Final Days in Buenos Aires

We ended our cruise where we started our South American Tour, Buenos Aires.  The Zaandam was securely attached to the pier in BA when we woke up Sunday morning.  We had one day to explore the city before returning to the ship for one last night.  We were then transferred to the Sofitel chain’s Palladio Hotel, for two additional days of extended Holland America touring thanks to Kal at Four Corners Destinations Travel.

Having visited the city at the beginning of the tour, we were satisfied that most of the tourist highlights were already taken care of.  Our goal was to go for a good long walk-about while enjoying the Sunday markets along Defensa Avenue.  It is a twelve block walk extending from Bolivar Plaza de Mayo to the neighbourhood of San Telmo.  The route is a continuous line of artisan stalls selling everything imaginable.  At the end is the San Telmo Antique Market.  The market has been in existence continuously for almost 50 years.  It seemed to us that every local and tourist had the same idea.  The crowds only added to the vibrant buzz rather than diminishing the experience.

Changing Of The Guards - Pinkhouse

Before we ventured down Defensa Avenue, we visited the “Pink House”, Argentina’s equivalent of the U.S. Whitehouse.  We had a quick look inside the Cathedral and the tomb of San Martin, the leader of Argentina's Revolution for Independence.  

Cathedral & White Scarf Symbol of Mothers Who Lost Family to the Military Dictatorship

San Marin - Father of Independence

After, we happened upon the Prensa Building.  We were attracted to its cool looking exterior (and I was looking for a bano after too much morning coffee).  The building now houses the city’s cultural ministry but was once the home of the internationally famous La Prensa newspaper (yes I had heard of it).  The family-owned newspaper existed in that location from 1869 to 1988.  We enjoyed an English speaking tour of the ornate building.  At one time it was considered one of the grandest buildings in the city.  Our guide pointed out the various architectural embellishments depicting Masonic symbols.  In the 19^th century, it was necessary to belong to the Free Masons secret order to be successful in business.

Ceiling

Free Mason Society

Defensa Avenue was a slow-moving river of stalls.  We did manage to buy a few souvenirs but not really very much.  Prices were reasonable but we lacked the luggage space.  At the Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo, the Antique Market was rich in everything old, some items preceded the 19^th century but most of the stuff dated back to the 1920s, ’30s, '40s, and ’50s.  There was also a cultural component as we watched numerous demonstrations of Tango Dancing. 

We ended the day back on the ship after almost 13 kilometres of walking.

Day two was a transfer day from the ship to the Palladio Hotel.  We were scheduled to stay at the BA Sofitel but some nuisance conference called the G-20 disrupted our original reservation.  We kept an eye out for Justin but didn’t spot him.

In the evening we were picked up from the hotel for a sunset cruise through the Tigre Delta, to the city of Tigre, for a cultural show and dinner.  The cruise itself took almost two hours as we headed west from BA on the river Plata and then into the river Parana.  Where the Parana enters the Plata there are a series of islands and narrow waterways created by the sediment washed down by the river.  The area has become a holiday summer haven for many of BA’s richer citizens.  Eventually, we left the Parana and entered the Lujan River and docked at Tigre.  Tigre is a rich suburb of BA and was a one-time summer playground for the Argentinean elite. 

Our River Cruiser

Floating Grocery Store

We enjoyed a tour of the Tigre Community Hall and Art Museum.  The building itself is stunning.  It looks like it was magically transported from Europe, reminding us of a different society, in the last century.

We received a guided tour of the Fine Art Museum and then enjoyed tapas and all the alcohol you could drink on the veranda roof overlooking the river and the city.  Three couples entertained us with the best Tango dancing we had ever seen. 

Check Out That Tow Point

Day three was a tour of the pampas outside the city to visit an original beef ranch and watch demonstrations of the gaucho (cowboy) skills on the ranch.  It is a tourist ranch now but it has been kept much like its original and is a good representation of what life was like back in the day.  The alcohol flowed freely for our four-hour stay but our guide warned our small group of 4 not to overindulge because we were going to be riding horses at some point and then we still have the hour and a half van ride back to the hotel.  We sat down to an original ranch asado (BBQ).  We eventually had to surrender as the all-you-can-eat menu included chorizo sausage, deer blood sausage, prime rib, chicken and finished with filet mignon.  We started with four different types of salad and ended with dulce del leche for dessert.

Big Beers - I Like This Country

Our tour partners were a young couple from Brazil and they were careful to include us by attempting to speak to us in English.  Once the wine and beer took its effects, much of our conversations was a mix of Portuguese, Spanish and English, and Charades.  They were great fun to be with.

