed not sprayed. There is no self- serve of anything at the buffets or dining room, not even silverware or cups.  The library is shut down. The laundry room is locked. There is no handshaking.  And if you cough or sneeze in public…..you feel like you are Typhoid Mary and might get reported any minute.  If you do get sick, you are quarantined to your room until you show no symptoms for 24 hrs. Which could be up to 3 days.  Bruce and I have been very healthy so far, and we hope it stays that way. We did hear that things are getting better and the code might be lifted tomorrow.  So here’s to Purell…..Cheers!

Still working on pictures.....