They will change planes in Houston to CO flight #1495, scheduled to arrive at LAX on Thursday, April 7, at 10:52am (assuming no delays).

Today we spent our first day back exploring Tigre, a network of rivers and islands just outside of Buenos Aires. We had time to shop around in the nearby fruit and handicraft markets, where there were many various fruits and plants, as well as wood and wicker goods. After lunch, we went on a relaxing boat tour of the delta.

This will be our last blog post, as tomorrow we will be departing for home. But before we leave, we will have the opportunity to spend the day in Palermo and spend the rest of our pesos before dinner and Tango dancing!

We have arrived safely in BA! Beautiful day of traveling back from Mar del Plata along the coast. Now we are off to eat empanadas and sleep before tomorrow's excursion to the river delta TIGRE.

Day 9: Today we took another bus tour to visit the Laguna Hills of the Fathers. Not only we were able to see the refurbished homes of the natives of the lands. We continued our tour to the zoo. Here we had the pleasure of seeing, petting, and feeding a range of animals from llamas to sheeps. Many of the animals were either donated by people in order to recover from past troubled lives. We later enjoyed lunch in a small restaurant nearby and were given time to browse around and shop. We concluded our night together by enojoying a nice dinner in a little restaurant followed by ice cream.

After the children sang us songs to bless us for visiting, we drove to another school, also in Mar del Plata. After eating lunch, we learned more about the school and its students, who are in grades K through 12. We then learned more tango and even a bit of salsa dancing. After this, we joined the students outside during break and divided into groups for gym class. After splitting into groups to either play soccer or hockey, we gained first hand experience about how the Argentines play ¨futbol¨ and field hockey. While competing on integrated field hockey and soccer teams, we had the opportunity to learn more about Argentinian teenagers and to practice our Spanish.

After leaving the beautiful forest behind, we traveled along the beach back to the hotel. Now we have some free time to shop and explore Mar del Plata and we will be heading to dinner at 8!

For the rest of the bus trip we had a dance party and some people slept. We also listened to some Argentine music! Que rico! We finally arrived in Mar del Plata and we checked into the hotel. After a short break we went on a walking tour of the city with a new tour guide. We walked up San Martin Avenue and walked along the Atlantic Ocean.

After working up an appetite, we sat down to eat at a famous churro restaurant called Manolo. Some ordered nepolitan pizza, others order burgers and more traditional Argentine dishes. After dinner, we indulged in churros filled with Dulce de Leche or Chocolate.

Some craved some ice cream, so on our way to make a stop at the ice cream store, we found a pack of boys. Many girls followed them and did not realize that half the group had stopped walking and was watching them follow the boys. It was very funny! We then walked back to the hotel and we are going to bed soon.

John

After lunch, we saw various folk-dances. Following the performances, we watched the gauchos play sortija, a game in which the gauchos were supposed to capture a small ring. If they were successful, they could trade the ring for a kiss from one of the women in the audience. One of the gauchos, an adorable nine year old boy, captured the attention of all the girls. At the end of this demonstration, the gauchos asked for volunteers to be pulled on a sled made of cow skin, by their horse, around the arena.

Later in the day, we lounged in the sun around the lagoon, sunbathing on the dock and playing cards with friends. Once we got into town, we were given free time to roam around town and do some shopping.

Now we´re off to dinner and pool!

Our first stop was ESMA, a former military school/ detention center in the 1970s that now serves as a memorial of Argentina´s most devestating human rights crisis. This experience gave us extrodinary compassion for those who were killed and tortured. As we stood in the very basement and attic where many were detained, we felt the sorrow and despair that many Argentines experienced.

Next we took a bus the lunch. Our options were chicken or spinich filled crepes.
Most of us ordered the crepes and when they came out they were BRIGHT green!
....Maybe not the best thing we have had so far.

After lunch we all went to the Evita museum. A museum dedicated to one of Argentina´s most loved and most hated political and social figures: Eva Peron. The guide helped us see the two sides of this influential figure. Not only was she a crucial influence in helping the middle class, she also used her charity work to futher her political campaign.

Then.... TANGO LESSONS!
We worked on the basic step we learned the day before and even learned some extra steps. It was quite an experience to learn both the men´s and the women´s role.

Here are some pictures and a video.

We then went to lunch and ate crepes or grilled chicken. The meat here is absolutely divine.

We traveled onward to one of the oldest gravesites in Argentina where Eva Peron was buried. Even though we couldn´t visit Maddie's family mausoleum it was still a sight to remember.

Then, after a cozy bus ride, we took tango lessons from the girlfriend of our tour guide. What an experience with all girls! We took turns being the men, que interesante. Tomorrow, however, we will be with dance partners so we are all glad for the practice.

After the dance lesson we walked around Santa Fe and shopped. Well, mostly window shopped due to the limmited amount of time. We finished the day with a delicious dinner at Cocina y Cia. Que delicioso! And tried our skills on the metro. We are all nice and tired and look forward to another cozy night at the hotel.

Adios from Argentina, We miss you all!

The Casa Rosada, aka "The Pink House"

We finally got back to rest before dinner, and we are in the locutorio directly to the left of our hotel where we can make phone calls and use the internet. After this we will get some rest and then head out for a classic Argentine meal, of many more to come!

Adios!
Maddie and Julia <3

After some rest at the hotel, an orientation, empanadas & mate, they will head out to begin exploring the surrounding neighborhood of San Telmo, renowned for its cobbled lanes, colonial architecture, and fascinating street life of bustling markets and plazas.

In the case of our intrepid Westridge travelers bound today for Argentina, the first step--clearing TSA security at LAX--has been successfully accomplished and only 6,100 or so miles remain! Kristin Webster just let us know the group is all together, relaxing before it is time to board their flight to Buenos Aires.

Stay tuned as the long-awaited adventure begins at last. And feel free to use the blog's comments feature if you'd like to add your voice here in the days ahead.

John Eastman

Lugging a heavy pack or suitcase around for the entire time we are in Argentina will be extremely tiresome for you, and for the rest of the group. There will be plenty of times when we'll be traveling around and we don't want to end up like this.

Since you will be responsible for carrying your own luggage, seriously challenge yourself to pack light. An old traveler's trick is to put out everything you think you need, then pack half of it and return the rest to your closet. Then, carry your bag around your house for 15 minutes to make sure you are able to easily carry it by yourself. If not, take some more items out! Remember, you will be able to purchase anything you forget in Argentina. And, you will most likely want to leave some extra room in your bag so you can bring home small souvenirs or gifts you may buy during your travels.

A NOTE ON DRESS: We will be visitors in Argentina and we will strive to be respectful of our hosts at all times. This means that the clothing and the way we dress may be different and more conservative than what we are used to at home. While Buenos Aires is deservedly known as a very fashionable city, the country is also 90% Roman Catholic and very traditional in values, and we should do all we can to lessen the unfortunately widespread Hollywood stereotype of flashy, promiscuous young Americans.

Download Global LAB's Core Travel Insurance Program FAQs here.

You are of course welcome to purchase additional insurance of any kind with any other providers should you so choose.