Not another Land Rover trip

I wasn’t planning on writing a blog for his journey.  It’s not Land Rover trip, although we do have some vague plans for something later in the year when summer is over and the weather becomes suitably cooler for travelling in a 24 year old Defender with no air conditioning.   We thought we’d have a holiday away but before we left I received complaints (not requests mark you) in the event that a blog would not be written.  So here goes.

This trip may best be described as one off the ‘bucket list’.  Since I was a teenager I’ve had hankerings to visit a certain place on this planet, never really thinking that it would actually happen.  But with advanced age, less daily responsibilities and a use-by date looming closer, it’s time to SKI (spend the kid’s inheritance).  It’s a bit of a trek from Australia but what the heck.  The destination?  Tierra Del Fuego and Cape Horn.

It’s odd how the brain works.  Preparations for cold temperatures and the very real possibility of howling gales will require wet weather clothing and warm layers.  In Brisbane it’s 34 degrees centigrade and the a/c is working hard.  Somehow it doesn’t make sense.  But preparations must be completed; warm clothing found or acquired, cases packed, dog relocated, house secured, Land Rover locked up, etcetera, etcetera.  With luck it’ll all fall into place before departure. 

I guess everything did get done.  We actually arrived at the airport even before check in opened, so that was a first. 

Flights from Brisbane to Auckland and then on the Buenos Aires were comfortable and the meals were probably the best we’ve ever experienced in the air.  So a big thanks to Air New Zealand.

It’s 7850 miles, fourteen and a half hours flying and 11 hours time difference in Buenos Aires.  The clocks told us that we arrived four hours after we left on the same day.  Confusing!  But after a quick shower we set out to see a little of the district known as Recoleta.  The Sunday evening bustle of families picnicking, promenading, eating and drinking was as colourful as it was fascinating.  Our few words of Spanish, coupled with a mini phrase book resulted in an excellent IPA beer, an OK malbec wine and a couple of pleasant light meals.  How did those English telephone boxes get here?

The local market was not too much different to most others, apart from a stall selling maté gourds and metal strainer straws.  Maté is prepared by steeping dried leaves of the yerba maté plant in hot water and is drunk through a metal straw from a shared hollow calabash gourd.  The brew does not look too appealing but the stuff seems to be drunk everywhere.  We did try it later and thought it rather like a slightly bitter herb tea.  We will not be talking it up on a regular basis.

Buenos Aires means ‘good air’ and indeed the city is very green with trees and shrubs everywhere.  However, the traffic is chaotic and so is most of the driving.  We’re told that it’s the Spanish influence.  Whether that’s an excuse or the reason we have no way of telling but for once I’m quite happy to be a passenger, although that can be alarming at times.

There’s a couple of famous people associated with Bueno Aires who should be mentioned.  There are others but I want to keep this blog short.  Firstly the Pope.  He hails from here and used to be the top man in the cathedral.  Fortunately we had a guide or we might have missed the place.  From the front it looks more like a bank but the inside, which has been enlarged and modified over the years, does look more the part.

Of course the other famous (perhaps infamous?) person is Eva Peron, otherwise known as Evita and brought to world attention through the efforts of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber.   She died at the young age of 33 and after several turbulent years, her body was finally laid to rest in the Duarte family tomb in La Recoleta cemetery where it is visited by devotees and tourists alike.  There’s a museum dedicated to the lady that illustrates some of her fashion sense in displays of her clothes alongside a whole variety of artefacts and documents.  I guess we’ll need to see the musical now to complete the experience.

There’s no shortage of entertainment in Buenos Aires whether it’s street music, colourful buildings in the La Roca port area or the tango.  It’s got to be done.  We expected a rather ‘touristy’ dinner and tango show, but it turned out to be an excellent meal and a show of non-stop energy and pizazz.  We’re not exactly experts on tango but can add that it’s quite exhausting, and that’s only watching it.  No pic unfortunately.  You’ll just have to take our word for it.

Take a large theatre and turn it into a bookshop cum library and you have El Ateneo.  It’s quite an attraction.  Certainly the largest selection of books we’ve ever seen for sale in one place.  Shelf upon shelf of books on every subject.  And the theatre boxes provide quiet reading rooms.  It’s a ‘must see’.

Whilst on the subject of culture, the opera house, known as the Colón Theatre, claims to have the finest acoustics in the world and is home, not only to opera but also ballet and orchestral works.  Impressive it is.  Seating around 2600 with another 500 or so standing, it’s a beautiful building that is well used throughout the year.

The time passed quickly and all too soon we’re at the airport ready for the next stage in our adventure.  Goodbye Buenos Aires, it’s been a great experience.