Dia 123 - Monday April 11, 2011: San Isidro

We had the onerous task of walking through the leafy cobblestone streets of San Isidro for lunch and dinner. The business area, where we got maps for Uruguay, had the Pacific Palisades vibe with a higher % of young adults. Lunch was at “La Vaca”, a parilla restaurant. I am still weak on taking pictures of the food right at presentation, rather than until well into eating. The sizzle and aroma are muy distracting. Dinner was at a fine neighborhood Italian restaurant. We satisfied the pasta deficiency in our diet.

We have plotted our course on the available navigation tools and Carol made several hotel reservations. We are ready for the next part of the adventure!

Carol & I have really enjoyed Argentina from Mendoza to Buenos Aires. Touring the country through Cordoba and Rosario was a treat. The most memorable part is the time we spent with Astrid and her family in Buenos.

Dia 122 - Sunday April 10, 2011: BA Golf & Visiting

Astrid graciously hosted Carol & me at the Buenos Aires Golf Club. Sunday play was busy so we played the same 9 twice as it was our favorite 9 out of the 27 holes at the club. It was beautiful sunny day with a light breeze.

Dinner with the Gulesserians, including Eduardo Jr., Astrid’s brother, was very lively. Young Eduardo, like his father, is full of life and independence. He is a biker (mostly Harleys), surfer and nearing his law degree. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this loving family.

Buenos Aires is a very livable city. There is a fine city center, broad avenues and lots of public places. San Isidro is a northerly suburb that serves much like the Westside in Los Angeles. One difference though, all the large homes have high walls and fences around them. The taxis do not use navigation devices or maps. Every trip we took into town involved the driver getting lost near the destination and having to ask for directions.

Dia 121 - Saturday April 9, 2011: Tourist Day in Buenos Aires

We are getting to know the landmarks along “Avenida del Libertador” very well. We have had 2 round trips to BA’s central area. The public parks & facilities along the river were formidable – from Polo to swimming pools. The drive goes by the Presidential enclave. I am told that she takes a helicopter to work. After a little touring from the car, we visited Cementario Recoleta. It is quite different from visiting the remains of the ancients and still says a lot about its builders. It is interesting how this contemporary cemetery is a major tourist attraction. The stroll through the fine Recoleta neighborhood to the Alvear Palace Hotel was quite pleasant. The dining room and lunch were treats.

We enjoyed the architecture along mile walk to Avenida Florida, a pedestrian shopping street. La Florida has lots of historic buildings from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Several street musical groups were playing a few blocks apart and 2 street tango performers. We had fun on the city, but no purchases.

We are enjoying the indoor/outdoor ambiance of our hotel. As we left for dinner, members of a wedding party were waiting to go to the church. We enjoyed seeing the lovely bride and proud father.

We are getting ready for the BA to Rio segment of the Adventure. I sent out the call for introductions to friends and contacts. The tickets for the Tuesday, 12:30 high-speed ferry to Colonia, Uruguay are in hand. Dinner at Rosa Negra in San Isidro was delightful. I had delicious Italian style ceviche, and grilled Merluza (hake or Chilean Sea Bass). Carol enjoyed potato puree with calamari for a starter, and matambre flank steak with grilled vegetables. The rum flambé apple pancake was the final straw for my diet.

Dia 120 - Friday April 8, 2011: Golf & Fine Dining in Buenos Aires

Astrid graciously hosted Carol & me at the Buenos Aires Golf Club. The day was gorgeous! Some trees were in their fall colors. The huge pampas grasses swayed to the wind. Astrid is visiting her family and her mother chauffeured everyone and provided delightful company.

In running errands, I had the pleasure of walking around in San Isidro. What a lovely place!

Dinner at Cabana las Lilas in the Puerto Madero area, one of the top Buenos restaurants, was a delight. Sorry about the late photo, at least it shows that we enjoyed ourselves. Eduardo, Astrid’s father is quite a raconteur and full of life. Anna Lee?, Astrid’s mother, couldn’t be nicer. Baby Emma often stole the show. I showed her how to press the button on the camera and to look through the screen. She wanted more and more. She was well behaved and it was wonderful to hear her baby laughs.

Dia 119 - Thursday April 7, 2011: Rosario to San Isidro

Rosario to San Isidro (an elegant suburb of Buenos) took less than 3 hours. The drive was pleasant and mostly on a 130 KM speed-limit highway. The car was happy and we had no trouble finding our way. Carol finds Google maps very helpful for trip guidance. The countryside is fairly flat and felt familiar - going from farmland to urban.

Del Casco is a boutique garden hotel. It is small, friendly, and it offers a pleasant sanctuary in a crowded city. Dinner was about a mile up the road at O’Farrell’s, an excellent seafood, etc. & wine restaurant. We have not succeeded in breaking the habit of eating before taking pictures.

Another fine day!

Dia 118 - Wednesday April 6, 2011: Cordoba to Rosarioca

Cordoba is the second largest Argentine city and Rosario is the third. Both are in the Rio Plata watershed. The drive could have been around Kansas City with huge factory farms. The new highway is up to world standards. It has felt like we are in an alternate universe since Santiago with everything seeming familiar yet different from California, the Southwest and Great Plains. Even pronunciation is a little different: the “ll” is not “y” but hard “j” – so “llama” is not “lama”, nor “yama”, but “jama”. “Gracias” is pronounced “gracia”.

I found my motorcycle navigation device, but we are missing critical know-how to make it useful.

Many gas stations and other businesses do not accept credit cards and even some that do charge up to 10% more. There is speculation that real inflation is at 25%. It sure feels to me that devaluation isn’t too far off.

We took an enjoyable walk on the riverside park. What a great amenity. It was friendly to all kinds of interests: lovers lanes; roller skating platform; BMax rink; running lanes; gym for the beautiful people; riverside restaurants, etc. An old street-wise German Shepherd introduced himself to us, checked us out and then applied for a job and even showed us how he would guard.

Boga a la plancha (grilled whole river fish) was our deliciously fresh main course for dinner. Like peeking in golf, I would like to cure my habit of eating first before remembering to take pictures. In process pics are better than nothing.

Another fun day!

Dia 117 - Tuesday April 5, 2011: Cordoba Golf Club

Cordoba is noted for its golf in Argentina, and Cordoba Golf Club is the most established. We were joined by Maria, a former LatAm champion, and her daughter. They sure could move the ball! The walking round took a little more than 3 hours. We had a delightful time.

We took the afternoon off for a well-deserved nap. We walked to the neighborhood restaurant area for dinner.