This morning I give up trying to sleep at 5am. Buenos Aires is one of my favourite cities in the world, and the combination of being ferried around by bus and the requisite garbage collection strike hasn’t reconnected me with the city I know and love from previous visits. So I hit the streets at 6:30am to reacquaint myself with the barrio of Recoleta. Early morning is the ideal time to rekindle this long term romance – the only people up at that time are the building wardens washing down the sidewalks, nurses heading to their 7am shift at the local hospital, early morning dog walkers and the homeless. I have the clear blue sky and the streets to myself until 8am by which time the city has reawakened and the local café is open for café con leche.
Today Lindblad is taking all of the passengers about to board the National Geographic Explorer on an ranch visit with an exhibition polo match to keep everyone together prior to boarding the ship later this afternoon. La Carabassa dates back to 1840, and is about 70 minutes from the centre of Buenos Aires. It is deep in polo country, and the afternoon is spent watching gauchos demonstrate their horsemanship, and an exhibition game of polo on one of the nearby (and plentiful) polo fields.
Next stop – Peninsula Valdes on October 24 to see the Southern Right Whales calving!
