Jenn and Scott in Argentina

Argentina Travelogue

2008-05-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Scott and I had an amazing time in Argentina last week. Last year in Australia and New Zealand I blogged throughout the trip. This time we wanted to fully disconnect from work and relish our vacation so we didn't bring a computer with us. The trip was blissfully internet-free. Instead, I took pen to paper to capture my impressions. I thought I would upload my thoughts to share with family and friends now that we are home again. I hope you enjoy this travelogue.

Friday April 18, 2008: A Smoky Touch-Down in Buenos Aires

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We touched down in Buenos Aires after nearly 19 hours en route. We were greeted by a surprising haze that enveloped the airport and surrounding areas. While reminiscent of the fog in San Francisco, the air had a decidedly toasty smell. Argentinian farmers were burning fields about 200 km north of the city to fertilize the soil and the wind carried the smoke all the way here.

We stopped for a cafe con leche and alfajor at the airport to wake ourselves up before grabbing a taxi to our apartment in Palermo, an up and coming barrio in Buenos Aires.

We were "muy temprano" (really early) when we arrived at the apartment building. There was much fanfare as security welcomed us and tried to figure out what to do with us until the owner of the apartment arrived. We amused ourselves watching the dog walkers in the neighborhood. I was so impressed that they could handle 10+ dogs at a time of all shapes and sizes.

Sandra soon arrived and took us up to Apartment 8B, our home for the next 10 days. We secured our apartment in advance of the trip through ByT Argentina. Nosotros hablamos un pocito español and Sandra spoke a little English so we were able to make ourselves understood to each other with simple words/phrases in both languages and ample miming. The apartment was a beautiful one bedroom with a full kitchen and balcony.

Friday April 18, 2008: From Palermo to Microcentro Via Subte

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Scott and I took the Subte (subway) to Barrio Microcentro and explored the city in its smoky haze.
We enjoyed another coffee at Cafe Tortoni, the oldest and most famous cafe in Buenos Aires. We walked along the pedestrian Calle Florida which was wall to wall people.

We skirted Plaza de Mayo

and cruised along the gargantuan Avenida Nuevo de Julio to the obelisk

before cramming ourselves onto the Subte again during rush hour for the return to Palermo. The Jardin Botanico is close to our apartment and is home to provocative sculptures and dozens of cats -- friendly, attention-seeking cats... Two of los gatos were even bold enough to jump onto my lap as I sat on a park bench. So cute!

In the evening, Scott and I strolled Plaza Serrano. We ate dinner at La Paila, a restaurant in Palermo featuring cuisine from Northern Argentina. I had my first taste of Argentine beef in a delicious stew and Scott had chicken stuffed with quinoa and drenched in honey. Exhausted after dinner, we returned home to catch up on sleep.

Saturday April 19, 2008: Trekking, the Tango, and Taxi Thrill Rides

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We started our second day in Buenos Aires well rested and ready to explore. The Subte took us to the Palace of Justice (Palacio de Justicia) and then we shopped our way back to Microcentro stopping for empanadas for lunch along the way. Calle Florida beckoned once again. Scott found some great shoes and Jenn found a beautiful yellow blouse.

We returned home and dressed up for the evening before heading out to El Querandí for dinner and a Tango show. Because I was wearing heels and a lady can only be expected to walk so far in heels, we took a taxi to and from the show. Taxi drivers in Buenos Aires are pretty set in their beliefs. One of our drivers believed he could navigate the city streets without touching the brakes. Another believed he could create an extra lane through the traffic congestion by driving between lanes. We did make it there and back much to our relief.

The Tango show was fantastic and had a dramatic flair. Three couples shared the stage and each dance told a story -- from a loss of innocence to the excitement of finding true love. The band was fantastic too and featured a pianist, cellist, bandoneón (accordian) player, and a violinist. Three cantantes (singers) rounded out the performance. More steak and wine was the order of the night.

Tomorrow we head to the famous San Telmo flea market for more shopping, exploration, and people watching.

