As we sailed across the Atlantic from South Africa, we were exposed to three sides of Argentina. The old: the still beloved Evita, who served as first lady and worked on behalf of the poorest Argentines; and the history of what once was among the richest countries on Earth, with European influences and South American riches. The ugly: the aptly named Dirty War, which saw military dictatorship and people “disappearing” on a massive scale, still unaccounted for. The current: a failing President; an economy in decline, with pegged exchange rates and foreign currency controls; a disgruntled populace, looking for improvements in their lives. We were also prepared for a country that has a serious love affair with food and fun – including the tango, Argentine beef and dulce de leche. 
Buenos Aires was the largest city on our itinerary and it showed. It was a bustling crowded place with numerous shops and restaurants and the highest concentration of McDonalds we’ve ever seen on one street. It also had the grand buildings you would expect from a wealthy European-influenced city. Grandpa Milton learned first hand why we had been warned repeatedly about the pickpockets on the subway when a couple managed to jostle him and make off with his travel wallet. The surprise of Buenos Aires was the dogwalkers, sometimes taking up to a dozen dogs on a walk at a time.
The highlight of our second day was “dinner in the dark”. We joined about 40 shipmates and ate dinner in complete darkness to simulate the impact of being blind. If you haven’t done it, it is worth spending an evening this way. It certainly gives you a brief experience of what it is like to live as a blind person. Christy wrote an essay on the evening so look for that at the bottom of this post.
Our third day featured a visit to a ranch in the pampas (grasslands), the home of Argentine gauchos (cowboys). It was highly entertaining day featuring horsemanship demonstrations and a delicious BBQ lunch. Jay wrote a piece about it for our travel class also posted below.
We only had the opportunity to scratch the surface of Argentina and will be sure to return sometime to explore Patagonia in the south and the rain forest in the north.
