Letting Time Go Lightly

The weather was beautiful on the following day and I was off at 8am to an SAS field program to San Isidro and the Tigre Delta. Our group took a train to San Isidro, which is one of the most affluent municipalities in Argentina. We walked around town for a bit, saw some elegant residences, visited the San Isidro Cathedral, as well as the Train of the Coast rail line, which is a vintage train station located in a shopping arcade. We then hopped on a crowded train to the Tigre Delta. Most of the SAS field programs I have been on have been extremely structured. What I liked about this one was when we got to Tigre City, we had 4 hours to do whatever we wanted. Tigre City is a small town and had a hop on/hop off bus around the town, which was only about a 40-minute loop. We passed by a number of museums, a Casino, as well as the Parque de la Costa, an amusement park located along the Paraná River Delta.

 San Isidro Cathedral & Park

Parque de la Costa...it has nothing on Cedar Point (America's Roller Coast)

I decided to get off at the Puerto de Frutos (Fruits & Handicrafts Market) stop, which used to be the main port for the trading of merchandise brought from the Delta islands. I got off to explore the area, walk the market, and to grab some lunch. After browsing the market and talking to locals, I spotted a restaurant on the water which looked nice. I headed over to it and found a few members of our group just sitting down to lunch. I joined Nancy (the ships psychologist) and Greg & Ruth Mason (an English Professor-Greg; and the coordinator for the lifelong learners-Ruth). I stuck with the Argentinian cuisine and ordered a few empanadas (a stuffed bread or pastry which is either baked or fried). They were fantastic and had a delicious flaky crust.

When our time to wander was up, we met up with our tour guide and the group jumped on an hour long boat ride among the Delta Islands. The Paraná Delta is 21000 km² and made up of over 5000 waterways, with branches every which way until emptying in the Rio de la Plata. The current Delta population is 3000 residents. The “islands” supply the cellulose, paper, and plywood industries and osier (a willow with a long flexible shoot used in basketwork) growing represents 80-90% of the country’s total production for arts and crafts purposes.

Being on the river was great, especially with the hot temperature and the sun, which was beating down throughout the day. We were told the water was not safe to drink or use for cooking; yet wherever we looked, there were kids jumping and playing in the water (so it can’t be all that bad). We passed by a ton of docks, boats, and even the Presidential Residence of Quinta de Olivos. Interestingly, the crew of the ship also passed around coffee midway through the ride. I could have gone for some iced tea, but nothing warm…no thanks. When the boat ride was done, we headed back to Buenos Aires by train.

 The Water is Clean Enough for These Kids!

 Rowing Club Along the Delta

Quinta de Olivos - the Presidential Residence for Buenos Aires, Argentina

I returned to the ship at around 7pm and was exhausted. However, there was a group planning to go out for a real dinner in the city. I decided I'm only in Argentina once (maybe), so I'll head out and keep enjoying the Argentinian cuisine. I was pretty hungry, so I grabbed a quick bite from the ship, showered, and met everyone on the gangway.

Our group headed to Aldo’s Vinoteca, a beautiful wine bar located near the city center. By the time we sat down for dinner, it was already 10pm. In addition, the service (similar to all the service I experienced in Argentinian restaurants) was slow. We sat down, waited 10 minutes, got menus, waited 10 minutes, ordered drinks, waited 10 minutes, etc. Luckily my meal, gnocchi, was fantastic and was worth the wait. This too, is another thing I experienced throughout Argentina. The food was excellent (though maybe 12 days of ship food contributed to this)! As the evening went on, more and more people joined us. Before we knew it, it was 2:30am and we were just finishing dinner and leaving the restaurant (and we weren't the last ones there).

The Group (minus a few latecomers) at Aldo’s Vinoteca. at 1am (so still early in the night)

We decided to continue embracing the Argentinian culture of staying out late, so we stopped at a nearby pub. We were planning on capping off our night with a drink; however, while we were there, it started down pouring outside. Our group saw no need to rush into that weather, so we decided to wait out the rain. However, at 5am, it was still a torrential downpour, so I volunteered to flag down taxis (with the help of Janett's umbrella...way to plan!). Most of the group went back to the ship in the taxis, but a handful (including me) decided to stay out for a final drink at a sports bar. It turns out the bartender, Diego, had worked at the Timberline Condos for 3 years in Snowmass Village (in Aspen, Colorado). It was great chatting with him, but when we noticed the sun was already up, we decided it truly was time to go. The entire group didn't get back to the ship till 6:30am...and proceeded to continue hanging out in the Glazer Lounge. Thus, I wasn't in bed till 7:30am...a full 24 hours since I had awoken the morning before.

