Buenos Aires to Miami

Monday – January 17

I have never been to an opera house that has been converted into a book store before this morning. After sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast, we hiked through the old part of Buenos Aires to El Ateneo, a well-known book store in the San Nicolas district. As you can see in the above photo, the books are stacked throughout the house – on the main floor as well as in the box seats. The stage is a cafe. Of course, most of the books were in Spanish but there was a section for English language publications.

As we walked back to our hotel, we bought take-away lunches. This was necessary because of our schedule for the rest of the day.

We left the hotel as a group at 2:00 and drove to a part of Buenos Aires that many foreign tourists don’t go. We got on a boat in Ciudad de Tigre and motored through the delta of Rio de la Plata. There are hundreds of houses in a variety of condition built on stilts. Some are permanent while other are weekend or vacation houses. We saw lots of people lounging and a bunch of kids swimming in the murky water.

After the boat ride, we got back on the bus and drove to the airport. We checked in and said good-bye to Marco. We went through security and the huge emigration line. We have a long wait for our 10:30 flight to Miami.

Tuesday – January 18

The flight left on time. We ate, read, watched a movie (Momma Mia), slept and ate again. We are now in Miami International Airport waiting for our 3:30 flight to San Francisco. I had a quick pick-me-up of Dunkin Donuts and coffee. (I couldn’t eat the breakfast sandwich on the airline). Ann is sipping tea as we sit in Bon Pain.

Our flight home was delayed for about 45 minutes. We made it home and to bed by 10:00.

Igauzú Falls to Buenos Aires

Sunday – January 16

The morning we drove to Brazil to observe Igauzú Falls from a different perspective. Instead of being on top of the falls or in them, we could see them from across the river. This view opened up a new panorama. We walked with hundreds of people on a path above the river and stopped several times to take photos and video clips. It was just as spectacular as yesterday. It was hot and humid, but we didn’t get wet from the spray as we did the day before.

At the end of the path, we took an elevator to the top of the cliff and visited the Brazilian National Park concession area. Then we got back onto our bus and left for Porto Igauzú. We went back through both the Brazil and Argentina immigration. Brazil took forever. Argentina was quick.

In Porto Igauzú, we stopped for lunch at a pizzeria. Pizzerias here are similar to the ones in Italy. They serve much more than pizza. Ann had ravioli while I had sliced pork with a salad. We split a large bottle of cerveza.

After lunch we went back to our hotel, picked up our luggage and drove to the airport for our flight to Buenos Aires. When we got to the airport, we discovered that flights to and from Buenos Aires were delayed because of thunderstorms there. It’s 6:00 and our plane has not left Buenos Aires yet. We are going to have a long wait.

Well, we left at 8:30 arriving in Buenos Aires at 11:00. We are settled into our hotel. It’s 12:15 and we are going to bed.

Igauzú Falls

Saturday – January 15

We got an early 7:30 start to see Igauzú Falls in its Argetinean national park. After Machu Pichu, this is the most visited site in South America. An early start is necessary to get a jump on the 4000 visitors per day.

I knew very little about the falls when we signed up for the trip. Wikipedia has a good description of them:

“The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) of the Iguazu River. Some of the individual falls are up to 82 metres (269 ft) in height, though the majority are about 64 metres (210 ft). The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped, 82-meter-high, 150-meter-wide and 700-meter-long (490 by 2300 feet) cataract, is the most impressive of all, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil. The Argentine side comprises three sections^{[citation needed]}: the upper falls, the lower falls, and the Devil's Throat.^{[contradiction]”.}

When we arrived, we went directly to the central train station where we rode the mini-train to the last station. We walked on the elevated metallic path over lots of water and islets to the Garganta del Diablo observation platform. It was here where we got our first drenching of the day from the spray of the falls. The roaring of the water was very loud and the spray blew across us in waves.

We walked back to the train station and rode to the previous station. We walked on the “upper circuit” passing several more falls. We were walking along the lips of these falls so that we could watch the water cascade over the top. Spray was not a problem.

When we returned, we walked all of the way down to the lower river and got into 60-person zodiacs for our “Great Adventure”. This was a wild ride next to and under the falls. We wore bathing suits and had our backpacks, shoes, cameras, etc. stowed in heavy duty waterproof bags. We got soaked.

The boat ride dropped us off down river where we got onto a flatbed truck and rode through the jungle back to the park entrance.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Did I say jungle? This is a sub-tropical forested area. There is lots of wildlife – coatis, lizards, and many birds.

We had a late buffet lunch near the park entrance. Then we left for the hotel. We got back around 4:00. It was hot – well into the 90’s. Downtime was until 7:30 when we met Marco and three other couples and went to dinner at Bocamora, a restaurant that was a short walk from the hotel. I had a local fish and Ann had a tuna salad.

It’s now after 10:00. We are ready for bed.