Sunday April 20, 2008: Apartment Living

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Living in an apartment has its quirks which keeps things interesting compared to a hotel. The windows open but there are no screens. There are hurricane style metallic shutters on the outside window of the bedroom even though the ocean is not that close-by. The hairdryer touts that it is 1800 watts of pure power, yet it barely stirs a breeze. Our neighbors had a party last night which didn't start until midnight. If we knew more Spanish, perhaps we could have invited ourselves over to join in on the fun :-) Overall, apartment living is definitely more interesting and enjoyable than a hotel.

Sunday April 20, 2008: Awash in Color

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Even though the newspaper claimed that the smoke wouldn't pass until Wednesday (Miércoles), the day was bright, clear, and sunny. We made the most of the gorgeous warm weather and covered a lot of ground. We started with a bargain breakfast of cafe con leche and tres medialunas (3 croissants) at a confitería on Avenida Santa Fe in Palermo.

We took the subway to the San Telmo street market and spent the afternoon happily shopping away. This vacation is quickly taking on an "amarillo" hue. I picked up a fun yellow necklace and we picked out two yellow pillowcases. We had to buy the pillowcases since "las fundas" was one of the vocabulary words featured in "Learning Spanish Like Crazy" which we used to brush up on our language skills before embarking on this trip. These amarillo purchases went along with the yellow blouse I bought yesterday and the yellow faux-texture painted walls in our apartment.
We stopped for a huge and very inexpensive lunch on Plaza Dorrego with the market bustling outside. Complete with appetizer, entree, wine, and coffee, the bill for 2 people was about $20 total (including gratuity).

The day continued to be awash in color as we walked to Barrio La Boca from San Telmo. Our friend Valerie likened La Caminita in La Boca to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The brightly colored building definitely attract tourists but it was worth stopping by to converse with the Porteño (local man) selling unique 3D art prints and his adopted stray cat (la gata).

Sunday April 20, 2008: Overcoming Language Barriers

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We grabbed a taxi to Puerto Madero to check out the beautiful Punta de la Mujer bridge. We ran into some confusion along the way when the cab driver stopped to get gas. He didn't speak English and we thought he was asking us to pay for his gas in addition to the fare. We were further confused when he asked us to step out of the car. We thought he was going to leave us at the gas station! We were looking around to get our bearings when the driver pointed to the natural gas line under the hood and the methane tank in the trunk of his car. Some rapid fire español followed by him saying and miming "boom" and it suddenly clicked. He isn't allowed to have passengers in the car while it's being fueled up for safety reasons (as a chemist, I can appreciate his concern for safety!). No worries. We were soon on our way again without a problem.

After people watching over a diet coke along the port, we took the Subte back to Palermo where we enjoyed a quiet evening at home after picking up fresh empanadas at a local bakery and some sort of carrot/sweet potato cheesy spinach pie. We're off to Iguazú Falls in the morning! Hopefully the smoke issues in the area won't delay our flight.

Tuesday April 22, 2008: Iguazú vs Niagara

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Some Argentinians claim that Niagara Falls is a mere trickle compared to Iguazú. Being from Buffalo, NY and growing up with Niagara Falls in my backyard, I was a bit skeptical of this claim. We touched down in Puerto Iguazú yesterday after a 90 minute flight from Buenos Aires and I looked forward to evaluating the Falls with my own eyes. We were greeted at the airport by Walter Gorgues, an incredibly friendly taxi driver who took us from the airport to the Sheraton Hotel in the Parque Nacional. The view of the Falls in the distance from the hotel lobby was impressive but it was no Niagara. The jungle setting made for an idyllic scene, especially compared to the wax museums, idle factories, and casinos visible at Niagara.

We spent the day hiking the trails near the Falls. The Circuito Superior was gorgeous but I still felt the Argentinians were not justified in their claim of superiority to Niagara.

The Circuito Inferior was a more exhausting trail but featured some aptly named Falls like "Dos Hermanas" (2 Sisters) and "Salto Chico" (Little Falls). Still, I felt Iguazú and Niagara were at best equals.
At midday, we took the short train ride through the jungle to La Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). The colorful name did not disappoint. We hiked along a series of metal bridges brimming with butterflies (mariposas) of countless varieties. We even saw a couple caymans lurking in the water. Soon we were faced with the raw power of La Garganta. Scott and I were instantly in awe of the volume of water rapidly descending. The Argentinians are right -- Iguazú is a site to behold!

