Monday 3 December 2018

Buenos Aires and beyond .... Oct/Nov 2018

Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires
We had found the perfect sit for the last few weeks of our six month South American adventure on the Buenos Aires Expats Facebook group.  Whilst we belong to four or five mainstream house & pet sitting websites, we have discovered they aren't always the best option for sits in 2nd and 3rd world countries.   Sits in these countries are almost always for expats.   Locals a) do not have the resources or reasons to travel (expats like to go back to their home countries each year to see family and friends) & b) are more likely to have extended family to care for their homes and pets while they are away,   So we find it is also a good idea to join the expat facebook group/s of the countries or cities we wish to go to as well. In this instance it worked a treat.  We managed to get a sit in an apartment in Polermo, Buenos Aires with two cats.

Button and Portobello ... mushroom cats!!!
The young american couple we were sitting for were going back to the states for a couple of weddings ... including their own :-)

The kitties were inside only cats and hadn't been in Argentina very long so everything was still new and a bit scary to them.  It took a couple of days to win them over after which we had a lovely time together.


Helping with mum's knitting
Sitting for kitties only leaves a lot of spare time for exploring the city.  Apart from feeding time there is not much to be done.


Polermo turned out to be the perfect neighbourhood from which to explore the city.  It is on the underground system and on one of the main bus routes, both of which are very easy to use with a Sube card.

Polermo underground station is quite pretty
Our first adventure was a walk to MALBA or Museum of Latin American Art.


Neither of us are particularly interested in art so are probably not the best critics but .... some we liked



The desperation of poverty



Some we didn't ....



And others we just didn't understand how anyone would think them art worthy of display ....

The Illumination of Light!


We also enjoyed a visit to Puerto Madero, the revamped dockside.  It is an interesting mix of old and new construction.  We were particularly struck by the fabulous old red brick buildings that have been repurposed as upmarket steakhouses and lunch venues for the surrounding office workers.  Apparently the only people who can afford to live here are CEOs and drug dealers!




Yet the most interesting thing to be seen here is the Puente de la Mujer, the rotating footbridge which is a sight to behold although the planks of the bridge itself are in some disrepair.


Our visit also coincided with a visit from a 1927 Norwegian sailboat which was crewed by quite a few 16 & 17 year olds on a round the world adventure.


Of course, a visit to BA would never be complete without a visit to one of the many markets.  We chose San Telmo.  It went on forever and although we didn't buy anything (we usually only by consumables as we don't need anything else in our lives and if we buy we have to carry!) we enjoyed seeing all the wares on offer and the people touting them.  One guy even asked Clare if she was from NZ even though she (unusually) hadn't said a word, when she stopped at his jewellery stall.  He had spotted the pounamu (NZ greenstone) necklace she wears.


After the market we walked up to the Plaza de Mayo where we got talking to some Kiwi tourists who recognised Clare's accent ....  this time she was definitely talking :-)  La Casa Rosada, the offical residence and offices of the President, needed photographing ....

La Casa Rosada in the backgroung
Along with the other points of interest in the square



As we wondered home we were again taken with the gorgeous colonial architecture everywhere we looked.


Clare was delighted to discover that we were living within walking distance of a number of yarn shops.   The interesting thing about shopping in South America is that all of the same types of shops, or stalls in the market, are in the same street or row.  Kinda makes life easy.

It would have been rude not to purchase this lovely
array of very cheap cotton!

Some of which was used to make a wedding
gift facecloth for the happy couple :-)
 Argentine, and more specifically Buenos Aires, is know for the wonderful bakeries on every corner.  The standard breakfast is coffee and medialunas .... half moon shaped pastries similar to a croissant but different in texture.  We thoroughly loved them and it was a challenge not to over indulge.  We even enjoyed looking in the shop windows at them all!


We were equally delighted to discover that we had arrived mid strawberry season and were buying big luscious strawberries for NZ$2 per kilo or UK 1 pound.


We were also fascinated by the dog walkers which we saw every day.  Just such a shame about the abundance of doggy doos EVERYWHERE on the pavements.   We never saw a stray dog so can only imagine there is not 'pick up' culture here.


Something else we saw in abundance on the streets of Buenos Aires were police.  They were very relaxed and affable mostly just standing around smoking but didn't seem to be doing a lot.  James commented that maybe they could be put to better use picking up dog mess!  It was such a pleasure to be able to discover the city from a housesit perspective rather than as a tourist.

Just more cute kitty pics :-)






At the end of our sit here we had five days to fill in before flying out to Spain.  James wanted to go fishing one last time so booked a hostel and a fishing guide in San Pedro, on the Rio Parana, the second longest river in Argentina.  It was around a three hour bus ride away.  We left the city on a Saturday morning intending to walk toward the bus station before catching a bus the rest of the way.  Unfortunately one of those things that you don't know about till it's too late happened that day.  La Boca were playing their main rivals at football at the stadium in the city and the buses were packed to overflowing.  No matter.  We had left our main rucksacks at the housesit and only carrying hand luggage so a longer walk was no problem.  Until the heavens opened .... another one of those events you don't find out in advance!  Ho hum, a bit of wet never hurt anyone.

It rained all the way to San Pedro.  This turned out to be a weather bomb which not only postponed the days football match but also meant we never got to go fishing in San Pedro.  A bit disappointing, but the town itself turned out to be a lovely place to hang out for a few days.

Jacaranda trees in full bloom

The river in flood
 Still, we got to enjoy some lovely food with the money we saved from the failed fishing venture.


