South America trip was fantastico

In Part 1 of my travelogue that I wrote about my very fun and interesting 10-day, four-country visit to South America that I took in September, which was featured in the Norwalk Reflector on Oct. 28, I focused solely on the first two countries that I visited (Paraguay and Brazil). Now, in Part 2, I will continue on my journey by taking you along with me to beautiful Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, where I spent four fun-filled days exploring this huge European-like city and to the tiny country of Uruguay (my 45th country visited to date), which is located directly across the world's widest river (the Rio de la Plata) from Argentina and Buenos Aires. So let's resume our travels, shall we? After saying my goodbyes to my very special Paraguayan friends, who I had just spent the previous four days with and who just shuttled me to the airport at Iguazu Falls — considered by seasoned travelers to be the world's most spectacular waterfalls which are located on the Brazil-Argentina border. I flew to Buenos Aires where I would begin an adventure that I will never forget. Upon landing at the airport, I was immediately transported to the center of this sprawling city that has a metro population of 15 million people and which feels a lot like Paris actually, but without all of the snobbery. Once I checked into my hotel, I immediately started walking and exploring the city, which is simply magical at night and very safe by American standards as well. The next morning, I went on an extremely fun and interesting five-hour private tour of the city. One of the many highlights of my tour included seeing the magnificent and historically significant Casa Rosada, or Pink House, Argentina's version of the White House, where Evita Peron (Don't Cry For Me Argentina) and her husband, dictator Juan Peron, used to mesmerize the crowds who came to see them in the adjacent Plaza de Mayo from the large balcony that towers above the plaza. We also got to visit one of the world's most beautiful bookstores (a former theater with the stage, velvet curtains and chandeliers still in place), explore the huge and very exclusive Recoleta Cemetery (where Evita Peron and other famous and prominent Argentinians are buried in luxurious plots) and walk around the famous La Bombonera Soccer Stadium, where international soccer sensation Lionel Messi, the current captain of Argentina's World Cup soccer team, played. And because I collect cool looking soccer shirts from my travels around the world, I just had to buy an authentic Messi shirt which I now wear with pride and treasure. The following day, I decided to escape Buenos Aires by taking a full day tour with five other tourists from the USA out to the Pampas, the huge expanse of grasslands that are home to Argentina's millions of well-fed cattle/cows and the world-famous gauchos, Argentina's version of the cowboy, where we were all treated to an extremely delicious barbeque lunch at a charming family-owned Estancia (ranch) that featured a non-stop assortment of juicy and tender steaks that you could literally cut with a spoon. All of this high-quality beef tasted all the better when it was washed down with a couple glasses of Argentina's delicious Malbec wine, which is now one of my favorites. Prior to lunch, the ranch hands led us on a 45-minute horseback ride around the ranch. Because I enjoy horseback riding and have done so quite a few times in my life, this was definitely one of the highlights of my entire trip. After lunch, the gauchos gave us an incredible performance of their horse-riding skills, which were nothing short of unbelievable. A full day visit to the historic colonial city of Colonia, Uruguay, the very next day required a 90-minute, high-speed passenger ferry trip on a luxurious ship, complete with comfy loungers, gift shops and a very nice snack bar, across the Rio de la Plata, which separates Uruguay from Argentina and Buenos Aires itself. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, Colonia is chuck full of beautiful well-preserved buildings, churches, colorful flower packed plazas and cobblestone streets and even the remains of the original old brick walls that once surrounded the city that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. After a two-hour walking tour of this small city with a private guide, I had some free time on my own to explore the city some more, eat a delicious lunch at one of Colonia's charming seaside restaurants and do some serious souvenir shopping before catching the ferry back to Buenos Aires later that afternoon feeling very contented and pleased that I took the time to visit this historic city and this very friendly little jewel of a country. On my last day in Argentina, I took a very fun and relaxing half-day river cruise into the delta country just an hour or so upriver from Buenos Aires, where we got to visit two little cities that are only accessible by boat. As we cruised past the numerous homes and cottages built on stilts along the river's edge, it was hard to believe that we were only an hour away from huge cosmopolitan Buenos Aires. A visit to one of the very cool floating markets made me not miss shopping at Walmart or at the mall one iota. Once I was back to my hotel in Buenos Aires again, I packed my bags one last time and hailed a taxi for the drive back to the airport where I boarded my plane for the very long flight to Dallas and ultimately Cleveland. Well, my friends, this concludes your journey with me to beautiful Argentina and Uruguay. I hope you enjoyed yourself. In the meantime, keep traveling and be safe. Until next time. Gary Richards is a teacher and traveler who likes to write about his trips. He is a Norwalk resident.