Steak and gin

Day 2. Friday 22 November
Long flight to São Paula where we had to transfer to the onward flight to Buenos Aires.  It was a smallish airport but there was no one around to tell us where to go.  I had to keep nipping into the VIP lounges to get directions and it was a very long walk.  Nothing much to do at 5.30 am so we had a coffee.  I ordered a white coffee and Lynn ordered a latte.  This is what arrived.  We didn't know which was which.  Coffee, coffee, milk?

We flew on to Buenos Aires and were met by our guide Gloria who took us to the very nice 4 star hotel where we have a sitting room as well as a bedroom with two TV sets so we can each watch a separate programme which neither of us will understand.  After a 19 hour journey and only a couple of catnaps, we felt like resting so we found the hotel sun deck, no pool but there was a jacuzzi which is just what you need in temperatures in the high 20s.  By late afternoon we had tarted ourselves up for an evening of tango which sadly did not materialise.  We had booked a recommended, typical Argentine restaurant for 8 pm so we found a great old fashioned bar for a preprandial drink.  Two half tumblers of gin later ( very large measures) and we could barely walk let alone tango, so we waddled off to the restaurant where we selected a ribeye steak from the extensive steak menu, so many cuts and ways of cooking them. The locals often buy one steak and share it. As I said large portions of everything but we were pretty hungry so ordered one each.  Very much a case of eyes bigger than bellies as we neither of us could finish it.  So being full of gin and steak, we decided to stagger back to the hotel where we collapsed in bed.  The highlight of my evening though, was meeting a lady walking her pug and having a lovely puggy conversation about curly tails and how naughty pugs are.  Her pug was called Guapo which means handsome boy, and he was. 

I am managing to brush up my Spanish but was thrown  a bit at first by the different pronunciation of certain letters and the word for "you" and corresponding verb form which does not exist in Castillian Spanish.  I must learn the Argentine words for "That's ridiculously extortionate!"  as a small bottle of water costs the equivalent of £3 to £4.

Here is the polo boutique but Ralph was nowhere to be seen.  

Photo of big gin measure specially for Sandra. This is the gin before I put the tonic in!  Also Lynn's amaretto.

PS in view of the outrageous betrayal of me by Lynn on her blog, " My Sagarian year". I feel I should point out that owing to tropical moments, Lynn stripped off her camisole, no bra on! in plain view of several gentlemen at the airport and worse still, took her trousers off in the airplane while she applied her surgical stockings.  I am wondering if she has a thing about taking off her clothes in public.

Sightseeing tomorrow!