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Published: December 28th 2010
Date Tuesday 30th November 2010
Destination Dallas, Texas
Temp 12c - sunny
We arrived into Dallas around 7.00am to a beautiful clear morning and temperatures reminiscent of Wellington – a bit of a change to our usual balmy standard! Since we were probably going to hang out at the airport for the day before our evening flight to Buenos Aires, we went in search of either an airport hotel or business lounge to set up base camp. First off we checked out the Dallas airport Hyatt. To check the hotel we had to pass through the security exit to get out of the airport so we made sure we had our passports and boarding pass with us. Their day rate was just a little bit expensive for us so we went back airside to check on the lounges, lining up with the hordes and passing through the happy staff at security with their x-ray body scanners. Once through security we found the perfect solution at ‘The Club at DFW’, (located in Terminal D, adjacent to gate D22) which cost only US$25 each and was open from 8am to 6pm. This included snack food, hot drinks, cold drinks, alcoholic beverages, business
centre, Wi-Fi, showers and towels. We chatted to the hosts for a while before setting up our office in a corner of the lounge and putting a drain on the power grid as we recharged all of our electronics.
Whilst talking with the hosts we found out that there was a huge outlet shopping mall, called Grapevine Outlet Shopping, only 15 minutes away by shuttle so thought we’d go and check it out to help fill in the day. Around 12pm we packed away our hand luggage in the lounge storage and made tracks for the shuttle. We had to go through the security exit again to get to the shuttle stop and we just missed the hourly pick-up by a couple of minutes, so thought we’d go and have lunch while we waited for the next one. There were some nice restaurants back within the airport, so back we went through security again.
Once our hunger had been satiated we actually got to the shuttle on time and paid our $5 for the return trip. The Grapevine outlet mall is huge and we had to keep up a forced trot as we speed shopped our way around the mall.
We eventually found our way back to the shuttle pick-up spot, which speedily dropped us back at the airport at 5.30pm. Now the lounge was supposed to close at 6pm, so after a third trip through the increasingly suspicious security, we grabbed a quick shower and a drink before changing into fresh attire and ambling down to our gate to await boarding.
We couldn’t book our seats for this flight ahead of time so didn’t have much of a choice but they ended up to be quite good down in row 40 with 2 spare seats next to us to spread out, AND we got fed! The flight was much better than the previous one from Hawaii and we got some sleep.
Date Wednesday 1st December 2010
Location Buenos Aires
Currency Argentinian peso $1 = NZ$0.33
Climate 24c - fine and sunny
On arrival into Buenos Aires at 9am we caught a bus to Madero bus terminal and transferred by car to Retiro Omnibus terminal. $50 pesos each. We collected our phone-booking bus tickets from the FlechaBUS counter and went to their VIP lounge.
Our tickets in a Cama Suite (180degree reclining chair/bed) cost $266 pesos each, which is apparently a lot less than flying and an efficient way to travel. It also saves on a night’s accommodation. We were told it would be about a 10 hour journey and meals and drinks would be provided – better than a plane! With at least 10 hours to fill in before our departure, the free internet and comfy chairs in the lounge were a welcomed relief. A pity there were no showers and the toilets left a lot to be desired, but we were much better off in there than out in the frenetic chaos of the main terminal. About 4pm we were ready for a change of scenery so we put our luggage into the storage lockers and went for a walk into town. The lockers cost $1 peso and since we hadn’t been to the bank yet we had no Argentinean money – not even a single peso! Going through our different left-over coins of various currencies we discovered that the Australian 10 cent piece served well to unlock the locker and release the key. As the coin is returned when the locker is vacated we didn’t worry that it wasn’t the right currency! Leaving the
Retiro bus terminal we went through Plaza San Martin and on to Florida pedestrian street towards Gallerias Pacifico. We wandered around the Galleria a little, but not really that interested in shopping we stopped for a healthy lunch at Green and Co. Finally we found an ATM that would give us sufficient cash and taxied back to the bus terminal before our 9pm departure. We were so eager to get on board the bus we almost got on the wrong one! But luckily the driver noticed as we were loading our luggage. Our bus was at departure platform 66 and we were at 65 - doh! Once on board the correct bus we settled ourselves in to the big ‘lazyboy’ style chairs that tilted flat to 180’. Shortly after departure our waiter brought us champagne, an appetizer and dinner followed by coffee and whiskey. It reminded us a little of business class on a plane (not that this is a common occurrence!). We were positioned at the front of the suite section on the lower level of the bus. These buses are double decker – but we were warned against travelling upstairs due to the motion of the bus during
the night and the troublesome headlights from oncoming traffic. Our seats were perfect. Being at the front and having the bathroom in front of us we had a solid wall in front- meaning no reclining chairs coming back our way and we also had a small shelf where we could place our carry-on bags. The TV screen is also mounted on this wall – so we had excellent view of the music videos and movie that they played. The music videos were Madonna and Celine Dion concerts and the movie was ‘Killers’ with Tom Selleck and Ashton Kutcher. The bus departed Buenos Aires at 9pm and we were due to arrive into Reconquista at about 7am. We settled in and slept for much of the journey.
