Where are Christopher Columbus’s Pants?

Having slept from takeoff to breakfast, I have nothing to report about the flight here.  It was entirely uneventful for me at least.  Immigration was equally uneventful, if not pleasant.  All of our bags arrived.  Our flight drama was apparently all concentrated on a single flight cancellation.

Joel just stared at the map for the last hour of the flight. 

We arrived!  Everyone’s first trip to the southern hemisphere. 

Around 8 am, we arrived at the Doubletree feeling hungry and sleepy.  We didn’t cancel our hotel room for last night so we could immediately check in, shower and nap in our rooms before tackling the day.

Croissants have been the theme of our trips, and finding one in Buenos Aires was a good omen. 

Finding the best light for makeup. 

Some of us were bothered by the drizzle more than others, but it quickly subsided. 

We ventured out to exchange money, landing in an upscale mall.  Because Argentinian pesos are such a volatile currency subject to fast-paced inflation, we had to wait until the day we needed them to exchange them.  Armed with pesos, we left the high end retail prices of the mall for a street fair, driving across the city in an Uber ride that cost $3.50 USD.  The taxi app asked if I wanted to tip him $0.50 USD, so I rounded that up to a $1.00, feeling like a real cheapskate. 

We passed a bizarre statue of Christopher Columbus, a local idol of the Italian-Argentinian community, but somewhat of a pariah for the Indigenous population.  Fifteen years ago, the Italian-American community had another major Christopher Columbus statue installed, that one depicting him with imported slaves at the base.  Ultimately it was torn down and moved after being defaced as a lightning rod for protest for the indigenous community.  The artistry of this particular Columbus piece baffled us all, and made us wonder, “Where are his pants?” 

The Recoleta street fair was lined with booths selling locally crafted goods like jewelry, leather, art, crochet, and knives.  Though even light rain cancels the fair, many vendors showed up anyway, and we all found cheap local treasures. Our Texas antiquing skills came in handy, because haggling was the order of the day.  

Jane found jewelry to match her prom dress and Teagan found a bargain silver ring and earrings.  Sterling silver was common and cheap, being produced nearby in Bolivia.  I predict we’ll all go home with some.  Tomorrow’s tour includes time for wandering through the cities largest outdoor market, the San Telmo fair.  

Inca Rose (aka Rhodochrosite) is the national stone of Argentina, and many vendors were crafting it into jewelry.

Our nearby lunch consisted of salmon salads for everyone, which we were outstanding.  We all supplemented it with interesting teas and drinks.  We ordered “Come to Papa” home fries, and I asked for a side of ketchup.  What arrived was a bizarre mix of what we consider ketchup, bbq sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.  Nope for everyone on the sauce.  

After returning to the hotel for a second nap, we roamed the neighborhood around our hotel. We found a grocery store full of snacks. Food packages here have massive sized warnings about excessive calories, sodium, saturated fat, sugar, and fat. We enjoyed finding offensive labels. 

Each black octagon is a dietary warning.  I wonder if this actually deters anyone?

Dangerous foods

Roaming the Calle Florida open air pedestrian mall, just a couple of blocks from our hotel.

We got dressed up for dinner and a tango show, only to learn the tango show had to be postponed until tomorrow.  We enjoyed the comfortable weather, dining outdoors next to the yacht club where a full-volume rave party was taking place inside.

Teaghan and Jane both ordered a cucumber lemonade, but it came out with herbs in it too and not so sweet.  Jane’s was refreshing, and Teaghan gamely tried to down hers.  Jane took a sip of Teaghan’s realizing they had made a Hugh mistake on hers!  It was straight pickle juice, no lemonade and no sugar.  We awarded Teaghan the travel Medal of Honor for embracing drinking pickle juice (despite pickles being her least favorite food).

We ended the evening with dessert before calling it off at 10 PM.  Our 8 PM reservation at the restaurant made us the first folks there.  By 10 PM, the place was full and crowded. We are surprised at how late this city operates.