Our New Brazilian Friends

Day Four was more walking as we explored the city’s old seaport neighbourhood.  It is now the most expensive place to live in BA and has many interesting shops and restaurants to enjoy.  After some brief souvenir shopping, we ended the day at a little pub/restaurant only blocks from our hotel.  The Los Galgos was established in 1930 and I doubt there have been any renovations since.  We dropped in for a drink and after four beers we ordered dinner and spent the evening.  It had a great buzz to it and was clearly a favourite neighbourhood meeting place for couples out for the evening and those ending their business/work day.

Opera House Turned Bookstore

Soccer Volleyball in the Park

Deborah On the Women's Bridge

Pacific Shopping Centre

Dinner & Drinks at the Galgos

Day Five marked the end of the tour. The Palladio allowed us to stay after checkout.  They held our bags and gave us free use of the fitness center and lounge areas as we waiting for our transport to Bernie’s B&B near the airport.  Our flight leaves at 4:50 am Friday morning so we had to book a place to hangout until our 2 am check-in.  Our journey home will take 20 hours with stops in Panama and Cancun before flying nonstop to Vancouver.

Final Thoughts On Cruising

We have finished our Holland America Zaandam South American Cruise.  This blog post represents a chance to reflect on our first cruising experience and our thoughts going forward.  It is also a chance to post some shipboard pictures that didn’t fit into previous posts.

We didn’t venture into the notion of cruising with high expectations.  We knew the South American choice was the correct one since we went to places not easy or possible to reach by car.  What we didn’t know was whether we could handle being with so many people and the inevitable waits in line-ups that were inevitable.  Here are our thoughts in no particular order of importance:

We are glad we chose a small ship.  The Zaandam only holds 1500 passengers and it was not sold out.  The waits were minimal whether it was going to dinner or ashore.  We always had a choice whether to dine alone or share tables (and conversations) with others.

One of Three Formal Dinner Nights

Our Favourite Wine Steward - Rose.

We Took Most Evening Meals in the Dining Room

We are glad we chose a cabin with a veranda.  Folks say you don’t spend much time in your room but actually, we did.  A window is a must but if you can have a veranda it makes the room so much larger.  To enjoy the passing sights from a comfortable deck lounger is a big advantage.  We experienced cold weather on this cruise but we still sat outside with a ship’s blanket and binoculars looking at the shore scenery or searching the ocean for other signs of life.

We Kept Two Bottles in Our Room for Pre Dinner Drinks

We are glad to have taken shore excursions.  In addition to learning about new things, it is also a chance to interact with folks from different countries and cultures.  Initially, we thought it would be wise to book excursions with companies not related to the ship.  Savings on costs in the neighbourhood of a third off are not uncommon.  The problems with private tours only surface when there is a problem.  In Punta Arenas, we booked an island penguin tour.  We weren’t able to go due to bad weather.  If it had been private we would have lost our monies.  When I lost my wallet, the ship’s tour company made the effort to retrieve it.  A private company would not have been able to get it back to me.

We are glad we paid for the ship’s internet package.  Regardless of how bad it is to be so dependent on the internet, it was enjoyable to sit down with my coffee each day and read the Vancouver Sun and keep up our travel blog for future reference and reminders.

We are glad we opted for the full laundry service – clean and freshly pressed clothes were a small but delightful travel luxury. Wearing our underwear inside out, for multiple days was never necessary.

We are glad the voyage took a full two weeks.  We think it gave us a better picture of shipboard life and what it would hold for us in future years.  The long days at sea between ports didn’t seem long at all.  The ship is a small city and there are lots of things to do.  We were able to exercise in the gym, go to movies in the theatre, lose our money in the casino, listen to music in the various bars, choose which venue to eat in, sit in the library to read or play games, and attend lectures and entertainment shows on the main stage.

Lots of Flowers & Art Throughout the Ship

Forward Deck Pool

Customer Service Always There To Help

Ledo Rear Deck Pool

We are simply glad we chose to go on a cruise.  We don’t think it is going to be a regular occurrence in the next few years but it will be in our less active future, certainly to go to places we are not likely to see by flying in for a destination visit.  The cruise to Alaska comes to mind.  There were folks on this cruise that were just short of 100 years old.  There were folks confined to wheelchairs.  Cruising is doable for those still keen to travel but lack the patience for self-guided travel or the mobility to do so on their own.  Sometimes it is good not to have to make any decisions except when and where to go for dinner.

The following are decorative towel pics created by our two excellent room attendants, Heri and Rio.

This One Creeped Me Out After a Night of Wine

Our Room - 6th floor - Port Side