Date Thursday 2nd December 2010
Location Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Climate 35c - fine and sunny, then a big windstorm and drop to 25c
We awoke early due to the daylight sneaking through the blinds. Our excitement started to climb as we’d be seeing Max in a couple of hours after nine months of him living away. We were served a light breakfast and coffee prior to arrival at about 7.30am.
As the bus pulled into the station we could see Max with his host Dad Jose waiting for us. It was great getting off the bus and having hugs and kisses all around. Even though we hadn’t met Jose before it was like meeting up with a long, lost friend. They took us straight back to their house where we met the rest of the family. We were made to feel so welcome – it was wonderful. We sat around the table and enjoyed a coffee and some pastries. We noticed how Max has grown this year and it wasn’t before long that it was determined that Jennie is now officially the shortest in the family!
Jose had booked us into the Grand Hotel in downtown Reconquista just a few blocks from their house and about a 10-15 minute walk. The room wasn’t ready until 10am, so we filled in time by getting to know Max’s home town. Firstly we took a drive to see Max’s school. We met some of his teachers and numerous friends. Max wasn’t attending school as he had passed all his subjects and was therefore finished for the year. Other students that hadn’t passed had
to remain at school attending classes for a few more weeks. Before returning home for lunch we called in to see an exhibition that AFS Reconquista had put together. This was interesting as it showed all the previous AFS students back in their own country sipping on mate – the local traditional herbal drink. We met Max’s sisters once they had finished school at about 12.30pm back home where we were treated to a lovely lunch of sliced beef, mashed potatoes and mushrooms and onions in a creamy sauce. After lunch we were dropped off at the hotel, right on the main street in town in a great location. Reconquista has a population of about 85,000 and is in the Santa Fe province situated 768kms north of Buenos Aires and 872kms from Iguazu.
We grabbed a quick hour power-nap before being picked up again to go for a river boat ride, but on our way there a big storm was passing through so we postponed the trip. Instead we made a couple of stops around the town on the way back home. One was to Max’s girlfriend’s house, to meet the parents, and a stop at the supermarket to get provisions for the evening meal. As we drove around Max waved and called out to many friends. The town is quite small and everyone seems to know everyone. We ate dinner at home, moving the dining table outside and having it in the back garden under the stars. The meal comprised barbequed back straps, sausages, steak coated in mozzarella cheese and tomato paste – all cooked on their outdoor charcoal oven –very, very nice! We were dropped home around midnight looking forward to a good sleep in a proper bed – the first in four nights!
