Mendoza is the only province in Argentina that still observes a siesta. Actually -- scratch that -- that celebrates a siesta. Mendocinos take their Spanish heritage very seriously, and they have maintained a four hour break in the school or work day from 12:30 - 4:30 PM every day. In our professional Western working lives, a break this extensive seems absurd, but I have developed a sincere appreciation for this "slow life."
Our incredibly kind driver, Claudio, explained that work begins at 8AM, and at 12:30PM the parents collect their children from school, and the family meets at home for a leisurely lunch. The parents get time in the afternoon to enjoy their children, families come together, and the day is appreciated outside of work. Coming from a Montana winter where it dark when I leave home for the office and dark when I return, this tradition is more than appealing. As I learned from a new friend here, one of the biggest differences between North American and Latin American culture is that our Southern counterparts "work to live", where as many of us northerners have fallen into a habit of "living to work." While the North American work ethic can afford us a different lifestyle and accompanying opportunities, I am not so sure if it translates into a higher quality of life. Even two weeks on a South America tour has helped me realize that I need to find a better balance between my life in and outside of the office.
We flew to Buenos Aires this afternoon, and our pace adjusted accordingly to the faster city life. Buenos Aires' gorgeous French and Colonial architecture, expansive green parks, and broad avenues welcomed us, and we set out on the next chapter of our Argentina trip.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.