El Escape

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we left the kittys care package with the grants and catherine took us to the san francisco airpot. traffic was light??? i had lox and bagel at noah´s vivian had japanese. flight to dulles was uneventful. we arrived and the plane to ba was loading. luckily we arrived at gate c3 and left from c8. i talked to sara and vivian called the lara girls. it was a large plane with plenty of room. we sat in at the window only two to the row. we had a good meal viv-beef, i had pasta with two glasses of wine. i saw ´the island´again. people on the plane were very quiet, viv thinks they are just tired. so far the trip is off to a good start. i couldn´t sleep, viv did. breakfast was a box with mixed fruit, oj, a strange doughy thingy and starbucks. we had a headwind to the equator which changed to a tail wind. good sign. we arrived and went through customs w o a problem. ´hector´was waiting with a car. it was a 40 min ride to the hotel. the landscape we have seen is very flat. it is sunday so a lot of families were out for a ´dia de campo´ on the grassy areas and parks. argentina appears to be on an economic par with portugal but more ´sophisticated´ although its warm and a bit humid, people wear black suits, etc. we took a nap, shower and went exploring at about noon. immediately found that we are within a block of ´the cemetary´where evita is buried. the cemetary looks like a city with many very large monuments. there are many parks which were hosting a big arts crafts fair with music, performers. see pictures. vivian like the tall gauchos. she shopped and found ´great´deals. we had dinner at los portenos by the hotel. i had merluza and vivian beef con pimienta. we then walked around the neighborhood. éveryone´is out with sidewalk restaurants, performers everywhere. the climate is warm but not uncomfortable. today we got up late, had a complimentary bkfst at el xxxx. we are still moving in a slight daze from the long trip and time change. more pics later.

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Comments

[Benito]

Bienvenidos a Argentina!
Tios! Glad to hear your flight went well. I am still trying to soak in the fact that your are both in another hemisphere right now. Let the adventures begin! Things are well in PH. Look forward to hearing more about your trip. Con cuidado! Ben

[Diane]

What a great idea, this blog! We are thinking of you and will miss you at Thanksgiving, but are so happy for all you are experiencing. Kepp the messages and pictures coming! Love, Diane

[Patti]

Sounds very nice
Sara fwd this to us and I'm really glad she did. It sounds like you are off to a great start. Raul, those doughy things are called "doughnuts" and they are really good. Especially the chocolate ones. I hope your Argentina adventures are unforgettable. I'll keep sending good thoughts. P.