Adios Costa Victoria, Hola Buenos Aires

Message posted on Facebook by Janet Beaucage Halada, January 1, 2011

In my next life I want to come back as you!! Oh what fun and how wonderful it is that you can see the world. You two are the matching pair of bookends! Thanks for taking me along on your odessy. Happy New Year to you both, I can only imagine what it will bring.

Love ya, Janet

Adios Costa Victoria

At the start of the cruise, passports were taken away from all passengers by the officers of the Costa Victoria and locked in the safe. There is a reason for that.

Here’s the main thing you should know about cruise ships – when they say the ship sails at 5pm, you better be on it or be ready to wave goodbye from the pier. As per marine protocol for tides, pilot boats and a myriad of red tape issues, even if passengers are delayed for important reasons the ship will sail on time. We spoke with Bob from Florida and he told us his story. He and his friend were taken to a different jewellery store in Rio, but they got caught in serious traffic and were not back by departure time. In fact when they heard the three long blasts they were still in traffic, sweating and turning themselves inside out with worry. Finally, agonizingly late, they arrived at the dock in time to see the Victoria sailing out of the bay. Costa ground staff at the terminal apologized for the fact that Bob and friend were stuck in Rio while all their possessions were floating to Ilhabela. Fortunately, because of the above rule, their passports had been left for them by the ship’s officers. Costa staff worked with them to find a solution and suggested a limousine. For US$800, a limousine and driver would take them in comfort to the ferry and across to the island of Ilhabela. If all went well, they could join up with the ship the next morning. The rest is history. They arrived in Ilhabela at 3:30 am and hung out until the ship dropped anchor at 8:00am. None the worse really, only their wallet had lost a few pounds. It’s a good story. It’s a good lesson.

We loved the people at our table on the ship – in fact they were all so much fun and so different that it was a race to get there every night. No one wanted to skip an evening meal because that would mean missing the laughter and fun at the table, especially from the Tom and Tom comedy team. Since we parted company, one by one we have been in touch with all our table friends through Skype. Nice people now scattered across the globe. Ships passing…

Paul and Lindsey, the young backpackers from California, spent two steamy nights at a hostel without air con before they moved in with us. Lucky us, they were our Christmas presents! (Along with the little red tree donated by Tom and the beautiful little photo album from Sheldon and Leanna). Christmas dinner for four – gourmet chicken sandwiches and fruit salad. If independent travel was a calculator, Paul and Lindsey’s mathematical numbers would reach the top; electronically savvy, energetic, cheerful, adventurous – two downright nice people. When they return home in April 2011, they will have experienced the majority of the world’s wonders in a single trip. Check out the link to their blog.

And as for us, well Buenos Aires is a high-flying Shirley cartwheel! It is the second largest city in South America with a metro population of 13 million but the city proper is much smaller. Two thirds of the residents live in apartments – that suits us fine. BA has suffered dramatically throughout her turbulent past – dictatorships, the dirty war that killed 30,000 and the New Year’s fire at the Republica Cromagnon Nightclub in 2004 that killed more than 200 people, bombings, on and on. But she has also thrived and for the moment she is one gorgeous babe all dressed up for a night out.

