Argentina is our country to visit today. It is one with a population of 46 million (2025) people that speak Spanish. And the capital is Buenos Aires, our port of call for the day. Most times, we spend two full days here, but not this time.
When you think of the tango, gauchos, Patagonia, and the Andes, Argentina comes to mind. It is a traveler's dream. It is also home to Iguazu Falls, massive glaciers, the Pantanal, deserts, forests and salt flats. It is also home to wildlife such as penguins, flamingoes, and capybaras.
Food favorites in this part of the world include Argentinian beef grilled with a salty outer layer and almost rare smokey middle. They specialize in dulce de leche or a caramel sauce. It goes really well over helado, or their version of rich creamy ice cream. You will find Italian cuisine is popular with pasta and pizza. Sounds good to us. They drink a concoction called mate, a bitter grassy tea, which has become like a social bonding drink. We have spotted mostly the elderly men drinking this liquid out of a small cup with a short straw. Wines are abundant due to the excellent growing conditions.
There were many tours offered today starting with the least expensive which was the highlights of Buenos Aires for 3 ½ hours for $65. Next was the spirit of Buenos Aires waterways for 4 ½ hours for $80. An afternoon tango show was 3 ½ hours for $86 with drinks, then wine tasting for 4 hours and $110. Highlights of the city and Café Tortoni was 5 ½ hours for $120 with a snack, while a culinary walk was 5 hours and $160 where there was 3 visits to restaurants. Gaucho life on the pampas was 8 ½ hours with a BBQ lunch for $180 (we have done this one), and highlights with a tango dance and lunch topped off at $190 for 8 ½ hours. Tied for the highest spot was horseback riding on the pampas for 8 ½ hours for $190 and a polo pony ride and show for the same price and 9 hours.
We did what the ship offered and that was take a shuttle to the port gate (mandatory), then board another bus outside the terminal building which went to Plaza San Martin, a short ride from the terminal. Plenty of buses were used during the day, and we had no wait to get to the Plaza. For some unknown reason, the ship never provided maps of the city last night like they always do. So this morning we asked at the front desk, and they had printed some from Google we think. But they were only handed to those of us that had asked for one. It was detailed, but impossible to read street names without using a very good magnifying glass.
At breakfast, we asked some friends that had finally found the port talk that included three ports in one. It must have appeared on our TV's late yesterday, and we heard that the Argentina talk had lost sound. All our friends could get was closed captioning. They sure are having some trouble in that department, so we do hope that it improves. Wish we would have thought to mention that to the new hotel manager, Florin, who boarded the ship in Rio a few days ago. He paid us a visit before we ordered dinner last evening and re-introduced himself. We both remembered having him as a food and beverage manager under Henk Mensink several years ago. Most of his concerns were about the problems we have experienced with our room leaks and broken exhaust fan. Glenn must have updated him on all of the guests with problems like us. We assured him that so far everything had been repaired, and we were happy that we did not have to move rooms. Anyway, he will be on for the remainder of this grand world cruise and beyond to the end of May.
Located up the Rio De La Plata, the Volendam docked starboard to the Buenos Aires pier. The river water was quite muddy, reminding us of the Amazon River. There was a man overboard drill about 9:30am, and we left the ship shortly after it began. And besides, the deck crew had come through our verandas on deck six and hosed everything down, leaving puddles that would last all day. We may have to ask our room stewards for a squeegee to push the water into the gutter.
We found the shuttle buses, three of them in fact, but we missed one because we stopped to chat with the Staff Captain, Rakesh, who has been most friendly ever since we boarded. He told us all about the officers, including Captain Rens, enjoying the savory BBQ meats of Rio and Uruguay. He admitted it took going without a couple of meals to do justice to the treat. We know since we have been there and done that, but years ago when we were much younger and able to handle copious meals like that. Not so much these days.
Once we arrived to the cruise terminal, we recognized the building and the walk through some shops all the way to the waiting shuttles to town. We picked up some better maps, one of which was their form of the Ho-Ho bus. Those maps always list the names of the sights that they stop at, and sometimes pictures of each sight. Anyway, the bus took us to Plaza San Martin where there was a very spacious and nice park. Close-by was the Galerias Pacifico, a modern shopping complex with every high-end store you would need. That was not really our destination, so we asked the tourist guide at the bus stop how to get to Puerto Madero from here. He showed us the main streets to follow, which he considered safe enough for pedestrians. It's always best to keep to an area where there are a lot of people walking. In fact, before we left the bus at the terminal, we were warned about wearing nice jewelry and flashy watches. That says it all.
Heading downhill, we passed by many shops, a park, and the Sheraton Hotel. Crossing some really wide avenues, we followed a tree-lined street all the way towards Puerto Madero. The closer we got, the more familiar it was. It has been six years since we were here, but back then, we had walked from the pier following the waterfront all of the way. There were very few people walking here, so it might not be the safest thing to do.
At the entrance of this complex is the yacht club and a series of canals where pleasure boats are moored by the hundreds. Lining the canals are numerous restaurants and stores, one of which happens to be the Hard Rock Café. Located by the first gantry crane, we found the café and happily took seats near the window. It was early lunch time, so it was not too crowded yet. That would change. We ordered two draft beers (IPA) and an order of cheese nachos. The food was served in a timely manner, and we were just digging into it when a party of at least 20 people entered the restaurant. Naturally, they sat quite near our table. By judging the group, it appeared there was possibly a bride and groom with extended family in tow. We felt bad for the younger kids who wiggled in their seats waiting what seemed like forever to be served even their beverages. Eventually, flatbread pizza, nachos, and more sharable starters were served, making the kids happy. By the time we left, they still did not have their entrees. In addition to this group, about all of the inside tables filled with customers. We added one order of an apple cobbler with Dulce de leche caramel sauce drizzled over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sinful….but so good. We made one last stop at their shop, buying a city t-shirt. Lunch set us back 74,900 Argentinian pesos. OMG that sounded really bad, but doing the math, it computed to a little over $52 USD. Not bad after all. The t-shirt was 37,800 pesos or $26.45 with a 10% discount because we wore HRC t-shirts today. This t-shirt was one of the most affordable ones we have purchased recently.
We had a long walk going back to the bus stop uphill. Following every mature tree along the way, we stayed in the shade until we reached the Plaza San Martin. About 20 local buses passed by our waiting group of guests until our shuttle finally arrived. It took less than 15 minutes to get back to the cruise terminal and another 10 minutes back to the ship.
Captain Rens came on with his departing talk about 5:30pm where he stated the temperature was 76 degrees. We checked the TV temps and found it was really 82 degrees. The humidity was 58% with light winds. We had 147 nautical miles to reach Montevideo tomorrow doing 12.3 knots. Then he added that the temperature would be less tomorrow with 15 knot winds.
The dining room seemed almost empty, especially deck four. We bet a lot of folks were on long tours and decided to dine in the Lido instead. We ordered very lightly this evening, still full from lunch. Starters were Caesar salads and mains of sliced beef and one pork chop. We both declined dessert, since we had such a wonderful and filling one at lunch.
Tonight's entertainer was Tenna Torres with songs from the 70's to the 90's. On our way to the front elevator, we could hear the Mix singer, Grace, all the way to the Ocean Bar. She can really deliver a rousing performance with a powerful voice that travels for miles. Her audience was really digging it.
Tomorrow we will be back in Uruguay, but at the capital, Montevideo.
Bill & Mary Ann