Date Friday 3rd December 2010
Location Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Climate 30c – fine and sunny
Not surprisingly we slept in until 11.30am. We walked to Max’s place for lunch. Today it was grilled chicken with a mustard/sour cream sauce and deep fried garlic noodles – Gaby is a great cook and we are being very spoilt. Not really too sure how we would spend our time in Argentina we talked about some of the options for exploring Litoral region particularly the Iguazu National Park. Max had been there recently and suggested we really should do it. So, convinced we booked
our overnight bus tickets for Iguazu with Jose’s assistance at the local bus terminal. After that we returned to the hotel to have a siesta and prepare for a graduation party we had been invited to by Max’s girlfriend. Max came over to get ready with us and we walked to get our supplies from the local supermarket. He suggested we try the aperitif Gancia and Fernet – both local drinks from Argentina. They are mixed with sprite and coke to makes drinks much like a Pimms (for the ladies) and herbaceous strong liquor with coke (for the guys). The party started at 9pm and commenced with formal photos of the 60 graduates and their families. Everyone was dressed up and the graduates looked stunning in formal gowns and suits with ties. As you can imagine the photos took a while (a bit like wedding photos with all the family combinations). When we arrived we were ushered into the line to await our turn with Agostina’s family. This did take us by surprise but we complied with the request and felt very welcome and included in the proceedings. There were about 2,000 people at the party with each graduate having
a dedicated table to seat approx 30 of their chosen family and friends. Each graduate was paraded individually on the arm of a parent around the hall to a piece of music they had chosen. This was met with cheers and screams of support, along with streamers and some fireworks being let off inside, much to Shaun’s horror! The formal part of the night ended around midnight with food and dancing. Each family arranged their tables’ food and mostly they were plates of sandwiches, empanadas and other yummy finger food delights. There was a DJ and a live band for the music. The hall was opened up to yet more friends and family (invite only) once the formalities were over. This made for a very huge party! There were still more people hanging over the gates hoping for a chance to be let in or sneak in. We called it a night at about 3.30am, leaving most of the party-goers in full swing.
Date Saturday 4th December 2010
Location Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Climate 32c – fine and sunny
Another sleep in for us today and then a walk to Max’s for lunch. We had not expected
to be fed and watered every meal by Max’s family or friends, but this has been a special treat for us for which we are very grateful. We are not sure of the customs here and what we should provide to contribute to the meals – so we stopped at the supermarket to buy some soft drinks. Being a Saturday we all had a Gancia aperitif prior to sitting down for lunch. Once again lunch was delicious with Gaby preparing cheese ravioli with two choices of sauce – Bolognese or blue cheese. Such a tough choice and both were very good. Having had the river boat trip postponed a couple of days ago, Jose was able to reschedule for this afternoon. Still a little weary from last night’s party we ducked back to the hotel for a quick siesta prior to being picked up again at 4pm. Jose and Max collected us and we drove to Puerto Reconquista where our boat and guide (Pablo Ovando)
met us on the banks of the San Jeronimo River. It was a small motor boat and we took our places and enjoyed the warm breeze as we took off. The idea was to search for crocodiles, monkeys and birdlife. We saw all of these as the expert guide pointed them out to us. At one point the guys clambered up onto shore to observe a family of monkeys at close range while Jennie observed from the boat with the guide. Further upstream we went as far as where it joins the river Parana and this is where the 3 boys dived in wearing their mandatory life jackets and floated back down for a couple of kms, with Jennie keeping lookout for crocodiles on the boat. We came across a jetty where the guys could go ashore from which to re-board the boat. The local fisherman on shore there was proud to invite us all onto his land to show us the family of monkeys living in his trees. They were very inquisitive, looking down on us to see what all the fuss was about – the young ones very cute swinging by their tails. We ended our wonderful afternoon back at the dock at 7.00pm. The drive back to town took us through some of the poorer neighbourhoods, some like shanty towns of displaced people. We were then dropped off at hotel with
just 2 hours to have a power nap and get ready for an Argentinian traditional dancing show that Jose and Gaby had organised to take us to. It was held at an outdoor theatre and we sat on rows of plastic chairs and ordered drinks from the table set up down the back. A very relaxed atmosphere with the local people attending the performance to celebrate the singing and dancing performances from the local performing arts school celebrating its 17th anniversary. The show started at 9pm and finished around 10.30pm. After the performance we took Jose, Gaby and Max to dinner to thank them for looking after Max and us so well. Prior to dropping us back at the hotel Jose gave us a quick tour of the neighbouring town of Avellaneda. Its Plaza was teeming with boy racers and other young party goers. Bed just after 2.30am.
