Wed 1/16 --Leaving NYC was easy enough, leaving Atlanta became the challenge. My flight was delayed due to ice, yes, I said ice in Atlanta. It was snowing unseasonably there and we sat on the plane for over 5 hours. So I didn't get into Buenos Aires until after 3pm on the 17th.
Thur 1/17 --Arriving late and exhausted as I could not sleep on the plane, I was met by two smiling faces - Sonyia and Vivian, my traveling companions for 3 weeks. While my adventure is much longer, they have only 3 weeks to enjoy Argentina and so our schedule will be somewhat hectic, to say the least. Arriving by taxi to our rented apartment, we are greeted by the owner who speaks little-to-no English. The apartment, which was cheaper for us to rent than staying at a hostel, was so charming. It was updated, nicely decorated and in a great neighborhood. We were happy as clams (although I must admit I have never fully understood that saying). I ventured off to find food, as the ladies had time at the airport to eat but I did not. Simply walking around the block at 5 o'clock looking for food, I almost got lost. I found a pizza place that made hamburgers out of pizza dough. Tasty. I was so exhausted I was just happy I made it back. We slept until about 9pm and by the time we set out for dinner, it was midnight. Fortunately, Buenos Aires doesn't really get started until after midnight. Dinner was good, although we were not fully appreciative of the famous Argentinean beef.
Fri 1/18 - -Staying up late, we started our day in the afternoon. By then, the American embassy was closing and so was the Brazilian one. We had hoped to get our Brazilian visas so that we could go to Rio for Carnival. No such luck. We couldn't even register at the Embassy. Hope there isn't a coo. We did a little sight seeing and went to a travel agent to book some of our in-country travel. Another late dinner in our own neighborhood proved to be more than just a meal. The manager of the restaurant invited us in, as they all do, and the food was fantastic. The manager's friends were eating there and the three of them and the three of us began talking. We ended up hanging out with them and going to another part of town to a pool hall after the restaurant closed at 2am. They were nice. We got home just before the sun came up. The nightlife in B.A. doesn't really pick up until 2am. Funny, that's when most clubs back home have closed for the night.
Sat 1/19 - -We begrudgingly awake in time for a city tour given by a not so interesting or interested tour guide. The tango show proved to be entertaining. Since we had attended the one hour tango lesson prior we felt like bona fide critics. My tango partner, of all people, was the shortest man in the room. From the right angle, you would swear I was dancing alone. At the dinner show we met a nice couple from London who had been traveling for 10 months to 4 different areas on their honeymoon. They saved over $30 USD by booking their tango show through hostel international (HI). Our next course of action was clear. Membership. We met up with a couple of the guys from the night before and went to a nightclub. These places aren't really my scene anymore but when in Rome. . . Fortunately, at 5am, the look on my face was enough to elicit movement toward the door. I saw the light of day before I saw my pillow.
Sun 1/20 --Afternoon start once again. We shopped in San Telmo flea market but it was an antique market not to our liking. Our local tour guide, one of the guys from the restaurant, went with us all day making sure we saw the key spots. Next was the Recoleta barrio with artisan market and famous cemetery. As per usual, we were not eating in a timely fashion and since all restaurants take longer to serve food than we are used to, by the time we actually eat, starvation has nearly set in. Our guide recommended a sports bar – not our idea of a typical local haunt. After ordering I went to the mall next door to find a food court because my flood sugar was reeking havoc on my system. A migraine set in before I could catch it. Definitely going to have to carry some snacks from now on. The food was decent but I was in no mood for anything but darkness and quiet. I excused myself and went back to the room to sleep. No sleep but I did rest enough to be sociable. The girls returned and we all went out to dinner. No late night for me, at least not out. I love my sleep and the internet.