Going to bed after the sunrise means you don’t wake up till after lunch. Thus, at 2pm I headed out to explore more of Buenos Aires with Carla. Our first stop was La Casa Rosada (The Pink House), which is the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina. It is considered one of the most emblematic buildings in Buenos Aires. It is baby pink in color and even lights up pink at night.

La Casa Rosada...I wonder it has a West Wing?

After unsuccessfully searching for stamps/a post office, we decided to grab lunch at a pizzeria. While we were eating, there was a parade of protests down the major street we were eating on. I say parade because it appeared as though there were around 12 different groups (based on signs/colors/etc.). At the preport meeting before each country, the Deans always remind the students to stay away from protests, because you never know what can happen. One of the groups protesting made me a little wary, as all 40 members of the group wore black scarfs covering their faces and carried baseball bats/clubs…yikes. To my knowledge, it was just a peaceful protest as they continued on down the main road right along with every other group.

After lunch, Carla and I walked down Florida Street, a pedestrian street and the main shopping street in the city. We decided to make our way to the trees (ie: towards a park), the Plaza San Martin. Right before getting there; however, we came across an orchestra setting up on the street. The orchestra played for about 45 minutes and were really good. Carla enjoyed one piece particularly that sounded like a mix between Disney and carnival music. She even stated, “how can the next song beat that?” Challenge accepted. The orchestra's next song was a West Side Story medley…Carla was ecstatic! Part way through the performance, we spotted Alison and Luis who happened to come across the orchestra as well.

 Impromptu Orchestra Concert!

Everyone was fantastic...especially the older man on the Timpani (far right)!

After the impromptu concert, we headed back to the ship passing by the General San Martin Monument, the Malvinas Islands War Memorial, and the Monumental Tower. The Monumental Tower is a clock tower located in the Retiro district of the city. It was a gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the centennial of the May Revolution of 1810 (the removal of the viceroy and the establishment of the first national government). It stands just over 247ft. tall with bells that were designed in imitation of the ones at Westminster Abbey (in London, England). Alison had gotten a recommendation for an Italian restaurant in the city, Sotovocce, so the four of us headed there for dinner. Once again we were on Argentinian time and weren't actually seated for dinner until 10:00pm. The food was delicious (this could be the theme of this blog) and we didn't leave the restaurant until 1:30am (another possible theme). This time, we immediately headed back to the ship and I crashed for the evening.

Monumental Tower

My final day in Argentina was not that exciting, as I was on call/duty again. In the morning I met up with the interport student, Camilla’s family (her brother and father), worked on the upcoming basketball tournament, and tried to catch up with email and this blog. On my 30-minute break, I ran and tried to find a Lionel Messi Argentina jersey, but the few stores around the ship didn't have the one I was looking for, so I’ll try again in Brazil. I decided that, in addition to supporting the US team, I am throwing my support behind Argentina! I made a few last minute purchases, including dulce de leche (translated “candy of milk,” is a confection prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk till it caramelizes), and headed back to work embarkation. Turns out one student missed his flight in Patagonia, so he will have to meet the ship in Rio de Janeiro.

I finished my night by getting my fill of college football. I “watched” (on ESPN gamecast) OSU beat Illinois, Alabama hang on to beat Mississippi State, and saw Stanford lose to USC. OSU just needs a couple more loses from top teams (two of the following need to lose: Alabama, Florida State, or Baylor) over the next 3 weeks to have a chance to get to the NCAA Championship Game!

I really enjoyed the city of Buenos Aires. It felt familiar and reminded me of cities in the US (especially New York City). The city was crowded with people and taxis; there were wide, tree-lined avenues; the pace of the city on the streets was fast (even though it was the opposite in restaurants); there were lots of random parks throughout the city; and the city had various barrios (neighborhoods) with their individual demographics, styles, and attractions. I also really enjoyed working on my Spanish language skills throughout my time in Argentina. Luckily, Carla, Janett, Luis, and Nathan are fluent, so this allowed me to ask them questions and get clarifications whenever I needed it (which was often). I also liked just listening to them converse in Spanish with the locals as I tried to pick up the gist of the conversation.

I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to Buenos Aires, but after hearing stories and seeing pictures of people who went to Patagonia; I feel like that location has just been added to my bucket list!

Only 3 days till Rio de Janeiro!!


"It did not take me long; however, to discover one nemesis I could neither defeat nor flee. It followed me wherever I went - indeed, the farther I ran, the more it closed around me. My enemy was solitude, the interminable, incessant silence of hushed corridors."