Blogs from Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America - page 7

Only 7 days before I fly to "Good Air" Buenos Aires (BA), Argentina! What's not to like about warm 85˚F, sunny and palm trees after snowshoeing in lots of snow and cold? Yikes! Time is flying. I am mostly packed and thankfully will be just within the airline weight limits of 50 pounds per duffel bag. PTL, I fit in all 21 pairs of underwear! LOL. Had to last minute order more packing cubes, the last 4 arriving today. I have been also brushing up on my Spanish, reading a book about using my new 83X telephoto bridge camera, learning my new GoPro camera, learning the names of all of the ship's 30 sails, reading everything I can find about all of the places I am going to be visiting, hiring a BA guide, getting ... read more

Today is rather disjointed as many tourist attractions are closed on Mondays. Our hotel is in the banking district so has been like a ghost town all weekend. However, this morning it is heaving and all the shops and cafes are open, not just McDonalds, where we had breakfast yesterday. This is a problem, as the old man doesn’t cope well with choice and we have to study numerous menus before we are finally able to sit down and order some actual food. Most of the morning we wander around Buenos Aires admiring the city’s architecture. We brave a guided tour of the Palacio Barolo; an Art Deco tower block where each floor represents a different verse of Dante’s Divine Comedy. You start in the foyer (hell) then work your way up through purgatory to heaven. ... read more

We’re up at 3 am for our flight 700 miles south to Buenos Aires, the start of our Argentinian adventure. It is a relief to (a) leave Paraguay and (b) get a bit further from the equator. The day does not start well with the old man vomiting between the hotel and the taxi. Once at the airport, my first challenge of the day; to spend our remaining £20 worth of Guarani in the departure lounge. I leave Asunción clutching 2 glass chickens, a cap and a healthy breakfast combo of empanadas and Pringles. In the plane I have an emergency exit seat. The steward explains that sitting here requires being able to follow crew instructions. He sounds fairly unconvinced that I’m up to the job. The flight arrives without incident and we are at our ... read more

Written by Leo Pavliv While it hadn't rained overnight, waking up early Saturday morning, the clouds looked ominous and the skies opened up for the first of a number of downpours that day. We were all very disappointed when the call came in, cancelling the build, but the celebration with Juan and Yessica was still on at the local Rugby club building. The usual hour long drive stretched on as the weather continued to not cooperate and we had ... read more

Written by team member Brad McHugh It is always special to be a guest in another culture, and open yourself to new experiences. I try to enter these experiences with curiosity, hopefulness, respect, and positivity even if all foreign travel comes with a level of uncertainty as to what to expect or a basic appreciation for how out of place one can feel. After a week here in Argentina, I have been very happy with how awesome this city and culture are, how warm and inviting the people are, and have learned so much in a short time about their history to better inform in the future.Our team has been awesome and come together well ... read more