2-7 Buenos Aires, Argentina

2-7 Day 33 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Land at last! And what great land it is here in Buenos Aires. We are so excited to be here. And given it is Sunday, there are a lot of flea markets and local handicraft markets open today. Our tour wasn't until after lunch, so we had the morning to walk around these markets.

Unfortunately, it poured rain as we got to our favorite one. We donned our ponchos, but it really was pouring. And the other couple we were with didn't want to get that wet. So, we ducked into a cafe and enjoyed a hot chocolate while we waited for the rain to slow up. After almost an hour, with dark clouds still prevalent and rain still coming down in buckets, we gave up and went back to the ship.

At the terminal there, we were able to connect to the Internet (for a reasonable rate) and get a reasonable phone card. So, while Doug checked our bank accounts, etc., I called our boys. Ted's son has been very sick and had just gotten out of the hospital, so I was eager to check up on him. It is hard being so far away when you have a sick grandchild and the doctors can't find the cause of all his stomach pains. So, we have to keep waiting until he sees a specialist either in KC or St. Louis. The not knowing is what is so hard. And Ted and Heather are so drained both physically and emotionally trying to take care of Michael as well as their other two at home. Better news was calling Rob and finding his kids were with him today, so got to hear their sweet little voices. We had to leave a message on Chris' answering machine since he wasn't there.

This afternoon Doug and I took a river boat tour – go figure – over a month on a ship, and we chose to go on a boat!!!! Actually, we had heard about this tour the last time we were here, and heard it was really good, so months before we came on this cruise, we had signed up for it. And great it was. Before getting to the river part, we drove for about 20-30 minutes seeing the outer parts of this big city. It is just beautiful. We drove through beautiful neighborhoods with wide streets, parks, and weeping willow trees hanging over the street. Green everywhere. We stopped at an area called San Isidro with cobblestone streets and a park with lots of trees. On one corner was a huge cathedral with the tallest spire/steeple we had ever seen. It was beautiful both inside and out. The rain had stopped so some of the merchants had set up their little stalls. I was able to buy a scarf and scarf holder that I had seen last time I was here and regretted not getting then.

From there we went to the Tigre Delta with its many rivers and streams and green islands that can only be reached by boat. These Delta islands are formed by the continuous sediment of the Parana River. For more than 100 years, channels of the Tigre Delta have been a favorite getaway for the inhabitants of Buenos Aires. We got on a small covered wooden boat that took us through part of these channels and streams to see many, many little homes/cottages sitting up on the banks. Some were fancy and rather large, others looked like shacks, and many were just like little cottages tucked away behind huge trees all along the border of the streams. I took so many pictures because each one had its own style and character. We did this for about an hour and could have spent all day here. Since it was Sunday, there were lots of families out on their boat decks fishing or having a picnic. You almost need to have your own boat of some size just to get around and back to the mainland. However, there are boat buses that take residents around. There is also a grocery boat that will deliver food – just hang your grocery bag on your door to indicate you want them to stop. Because the water is so dirty, they can't drink it, so have to bring in their own huge water jugs. We saw lots of rain water catches on top of the roofs as well. We also saw people swimming in the water – not something I thought looked very appealing. It was a delightful way to spend the afternoon – and the weather was great.

Back on the ship, we went to the Gaucho BBQ up on the deck by the pool. It was such fun. Staff dressed as cowboys (gauchos) and the meats were cooked out on big grills. It was really tasty. They had a huge assortment of all kinds of things, but it was the shrimp that amazed me the most. I have never seen such large shrimp – and they were grilled to perfection! The weather was perfect and it felt so good to be eating outside.

After dinner, we decided to watch the SuperBowl. We could only get it on ESPN, so we didn't get to see all the fun commercials all of you did. It seemed funny to be in Argentina watching a game in Miami. Made us a bit homesick actually.

Tomorrow is another big day – an all day tour to a gaucho ranch out in the countryside. So, we'll see another part of this country. Should be fun.