Mar del Plata

Well there is no better way to get to know a country than to travel with a local. Willie, my above and beyond Rotary counselor, and his wife Liliana invited me to go to Mar del Plata this weekend. We left on Friday, and traveled for 5 hours through pastures of sheep and cows drinking mate and sharing stories. Mate is an herbal tea that is typically drank out of a hollowed out gourd through a metal straw called a "bombilla", which has a screen at the bottom to sift out the herb while drinking. Sharing mate is a common past time in Argentina, and throughout the day friends and family can be spotted sitting in parks passing around the gourd and sharing a drink. Sharing mate with Willie and his wife was a real welcoming experience into one of Argentina's most valued traditions.

After driving through the Pampa for quite some time we went down a steep hill and the Atlantic Ocean unfolded before our very eyes as we reached Mar del Plata. Miles of sandy beaches and rocky cliffs lined one of Argentina's most popular summer destination. Unfortunately it isn't the summer, so the thousands of people and tents that normally line the beach were absent, but the magnificent scenery still remained. Being in the southern hemisphere, Argentina is on the brink of winter and the weather is slowly changing from subtropical to Antarctic. The further North one goes the warmer it will remain, but the cold Antarctic breeze coming off the Atlantic was enough to close up the normally buzzing beach town for a few months out of the year.

Never the less, we put on a few layers and headed out Saturday afternoon to enjoy the sights. It was a sunny day with temperatures hovering around 65 degrees, which made for comfortable walking conditions. La Rambla is the traditional passages that leads from El Complejo Casino, which I won 50 pesos at that evening (no I wasn't gambling with Rotary money just trying my luck), and extends down to El Torreon del Monje, which is a French inspired castle looking out over the ocean. From there we headed into the center of town and did a bit of window-shopping and headed to one of the best-known secrets of Mar del Plata, La Isla Marina.

La Isla Marina is a family run seafood restaurant, where the lack of decor is made up for in the wonderful seafood entrees. Everything we ate was caught earlier that morning and bought from the Barrio Puerto, which is where the fishing ports are located. After dining on calamari, octopus, salmon, and cod we headed to the actual ports to catch some of the fishing action. As for the fisherman, there wasn't much action because the boats head out to sea early in the morning and return early afternoon with the day's offerings, so all the boats were docked. However, the wildlife was in full swing. Sea gulls, cormorants, and pelicans were flying around the port while sea lions were swimming in the water. Unexpectedly, the male "bull" got out of the water and climbed up onto one of the docks. Within minutes the rabid dogs running around confronted the "bull". I managed to catch all of the action on video, which I've included in the blog for your viewing pleasure. In the end no animals were harmed, but I would say the roar of the sea lion ended up being more treating than the barking of the dogs.

Thanks to Willie and Lilian I had the wonderful experience of getting to know one of Argentina's most popular sites. The historical facts, and personal experiences they shared with me of Mar del Plata where more than one could every find in a book. I'm very grateful to have had such an opportunity, and feel honored that Willie and his family shared with me a very special part of their country. Not to mention Willie taught me a pretty cool card trick, which I'll share with you all when I get back. Best wishes back home...talk to you soon!!!