planBE

The weather here has been fantastic. Blue skies, easy breeze (hence buenos aires), low humidity, temperature in the high 20s. You definitely want to find the shade come afternoon, and my DH finally decided to put on sunscreen AND a hat. I forgot my Tilly at home, so getting a hat was my priority #1. Found a cool boutique in the fancy part of town, Recoleta, that specializes in Argentinian hats, saddles, leather goods, and has an entire floor dedicated to polo. Found my hat mighty quick, as I fell in love with the flat rim. And then roamed the store touching all the interesting gaucho saddles. We then taxied over to the Cathedral of Polo (Campo de Polo) to watch the best polo teams in the world battle the semi finals of the Argentine Open. It was fast, furious, and dangerous. Note the drone flying over the horses for action shots! And we ended the day with some gelato. The italian roots in this country are very deep! The food, wine, beer, delicioso!

What a funny country. Somewhere stuck with one foot in the past and a delusion of the future. No wonder they have the highest number of psychiatrists per capita in the world. They seem to suffer from fatalism, and its contagious. Being a huge metropolitan city of 15M, public transit (and subways) are the backbone of transportation. While taxis are very cheap (2$ for a 15 minute ride), transit is even cheaper at 0.10$ and abundant for us as we are downtown. With rampant inflation and deflating currency, the government wisely decided years ago to remove cash payment and replace with a transit pay-as-you-go card called a SUBE. That way they could increase prices on a monthly basis and it would be seamless. But finding a place that will sell you the card? Turns out, thats the problem. For locals, its no big deal since they keep the cards forever. But tourists? Good luck. I had heard echos of this problem online, particularly exasperated by the pandemic. But Argentina had also shut down bor

  With 15M inhabitants, Buenos Aires is a major metropolitan city of a similar size but broader sprawl than NYC. Subways, museums, restaurants ad infinitum, and honking taxis define the city. And yet … in many ways its still a jungle out here. I wont bore you with affairs of state, but the currency situation is absolutely bonkers. The highest denomination is a 1000 pesos bill. Its now worth $3 on the blue rate (street) market, which means when I went to buy our ferry tickets to Uruguay yesterday I had to pack a wad of cash so big it barely fit into my money belt. When we went to Western Union (the unofficial ATM/exchange office) to withdraw funds, the stack was so big we could not fold it to put in my husband’s  pocket. Good thing he had big cargo pants. He hugged his pocket the whole way home. 😂 The government seems to have zero interest in addressing the situation (see article:  https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/tourists-pay-with-wads-of-cash-as-argentina-inflation-nears-100.p

I love grocery stores. My first trip in a new country is always a delight, even when Im sick with a head cold, jet lagged, and haven’t slept   in 2 days . I find it fascinating to see how this mundane activity translates in a country with different norms, seasons, agricultural practices, tastes, and budgets. I will eventually skip across chains, towns and do a proper inventory of which stores offer the best produce, dry goods, meats and seafood. And of course in some countries, the stores are specialized on old traditions and local markets of bakers and butchers. In Argentina, it seems to be the blend of the old and new. With a population of 15M in Buenos Aires, there  are a few mega market chains like Coto, Jumbo, and the imported Carrefour. But there are also lots of small butchers, bakers, pastry shops, coffee shops, and the medley of “Chinos” … small cornerstore Chinese-owned mini-markets that specialize in the freshest local produce. I suspect most of my time in the coming months

Last day before our departure and I just had to spend it at the barn! 😃 Didnt have time for much but lost myself in Qs deep brown eyes while doing his stretches and then entered into the fairytale forest of the first winter snow with a horse that was feeling bright, forward and attentive to have just the most magnificent ride amidst the slowly falling snowflakes.  Gave him his last brushing, last carrots, last kisses. Magical. Q will be busy while Im gone. He has 3 massages booked. and will be groomed/lunged twice a week, plus his daily turnout with his bestie Chester. The barn family will be sending me picture postcards throughout. When I travel for long periods, I leave a type of “power of attorney” with the barn owner so she may take all decisions on my behalf and I will cover all costs, including, if necessary, euthanasia. I do not want my horse to suffer a trauma while staff are trying to reach me, and there is no hope for repair. But I also don’t want them to hesitate to send hi

Had a spicy ride with Q today, as the temperature dropped and the wind was voracious. The trees are bare, the forest floor covered in leaves that shift and move in the wind like a flying carpet. Many horses would spook at this movement, but Q was unfazed as we trotted and cantered down the forest paths.  12 days before departure to the other side of the planet. It will be my second chance at summer. 

Still working on my walking mileage as I prepare my body for my trek in Patagonia. Im feeling stronger with 9/10 km in a single stretch but find that I need day after recovery time, usually with some strong discomfort around my rib cage. 🤷‍♀️ Ive also done two 14 km mountain stretches with very difficult terrain, but I usually struggle in the last hour and find that Im wiped out after those walks. So on days where I cant commit to a barn commute or bigger endeavour, Ive taken to exploring the beauty of my neighborhood just down the street. We live in the waterfront area of Montreal on the St Laurence River where the rapids take over. Ive found the eternal surfing spot, and some cool little riverside paths. Its a beautiful park about 20km long and when the sun is shining there is no better place to be.