We capped our day at the Falls with La Gran Adventura. We were the only English speaking members of the group. The rest were with a tour group from Rosario, Argentina. We found ourselves at river's edge after a 6 km ride in an all terrain vehicle through the jungle. We donned life vests, secured our belongings in thick plastic bags, and embarked on a speed boat ride to the Falls. This cruise makes the "Maid of the Mist" at Niagara Falls look incredibly tame in comparison. The boat actually appears to go into the Falls at one point. To say we got showered is an understatement. The ride was thrilling, fun, and a great way to cool off after a hot afternoon of hiking. We were particularly impressed by the dedication of the videographer who came along on the tour. He stood on the bow of the boat with his camcorder wrapped in a plastic bag. We thought for certain that he'd fall into the water when we plunged into the Falls -- he was hanging on with only one hand since he was working the camera! Amazingly, he made it through safely.

Scott and I enjoyed a dinner buffet at the Sheraton complete with a free caipirinha to toast our day. Tomacito Gonzalez serenaded the restaurant with his harp stylings. We spotted numerous species of birds before dinner but no monkeys (much to my disappointment). We did see countless bats flying around in the lights near the swimming pool after dinner. It was an eerie sight to see.
We feel asleep that night while watching a Latin American game show called El Muro Infernal. Teams of contestants try to jump through different shapes cut into hard foam. If they miss, it's ¡El Agua! and the contestant is unceremoniously dumped into a cold pool of water. Now that is entertaining TV!

We flew back to Buenos Aires this morning. We spotted one of Iguazú's famed toucans in a tree before Walter returned to take us to the airport. We spent the day shopping along Avenida Santa Fe near our apartment. It was a fun challenge for us to conduct transactions using our limited Spanish.
Tomorrow we're off to Uruguay, a country I've been inexplicably excited about visiting for a number of years.

Thursday April 24, 2008: Adventures in Uruguay

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We're back from our adventures in Uruguay! The trip involved numerous modes of transportation. We took the high speed ferry (Buquebus) from Buenos Aires to Colonia. Colonia was quite picturesque and featured remnants of the original town wall. Quaint shops and public squares dotted the town. We had lunch at a parrilla along the water called El Rincon. Of course, steak was the order of the day. El Rincon offered a filet mignon special complete with dessert (chocolate and dulce de leche crepes!) and Uruguay's signature red wine (vino tinto) - Tannat.

We continued to the capital, Montevideo, via a local bus company. The landscape between Colonia and Montevideo was quite rural. It reminded me of the terrain in California between San Francisco and LA -- brown and hilly with an occasional green tree.Scott drew the analogy that Montevideo is to Buenos Aires as Philadelphia is to New York City. Montevideo is a little grittier than Buenos Aires and seems to live in the shadow of BA. There is some beautiful classical architecture (much like the colonial architecture of Philadelphia).

Thursday April 24, 2008: Bigfoot is Finally Satisfied!

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There was a shoe store across the street from our hotel in Montevideo and I'm excited to say that I was finally able to find a pair of stylish leather shoes in my size. For the past several days each store in Buenos Aires would tell me their largest size was "cuarenta" (40) when I am a "cuarenta y uno". It was almost too much to bear since there are some fantastic shoe stores in Buenos Aires.

Franco Cerbello came to my rescue with an awesome pair of flats industria en Uruguay.

Thursday April 24, 2008: Exploring Montevideo

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El humo (smoke) followed us from Buenos Aires. We enjoyed our time people watching, shopping, and savoring a meal at a local parrilla (El Fogon). Since Montevideo is on the ocean, we indulged in fish for dinner -- a welcome respite from our near constant diet of beef this week.

After a good night's sleep at Hotel London Palace, we set out on foot to explore the old city. We noticed a regular stream of horse drawn carriages that were making deliveries or picking up trash and recycling. It was a surprising anachronism in this modern city.

A lonely and friendly stray dog adopted us as we were sitting on a park bench in Plaza Independencia. Even though we gave him no encouragement, he followed us for several blocks including street crossings with harrowing traffic before he finally got distracted by a garbage can/hot dog vendor and moved on.

