Day 25, februari 1, Buenos Aires, Argentina Polo Day

Today we're heading to the pampas for horseback riding. We need to gather at the Mainstage at 8:15 a.m., but first, we'll have breakfast, of course.

We're traveling by minibus, which is nice because it's not a large group. There are 14 participants, but 3 don't show up. One arrives quite late because he forgot something in his room and went back when we were almost at the shuttle that takes us away from the container yard. The minivan is waiting outside the yard. It's almost a 2-hour drive. We have a brief stop halfway for restrooms and there's also a souvenir shop.

Natalia, or Nati as she prefers, extensively discusses South American customs like drinking mate and about the gauchos.

At the El Girasol Estancia of  Argentina Polo Day, we're welcomed with a drink and tortas fritas. They're not very flavorful, but with a generous dollop of dulce de leche, they're quite good. Here, they demonstrate how to make mate, and you can taste it. Before COVID, it was prepared traditionally, with one cup passed around for everyone to take a sip, but now they no longer do that, only within family groups.

Then we're provided with real polo helmets and chaps before heading to the horses. I'm assigned the first horse because of my experience. His name is Corchico, which means "cork of a wine bottle." They also have another horse named Botella (bottle), so that should be a fun pair. Jan gets his horse second to last. All of this takes quite some time, and eventually, by quarter to 12, we're all mounted. Both of us have regular (polo) saddles. I would have preferred a gaucho saddle, which is a thick blanket with a fur pad and stirrups.

The guide is very enthusiastic and speaks good English. He's now 28 and made his first long horseback journey when he was 1 year old. Additionally, there are 2 or 3 other guides accompanying us, but they only speak Spanish. First, we walk for a while along a long path before turning back. They've decided that taking a different route would be more enjoyable. Again, we're not riding directly behind each other, but rather mixed up, which is fun because it allows you to steer a bit yourself. There are also about 4 people wearing shorts. How did they come up with that idea? It can't be comfortable.

About fifteen minutes into the ride, one of my bandages comes loose, and we need to ask for help to remove it. We see many birds along the way. The landscape isn't particularly special, and neither is the group, but we're still having a good time. When a very lightly colored horse, likely a stallion, gallops alongside us, the group doesn't react much.

Then we proceed along a narrower path to a pasture. Along the path, whoever wants to can trot and canter. I'm sent ahead. It takes a bit of figuring out which commands work, but I manage. Of course, I have no idea where we're going, so I stop at a fork in the path. Eventually, the rest, with Jan cheerfully following behind me, catches up.

Next, we head towards a pasture where at least 25 horses are standing, and we walk through it. It's very enjoyable. I'm surprised at how easygoing all the horses are. Across the pasture, we stop for a drink of water and to stretch our legs, which is well-received by the beginners. The horses are tethered to a rickety fence with their halters on. One decides to lean on it, prompting two others to join in and pull a post out of the ground. It happens. No one panics. One of the beginners, very cleverly, just let go of his horse, which then decided that joining the herd was much more fun and took off at a sprint. The guide hops on his horse and brings him back. We take a moment to admire the river, which is said to be very beautiful, but it's just a small stream. A little goes a long way.

Then, one of the Dutch participants brings up the end time. It's already around 2 o'clock, and Natalia had said we'd return at 3 and be back at the ship by 5. Now, since we're staying overnight in Buenos Aires, we don't have to be back by a specific time. So, we're in no rush. It turns out that one gentleman, the same one who had to return to his cabin this morning, has booked another excursion for tonight and won't make it back in time. Well, that's his problem. Not a very smart decision. There's no real hurry. We still have to head back, and we'll have a barbecue, so it's not going to fit into his schedule anyway.

The return journey starts off a bit chaotic. The horses know they're heading home and become more energetic. Until we reach the road we need to cross, we trot and canter occasionally, which not everyone is comfortable with. After that, we walk calmly back home. Jan leads the way for the last stretch, and he's also the first one to ride back onto the property, which looks very nice. He enjoys it a lot and remains very relaxed in the saddle. Then we dismount, return our gear, and head to the table.

It's a generous barbecue with lots of meat, but everything is served one after the other, so if you're not careful, you end up with a huge plateful. A glass of wine or beer to accompany it. Life is good here. It feels so peaceful and tranquil. We're served ice cream for dessert and then it's time to board the bus. Nati calls the wife of the man with the tango excursion; she stayed on board. They want to drop him off at the tango show so he can still make it on time, but she was initially unreachable and doesn't want to disembark without him. Then they propose to take him back to the ship and then bring them both to the excursion, but she doesn't want to leave the ship without him. Well, that's not going to work, so they'll have to figure it out themselves.

We're back home by 6:30 PM, shower, pack, and head to the last two shows of Meagan and Gabe. We're going to miss them. They also say it was a fun cruise and that they're happy to have had many regulars (returning guests). At one point, Gabe says, "Applause for the talented, beautiful Meagan Eishen from Toledo, Ohio," to which she responds, "I thought you were going to say 'beautiful, elegant.'" 😂 They give an encore of two songs, and then unfortunately it's over. After delivering a fantastic version of Janis Joplin, Meagan briefly worries if she can still hit the high notes, but it's no problem. We hope to see them again someday. Rhonda sits next to us during the first show, and we have a nice chat with her.

And now it's really over for us as we crawl into the delightful bed in stateroom 8138 for the last time.

Next day