Date Sunday 5th December 2010
Location Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Climate 32,C - fine and sunny
The family has a Sunday tradition to get together at the weekend farm property to share in a long late lunch, swim in the pool and be together. As we are now family
we were invited to join in the family day. We were looking forward to meeting the extended family and were collected at 11.30am for the 20 minute drive out to the property on the outskirts of town. It is also a working cattle station of approx. 220 hectares. A beautiful property with the original cottage of 100 years and a separate cavernous kitchen and entertaining area with huge covered outside cooking area with fire pit, earthen wood fired oven and open fire grills for barbequing the meat over coal embers. We met Jose’s parents, Gaby’s parents, Jose’s sister and her daughter. The men all helped prepare the carne of back straps, ribs, black pudding, sausages and intestines for the bbq (asado) before diving into the inviting pool in the 30c+ heat. We spent the afternoon relaxing poolside and enjoying interpreting the language. Jose showed us around the cattle farm in the ute with the girls in the back and Wally the cute little puppy barking at the cows! He is a miniature Hairy McLleary dog that we have all come to love. Our time here in Reconquista has been full-on with not really a minute to spare. This is great
as we really feel we are making the most of the time here and certainly packing in more than we ever thought possible. So tonight was no exception. We quickly showered back at the hotel before venturing out to Agostina’s house for dinner with her family. Ago’s Mum, Dad, brother and sister and friend visiting from 120 kms away all shared the meal with us.
It was a very enjoyable evening with us four parents conversing through the assistance of a phrase book and Spanish/English dictionary. The kids found this amusing but were grateful that we were not looking for translation assistance every 2 seconds!The meal was delicious – chicken (pollo) with potatoes (papa) cooked in a traditional Argentinian casserole. Their generosity and hospitality extended to the lift home at 1.30am.
Date Monday 6th December 2010
Location Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Climate 32c - fine and sunny
We had a bit of a sleep-in today but still managed to make it to breakfast – only the 2nd time while staying here! We always seem to sleep through it due to the late nights but we don’t think we’re going to starve from missing it. We had a relaxing
morning with a walk around town before joining the family for lunch again – going for the healthy salad option after yesterday’s overdose of carne (meat)!
Since the day was so beautiful we decided that during siesta we would all head back out to enjoy the campo and to relax with Jose’s parents. The late afternoon skies transformed into an amazing sunset tonight as we swam lazily in the pool and enjoyed the familiarity of our second family. The turquoise colours slowly melted away from the few clouds and revealed a crystal clear sky sprinkled with stars as dinner was served outside. Tonight we had traditional milanese - which is like schnitzel, but a lot thinker. We ate this with a salsa, mayonnaise and bread. Although this sufficiently filled us up we were yet again treated to an amazing traditional dessert called Torta Miljohas - a "thousand leaves". It was layers of paper thin pastry sandwiched together with dulce de leche. - yummy! The warm, balmy night encouraged the appearance of huge bull frogs, their back the size of Shaun’s whole hand, to join us on the lawn, lazily leap-frogging across the grounds in search of food. Wally found these
creatures fascinating and was a little frightened off when his barks caused the frog to puff up in defensive mode. Since this was a school night for the girls we headed back into town around 10.30pm. This might have been our first night we were in bed before midnight!
Date Tuesday 7th December 2010
Location Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina
Temp 32c - cloudy
Off on our Iguazu adventure today. The check-out time for the hotel was 10am but we negotiated a few extra hours since our bus didn't leave until 9pm that night. We shopped for Christmas cards and wrapping paper and few essentials for the trip North – namely insect repellent and aloe vera soothing gel. Just before noon we checked out of the hotel and wheeled our bags to Max’s place. Max’s AFS liaison person Sergio, popped around to meet us. He is the AFS local chapter president and an English teacher. He provided a glowing report of Max which Max will use for an application he is preparing for school. Later we went into town to go bowling. Not yet open at 4.30pm we went shopping with Max and Agostina for a shirt for Max.
Once done we had a game of bowling where Agostina had a convincing win over the rest of us. Next it was home to Max’s house for showers and off to the bus terminal to catch our “Rio Uruguay” bus to Puerto Iguazu. This bus was a little different to the FlechaBUS we caught from Buenos Aires last week, even though it still cost $257 pesos each. This one only had semi-cama seats – or chairs that only partially reclined to make a bed. They also didn’t feed or water us until breakfast time – 12 hours into the journey. Luckily we had a few provisions that we were able to eat to keep the hunger pangs at bay. Sleeping didn’t come as easily either as the buses are cold and the road was bumpy. There were lots of stops during the night at towns picking up and dropping off people as well. We were pleased when we saw the signs for Iguazu National Park in the morning!