Mon 1/21 --More afternoon shopping on Florida Street and a visit to Mawa travel for our travel adventure tickets proved to be an expensive visit. Yanina spoke some English but I'm doubting her travel agent skills. Since the ladies only have a limited time I didn't argue – should have. Some of the trips she booked were expensive and a waste of time with many connections and inconvenient layovers. But that's what we get for not trying to book online or ahead of time. In any case, someone was working for us while we shopped, that's always good. But our plans to go to Carnival in Rio were dashed by the expensive airfare and 2 day wait for visas. The one thing I tried to safeguard all day was the one thing I lost. My 2gig flash card for my camera. And did I mention the part about everything in Argentina being more expensive? Especially electronics. The same camera I paid $250 for in the states is well over $800 here. So you can imagine how much other things cost. If I had only known that this would be the theme of my trip, I would have packed so much better and probably made some money on the side. And by this point I am PMSing big-time. The Evening Primrose oil I had been taking before I moved out of my condo had made me calm and relaxed throughout the month. The old Jessica can be high strung and a maniac one week out of the month. Why didn't I buy it before I left? Spread buttocks, insert head. So the hunt for homeopathic items in B.A. is like The Hunt for Red October. Not only are there language differences but all of their pharmacies are small. I know, I've seen about 20+ of them by now. (Ladies – if you get irritable at all, tke the Evening Primrose. Fellas, if you fear for your life or sanity once a month, buy her some Evening Primrose oil. Seriously, when I do find it, I'm stocking up.) By the way, did I mention what a horrible packing job I did for this trip. You'd think I hadn't planned it for months or anything.
We took the subway (subte) home and it was fairly easy. We've been cabbing it which isn't very expensive divided by 3 but adds up. After getting all gussied up, we went to a different part of town, Puerto Madero, for dinner. Don't remember the name of the restaurant but it had the best steak (lomo) I've had since we've been here and perhaps, my life. At the table next to us were two restaurant owners from Mexico visiting Argentina to buy wine and vacation a bit. They were cool so we hung out after dinner at a couple of bars before going back to our apartment. That is the nice thing about having an apartment, it is a comfortable place to entertain. We were up till morning talking. I'm sure they will hook us up if we are ever in Baja.
Tue 1/22 --Late start again. Do you see a trend? Yes, people don't start thinking about going out until after midnight so it is common to see the sunrise in Buenos Aires after a long night of eating and drinking. We went back to Mawa Travel to pick up our ridiculously expensive tickets to Mendoza, El Calafate, Ushuaia, Iguazu Falls and Uruguay. Sounds like a lot and it is. More shopping on Santa Fe street this time. I have been on multiple shopping missions to buy the stuff I left behind like an idiot. Not sure what was in my brain when I was packing but so much of my life would be easier had I sat down with a list and thought it out practically instead of trying to be cute. And I'm sure someone just thought, so buy it when you get there. That's what Sonyia said. Well, easier said than done. For one, things easily obtained in the States are not so in Argentina. And to add insult to injury, I am larger than the average woman here so finding clothes and shoes proves to be a challenge. I probably should have googled that before I left. And I mentally packed a few things that never made it in the bags, which I have too many of, so I keep discovering more and more things that I own that I should have brought. When you travel, don't be like me. Plan your packing over a week's time with a list and read up on other's experiences before you go. My life would be much easier now. But then again, I wouldn't be learning as much as I am now. So the ladies shop for gifts and souvenirs and I shop for essentials. They have more fun.
Once again it's the "rush" to get ready to have dinner before 1am. So much for allowing for proper digestion before sleeping. Oh, that's right, we're not sleeping so it's ok. It's dinner at Pergliani again to see the guys from the 18th . By now, their 3rd has realized that I am not interested in anything with a penis right now and stayed home. It's not the PMS, I've just grown as a person lately and value myself and my time differently. I'll explain more later. My dinner was too sweet – I know, hard to imagine steak or anything else being too sweet for me, but it was. So mine was free. Yeah. We were up late packing for our early departure to Mendoza in the morning.
Wed 1/23--At some ridiculous time in the morning we got up, oh yeah, 5am. The apartment owner had to meet us at 6am before our flight. I may have gotten 2-3 hours of sleep. It wasn't until we left that we discovered we could have buzzed people into the building with the phone instead of running downstairs in our PJs at all hours of the day and night. You need the key to get in and out of the apartment and building so splitting up is difficult at best. All in all, 1843 Republica de Eslovania was a great apartment.
