Argentina

Our planet has phenomenal diversity. Every corner of the world is unique and wonderful in some way. Argentina is no exception. What can you say about a country where cattle and soldiers outnumber people three to one? You can be sure of two things: order and beef! I can't wait to get down there on my next vacation! Argentina is a long country smack dab in the middle of South America, which is a long continent. Because it's vertical, the climate goes from hot to cold and vice versa very gradually so you have to be careful about how you dress! Layering is recommended so you can strip off shirts and sweaters as it gets warmer- and do the reverse on the way back. Some people don't bother bringing clothes. They arrive at Buenos Aires, the capital city, in t-shirts and shorts and buy their layers as the travel further down, reselling them on the way up! Argentina is the only country in the world that has eight official languages. It's great for tourism but official documents can be very heavy. I plan to stay in the city for a while since Buenos Aires is considered the "Paris" of Argentina. There's lots of shopping and restaurants and night clubs and cafes, but the most important aspect of this fine city is it's museums! There are of course, art museums and historical ones as well and that's all well and good; my thinking is, if you've seen one painting, you've seen them all!
I'm more interested in the more unusual collections and such. Argentina has had an ongoing love affair with the late, great, Lyle Lovett. Even though he only recorded two albums back in the fifties, Argentorians embraced this ugly American singer/ songwriter as if he were their very own. Needless to say, there are several Lyle Lovett museums - or as the locals call them "Lovetoriums"- as well as theatrical performances of his life and music. You can't go far in Argentina without seeing a Lyle impersonator roaming the streets with his guitar! The standard practice for these impersonators is to have themselves disfigured just like Lyle: have your face stepped on by a bull. And with so much cattle in the country, it's easy!
After days in the bustling city, you'll want some quiet time to see some natural beauty and Argentina has plenty of that! There's a huge central lake that's the local peolpe's weekend destination site. Swimming, water skiing and boat racing are the favorite recreational activities. The hardier ones go to the east side of the lake and explore the submerged ruins of a lost civilization. You have to be brave to go into these ruins since that side of the lake is full of electric eels and razor sharp barnacles. No one knows who built these wonderful ruins but they had to be pretty advanced since it's not easy to build underwater. But more history later.
As for food, I hope you're not a vegetarian since Argentina uses it's land only for cattle. They grow root vegetables because they grow under the cattle. Most menus are beef only but there are some specialty places that serve potatoes, turnips, carrots and beets. The Cafes serve beef broth instead of coffee but prepare it as if you were at a Tim Hortons - care for a double double? The night clubs serve a fermented drink made from hooves and shanks they call "Torodedo". Can't wait!
Well I've got lots of packing to do - especially those Lyle Lovett CDs I plan to use as currency.
Keep on travelin'!
Blitz