Date Wednesday 8th December 2010
Location Puerto Iguazu, Misiones, Argentina
Climate 34c - fine and sunny
We arrived about 10am, and expecting a delay at the hotel with checking in,
we decided to familiarise ourselves with the jungle tour options for the National Park at the Tourist Information center within the bus terminal. A great guy helped us understand all the available options and as he spoke good English we found it easy to do business with him and we booked our tickets for tomorrow’s adventure into the jungle. We purchased a Green Passport for $250 pesos each. It is a combination of the Great Adventure and the Ecological Tour
. On arrival at the Hotel St George, right across the street we were delighted to find that our room was ready for us. The porter took us straight up to the room and we quickly changed and made for the pool to cool off. We were expecting it to be very hot and muggy but it is a pleasant 32c today – not as hot as Reconquista. We hear it rains a lot up here and so we are expecting to get wet and muddy tomorrow in the jungle. Soon we decided it was time to explore the town and get some lunch. We found a great little café open down the road and enjoyed a relaxing lunch. The feel here is very much a hikers/backpackers type of place. Very relaxed, and with the heat we thought it reminded us a little of Bali. We walked off lunch by taking a longer route home. Nothing was really open due to it still being during siesta time. Back at the hotel it was time for a snooze by the pool. Dinner we had across the road in a great restaurant serving some excellent Argentinian meat dishes. The portions were generous and delicious. Fully satisfied we thought we’d better get home as we’d plan to catch the early bus to the Falls tomorrow. We caught up on a few emails on the free wi-fi in the lobby before going to bed and setting the alarm for 6.30am – eek!
Date Thursday 9th December 2010
Location Puerto Iguazu, Misiones, Argentina
Climate 29c - fine and sunny
As planned we caught the local 7.50am bus to the National Park $15peso return each. On arrival we had to pay to enter the park as our Jungle package didn’t include this. The daily adult pass is $85 pesos (cash only). If you want to come back the next day you can buy a
reduced pass for $40 pesos as you exit the turnstiles.
Our adventure started at 9.00am with an 8 km 4x4 drive along the Yacaratia Trail in a flat deck army truck through the dense jungle and down to the jetty where our rigid hulled inflatable speedboat awaited us. After donning lifejackets and placing our belongings in a waterproof sack we bounced and tossed our way along 6kms of the Lower Iguazu River including 2kms of rapids. We then crept up to the base of these immense falls to poke our nose into the powerful water spray. We got up close and personal from inside the Devil’s Throat and approached the 2nd largest San Martin Waterfall on the Argentinian side. We got absolutely drenched both from the unrelenting water spray cascading onto us and also from the churning waters at the base of the falls washing over the side of the boat, the skipper was continuously fighting against the rampant power of the free falling water. This is the reason they give you a waterproof ‘dry bag’ to put your belongings into! After spending over half an hour on the river we docked near the base of the falls and followed
the very well-constructed tracks to the numerous lookout points scattered around the park. After traversing the lower falls track we stopped by the base of ‘The Two Sisters’ falls to eat our lunch that we’d made at breakfast. Battalions of brightly coloured butterflies flitted around us as we dried out under the speckled shade of a huge old tree. Fed and now dry we then completed the upper falls track before catching the train that takes you to the ‘Devils Throat’ track. This is quite a long walkway that takes you over the expanse of the river and right up to the edge of this behemoth falls. The roar from this immense amount of cascading water grows exponentially the closer you approach, until you are literally yelling to be heard. A drawback of this is that you continue to yell as you retreat from the edge, attracting bemused glances the further away you get.
We couldn’t have asked for a better day to visit, with not a cloud in the sky. Our last part of the adventure was to board an inflatable raft complete with nature guide and float down one of the many edifices to spot wildlife. We struck
it lucky, floating only an oars length away from a crocodile languishing under the shade of a fern, a tortoise sunning itself on a convenient limb and many colourful birds filling the silence with their calls of greeting in the trees above.
We floated tranquilly down this segment of the mighty river for about half an hour before we beached on a small sandy bank. We were dropped off at the train station from where we walked to the Sheraton Hotel. The Sheraton has a picture- perfect view of these amazing falls from its idyllic location set within the grounds of the National park. We thought it was the perfect place to enjoy a lunch of shrimp quesadillas, with a caiparinha and a pisco sour to wash it down, whilst enjoying the backdrop from the patio on the 1st floor.
