(Editor's Note: During the winter semester break, the Emory softball team visited Argentina for competition and sight seeing. This is the second of two parts.)

Tracey Summa

Past Entries

Entry 1

January 19, 2005

(For part one of the Argentina trip, click here.)

Our bus trip back to Buenos Aires was elongated by three car wrecks along the way (none involving our party, thankfully). However, Lia, our wonderful guide, managed to make us happy during our wait when she got off the bus, ran across the street to a gas station, and bought cold water and traditional Argentinean desserts of dulce de leche and chocolate for the entire bus.

When we arrived at the Hotel Mayflower in late afternoon, we had the rest of the day and night to shop, eat, and rest at our leisure. The next morning we hopped on the bus again and head to an estancia (ranch) located in the Pampas region for a full day Fiesta Gaucha.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with empanadas (meat pastries) and many of us headed straight for the stables where we were able to ride horses. Most of us had a great time during our short ride, but a few of us, particularly Kate Thomas, did not seem to enjoy the adventure as much.

Kate's horse definitely was not excited about having anyone on his back and he made Kate's ride an interesting one. Some of us were better riders than others, but none looked better on the horse than our wonderful trainer Joan.

After the ride and a tour of the grounds, we sat down for a great BBQ feast prepared by the Gauchos over huge, open fires. During our bombardment of meat and salad, folklore music and dances of the Pampas entertained us.

At the end of our Gaucho adventure, we returned to the stable area where we watched the gauchos herd horses and partake in a Sortija in which the gauchos attempted to put a small iron rod through an even smaller ring hanging from a wooden post all while riding a horse with a full head of steam. Quite impressive!

The next day, day eight of our journey, was jammed packed with activities. We began with a half-day, city tour, then traveled to the delta for a sightseeing trip on a catamaran, and later we boarded a train for a trip through residential areas located along the river region.

After these tiring activities, we hurried to the field for our next two softball games. We ended up splitting the games with our Argentinean counterparts, which had us a little down, but our competitors treated us to pastries and soda after the games which was a nice surprise.

This gesture helped remind many of us how thankful we should be for having the opportunity to not only play in another country, but also to experience the culture and people of another country as well. We ate our pastries and made plans to meet up with some of the Argentinean players later that night after dinner.

After a quick shower back at the hotel, we were off again to dinner at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Truly, the experience was a little overwhelming at first. There were so many different delicacies from which to choose. I think we were all pleased by this meal, as there definitely was something for everyone's appetite.

During dinner, we gave our thanks to Lia, Bonnie and Ken (our ground operators), and to the parents. Our adventure was coming to an end but not before a little get together with new Argentinean friends.

After dinner, Lia took all the players to a nearby restaurant/club where we met the some of the Argentinean players for a night of fun. We talked, laughed, and learned a lot from our new friends. Some of us even played foosball, which was in no way hampered by the language barrier. At about 3 a.m., Lia guided us back to our hotel.

The next day was our departure day. We didn't leave for the airport until 4 p.m., so we still had some time to do a little more shopping. Some of went to the Hard Rock Café for an American lunch before returning to the States. Later, as we got off the bus as the airport, we said our goodbyes to our wonderful guide Lia and to the magnificent country of Argentina.

I can confidently say that we all had an awesome time in South America. We anxiously awaited this trip and now that it is over, it is a little depressing, but we have many memories to remind us our experiences. And of course, we now have an exciting softball season ahead of us.

Tracey Summa is a senior from Louisville, Ky. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.