The hostel I booked in Mendoza left much to be desired. After waiting for what seemed like days to check in, we slept for a couple of hours before going on our wine tasting tour. Yes, I said wine tasting. No, I still don't drink but I was hoping for cheese or grape juice or something. The wineries were cool but living in California and visiting Napa has made even the non-drinker in me a winery snob. Some of the huge old wine vats were quite decorative and interesting. One of them had a tiny door, through which a man, likely a very small man, has to enter to wash it every few batches. Mendoza is apparently a desert, go figure. We also got a lovely tour of an olive oil factory and I learned more about olive oil than I ever planned to. Let me share this piece of info with you - if it's not Extra Virgin olive oil – you don't want it. Enough said. We also saw a chocolate factory – don't get excited, it was small and the tour was just a scam to sell us their non-tasty chocolate. The "factory" tour consisted of us watching Mama through a window stir chocolate trays in a tiny little kitchen and listening to her son NOT tell us how chocolate is made, rather all the flavors of different things they sell in multiple languages. Get to the free sample already!
We partook in more shopping down the outdoor main street area of Mendoza and a dinner that makes Burger King seem appealing. Frantically looking for water sandals for our rafting trip in the morning and dreading returning to the hostel from hell where the ladies met bed bugs for the first time after only a 2 hour nap, we checked into a hotel at 11pm and forfeited our prepaid hostel suite ($80 loss/3 is livable). The Gran Hotel Mendoza was clean and for $100/night, it was money well spent.
Thur 1/24 --This is the fun day! Our first excursion was mountain biking in the Andes. How many people can say they've done that? We can. The chain on my bike broke a few minutes into the ride and after the guides unsuccessfully used their repair tools, which consisted of a couple of rocks, I got one of the guide's bikes with better seat padding. Our remaining guide tried to take us through a completely flooded area – no thanks. One "adventurer" went for it and was waist high in water. I don't think they were actually peddling under the water. It was very amusing for the rest of us who went around the swamp to meet them. After our bike trip was rafting. There were class 3-4 rapids but notice how I didn't say white water rafting. Yeah, the water is brown. Not contaminated, just brown from the dirt, we hope. We even learned all the commands in Spanish so that the other guys in our raft would be able to follow along. And yet they still couldn't. Never let a slow beginner sit in the front of the raft. It was chaos. This was the same guy who decided that following the guide through the marsh. He also fell off his bike at least 3 times, and 2 of them we got on film by coincidence so there were likely many other unrecorded tumbles. But we girls compensated for his lack of sportsmanship and everyone stayed in the raft. It was awesome except for the part where the thunderstorm started as soon as we got in the water. We were going to get wet anyway but it would have been nice to actually see the river a little more. My squinted vision isn't what it used to be. I swear it was hailing at one point. Thankfully, it didn't rain during the biking so we count our blessings. The whole bus ride back to town I had to sit next to the uncoordinated one of our group, ok, his name is Ben. He sang and whistled along with his ipod and took up so much of the seat that my right ass cheek was barely supported. It was amusing only after he stopped playing with his toes long enough to get off the bus. We laugh about it now. Our guide was really cute, and named after one of my nephews, Elijah. He and another guide were coming into town for a double half-blind date and invited us to meet them afterward at a bar. We showed – they didn't. I guess she wasn't as blind as he had imagined. Oh well, sleep is also very good. We did, however run into the uncoordinated one, Ben. We think he might have overheard us on the bus making plans because this club was really out of the way. We ditched him and went to bed.
Fri 1/25 --Early morning departure again. Who agreed to this itinerary? Can you tell how much I like my sleep? It was one of many themes I had going for this trip. We caught our early flight to B.A. en route to El Calafate. We were able to have lunch at the mall and the guys from Pergliani met us for a few minutes to say hello. We arrived into El Calafate at around 8:30pm, less yet another ham and cheese airplane sandwich. We lucked out and were just barely able to make plans for our excursion to the glaciers the next morning. Our laundry was the next important thing. We'd need clean clothes and rental gear for this trek. A nice shop owner the hotel manager knew stayed open to rent us gear. Turns out we really didn't need it but who knew. After a lovely dinner at Don Pichon, our gear guy's recommendation, and dried out desserts, we were off to bed. We swore the gear rental guy was in the El Calafate mafia or had been relocated by the witness protection program or something. I guess in a small town like that a guy has to be connected.