We really enjoyed just relaxing on the patio before we eventually peeled ourselves away to catch the local bus back into the township of Iguazu around 5pm. The guy that sold us the Jungle tour package gave us this great piece of advice. Catch the local bus from the Sheraton as there will only be a few local workers from
the resort catching the bus back to town and you’ll get a seat. This was a great idea, as when we approached the main gates of the park – the 2nd stop – we noticed many people waiting and some did not manage to get on the bus at all. This meant they would have to wait another 20-30 minutes for the next available bus. This gave us enough time to have a quick dip to cool down back at the hotel before going to dinner across the street. We tried the restaurant next door to the one we went to last night. This time electing to sit on the rooftop patio. It was balmy and relaxing up there at our dimly lit table.
Date Friday 10th December 2010
Location Puerto Iguazu, Misiones, Argentina
Climate 24c – fine then thunderstorms
Checked out at 10am after breakfast in the dining room. We took our laptops out to the pool and caught up on admin while trying to catch some sun. We swam and relaxed and then a huge thunderstorm struck about 3pm. We took shelter in the main lobby of the hotel and then went for a late
lunch across the street at the bus station pizzeria. We both commented that the two pizzas we have had here in Argentina easily surpass any we tried in Italy! The Argentinian food has certainly been wonderful. Our bus back to Reconquista departed at 9pm, so before that we had time for a quick swim and change of clothes before walking across the street to wait on the bus. The electrical storms continued, even briefly blackening the bus terminal as Jennie purchased lollies in the kiosk for the journey. Throughout the night on board the bus the storm was very dramatic, with the lightning so intense and frequent that it reminded us of a continuously flickering fluorescent light! The bus had to battle its way through flooding roads, with the puddle wake coming right up through the underneath of the door, flooding the entrance into the bus while Shaun was looking out the window near the door. Wet socks for him! We slept intermittently, woken frequently by the sheet and forked lightning until it began to ease a couple of hours out of Reconquista.
Date Saturday 11th December 2010
Location Puerto Iguazu, Misiones - Reconquista, Argentina
Climate 26c –rain cleared
then fine
The journey was long – about 13 and a half hours. We arrived about 10.30am when Max met us at the terminal. We walked to Max’s place and reconnected with the family. We brought with us some drinks for lunch and a delicious tart for desert – thick with dulce de leche (a caramelized condensed milk caramel). They use this extensively in their diet – selling large tubs of it at the supermarket. We have had it in deserts, spread on crackers, poured over ice cream and generally wherever there is a sweet offering you will see this yummy, calorific treat! We agreed to take some of Max’s heavier belongings home with us as we have sufficient space on the homeward leg being on a “round the world” ticket for the rest of the trip. After a delicious lunch of homemade lasagna (including the pasta) we repacked our bags ready for the overnight bus trip back to Buenos Aires. It was a very warm afternoon, so we headed out to the “campo” (farm) again for a quick swim. Once back at the house we had time for a shower and a quick sandwich before a sad farewell
at the bus station with the family. We have had such a great welcoming time with Max’s extended family. The bus journey to Buenos Aires takes about 10 hours. Thankfully we had fully reclining “camas” (beds) on this bus. It made sleep much easier. We came across more thunderstorms during the night, and we arrived into Buenos Aires in grey drizzly weather.
Date Sunday 12th December 2010
Location Buenos Aires, Argentina
Climate 26c –rain then cleared for the afternoon
Arrived about 7.30am. The weather was bleak and a lot cooler than we expected. We would guess that it was probably only about 14c when we got in. The queue for the taxis was long and with the cool weather we had to fish out our jackets as we waited at the terminal for a taxi to take us to the hotel. Once again we were very fortunate with the room being ready and available for us at check-in. We are staying at the 725 Continental
a lovely 5 star World Trends hotel in the center of the city. It is just a short distance from Plaza de Majo on Av. Roque Saenz Pena. We unpacked in our usual fashion, making a mess of the room in just a few minutes! With the weather not being that great we caught up on housekeeping; emails, washing, blog writing and some repacking as well. The weather cleared later and we went for a walk into town for a late lunch at 4pm. We wandered down Florida, a pedestrian only street, just a couple of blocks from the hotel and we found a café for a bite to eat. On our way there we had noticed some activity at the Plaza de Majo which is positioned right next to the Casa Rosada. We discovered that being the 12th of December there was a free concert put on for the people to recognize the anniversary of the democratic country Argentina now is. There was a great rock band playing - Leon Geico. We watched the band while absorbing the party atmosphere as crowds were building around the stage. Already there were thousands of people when we left just before sunset. We stopped by the information center on the way back to glean some information about the hop-on hop-off bus tour that operates daily around the city. We were undecided on a 24
or 48 hour pass and planned on collecting our tickets in the morning as the ticket booth wasn’t open. Once back in the room we discovered the concert was being televised nationally. It was interesting to see the many thousands gather to be part of the celebrations. Many other bands took the stage and the festivities ended with a spectacular fireworks display, which we could hear from our hotel room. We ate snacks in the room while we completed the Hawaii blog.