We finished out the morning shopping for crafts at a mercado de artesanos near our hotel. Crafts are surprisingly inexpensive in Uruguay but some clothing and souvenirs sport US-equivalent prices.

We picked up a couple of spicy carne picante empanadas at Mercado del Puerto (akin to Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia) before taking the Buquebus back to Buenos Aires.

A few other interesting observations about Uruguay:

1) Uruguayos are fond of US music - especially cheesy 80s music. We found ourselves serenaded by familiar tunes on the bus from Colonia to Montevideo and at dinner. Another guilty pleasure...I awoke startled from a catnap on the bus when Barry Manilow started singing "Mandy"

2) 9 pm is the Uruguayo "early bird". We arrived for dinner at 9 pm and were the youngest patrons sitting down to dinner. In Buenos Aires, the restaurants simply would have been empty.

3) Uruguayos are into classic cars. They can be found lining the city streets. Their numbers have decreased though as collectors scour the country for fix-er-uppers.

Friday April 25, 2008: Stepping Out in Recoleta

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A long walk was called for today since we've been indulging in a fair bit of empanadas, steaks, cafe con leche, alfajores, and vino tinto on this trip. We strolled along Avenida Libertador past the Italian embassy, beautiful gardens, and majestic statues on our way from Palermo to Recoleta.

Recoleta is a wealthier barrio and this was clear from the prices in shops and lack of graffiti on the buildings. We enjoyed coffee and lunch at Cafe Biela while being serenaded by a tango dancer/musician doubling as a clown. We shopped at another mercado de artesanos outside the Recoleta cemetary.

We followed a Japanese tour group as they made their way to the tomb of Eva "Evita" Peron. The tombs were grand and amazing with some impeccably maintained and others in a state of disrepair. It reminded me a bit of the cemetaries in New Orleans but on a much grander scale.

We stopped for empanadas at the celebrated El Sanjuanino C afe to sustain us for the walk back to Palermo. We hoofed it from Recoleta to Malba - the Latin American Art Museum. Along the way, we took in the shining metallic Floralis Generica and the mansions dotting the residential streets off of Avenida Figueroa Alcorta.

We have less than 24 hours to explore before heading back to Los Estados Unidos tomorrow night. We had so much fun this week that we wish we could stay longer.

Sunday April 27, 2008: Our Last Day and Closing Thoughts

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Our last day in Buenos Aires included a porteño breakfast of cafe con leche, toast, and ham at El Galeon on Avenida Santa Fe followed by a ride on the city's oldest (wood paneled!) Subte line. We got a little confused when we tried to exit the train. The doors didn't open when the train pulled into the station. We soon realized that the doors on the classic train are manually operated. We learned our lesson and wrenched open the door by hand at the next stop.

A final stroll up Avenida Florida capped the afternoon. Yolanda, a colorful porteña at the Leather Factory helped us pick out 2 beautiful abrigos de cuero (leather jackets). They were even able to tailor the sleeves on Scott's jacket in about an hour to ensure a perfect fit.

We finished packing and tidied up the apartment just in time to meet Sandra, reclaim our security deposit, and hand over the keys. Sandra greeted us in the traditional Argentinian way -- kisses on both cheeks. We sat and conversed in a combination of her limited English and our "pocito español" while we waited for the taxi to arrive.

Sandra was soon bidding us a "bueno viaje" and the tree-lined streets of Palermo melted away to the autovista. Before we knew it, we were working our way through the bureacracy of the Buenos Aires international airport. We waited in a total of 8 lines before boarding our flight -- two to collect our tax free refund on our purchases, one to check in with the airline, one to pay the airport departure tax, one for airport security, one for customs and immigration, one for cashing out at the duty free shop -- this one was optional ;-), and one final security check at the gate since we were on a US bound flight. If you're planning a vacation to Buenos Aires, leave plenty of time before your flight to take care of everything on your way home.

On the overnight flight home to San Francisco via Washington, DC we dreamed of our fantastic time in South America and look forward to "regresando pronto" (returning soon).