Buenos Aries-Help!

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ANGIE ADVENTURE AND LESSONS OF A LAYOVER IN BUENOS AIRES

Angie arrived after a flight from Columbus to Miami (8 hour layover) to Buenos Aries, Argentina right on time after a night flight at the early morning time of 7:45. Frustration ensued at the airport as the hotel had a free shuttle but not able to find the .50 pesos needed to make the phone call. The bank nor any business would not give coins for the phone call. There was no way of getting in contact till a taxi driver came forward and made the call his cell phone which I gratefully paid him 4 pesos for being my 1st Argentine Angel. Arrived at the hotel and promptly made arrangements to go into town, a 40 minutes drive from the airport for sightseeing Buenos Aries. $1 pesos is about .23c USD & AUSD The tour bus company would not take USD or credit cards and only had 100 pesos and was 20 short. So had to find a bank to get a cash advance on my credit card, the bank manager was the only one that spoke English and after mucho phone calls was not able to do that. But a money exchange was possible if I went to the main bank. We walked outside and he began to give instruction: 2 blocks down, 3 blocks to the right, yada yada yada. He knew he had lost me. So he pulled me into the alcove of a nearby building and offered to exchange the money personally, but I had to promise not to tell anyone one about it. So with $40 less USD and richer by $200 pesos. I returned to the bus tour office to purchase my ticket for the red bus hop on and off tour. Nowonly had to wait 1 hour to actually get on the bus to tour of the city. Now keep in mind that I have been up for 36+ hours. The wonderful places that I had wanted to see where only seen from the comfort of my bus seat and only when my eyes were actually opened. I could not bring my self to muster the energy to make the walk to see some of these areas. About 3 hours later and several cat naps I left the bus tour and began to wonder how I was going to get back to the hotel with not enough pesos for the taxi driver. After being refused by the first driver, the second one after much begging on my part agreed to take me with a mixture of USD and pesos (Argentinian Angel #2). I arrived back at the hotel at 4:30 and decided to nap before dinner that began at seven.



I awoke at 11:30 and noticed that Fran had arrived and that I had not been able to prepare for my 200 AM departure to the airport for the flight to Ushuaia. I stumbled around in the dark trying not to wake Francine as I knew it took her 2 days of travel to get to Buenos Aries and was dead tired as well.



I failed and did wake her and we chatted for a short time. Our first meeting since my visit last summer in Australia(2011) and off to the airport for the final flight to Ushuaia, Argentina.



I knew that I needed to get more pesos so I went to the ATM and withdrew some money and then went to look for something to eat. A policeman came up to me and asked me to follow him and we slowly walked back to the ATM and then I realized that I had not taken my card from the machine. A young man was standing at the same machine I was just at and was removing money and the card and the card was mine. The policeman asked me if it was my card and I said yes and he handed the money that this young man had attempted to steal from my account and told both of us to go. I was shocked and asked why this man was not being arrested and he said they was no harm done I got my money and my card back. Of course I had a melt down and was yelling at the man that he was a theif and that he belonged in jail. But really the policeman was in fact my third Argentine angel that got my bank card back.



Needless to say I was more than ready to leave Buenos Aries.



FRANCINE'S FRANTASTICAL FLIGHT & FLIGHT & FLIGHT & FLIGHT & FLIGHT – what was she thinking????????

Depart Broome to Perth 1pm arrive 3.30pm and shuttle to international airport. Can't check luggage for another 3.5 hours as flight not until 10pm. What to do? Wander around the duty free. Yes, I have a new Canon SLR camera with two lenses. Slight problem. How do I use it??? Will work that out later. Next problem. Repack. Not putting my expensive gear in luggage as last time I went through Bueons Aires that got into my suitcase and stole my most treasured belongings, a never used memory card and pen knife. Random. You couldn't even tell they had got the lock open and all my gear in place. So this time small camera, new big camera and video all in cabin luggage. Security must have thought I was paparazzi. Ready to go.. Flight on time yay.



The flight was great with Emirates. Very attentive. Sleep. 10 hours later, Dubai for two hours and a coffee and toastie. Now the next leg 13 hours and the entire season 4 of Mad Men and I arrive in Rio, Brazil and 2 hours stopover, that should have been 1 as the flight was an hour longer. In the air again and off to Buenos Aires. What a nightmare airport. Ditto to Angie. Trying to find a coin to make a call to get the shuttle. It is 9pm and the bank is closed. Went to McDonalds to order a juice, girl could not understand me. Of course, I was speaking English in a Spanish country. Of course they can't speak English at an international airport. Must be the only country in the world. I know how to ask for a coffee in Spanish but not juice. Anyway,a nice man next to me at the counter gave me 2 pesos coin to use at the phone shop. If everyone gives them a coin then they must have change. This is a difficult country. Anyway, shuttle booked and I am picked up 30min later.



Back to hotel and to the room. No key to get it. Guy tells me Angie has the only key. She is inside sound asleep and hearing aide out. I tell him he cannot wake her, she cannot hear. So he knocks louder. I tell him she cannot hear, so he knocks even louder. I tell him SHE CANNOT HEAR YOU. Ohh. So he gets a pen knife, (no not mine from my last trip 5 years ago) and unscrews the handle and pushes the door open. I pick up the key off the bed and he screws the handle back on. Angie later informs me that she left the door unlocked.

Now I am back at Buenos Aires Airport at 6am to make sure I get a seat, even though I have booked and paid, they will give your seat away. So I check in, get a window seat and hang around for 3 hours. Sleeping sitting up. Very attractive for those of you who know me.



We all board the bus at the gate to be taken to the plane. I KID YOU NOT. We drive about 20 metres, do a U turn, and drive back 20 metres and stop and get off. The bus has stopped directly opposite the terminal gate only about three vehicle lanes wide of where we were and there was also white crossing lines.



Ushuaia here I come. 3.5 hours later I arrive and off to the hotel to meet up proper with Angie. Let the fun begin.

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Photos

Hotel near the airport
Nice but hard to find

hotel lobby
Too tired to take advantage of dinner.

Christmas Buenos Aries Style
Very very limited commercial decorations for Christmas, few stores had any at all. Mostly a family celebration per a local.

My favorite picture of Buenos Aries.
My 4:00 AM flight leaving the city.