Date Monday 13th December 2010
Location Buenos Aires, Argentina
Climate 28c – fine and sunny
Today dawned a beautiful, clear sunny summer’s day. We had breakfast in the hotel (supplied as part of the room rate). It was called a European plan and it was a lovely spread, including eggs made to order and champagne! We were keen on some pool time so decided to grab a couple of hours before the day got too hot, so we were out to the pool by 10.30am. Not wanting to be too idle we got print outs of our credit card statement from the front desk and checked off all the receipts we’ve collected over the last four
months. Surprisingly we were only missing one receipt so we were pretty delighted with that. No overcharges or scams had affected us luckily. We read our books and swam in the cold, small pool on the rooftop of the hotel. It was lovely, but we dragged ourselves away to catch the hop on hop off tourist bus at 2pm at the tourist center. We were surprised to learn that they only sell a certain number of tickets for each departure and that the next available bus would not be until 3.30pm. Our plans were a little disrupted but we decided to still buy tickets for that departure and we went shopping for an hour to pass the time. The tour takes about 2 and half hours to do the complete circuit with 12 stops. The last departure is at 5.30pm – so we decided to do the entire route today and do some stops tomorrow. We did however do one stop – at the Floralis Generica. It is the largest flower in Buenos Aires. It is situated in United Nations Square, made out of stainless steel and stands 20 meters high. The flower has an electronic system that opens the
six petals at 8am every morning and closes them at sunset. It is a spectacular sculpture – designed by Argentinean architect Eduardo Catalano and was built and given to the city in 2002. From this point on the route (11th stop) it is an easy walk to the teraazas at Bs As design mall. Here we had our late lunch sitting outside on comfy outdoor armchairs under a pergola as the sun beat down. We walked back to the 11th stop where we caught the 7.30pm bus back to home base. It was then back to room for showers, washing and research for the next day. It is Jennie’s birthday in NZ today so it has been nice getting birthday messages from family and friends back home.
Date Tuesday 14th December 2010
Location Buenos Aires, Argentina
Climate 31c – fine and sunny
It is Jennie’s Argentinean birthday today. Although a sleep-in would be nice, we wanted to get down to the bus departure stand so we could make the most of the remainder of our 24hr hop-on hop-off ticket. We made time for breakfast complete with a glass of birthday champagne! We were on time for the 9am
departure that then left at about 20 past. We have noticed that they are fairly relaxed about times on this tour. Yesterday they were unable to take us to a stop in La Boca for a reason unbeknown to us. So today it was great to go there. We got off at the stop and really enjoyed walking the colourful, quaint lanes with their patchwork painted houses. La Boca is home to La Bombonera, the name given to the blue and golden team’s soccer stadium. La Boca reflects a true European influence. Its former inhabitants mainly came from Genoa between 1860 and 1910. Its notable elevated sidewalks are to prevent flooding from the Rio de la Plata. We explored the numerous souvenir shops, made the most of the photo taking opportunities and admired the outdoor cafes. We even picked up a Christmas present during our exploration of the shops. Prior to getting back on the bus we decided to sit at a corner café “La Perla” café notable 1882; and had a cider and stout while watching the colourful activity around us. We were amused when we saw a Maradona look-alike offering himself for photos with the tourists. He was
a reasonably close likeness hence the numbers of people accepting the offer of a photo with him. Our next stop was Puerto Madero for a nice birthday lunch. We wandered the boardwalk looking for a menu to grab us. We settled on Sorrento, a gorgeous Mediterranean style restaurant that overlooks the yachts berthed on the river’s edge. The menu was extensive and had many unique and interesting dishes. Shaun chose trout stuffed with spider crab with a saffron cream sauce with broccoli and delicate potato noisettes. Jennie chose chicken stuffed with ham and cheese, smothered in a lovely mushroom sauce. It was accompanied by a potato mash with shrimps and bacon through it. The meals were lovely, washed down with a cool, crisp, sparkling bottle of Norton Brut from the region of Mendoza in Argentina.
