32. At Sea Heading Towards Port Stanley

At Sea Heading Towards Port Stanley          64 F (18C)    Rain

We are attending Destination Lectures, to know more about the town(s) we are going to in the next few days. Humberto is still on board; he seems to sail with us all around the continent.

Even the Captain is still with us. It seems his wife and son left the ship in Buenos Aires. I hear him on the speaker system, every noon telling us exactly where we are on Earth. 

We are heading for the Falkland Island group. The debate in Argentina is, of course, that it is called the Malvinas. There are other regions Argentina has in dispute. Chile claims some areas, too. It makes some interesting reading, but we, as passengers do not care one way or the other.

There are lots of things about Argentina that are a bit weird:

Statue of a Tehuelche In His Battle Paint and Mask

The prices for houses are quoted and sold in U.S. dollars.

Wool prices are negotiated and sold in U.S. dollars.

The natives of this area, the Tehuelche, were tall when the Spanish/Portuguese arrived, taller than the Iberians. The natives used large skin shoes on their feet and left big footprints. So the Iberian discoverers, seeing those foot prints thought the people, the Tehuelche, had big feet. The word for big feet in Portuguese is: Patagon. Hence the name, Patagonia.

There are lots of ‘dry’ lakes in Patagonia…. The bottom of the lake is formed by clay. So when it rains, there is a huge lake, but it stays only for a bit, before the winds dry out the lakes and then we see the just dry lakes.  Some call them ghost lakes.

Gaucho

The area of Patagonia we went through yesterday is the home of the gaucho. A kind of cowboy, but he is more of a herdsman than a cow driver. A gaucho is a semi-nomad, living in an area for some time, then leaving when the sheep leave, or when the cattle leave, or the horses…. depending on what he herds. 

There are many stories about gauchos. One is about a gaucho named Gil a kind of Robin Hood guy. Click on the blue lettering, it gives you a nice story to read.

Gaucho and His Mate

Another story is about a gaucho who had 4 wives, all sisters; he saw them all separately during the year, depending on where he grazed his flocks. He was a busy gaucho.

Most trees in Patagonia were planted; most are used as wind breaks.

Tribute to the Dinosaurs

Scientists believe that Patagonia was once a large lagoon. Many sea fossils are found here, as well as a bunch of dinosaur’s fossils, too.

The Welsh made a success out of going to S. America. Today besides Spanish, the Welsh language is being taught in school. Festivals of poetry are held within communities. The old ‘Bard’ is alive here. There are Bard Competitions every year in most of the towns around the Welsh areas.

The Welsh language is used in everyday life.

There are some problems with alcohol, especially with teenagers. Lately drugs have taken over.

Squatters, mainly from Bolivia (90%), are a problem. Large shanty towns are strewn about, threatening the long established towns. They come because Argentina offers free education, even for foreigners. Yes, Argentina has immigration problems, too. 

The main river, the Chubut, is dangerous to swim in. Many eddies, undertows and ice cold water makes it not suitable for swimming. 

After the big floods happened in Patagonia in the 1960’s many people left, most went to Toronto, Canada.

There is not much wild life in the arid desert around here, just a few snakes. 

In years past, vegetation was used for toilet paper, there was no such thing as ‘paper’ for that.

Ah, Argentina…. what a country.

The pope is from Argentina, but you knew that, right?

Where they used to hunt for whales, today it’s a conservation area. Yet fishermen still fish for squid, mussels, shrimp and hake. But the whales are mostly left alone. The new threats to the whales are plastic bags, which look like Jelly fish when in the water, but cannot be digested by the whales.

Argentina…. you have so many things to think about. So many problems you have never addressed.

Eva Peron

Before 1920, Argentina was economically way ahead of the U.S. Worldwide, it was one of the strongest countries. But then the Socialists had their say, they wanted to ‘help’ the poor, especially the Perons were a disaster for Argentina. You all know about Eva…, nice story but in the long run it impoverished more people than it ever helped.    

Eva's Plaque

I had trouble buying 3 loose stamps in a Post Office in Argentina for postcards a few years ago. It took me 2 hours standing in line. 

When you go to an ATM in Argentina, if it works, it will only give you a certain amount of money, that is it, no more, it knows your credit card.

Banks are closed, 3 times a week and weekends, of course …. And when the banks open, they only open up in the afternoon. How do you do business that way?

 Ah……. Argentina.

Here is a good read about Argentina.