Blogs from Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America - page 16

This morning at 07:43, after sailing 124 nautical miles at an average speed of 11.5 knots, we arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The ship has tried to make us all terrified of venturing out in Buenos Aires on our own by disseminating information about how dangerous it is in Buenos Aires. No doubt this is to encourage the passengers to book Holland America Line on-shore excursions!? Bernie and I decided that BA is probably no more of a risk than any big city in the world and, provided you remain aware of your surroundings and exercise a sensible level of caution, all will be well. Apparently the big scam in BA is to squirt or spray something onto your clothing and then tell you that you have bird poo on your back/shoulder which they will help ... read more

Geo: -34.6118, -58.4173The last couple days has been transition from Beunos Aries to our honeymoon cruise ship; Rhapsody of the Seas. Its actually our 3rd cruise with Royal Carribbean, and 7th cruise together overall. We werent expecting a lot from this one, selected for its itinerary rather than grandeur and luxury. Its actually one of the smallest RC ships. So far though, weve been pleasantly surprised and pretty impressed. Getting from hotel Moreno to the cruise port was pretty easy. 80ARS cab fare had us there in 15 minutes, just after midday. Checking in was slow going, but a relatively painless experience. Our cabin, 2627 is an interior windowless cabin, but comfy, cosy, quiet and away from crowds. The ship is 11 decks, has indoor and ... read more

Geo: -34.6118, -58.4173Today we bid goodbye to Brazil. We woke for breakfast in Iguazu, checked out and met Bruno from G Adventures for a transfer to the airport. We'd cross the border into Argentina and board a domestic flight from Argentina Iguazu Airport to Jorge Newberry Airport in Buenos Aries. If only all economy seats were so comfortable and roomy as this particular LAN jet. Yeah, we had emergengy exit seats which afforded us extra leg room, but even still. The seat width, comfort, was great.Two hours later we touched down in Buenos Aries, capital of Argentina. Being a domestic flight, there were no hassles here. We gathered our bags and some cash before proceeding to international arrivals to order a "radio" taxi (prepaid).The currency here in Argentina is the Argentine Peso (ARS). 1AUD$ = approx ... read more

Buenos Aires (BA) is beautiful city of wide avenues and lovely architecture. We are here for two days. This afternoon we visited an artisan centre with outdoor museums , lots of tango dancing and music to be heard and full size statues made from papier-mache. Weird but interesting. Very hot 40 degrees today. Also visited a newly refurbished port area with lots of restaurants...very pleasant. Had afternoon coffee and sweet croissant in Tortonio restaurant built in 1858. ( see photo). A lovely old building. Tomorrow we have a trip to see the 'highlights of BA... read more

R : We have reached something of an impass. I have always wanted to go to Patagonia - it was a "must" for our trip, and had been since day one. Our plan from Buenos Aires was to head south to Patagonia and in specific see the glaciers and Torres del Paine national park in Chile. But it wasn't to be. The next blog is more about the frustrations we have been feeling at this point in the trip. In no way do we forget how lucky we are to be able to do this trip, but at the same rate, it becomes your life, and when things don't go to plan, the worries and frustrations feel the same as any impass you might find at work or at home. It hasn't helped that both of ... read more