Well fed stray dogs at the bus station
We had one more night to spend in Buenos Aires before flying.  We have had an amazing journey  packed with fabulous adventures and experiences, meeting new friends and old.  It is with fondness that we farewell this varied and interesting  continent.

Friday 9 November 2018

Uruguay Housesit - October 2018

A gorgeous sunset, Playa Pinares
The border crossing just north of Concordia into Salto, Uruguay really was the biggest joke so far.  We all got off the bus and got our passports stamped then lined back up outside while a customs guy looked inside the baggage container under the bus, asked James where he was from and then wandered off.  A MAF guy then got on the bus, had a look around, got back off then we all got back on and off we went!  We have yet to be asked a question at passport control in all our border crossings in South America.  Central America was much more tricky.

We were only in Salto for one night which turned out to be a blessing.  Our hostel left a bit to be desired along with the town.  We finally found somewhere to try the local dish, Chivito ... or so we thought.  It turned out to be nothing like the picture but was pretty good, nonetheless.  Ordering food in Spanish can be a bit of a challenge at times.  Fortunately we don't eat out a lot.  We had also mentally prepared ourselves for the cost of living in Uruguay.  Everything is at least twice the price of Argentina.  Fortunately we were here only for a month and would be house-sitting all of that time.

The bus journey to Montevideo was really pretty.  The countryside is lush and green.  At Montevideo we walked a short way to a local bus stop and caught a local bus which took us an hour or so down the coast to Atlantida to our house sit.

Thatched roof, reminiscent of England
The flora in our garden was surprisingly like New Zealand.  There are cabbage trees and flax in the garden, and being springtime, the wisteria was showing off splendidly.

The back yard.  Unfortunately the weather
was not yet warm enough for swimming

Clare made a bouquet of flax flowers 
Our charges were Meg, a gorgeous fluffy rescue who was such excellent company both indoors and out.


And Ginger, a stray who had moved into the house after his brother had been killed by a dog :-(


Janet and Wayne had organised a BBQ to introduce us to some of their friends.  Nothing quite like a BBQ in Uruguay .... In fact, after they left we were inspired to buy beef for the BBQ from the local butcher.  They have a unique way of cutting meat here.  It comes in one long piece as pictured and when we said we wanted half of it, he cut it in half length-ways with a bandsaw!!!  We don't eat a lot of red meat (unless we harvest it ourselves), but this just HAD to be done.

Not a snake ... a piece of beef

Meatfest
Our primary reason for wanting to house sit here was the beach.  We were not disappointed.  It was a short walk from home and on our first beach walk with Meg we discovered that the locals do a lot of fishing off the beach!  Hit the jackpot here!  



We spent a lot of our time playing with Meg (and her friends).  There are a couple of street dogs that Meg knows well that live close to the beach and they would usually tag along with us if they were around when we went past.  We called them Zorro and Shorty.  We de-ticked them and took food down to the beach for them, usually our leftovers.  We didn't worry too much about them as someone from the neighbourhood was apparently feeding them.  They were great fun and Meg loved to play with them.  The only real problem arose when, in typical street dog fashion, Zorro loved to chase the horses on the beach.  Fortunately we could see them coming a long way off and Clare would take the dogs up into the dunes till the all clear.  The horse riders seemed less bothered than us.  Expect they are quite used to it.



Meg liked to dig holes and Zorro would try to catch the sand

She would end up being a very sandy gal




This big guy joined us early one morning too

Big softie
And of course, LOTS of fishing got done.


Our first fish, hmmm, think we can improve on this

Introducing Meg to here first live fish



It wasn't usually very busy except at weekends, except for the fishermen who came out in force when the tide aligned with the time of day.  We soon realised that the best time of day for bites was either sun up or sun down.  Catch improved greatly!


And who was the very grateful recipient of the littlies???


Even when we weren't catching it was not a bad place to while away our time.  Meg loved it too .....



The sunrises where certainly worth getting up for



The sunsets were magic too.  One night we watched an amazing lightening display over the water and a few nights later we watched the phosphorescence dancing in the crashing waves.  Words cannot describe and pictures not even possible.


Evening storm a-brewing
Our final morning fish yielded the biggest fish and our biggest haul.  We had some lovely feeds, so did Ginger, and we left a fair amount of fillets in the freezer for Janet and Wayne.  They were reportedly very happy recipients.




When we got home from our fishing ventures, there was always this cheeky monkey to welcome us ... and peruse the catch of the day.


Ginger has more dog characteristics than cat. He has an enormous sense of humour, is extremely friendly and wags his tail when he's happy ... rather than annoyed.  He and Meg get on famously.



Playing hide and seek in a carry bag
Ginger ninja
Apart from being wonderful company, Meg had her other uses too.  One morning, around 2am, we woke to her pacing in the upstairs hallway.  As she was usually not a night time warrior, Clare got up to investigate, only to discover that the hot water cylinder on the upstairs mezzanine had slit open at the reservoir and 50+ litres of water was leaking all through the spare bedroom. As if that wasn't bad enough, the power went out as the water had seeped through to the electrics causing the RCD to trip ... which of course is what it is meant to do!  So began the tricky task of  stemming the flow and moping the water by torch light.  No lasting damage was done and fortunately things had dried out sufficiently in the morning for the power to reset. but we did spend a day or two drying out some clothes that had born the brunt of the water spillage.

At the end of a busy day, there was always snuggles at bedtime.



We enjoyed this sit and this spot in Uruguay very much ... especially the company of these two mischiefs