Workshop at Pluspetrol, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 2017

A workshop and consulting assignment was conducted at Pluspetrol at Buenos Aires, Argentina, from October 17th to 26th, 2017.

I got an opportunity to visit Buenos Aires again, this time for conducting a workshop as well as a 3-day consulting assignment for Pluspetrol. Buenos Aires is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with a growing population of 15.45 million, and it was a pleasure visiting it.

I left Calgary on a bright sunny afternoon by taking a flight to Houston on the first leg of my trip. The temperature was low, the landscape below as seen from the airplane wore a brownish look which is typical in the winter. As the airplane gained height, we could see interesting patterns of the clouds below us. I have captured many such views before, and so this time was not so eager to repeat it. The 4-hour flight reached Houston on time, and it had grown dark by then.

After a layover of over 3 hours, the next flight from George Bush International Airport, Houston to EZEIZA International Airport, Buenos Aires was a straight 10-hour flight, which flew over the Gulf of Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia and then Argentina. By the time I got up the following morning, we were about 2.5 hours from Buenos Aires, and so well above the Argentine landmass. The landscape below showed snow-clad mountains overcast intermittently with clouds. Much of the mountainous terrain had a reddish terracotta look, but as we flow further, the look of the terrain became more picturesque.

Between the mountainous areas to the north, west and east are some channel flows, running almost NNW to SSE. But what is more interesting is that many patches of areas and cultivated (indicated with yellow arrows). In any case, the soil deposition in channels are probably more fertile for vegetation growth, and may be the reason these plots of land are seen cultivated. Notice the distinct difference between the mountainous areas to the left, which appear more as igneous rocks, and those to the right, that wear a sedimentary look.

One such snapshot below shows a beautiful green coloured lake surrounded by mountainous terrains, though the lazy look on the image robs it of its beauty.

View from 36,000 ft. over part of San Juan province in north-west Argentina. Taking advantage of the snow-fed rivers from the Andes mountain terrain to the west of the province, two dams have been constructed in the area. The dam ‘Punta Negra’ is seen to the left in the photo, enclosing a statue-still water reservoir. The geology of the area seems very interesting and is open to interpretation. I had clicked this photo flying south (from Houston to Buenos Aires), and so in actuality the location of the Punta Negra dam is to the east. Thanks to Luis Vernengo and Estanislao Kozlowski for helping me figure out the above information.

On getting closer to Buenos Aires, there was more greenery on the ground, showing a change also in the vegetation, and/or the weather pattern in that part.The workshop was arranged at Hotel Scala, which was about flour blocks away from the Pluspetrol office. The hotel was very nice and well-maintained, with very good arrangement for lunch and coffee breaks.

The five days for the workshop flew by very fast, and it was a pleasure interacting with the participants from Pluspetrol, who were very responsive and attentive. This was followed by some consulting work on the projects being undertaken by Pluspetrol at present, which was an interesting experience going through them and assessing that they were doing good work. Suggestions and recommendations were provided for further improvements of their prospects.

 

(Front, left to right: Ramsis Guerrero, Mario Vergara, Ignacio Cambon, Juan Iñigo, Rocio Hawryszczuk, Julian Battista.

Middle, left to right: Basilio Gimenez, Emilia Muzzio, Daiana Da silva, Renzo Vargas, Emilse Zunino.

Back, left to right: Leandro Venara, Cesar Marin, Raul Gutierrez, Soledad Montenegro, Ielca Martinic, Martin Alarcon)

The Argentines are always eager to extend hospitality to visitors, Spanish-speaking or not, and are proud of their culture. My main coordinator at Pluspetrol, Juan Inigo, is a very polite and well-spoken person and it was a very satisfying experience interacting with him. Overall, it was a productive experience in that many practical details were pointed at or suggested in the workflows being followed by Pluspetrol interpreters.

After completion of the assignment, I took the overnight flight from Buenos Aires to Houston, and from there back to Calgary. It was yet another memorable visit to Buenos Aires.

 

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