This time our apartment is in Palermo, an even better location than our 2007 apartment in Barrio Norte. Not too many tourists in Palermo, just a lovely residential area. Our apartment is on the first floor of tree lined Ruggieri Street where, within a three block radius there are dozens of little restaurants and side-walk cafes. BA culture is so comfortable; it’s like settling into your favourite chair to read your favourite book. Most people do not own washers and dryers, instead they use local laundry services, one on every block, to wash, dry and fold their clothes. Cost is 15 pesos per load, about CA$4. Every block has at least one bakery with fresh media lunas (small croissants with a sweet coating, shaped like little moons) and a myriad of tempting and delicious treats. Dulce de leche (sweet milk) is everywhere, in ice cream, in sauces, in jars and bottles, in baked products, you name it - in fact you could spread dulce de leche on a banana peel or mashed turnips and they would be worth eating. There are many grocery stores in the neighbourhood, Carrefour, Disco, Coto and more. Not as large as Canadian stores but they have a more neighbourly feel. Believe it or not, Disco offers home delivery service and every Disco store has half a dozen people filling delivery baskets and loading them in trucks. But did I mention pizzas? Well hold on to your tango shoes because you gotta hear this. There is at least one pizza / empanada restaurant on every block, sometimes two or three. Each restaurant has a delivery team, three or so employees who do nothing but deliver all evening long. Busier than Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Some delivery boys ride bicycles. Some ride mopeds. But our favourite – roller blades. That’s right; they skate down the street at 200 miles an hour carrying boxes and bags of pizzas and accessories. ‘Oh my goodness Richard, did you see that?’ ‘See what?’ ‘That flash of red that just smoked past us.’ ‘Nope, didn’t see it – but it sure smells like pizza!’

The essence of Buenos Aires is ‘class’. It is not Paris but it is like Paris in some ways. It is not Italy but there are many Italian aspects. It is not always the tango in a slinky dress and heels, sometimes it is a slow waltz in sandals with your lover. Remember the movie, The Three Faces of Eve? Well Buenos Aires is The Million Faces of Eve. Our apartment is only a single block from one of the most beautiful boulevards in the world – Avenida del Libertador. Lined with parks, wide driving lanes, expensive apartments, consulates, museums, restaurants and dogs that are so elegant they have their own nannies. In the opposite direction a few blocks away is Avenida Santa Fe, filled with grocery stores, convenience stores, shoe stores and restaurants, the metro line, busses, shopping malls and pedestrians so thick you need a fly swatter. Buenos Aires is one of the best walking cities in the world, second only to Paris in our opinion.

And how about this! Since our years in the motorcycle business we have been aware of the Paris-Dakar race, one of the most gruelling off-road events on earth. In 2008 due to security issues in Africa, the Dakar race was moved to South America and now runs between Argentina and Northern Chile. It started in Buenos Aires on January 1st and will end on January 16th and will cover more than 9,500 km, including 5,000 km of racing. Dakar 2011 is a punishing route that crosses mountains and deserts and is specifically adapted for four different types of participating vehicles.

Total number of vehicles competing: 430
Cars: 146 - Bikes: 183 - Quads: 33 - Trucks: 68
51 nationalities
13 women, all categories included.
First-time participants: 64 bikes - 21 quads - 50 cars - 1 truck.

The staging ground for Dakar 2011 was Plaza Italia, an easy walk from our apartment. On December 31st all competing vehicles were smartly displayed for public viewing. Tens of thousands of people were there and so were we! Such a thrill to wander through the gut of thing! Nexr day, January 1st at 2:30pm, beginning with the motorocycles, one by one the competitors were sent on their way, spaced about a minute apart. They had to parade down Libertador, right near our apartment and eventurally pass the obelisk on Avenida 9 de Julio, the widest street in the world. Along the route the streets were lined with cheering fans for hours - the last vehicle passed at 8:30pm. Inside-out exciting!

But now hear this. It has nothing to do with racing but is proof that life is not always filled with little happy high-notes. I went for a haircut today, entered a nice little shop and told the nice little lady how I wanted my hair cut. She spoke not a single word of English. So I told her in Spanish. Well. Without one single letter, word, adjetctive, noun or pronoun to descriptive excess – there is absolutey no doubt whatsoever that she gave me the worst haircut I have ever had in my life. It is awful and I mean itl!!

So Alan walks in to the barbershop. The barber says, 'What will it be today?
Alan replies, 'Well I want it going with my waves on top, faded on one side, plug the other, and just make it all out of shape and messed up.' The barber answers frowning, 'Now why in the world do you want your hair cut like that?'
Alan says, 'That's how you cut it last time.'

Adios Amigos!