June 1st, 2003
Once again, this is Marga blogging. Mike & Mika are sick today so I´ve left them to rest in our hotel room while I came to read e-mail and do a bit of blogging. Not much ´cause I want to see if my babies are ready to eat something before my meeting in about an hour.
Anyway, while Mike had an exciting Sunday at the soccer game, I had a family day in La Plata. Before we left for Iguazu I´d told my aunt that Sunday would be the only weekend day I´d have free to see my family so if anyone in either side wanted to organize an asado, I´d be available. My cousin Barullo was the one to take on the task. He wanted to do one for dinner, but as I´d be going back to Buenos Aires that night I thought that would make it difficult. So we settled on a 2 PM asado.
After Mike left with Pollo I got a few things together and then I hailed a cab to the street near Retiro bus station where buses leave for La Plata. I took with me our small backpack with supplies for Mika and as much dirty clothing as I could fit. I would have wanted to also take the bag with the hammock that we got in Brazil or Mika´s baby backpack, but I knew I wouldn´t be able to handle it. She´s still not walking so I have to hold her most of the time.
We got a ticket and spent a little bit walking on the grass before the bus got there. Once it arrived, it was very quick to depart. Mika and I were the only passenger but it picked someone else up at another stop before leaving Buenos Aires. Mika was fussy at first, but soon she drank her bottle and fell asleep in my arms, she slept the whole way to Buenos Aires.
This bus didn´t go through the autopista (freeway) and instead took the old route through Quilmes and Camino Centenario. It was nice looking out the window and recognizing some of the old sights. We´d take camino centenario to our weekend house in City Bell. It´s changed quite a bit, but the army base is still there - and so is the sign saying ¨prohibido parar o detenerse¨ (it´s prohibitted to stop) next to a picture of a soldier aiming a rifle. I remember looking at that picture as a kid and being afraid that if we ever had to stop by accident, we´d be shot. The sign was rusty but was still there, I hope it doesn´t mean that anymore.
Mika woke up just as we arrived at the bus station, and then it was just a quick taxi ride to Gladys´ house. She´d told me on the phone that the elevators weren´t working, which would have been a huge problem as she lives in the 3rd floor and would have to go down to open the door, and then go back up to the apartment. She´s not walking well, so 3 floors up and down would be extremely difficult for her. Fortunately, once we arrive there were people holding the door open, so I went in. The elevators were working so I didn´t have to climb upstairs either.
We hang out in Glady´s house for a while, I washed the dirty clothing and we talked about redoing Gladys´ 3rd bedroom into a bedroom (it´s now a storage room). Finally time came to go Barullo´s so we took a taxi there.
My cousin Barullo lives with his wife Ana, his mother Tota and a 10-months old Labrador retriver puppy named Simón. As Mike might have mentioned Mika LOVES dogs, so she had a great time playing with Simón all day. Simón was a little bit too eager and a little bit too rough, but she held her own. My family was amazed at how she wasn´t in the least afraid of the puppy (she is afraid of huge animatronic marine monsters, though), and how he would kiss her (he doesn´t kiss anymore else, it seems). Anyway, they had great fun together, at one point she was crawling around, and he´d crawl behind her gentlybiting her pant leg. They´d also look out the window together and she´d try to pet him.
The asado was great. I particularly liked the grilled chicken. Mika ate a lot of chicken and meat, which always makes me happy. We had ice cream for dessert which she also loved.
The afternoon went very well, talking with my family, looking at pictures and remniscing about old times. At one point Mika had a very nice long nap in the couch. I got to see my cousin Mariana again, though my cousin Esteban was a no show! I hope I get to see him before I return to the US.
When Mika woke up around 6:30 PM we went back to Gladys´s, where I quickly picked up the clean clothing and Mika´s stroller (we hadn´t taken it with us to Iguazu as we knew it´d be in the way, but we needed it for Buenos Aires) and headed to the bus station.
I wanted to take a bus to downtown Buenos Aires, and bought a ticket for one, but after waiting for 1/2 hour or so I found out they didn´t have any going downtown on Sundays so I had to take one to Retiro. The bus trip was fine, Mika again fell asleep and woke up just as we arrived. I had to take a taxi back to the hotel, which I did and then met Mike.
Oky doke, my Sunday is done now. I´m off to see my babies and pick up something to eat. See you soon!
Posted by mike at June 4, 2003 10:30 AM