Sat 1/26 --No description I can offer can do this day justice. We started on a bus ride to the glacier Perito Madero and got some good pics of a massive hunk of ice like the one we would soon be walking on. Didn't see any good calving (when glaciers break apart) but it was still an amazing sight. Next we took a boat ride to see some glaciers at water level and then got dropped off for our trek. We hiked for a while through a forest, yes a forest. It was lovely and totally my kind of place. We were fortunate our entire trip because despite the weather channel's unfavorable forecast of rain, we had an unseasonably hot day for El Calafate and enjoyed every bit of it. Like a scene from the Chronicles of Narnia, we stepped out of the forest onto the glacier. It was surreal. After being darned with our crampons (metal spikes) we set out to conquer the ice. For those who have never walked on a glacier before – do it! It was very cool, and not counting airfare, pretty inexpensive. Our whole day's excursion only cost about $80 each. The end of our glacier tour was surprising, shots of scotch or fresh glacier water – I took the water. It tasted pure yet almost tasteless. Back through the woods, on the boat and to the bus we go. The girls sleep on just about everything that moves, bus, plane, I won't mention anything else. Another fine meal under our belts and it was back to the Best Western Ecovista for a good night's sleep.
Sun 1/27 --Early start for me. Breakfast of, oh, did I mention how everything in Argentina is all about jamon y queso? I don't even, can't even, eat pork so I've missed out on most breakfast buffets and airplane food. Ham and cheese, everywhere, it's like a national dish or something. So I've had a lot of cheese and croissants and if I'm lucky, fruit breakfasts. Sadly, I shouldn't eat wheat either – gluten allergy. I swear there has to be a special name for all of the food issues and allergies I have. Hold your comments, I meant a medical term. After a little shopping we headed back to the airport for our flight to Ushuaia – the southernmost inhabited city in the world (with good public relations). We found out that there is another small town further south but no tourists really go there. It wasn't as cold as I had expected, a light jacket sufficed most of the time. We went to the local hostel and booked our penguin adventure. We briefly met Walter, a cute guy from Switzerland at the hostel. Too bad we aren't staying there. Yet another meal issue. My dinner, at a lovely restaurant overlooking the water, was awful. I am surprised the fish didn't have ham in it as well. And they still charged me for it after I sent it back. Not happy. Tourists beware of the tourist tango. It is a popular dance of the locals that ensures that tourists not only get overcharged but also that they are not given all they paid for. Wow, I sound cynical. It was freezing cold and windy on the way back to our hotel. Oh, don't be misled, we took a taxi, no question.
Our hotel, the Greenhouse Hosteria, is really a hostel on the outskirts of town. But the girls didn't notice because it was a hotel style hostel that was very clean, very quiet and still about $100/night. We were all happy. The funny thing was that until we checked out, we hadn't given a credit card or anything. They are very trusting people in Ushuaia. We had to argue with the owner to be allowed to keep our room key. After 11pm, they just set the keys on the front desk. As if! There was nothing stopping anyone from taking our key and steeling our stuff. "People in Ushuaia are not like that," the owner protested. It wasn't them so much as the tourists that we were worried about. Fortunately, we won that battle. I am really having a great time despite my poor packing and food issues. It may not sound like it but I am.
