05 Febr 2026  Buenos Aires (again…)

I made it, in one piece, with a smaller suitcase.  I think I will call her Sarie, she has this crazy cover that my daughter gave me for Christmas, which hints at being on safari in the jungle – rather apt, as my mind is a bit of a jungle at the moment.

I moved through Cape Town Airport in a daze, not fully taking in the experience of departure.  I was preoccupied with the first blog, the spelling mistake I had made in the title, and getting the updated blog posted to the WApp groups.  I was also trying to edit my current WordPress profile, which was outdated.  To be able to do that,  I had to pay for Gravatar, which has been added to WordPress.  All very frustating and boring, but necessary. 

I hesitated on the steps when boarding, looked at the Stellenbosch and Somerset West mountains for ‘oulaas’, took a photo of the SAA tail wing and wondered if things would be the same when I returned.  Take-off was smooth and I was blessed with an empty seat next to me. 

Sao Paulo was a bit confusing as there were very few noticeboards displaying departure times and boarding gates, but two very friendly officials showed me the way.  I was again reminded of the friendliness of people here, all relaxed and at ease.  We were delayed for more than an hour, and the queue at passport control in Buenos Aires was a mile long, which took another hour, resulting in my host, Mati, having to come and unlock the apartment door after midnight.  Such is the warm concern of people here that the taxi driver waited until Mati arrived, not wanting to leave me standing in the street alone at that hour. 

I had my first cup of tea in the communal kitchen yesterday morning.  I found a lemon flavoured herb tea on the shelf,  which is for the guests’ use.  My room has no windows, so I sat at the kitchen table, trying to figure out what the weather was like. 

Rain was forecast for later in the day, but I wasn’t concerned as the skies didn’t look too threatening.    My phone seriously needed charging, so I had to buy an adapter for my South African plug, and food, of course.  But my first stop was going to be Cafe Martinez on the Plata de Congressa, where I met a stranger (Francisco in my book) last time.  That is a story you will have to read about in Mellamadness: A Solo Journey, the book I’m publishing about my previous South American experience.

I sat at the same table where we met, ordered a cup of coffee and spent 30 minutes reminiscing, fondly remembering my previous experience 6 years ago.  I meandered the rest of the day, revisiting familiar landmarks and discovering new ones.   The Congress building on Plaza del Congresa has been cleaned up (it was being renovated 6 years ago) and the Casa Rosada on Plaza de Mayo, from where Evita made her emotional speeches, is still pink.

I bought an empanada, and the guy serving me was singing beautiful opera music, so I took an impromptu photo, much to his surprise.

I walked to the Reserva Ecológica Constanera Sur, a well-known nature reserve overlooking the Rio de la Plata, but found the gates locked.  I enquired at a nearby kiosk, and was informed that it only opens when the sun is shining!  Hopefully by Friday the weather will have cleared up and I can attempt it again.  On the way back I saw this amazing bridge, called Puente de la Mujer (meaning women’s bridge), designed by a Spanish architect and designer, Santiago Calatrava.  The walking surface was constructed with plastic wood made from 100 000 plastic bottles filled with single use plastic.  

I wanted to sit at a table next to the water and have a small beer, but was told I could either have a big one or two smalls ones for the same price (Arg pesos 7 000, which is R78) m, so I gave it a miss and bought beer in the supermarket on the way back, a little cheaper (R25). 

Two more days in Buenos Aires, and then I’m off to Azul, 300km south of here, for my first Workaway job on a farm.  I hope I don’t have to milk cows or feed pigs…