Our bus ticket ran out a 3.25pm, so we left the restaurant shortly before that and walked the short distance to the bus stop to catch the 3.25pm bus. This time the bus was on time, so we were able to board the bus and take the rest of the circuit back to home base. We had a detour towards the end of the tour
due to a fire in a building on Avenue 9 de Julio. This avenue has numerous lanes of traffic in each direction and is the main arterial route through the centre of Buenos Aires. Apparently this is the widest avenue in the world. You can imagine that when this has a major section closed to traffic, the bedlam that ensues is significant. From our elevated position on top of the double-decker bus we could observe the madness of the traffic jam. Not surprisingly, the tour bus company said they would cease operations at the next stop – which was the beginning and good for us as our ticket had expired and we were due to return to the hotel anyway. We spent the early evening shopping along Florida and calling into the Gallerias Pacifico. Not buying anything we thought it best to return home and research a place for dinner. Reviews of the oldest café in Bs As, that we’d been contemplating, really put us off. Instead we went to an Italian restaurant Il Gatto Trattorias a short walk from the hotel. True to the tradition of the Argentinean people we didn’t venture out for dinner until 10pm! Another great
birthday celebration ends – home at midnight.
Date Wednesday 15th December 2010
Location Buenos Aires, Argentina
Climate 29c – fine and sunny
Today is a sad day – it is the last day of our 4 month and 4 day travel adventure. We have had the most amazing time travelling and experiencing wonderful countries, cultures, cuisines and people. We started the day with yet another great complimentary breakfast in the hotel dining room. We arranged a late check-out of 3pm with the front desk, along with a taxi booking to take us to the airport later on. We went to the pool to enjoy our last few hours of glorious sunshine and wonderful hot temperatures poolside. We looked quite the advert for “work anywhere” as we lay on our loungers and updated our emails, banking and other admin tasks; both on our netbooks. The pool was very welcoming although probably only a cool 23c degrees. At about 2.30pm we went back to the room to shower and prepare for our 3pm taxi collection. The hotel has been great. An excellent location, spacious room with super king bed and the pool area on the rooftop has been awesome.
The taxi arrived on time and we left for the airport. Just prior to arrival we asked the front desk to print off our duty free orders for collection on our arrival into Auckland – a great system as we probably won’t have a good idea of what we want at our arrival time of 4.20am tomorrow morning!
Date Friday 17th December 2010
Location Auckland - Wellington, New Zealand
Climate 14c – cool, drizzly, miserable
What can we say – a depressing feeling on arrival into Auckland. We think we have culture shock. Typically we have a feeling of “good to be home” when we return from a holiday. But this time it was different. Our feelings are mixed. We will no doubt get back into the swing of “real life” in a few weeks. In the meantime we will be reflecting on what a wonderful time we have had together over the last 4 months and 4 days.
Thank you to those that have followed our adventure and have made comments. Sometimes we think the hardest part of travelling was keeping up to date with this blog! We look forward to catching up with friends at home
and hearing from friends that we have made during our travels. We will keep ourselves sane by starting to plan our next trip.
Signing off until the next big adventure!
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Felicite
non-member comment
Sad faces but great to have you back
Hi there, must be the only time you had a sad face for the whole of your trip but lot's of good things to look forward to.....ummm.. oh yeah - Max's return ummmm...... beautiful summer weather - just sooo much. I bought Lynda's dogs back to Wellie yesterday as the weather was crap and ended up at Justines for another Xmas feast . Helen,AM and Denise were there and we had a great night with the 3 dogs salivating at the door. Will head back to Raumati tomorrow as it's going to be a fab sunny day and Justine may come up which will be great. See you on the 31st X