Sunday morning was another beautiful day in Beunos Aires. We have been so lucky with the weather. Hopefully it continues.
We were heading out for some Polo today - was really exciting. We hopped in a mini van and drove about an hour out of town to the polo capital of Argentina, maybe even the world, there are so many polo clubs in this area. It kinda reminded me of the Richmond/Hawkesbury area in outer Sydney. Similar vibe.
We were promised a day of good eating, drinking and polo, but my expectations diminished as we drove through the rundown country town. As we arrived at the gates of the polo club however, that all changed. We were greeted by the Owner and Club President Marcos, who quickly called for some wine and empanadas to be brought out for us. This guy was quite a character, former surgeon who quit to pursue his polo interests. He's obviously loaded, but he had some great stories, which he shared through the day.
We explored the farm and clubhouse, a very modest place; peaceful and idyllic.
We then watched a match out on the fields. We felt like royalty with the treatment we got. We watched the match sipping red wine, eating empanadas on deck chairs under the shade of beach umbrellas. Was quite something. I kinda like polo, I have a real appreciation for how difficult it must be, considering I can't even ride a horse.
The match ended and we returned to the clubhouse for lunch. Marcos had his chef prepare a huge asado feast. There was plenty of grilled meats, sausages, potatoes and veggies to be had, along with more wine. Over lunch Marcos shared stories about how a young Sarah Fergusson came to stay at this farm for 3 months, as well as how Prince Harry nearly came here to learn polo albeit for security reasons. He also had had many dealings with Kerry Packer, infact he loved the guy and spoke very highly of him. Was interesting hearing his tales of polo and life, a great character.
We ended our polo day with the opportunity to ride some of the horses and try and hit the ball. For me it was the first time I had ever been on a horse, but after a few minutes I was fine and was actually able to hit it, albeit while the horse was walking pretty slowly.
It was a fun thing to do though, got to see some Argentinian culture and countryside all at once, along with meat and wine.
We headed back into the city, to the hotel and quickly sorted our gear out for our next adventure - La Boca. It was a barmy Sunday afternoon and we were heading out to La Boca Barrio to watch the opening match of the Argentinian Football season - Boca Juniors v Goodoy Cruz. We were warned that the area was quite dangerous and unsafe, so we didn't really linger much in the streets. It's a shame because the area is quite interesting, particularly Caminito. The streets and buildings are full of colour and interest. There's a lot of passion and pride here too, Argentinian colours everywhere as well as Maradonna jerseys and posters everywhere. They still love him.
We finally made it to the famous stadium, it's more a theatre than a sports ground, quite dramatic. It's tightly packed in to a suburban block in the neighbourhood, kinda like Leichardt Oval or the old Redfern Oval in Sydney.
The crowd was already massive and in full voice when we got in. It was a struggle getting a good vantage point however we eventually did. We were standing for the whole match, jumping along as the crowd went nuts. Amazing atmosphere. They cheer and sing so much. They even cheer the poor plays and mistakes, which is cool i guess, that doesn't happen with Aussie crowds.
There was an air of silence each time Goodoy Cruz scored, quickly followed by more chanting and singing of encouragement. The best part was the single goal that Boca scored - the noise in the stadium was amazing. So loud!
Unfortunately the game ended 4-1 in the visitors favour, however it was still an amazing spectacle. A real highlight.
Now for the hard part - getting out alive and safely home. They kept our section - the rowdy one - along with all the other home fans back 30 mins to allow the visiting fans time to leave. Crazy that they have to do this, but I guess it is that dangerous.
We finally got out and made it through the traffic before heading to dinner - late. By the time we got to dinner it was 11. We really were living the Porteno lifestyle now. We ate at a Parilla place, basically a grill. Was really good food once again. Dinner was a somber affair however as a few from our tour group were leaving the next day, Susie and Oliver. We had made good friends in these guys and it was sad to say goodbye.
- Blog from iMat
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