Mon 1/28 --What can I say about our Penguin excursion – totally friggin' cool, that's what! We took a bus to the boat and then walked among the two different species of tuxedoed ones . The coolest part was that they were just chilling and let us get really close. Loud sounds and sudden movements will freak them out but fortunately taking 5000 pictures won't. It was slightly strange seeing penguins without snow or ice. It was warm so there was no snow at all around, just wind. I may be slightly exaggerating about the 5000 pics, maybe only 2500. Hell, when I am going to walk amongst penguins again anytime soon? Afterward, we did some shopping along the main drag and I split off to visit a museum. Ironically, I saw Walter from the hostel inside. We talked for a few minutes. I'm glad I'm not the old Jessica anymore. I'd be in big trouble. At dinner, Sonyia noticed 3 guys who had also been in El Calafate and on our glacier trek. They ended up sitting down next to us in the café so we started to talk with them. Three guys from Spain proved to be quite entertaining and informative. Back in Buenos Aires the girls suggested that I buy a Lonely Planet book since I hadn't planned a thing and didn't know anything about where I was going. It's more fun that way, I think. I looked at a copy in the bookstore but couldn't bring myself to drop the $35 for it. There was a reason. As we were talking with the Spanish guys, one of them said he had planned an entire South American trip 4 years ago but was never able to take it. He then donated his Lonely Planet book to me under the provision that I return it or at least let him know how my adventure went. I agreed and my bags became 5 pounds heavier. I love the way life works itself out. We met up with them later at the casino in town. I broke even but Vivian hit over $200 on a slot machine. Guess who is buying drinks. We all hung out at a couple of bars afterward and the more mature of their group politely bailed out to get some sleep. I wanted to do the same but hate leaving the girls when they've been drinking. But after almost vomiting from the profuse smoke inhalation I experienced in the last bar, I too bailed, wishing I had done so sooner.
Tue 1/29 --We got a late start after a late night. Our hike in the national park was quite lovely. And who do you think we accidentally ran into on the trail – yes, the guys from Spain. They advised us that the rest of our trail was long and hard and that we may not make it in time for the last bus of the night at 8pm. So we booked it. It was a quiet peaceful trail along the water and we took lots of pics. As we got to the boat dock we got the feeling that the bus just wasn't coming. So Vivian started out to walk the mile up the dirt hill. Sonyia and I were not happy but had to follow because she kept getting out of eyesight. That was the hardest part of our 5 mile hike. But thank God we did. At about 8:20pm we started to get worried we had missed our bus and hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck with 2 other hitchers. They offered us some Mate but we couldn't get passed sharing a straw so we politely (we hope) declined. Then a couple of minutes later, the bus driver saw us and the waved us down. I almost wanted to stay in the truck, except for the wind and cold. We had made plans to have dinner with the Spanish guys and had a nice dinner, well, they did. I ordered meatloaf. The menu was clear about the ingredients and yet I still got a ring of beef and a pile of HAM! WTF?!?!? Can't a girl just get some beef in this country? The rest of the evening was nice enough. I went to the hotel early and didn't feel a bit of guilt.
Wed 1/30 --This was a travel day thanks to Yanina at Mawa travel. But it rained all day so we wouldn't have enjoyed much anyway. Our bags got very wet and didn't have time to dry during our 12 hr layover in B.A. You wouldn't believe who the girls ran into at the airport!
Thur 1/31 --After breakfast, Sonyia found a great hotel in Iguazu. I had been working on it for a while and couldn't find anything good. She used her Argentina book and called a place across the street from the hostel I was looking at. Mendoza was still clear in their minds. We got charged $100 for excess luggage and vowed to only go to male airline personnel and wear lipgloss. We arrived in Iguazu to great but humid weather. Here come the mosquitoes and other things. We walked around town and found a farmers market with almonds. I was so tired of peanuts, you just don't know. We walked over to the casino but it was about the size of gas station market so we left. We needed our sleep anyway for our full day of adventure.
Fri 2/1 --This was another really fun adventurous day. We got a guided tour of the forest and shown how they made animal, bird and snake traps. Very informative. Then we climbed a rock wall, ziplined, repelled (well walked down the rock wall is probably a better description of what I did), and took a boat ride to the junction of Argentina, Brasil and Paraguay. That was cool. Then off to the falls. Lunch at the Sheraton. Don't believe any of those travel books when it comes to prices. The $10 buffet was really $36. We did the boat ride as soon as we finished lunch and got completely drenched. It was so cool being so close to the falls. They are so powerful and beautiful. We hiked around a bit and returned to the hotel Orquides (that's close to the name) for our massages. They were relaxing and set the tone for the early evening we enjoyed.
Sat 2/2 --Back to Buenos Aires for a day. Kind of a boring day as it was repeat of shopping woes and drama on my part – losing things and not finding what I need. I don't think Argentina agrees with me very much.
