Dave's
Rio & Buenos Aires Thanksgiving Trip
Page 5
Buenos Aires
Gaucho Festival Tour at Estancia Santa Susana
"This is a full day excursion to an authentic working estancia on the pampas outside of Buenos Aires. Enjoy an Argentine Rodeo, where you are given a demonstration of their considerable skills at roping and horsemanship. The rodeo is followed by an asada, or Argentine barbecue, as you are serenaded with the melodic songs of the gauchos, and folkdances and more demonstrations of their skills. $45 per person"
So on this trip I also got to ride a horse for the first time in my life
We were all looking forward to the live demonstration of true gaucho skills, before the information age where back in the day wondering, manly men worked the land. What it turned out to be were three main things:
They kind of lined up their group of horses and then rode around kicking up dust
Individually or in groups of two or three they would ride towards these small hanging loops and try to snag it with something like a pen
They would invite women of various sizes to take a quick ride behind them
"Just a little lower..."
Dinner then a tango show at
La Ventana for our last full night.I found the show to be thoroughly entertaining. Also the papas fritas were good, but the steak tough.
The last day allowed some time to sleep in, pack (because we had to check out of the room by noon), and then do your own thing until meeting up at 6:30pm for a ride to the airport. Some people were getting massages, others shopping, or last minute sight seeing. So Vikki, Mark, and I went over to...
At the MALBA We arrived right at noon, which was good timing since it turns out they didn't open to noon. It was a leisurely 30 minute stroll through the museum, and their pieces were more contemporary and very interesting, not just oil portraits of historical value but hard to appreciate like I sometimes find.
We then strolled around the Recoleta area, having a drink at a sports bar, then eating a lunch of $1 empanadas at a really cute place El Sanjuanino, described by Lonely Planet as, "the best deal in Recoleta. This small place looks like the inside of a wine barrel, with compforting deli-like decor and local atmosphere."
Avenida 9 de Julio looking towards el Obelisco
So we would have to cross this street to get from our hotel to the main shopping areas, like by Florida Street where we all bought leather jackets. It can be up to 16 lanes wide, and we discovered if as soon as the light changes you take off at a brisk jog, you can just barely make it across before the light changes again. Of note is that this probably where Vikki hurt here ankle Friday night...
The Obelisk is considered a symbol of BA like the Eiffel Tower is for Paris. Of note is that I ended up getting two really nice suede jackets for about $200 each from Uru Sweaters. They were custom fit, which is nice since I have a hard time finding dressy jackets that fit right.
So probably about one thrid of the group, including me caught some sort of cold the last few days. I feel it was at least partly due to the car pollution walking around BA, like what happened to me in Bangkok and Beijing. Anyway, so mornings were tough because I felt like crap, and the plane ride back was one of the more unpleasant ones I'd had in a while. Nothing unusual about the flight itself, I just couldn't get comfortable.
Girl From Ipanema , Don't Cry For me Argentina, Rio, Copacabana Movies:
The Emerald Forest
Envy
Wild Orchid
Evita, Blame it on Rio, The Mission
Moonraker, City of God Articles
Diane Lane's Buenos Aires
Iguazu Falls 101
Brazil article
Argentina and the dead Info
Brazil Tourism
Argentina Tourism
Rio info
About.com- Buenos Aires info