Buenos Aires

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We made it! After seeing Rebecca off at the airport in Toronto - how exciting to see all those kids in their red shirts with the MC logo all packed and ready for their own adventure! - we went to the other terminal for our own flight. Long trip, but fortunately quite uneventful, with stops in New York (great view as we circled around Manhattan into La Guardia) and Washington's Dulles airport (I call it the dullest airport - absolutely nothing worthwhile to eat or do there), and finally the long overnight passing over Bermuda, Bahamas, the Andes and points in between in the dark. The "economy" section on our United flight was, sadly, not much better than for domestic trips. However, Jeff scored when he complained, ever so politely, that my little TV screen wasn't working and got us moved up to "economy plus" with a little more leg room, for free. Still, sitting up or pretzeled on two seats didn't make for the most restful night.

We woke to views of northeastern Argentina, an arid plain with huge rectangular farm tracts (of wheat? pasture? hard to tell since it's winter and not very green) and very few habitations. Farther south, the tracts became smaller and obviously more fertile, with the occasional big plantation house surrounded by big trees. From the air, this part of Argentina looks a lot like Nebraska, or Saskatchewan, very flat with meandering rivers and the occasional herd of cattle. This is definitely beef country.

We landed in Buenos Aires wearing masks - great concern about H1N1 virus here, and they were sternly warning us to keep the masks on throughout the airport. In addition to the usual entry and customs forms we had to fill out one from the health ministry to list any flu-like symptoms we were experiencing. Fortunately, I'm feeling healthier now than I have in a while. Didn't see the kids - they must have been in some holding area waiting for their onward flight to Asuncion, wearing masks with their red T-shirts.

Lonely Planet was instantly useful for catching a very comfortable shuttle bus into town, then a van directly to our little hotel, the Telmho Boutique, on Plaza Dorrego, a square that hosts a big open-air flea market in the oldest, quaintest part of town. We were soon installed in a cute, very modern room in an old city house, with cool fixtures and windows looking directly out onto the action in the square.

Buenos Aires, on first impression, is a very colonial city, with some magnificent ornate buildings, bustling plazas and excellent transportation. But behind the first-world veneer there is also obvious poverty - brick and concrete barrios where people live piled on top of one another, lots of political graffiti and other signs of a wide gap between rich and poor. After a nap and a shower, we're heading off to explore it...

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