McDonald’s in Buenos Aires

Passing a McDonald’s on our way to a Gaucho Party. Notice that its sign is red in color, just like we are used to in the U.S. See next photo.

McDonald’s in Buenos Aires

But this McDonald’s sign is green. It’s McDonald’s green initiative. This McDonald’s has “environmentally friendly refrigeration” and is converting used oil to biofuel. McDonald’s started going green in Europe and now in South America. Maybe we will soon see green signs in the U.S.

Immigrant Housing

Many immigrants come to Buenos Aires from other South American countries, especially from Peru, to escape poverty or for other reasons. While waiting for papers allowing them to stay, they live in housing areas such as this one. It reminds me of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro.

Immigrant Housing

Another view.

Argentine Countryside

Most of the countryside traveling from Buenos Aires to the ranch where the Gaucho Party would be was not very interesting. This photo shows one of the more interesting scenes.

At the Ranch

An all–day Gaucho Party at an estancia (ranch) was offered as an optional, which I took. Someone who had previously taken this tour did not think much of it. I didn’t either. The reviews on the internet of the Gaucho Party tours are mixed: some very much liking them and others not. Some of my opinion was based on seeing a horse show in Hungary last year which was superb. The horse show we saw here was very dull compared to that one.

A guacho is a South American cowboy who works on the ranches.

I don’t know which ranch we went to. There are two that tours are taken to: the Santa Susana Ranch and the Don Silvano Ranch. The photos on the internet of these two ranches are so similar that it is hard to tell from them which ranch we went to, but Santa Susana sounds more familiar to me.

You could take a short ride on a horse or an even shorter ride on a horse cart. We had a barbecue lunch (pretty good), a folklore show, and the horse show, but most of the time I spent just sitting down or walking around to waste time.

So what do you do if you don’t take the optional all–day tour. You could go shopping or to a museum or even to Uruguay. The last is what I wished I had done. There are two tours from Buenos Aires to Uruguay that will pick you up at your hotel and then take you back: one to Montevideo and one to Colonia, but both quite expensive, the former being the most expensive, but then you get to see another country.  Or you could figure out how to go on your own which probably would be much less expensive.

At the Ranch

The guachos also served as our waiters, taking something away from their rough cowboy image.

I have put my photos of the Gaucho Party on a slideshow. Go directly to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/near–buenos–aires–gaucho–party/

(Slide Shows, South America, Argentina, “Near Buenos Aires: Gaucho Party”).

Folklore Show-1–MOVIE

Tango dancers at the Gaucho Party.

Folk Show-2–MOVIE

Folk dancer.

The Horse Show

Gaucho getting ready for the horse show.

The Horse Show-1–MOVIE

Running horses.

The Horse Show-2–MOVIE

Gaucho preparing to grab on ring hanging on the crossbar.

Back in Buenos Aires

Major traffic jam coming back into Buenos Aires caused by four protests going on. I was not surprised as I had people from Buenos Aires on a tour I took in Thailand during the protests there. They were not concerned about the Thailand protests as they said they have protests all the time in Buenos Aires.  So the protests here seem to be just part of the local color.

Buenos Aires

We went off the main road into a side street and look who was here to greet us: George Clooney.

Buenos Aires

We must be driving through an embassy area.

Buenos Aires

The traffic congestion was so bad that we got off the bus to walk back to the hotel. Silve told me to take my camera off my neck so that it wouldn’t be stolen. This is one thing I didn’t like about Buenos Aires: that we had to be warned about the many thieves on the streets.

Photo: A protest passing by our hotel. Silve asked a protester what the protest was about but couldn’t get an answer.

Buenos Aires

On our way to a restaurant for a farewell dinner. Not all of the tour was going to continue on to Chile the next day.

Farewell Dinner

My tour group at the farewell dinner.

Buenos Aires at Night

Night scene on the way back to our hotel.

Buenos Aires at Night

A night scene.

Buenos Aires at Night

A night scene.

Group Photo

A group tour photo was taken before those who would be leaving the group had left.