Buenos Aires to Auckland

Making the most of the last day in Buenos Aires the team headed to the famous cemetery - city of the dead- in the middle of the city. It was well worth the trip. The mausoleums are owned by families costing up to USD 35K with an annual fee of about 20USD to maintain the roads. The family is responsible for maintaining the crypt. It is just like a miniature city for the dead, narrow avenues are named after famous people. Just like real estate it is location location location- the more valuable crypts are on the main avenue and the further away the cheaper they become cost is on sq m. There are up to 24 coffins in each crypt layered in three levels in each crypt. All the coffins are metal inside and sealed. If a coffin leaks then the family must have it cremated immediately. As more family members move on the old coffins are cremated to make room for the latest deaths. Burial underground in Buenos Aires is only for five years and then the family must exhume the coffin and have the coffin cremated. There is also a concrete storage wall where sealed coffins can be stored but that is only for up to 15 years and then the family must also remove the coffin and have them cremated. Eva Peron is in her family vault at this cemetery.

After lunch everyone went their own ways for shopping and exploring.



Tonight most of the team fly home. Mark stays on a for a couple of weeks to explore the region, Kay and Mike have a couple of days in BA and everyone else head towards NZ, Uni exams and well deserved breaks from paddling. With the Oceania race now the major qualification for both NZ and Australia the pressure is on.

Safe travelling everyone