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52 EVENTS AND PLACES VISITED
Date Jan. 18, 1963 Friday
Place Buenos Aires
Weather Fine, sunny, cool
Petty officialdom, thy name is Argentina! We've just spent the whole day getting our passports stamped for entry into Argentina -which they should have done at Catarata- because some young squirt at Pan Am noticed that we didn't have the entry stamp & as he said "If you are not here, you cannot be expected to leave". So he sent us to the American Embassy (to get the Argentine stamps!!!) which of course was the wrong place, so we were told to go to the Argentine Immigration Office, but not until 2, as the man in charge did not come until then. We were there at 2, & after showing my Dago dazzler & Brazilian permit & explaining as best we could, for he did not now a word of English, we were told to return at 5 for our passports & the required certificate. We did, & another man did speak a little English, altho we had to sign a paper saying we had "clandestinely entered" the country. What a day!
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EVENTS AND PLACES VISITED 53
Date Jan. 19, 1963 Saturday
Place Buenos Aires and Luján
Weather Sunny / warm
To-day we took the guided tour to Luján, about 50 miles west of B.A. The land is perfectly flag all the way, & used to be only grass, but trees were planted & now are quite numerous. The Basilica at Luján is very large, French Gothic, with stained glass windows made in Boulogne 300 years ago, & seem to be a center of pilgrimage, as the plaza in front was lined with sellers of candles, medals & such, & I saw women inside going on their knees & saying their prayers every four feet. The altar is high & very handsome, & the woodcarving is lovely, as well as the stone columns & vaulted ceilings. We had a typical country lunch -boiled beef, corn, potatoes, squash, carrots, peas & beans all cooked together, with flan for desert. The 2 1/2 hr. ride back was tiring, as the grass was very dry & everything seemed too hot, as evidently no rain falls at this season.
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