Day 8: Arriving in Argentina

On Sunday we ended our time in Chile and Argentina welcomed us. It was also the time to say goodbye to our new Atlantic friends and our wonderful guide Andres and driver Horatio.

On our way to the airport Kenny Graham, one of our new Atlantic friends, gave a wonderful farewell by commenting about what he learned about each AALPer. It was an extremely thoughtful send off.

Once we got to the airport we learned that our flight was delayed more than an hour. Why, you ask? Our flight was coming from Toronto and of course our wonderful winter weather had delayed the flight. We made the best of out of it though - there was no Timmy's but we quickly found the Starbucks. A small taste of home!

One thing we noticed about our two hour flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires was that they served us a meal – a sandwich, fruit and free alcoholic beverages. If this was a North American flight we would not have had this. So is it South American hospitality on Air Canada or a mandate?

When we landed in Buenos Aires we had to go through customs again and in Argentina Canadians must pay a reciprocity fee. They also wanted to know how many mobile phones we were bringing in each and what the models were as apparently they do not want anyone to sell mobile phones in the country.

After customs and baggage claim a few of us found another piece of home - McDonald's! And more than a couple of burgers were eaten.

Our tour guide in Argentina is Jorge - a very knowledgeable man with many years of experience in agriculture including years spent in Canada and Washington as part of Argentina’s agricultural attaché. He gave us a brief history of the city before dropping us off at our hotel.

As a welcome to Argentina, we enjoyed a Tango show at one of the oldest shows in Bueons Aires. We dressed in our most sizzling attire and stepped off the bus at Senior Tango where we were seated at round tables facing a huge circular stage. The vino Tinto and thick, juicy steak were quickly delivered to our table. The show enacted the history of Argentina, the sultry origins of the tango and ended with a resounding and soulful "Don't cry for me Argentina". The intricate dance moves were only slightly upstaged by the live horses and awe-inspiring moustaches.

The Tango was created in Buenos Aires in the 1890s - invented in the houses of ill repute and later introduced to France and embraced there.

Accordion, violin, la musica! An amazing show that we will never forget.

"I don't often eat sirloin steak while watching the tango, but when I do, it's in Argentina!" -Donna

-Class 15

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Hursh: Court documents reveal scope of Monette Farms' financial challenges

As reported on Wednesday, Monette Farms and its many affiliated companies have filed for creditor protection. The court document filed at Court of King's Bench in Calgary provides insight into the size and scope of Monette's operations and the extent of their financial difficulties. According to the court document, the Monette Group forms one of the largest private farming businesses in North America with operations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, B.C., and the states of Montana, Colorado and Arizona. The group owns approximately 274,000 acres of land and leases approximately 218,000 acres. It also has seed processing and produce storage facilities. The restructuring plan is debtor-in-possession financing, because the applicants are insolvent and don’t otherwise have the finances to seed a crop this spring. Monette did recently sell some farmland, most notably about 13,000 acres near Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan for $54 million. Subsequent activity resulted in two more sales t

Removal of non-tariff trade barrier for flaxseed to the EU reflects confidence in Canada’s agricultural exports

Canada is one of the world's largest producers and global exporters of flaxseed. Our high-quality products are enjoyed by millions of people around the world on a daily basis. May 1, 2026, will mark the official termination of the longstanding Sampling and testing protocol for Canadian flaxseed exported to the European Union (the Protocol). Removal of this non-tariff barrier, that has been in place since 2009, is a recognition of the safety, reliability and quality of Canadian agricultural and agri-food exports. This demonstrates the strength of the Canada-EU Strategic Partnership and a shared commitment to resolving long-standing trade irritants through cooperation and dialogue. In July 2009, trace amounts of an unauthorized genetically modified flaxseed called CDC Triffid was detected in a Europe-bound shipment, leading to the immediate and temporary cessation of flaxseed exports. Following the detection, AAFC worked diligently with the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), industry par

Cereals Canada Releases "Securing Global Markets for Canadian Wheat" Report

Cereals Canada today released its new report, Securing Global Markets for Canadian Wheat, during a webinar that brought together farmers, researchers, plant breeders, and value chain partners from across the sector. The report outlines how targeted market development, technical engagement, and science-based policy advocacy are helping to protect, maintain, and grow global demand for Canadian wheat in an increasingly complex trade environment. Canadian wheat is exported to more than eighty international markets each year, with over twenty-eight million tonnes expected to ship globally in 2025–2026. Canada is the world's number one exporter of durum wheat and oats and is on track to be the third-largest wheat exporter overall, reinforcing the importance of diversified and stable international demand. The Securing Global Markets for Canadian Wheat report provides a snapshot of six international markets that were part of Cereals Canada's 2025 market development activities. These activiti

Monette Farms Seeks Court Protection as Mega-Farm Restructures Amid Financial Pressures

Monette Farms has entered court-supervised restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act while continuing operations across Canada and the United States.

Removal of non-tariff trade barrier for flaxseed to the EU reflects confidence in Canada's agricultural exports

Canada is one of the world's largest producers and global exporters of flaxseed. Our high-quality products are enjoyed by millions of people around the world on a daily basis.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service