On a ship again

I was just checking out from the hotel as someone asked the receptionist to call me: my transport to the ship had arrived early! That was good as I hate sitting around waiting when I’m ready to move.

It was barely fifteen minutes to the port area and very soon I began to see signs for Holland America and, specifically, the Zaandam.

Case checked in and through security after a very brief wait we were led to the shuttle bus and driven almost to the gang way to board the ship. I felt quite small as I walked along the side and my ‘carry-on’ felt quite heavy as I heaved it up the steepest part of the gangway, but there was help at hand from the crew ready to get passengers and their belongings on board safely and quickly, so by 2pm I was installed in my cabin and ready to be told what to do. Realising I had had no lunch and not much breakfast, I began to explore the coffee shop area, only to find my Australian friends up there looking at books in the library. They knew their way around, having done a few Holland America cruises, including one about twelve years ago on the same ship, so I learnt a lot in that first conversation that might otherwise have taken days to discover.

The first night we were docked in Buenos Aires and the ship would not leave until about 7pm the next night (Wednesday 11th). During our discussions earlier in the month, Jenny had mentioned that they were going to do a shore excursion outside of Buenos Aires that day and I had decided that was a wise move despite a couple of negative reviews on the website. It was an early start: in the meeting place by 7.30 am for an 8.00 am departure. This was a good lesson in knowing one’s way around – especially to exit points!! The meeting place is on two levels and not easy to find on first attempt.

Another useful tip for me had been to order breakfast in the cabin. There is no charge for this and it’s much quicker than eating where everyone else is also trying to eat and move into activities. Luxury!!

Three coachloads set off to discover ‘Gaucho life on the pampas’ and by 9.30 we were finding our way around Estacion Susana. There were horses galore and a few very skilled horsemen as well as a horse- controlling dog who kept the animals in order. We tasted mate (pron. ‘mattay’) which we were assured contained limited caffeine and nothing illegal, experienced a huge barbecue and local wines, viewed the old homestead with its heavy irons and pretty china, watched a demonstration of horsemanship and rode around the ranch in a horse drawn carriage – open to the elements and fun. One of the elderly gauchos was great fun, enjoying posing for photos and showing off for the ladies in the group.

 

Returning to the ship, ready to sail down the Rio de la Plata to Montevideo, I reflected that I was pleased I had ignored the negative review. Why do we so seldom pass comment when we enjoy something?

So we were off, next morning we would wake in Uruguay. We had no idea what Montevideo would be like but decided to take the chance on not doing any organised tours but finding our own way around the town. Montevideo is the capital and has a cathedral so, I guess, strictly speaking, it’s a city. It’s also very walkable and we found plenty to occupy us, including local craftwork and local delicacies.

Craftwork

No sooner had we crossed the road from the port to the old town of Montevideo than we spotted the usual tourist trap of market stalls, but one of these was rather different. The owner, Blanca Umpierre, whose professional name is Blanca Margarita (www.blancamargarita@adinet.com.uy), is a highly regarded designer, maker of felt items from scratch. She was displaying very eye-catching jackets and scarves so, of course, we had to stop and look. As a result,both Jenny and I broke the cardinal rule and bought the first thing we liked in Montevideo. Neither of us regretted it by the end of the day. We saw nothing of the same quality though we did see other very original craftwork.

Local delicacies
Looking for a cool place to sit for a while and enjoy a cool drink we happened across a pavement cafe ‘Sin pretensiones’(http://www.sinpretensiones.com.uy)Having walked from the port across the town to the beach area and then back up to an area where we had seen a pedestrian precinct marked, we were ready for a cold drink and a rest. We opted to sit outside and chose lemonade: perfect virgin mojitos! – no alcohol, just a very pleasant lemon and mint concoction; very refreshing. Tim went in to ask for the wifi code and came back saying how interesting it was inside. Later, we went back for lunch and shared the most delicious cheese board which had smoked salmon, beef, pork and a very tasty blue cheese. All in a lovely atmosphere with fantastic service. Later we found the old market where the locals were eating barbecue – huge portions of beef and all animal parts looked over enormous fires. We had made the wiser choice!

So many reminders of Cuba here!

And now we’re on our way again, sailing south towards the Welsh settlements of Patagonia. Sadly, though, I don’t think we’ll get any further than Puerto Madryn as the museum in Trelew is closed for renovation and here are no ship-organised trips out. Exploring will be fine!