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Published: July 24th 2007
Bridging the Continents
My three favorite Arizonans drinking mate Well as of yesterday afternoon, I'm back in the good ol' US of A. Coming home was it's own adventure.
I don't think I've ever stood in quite as many lines as I did in the Buenos Aires airport. Not only are there the normal check in, security, and passport control lines, you must also pay an airport tax before you leave. I've never heard of it working like that, usually this tax is included in the ticket price. Anyhow, I got to the airport three hours early. No one line was extremely long and yet I barely had time to buy a soda before I boarded the plane.
But the real funny story happened in the Phoenix airport. Sham picked me up right outside of security. As we were waiting for my luggage, he shared with me the story of a movie he'd seen recently wherein somebody picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport, came home, and found that it was full of human skulls. While, ew, it passed the time while my luggage did NOT come off the plane.
Then I realized that there had been an earlier Atlanta-Phoenix flight that morning and that
my luggage might have come on that plane. So we walked over to where luggage from earlier flights were, and sure enough, there were what we thought were my two suitcases. It turns out it was my black suitcase and a rolling duffle identical to the one I own, but with less stuff and a pink luggage tag that is not mine. And I must mention, this is not a common bag, in fact I've never seen another like it before.
Anyways, we put two and two together and called the number on the luggage tag. It belonged to a young woman who had just left the airport, so she turned around and came back to exchange. She apologized, as it had been leaning up against her other suitcase and she didn't think to check the tag. This was amusing, because hers had been leaning up against my other suitcase.
Anyhow, she arrived back at the airport and we traded back. It turns out that
- she has her nose pierced on the same side I do
- while she was coming from Costa Rica right now, she was in Buenos Aires last year. In the same neighborhood.
In the same program.
-She also has never seen another bag like ours before.
Anyhow, after a chat, we parted ways and finally went home.
And drank mate.
Which Sham is also now addicted to.
That evening, Philippe and Benita came over. We went to my favorite chinese restaurant across the street from my house, came back, and all drank more mate. Benita even took some home with her. Philippe didn't like it quite as much, but did like the silver plated set I gave him.
Anyhow, I guess this is where my journey pauses (it does not end here, and I know I will be returning to Argentina in the not distant future). I will close this chapter of my life travels by reviewing ten things I have learned about Argentina, as well as false assumptions I had prior to my arrival.
- Buenos Aires has a population of 2,776,138 people, but somehow they survive with only 2, 776, 137 bookstores.
- While it is true that you occasionally have to watch your step, the sidewalks are not the dog poop lined walkways some guidebooks will have you believe.
-They hate
Bush too
- Havanna is Castellano for Starbucks
- Croissants are meant to have a sweet coating
- Dulce de Leche goes with everything
- Not all porteños are beautiful fashion plates.
- But most of them are.
- In Argentina, unlike Mexico, pimienta refers to black pepper only. To communicate the nature of my allergy, I have to explain that
no puedo comer morrones.
- I can travel 5831.07 from home and meet people I love.
I also leave you with a retrospective of even more photos of some of the people and places that made this journey what it was. I must note that two of the most important people in my life there, Paola and Carina, are not in this album as I have already posted every picture I have of them. But my experience would not have been the same without them.
Again, this is not a goodbye, it is a pause in the journey.
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Sam
non-member comment
A Sad Pause
As much I looked forward to reading about your journey each day, I'm sad to see this chapter come to a close! I'm glad you had an amazing trip, and I look forward to your next one.