Buenos Aires to Iguazú

Friday – January 14

We got a little more sleep last night. Our departure was scheduled for 9:30. This gave us plenty of time to have breakfast and to say good-bye to those in our group who were not going on to the Iguazú extension of our tour.

We left hot Buenos Aires and arrived by plane in broiling hot Iguazú in early afternoon. After checking into our hotel, Marco walked us about 100 yards to Hito Tres Fronteras, a tri-border area along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, where the Iguazú and the Paraná rivers converge. There are visible monuments in each country.

We dragged ourselves through the heat back to our hotel. Ann decided to go swimming in the hotel’s outdoor pool while I played around with my netbook using the excellent internet connection. Ann reported that the pool’s water was too warm and the configuration was no good for doing laps. There were lots of tiny bikinis on large bodies.

We managed a restful afternoon, even sampling the local beer in the hotel’s bar. Our group dinner was at 7:30. We hade a good salad with hearts of palm and nicely cooked chicken.

Bed time was at 10:00.

Ushuaia to Buenos Aires

Thursday – January 13

Our hotel had no breakfast room so our meal was delivered to our room. It was due at 7:00. Just before that we heard a knock on our door. It was Albert in his terrycloth robe, black socks and slippers letting everyone on our floor know that our breakfast was sitting on tables outside our room.

Soon we were on our flight to Buenos Aires via El Calafate. We went from cold, rainy weather to sunny, hot weather. We were bused from the airport to our hotel. Ann and I walked over to the mall and had a sandwich and ice cream at the food court.

Back at the hotel, we cleaned up and then went to a tango lesson. Most of us were pretty awkward in trying to learn the basic steps. Jack and the other Ann looked pretty good. Ann and I tried, but we don’t seem to have proper recall to remember the moves.

Our farewell dinner (some of us are extending the trip to go to Iguasu) was at Villegas. We had good beef which has been a common theme on our trip.

Ann and I went back to the hotel after dinner while most of the group went to a tango show. We were in bed by 11:00.

Stella Australis To Ushuaia

Wednesday – January 12

This morning we ate breakfast on our ship and then we disembarked in Ushuaia. Good-bye to salty bacon and to the helpful crew.

At the end of the gangplank, we were met by four jeeps that took us on a scenic tour of Ushuaia as well as an off-road tour in the woods outside of the city. We still are trying to figure out the reason for the off-road other than to see a beaver pond or to kill time until our rooms were ready. It was fun, though. Only one of the jeeps got stuck in the mud. The trail was rutted and muddy. Our driver delighted in speeding up and barreling through water so that he could spray muddy water on the windshield.

At the end of this romp in the, we were delivered to a local Family’s house where we were served good snacks – tuna empanadas, chicken on a skewer, a puff pastry stuffed with spinach, little lemon meringue puffs, brownies with dulce de leche. etc. This became lunch.

We got back into the jeeps and were dropped off at our hotel. We have a suite – sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. The sitting room has a kitchen where we could cook all of our meals if we wanted to. We don’t want to. Ann went exploring for a dinner place while I caught up on internet stuff. Here’s a view from out room:

Dinner was at an Italian. We settled on pasta instead of pizza. Ann had a chicken crepe and she had to order the sauce separately. I had lasagna.

We just got back to the hotel. It’s only 8:55. The sun hasn’t set. We should be in bed by 10:00.

Day 3 – On Board Stella Australis

Tuesday – January 11

At 7:15, we were loaded into zodiacs and were driven to Hornos Island in Cape Horn. We climbed up a 160 step staircase to see the lighthouse, its chapel and a monument to the cape. The lighthouse tenders were in the station selling souvenirs. Couples who are hired to be tenders generally last for only one year. The couple that we saw had been in their jobs for less than a month. We walked out to the monument. The monument represents an albatross in flight. It memorializes sailors from all nations who were lost at sea. This is where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans collide.

Back on the ship, we had a late breakfast. Then a few hours later we had lunch.

At 4:30 we got into the zodiacs again and were driven to one of the islands on Wulaia Bay. We took a nature walk uphill until we came to a scenic point. Along the way we saw a couple of Beaver dams and some interesting plant life.

The weather today variable. We had sprinkles and bright sunlight. The wind was fairly tame, but it did blow hard from time to time.

We got back to the ship just in time to freshen up before our 8:00 dinner. Our selection was beef and conger. Ann and I were so stuffed that we couldn’t finish our entree.

It’s approaching 11:30. I’m tired a want to go to sleep.

Day 2 – On Board Stella Australis

Monday – January 10

This was a lazy day. We saw a lot but didn’t get much activity. Our morning was devoted to lectures and watching fantastic scenery go by. In mid-afternoon, we disembarked on the zodiacs in Pia Fjord and boated to the shoreline in front of a huge glacier. we were guided uphill on a short walk so that we could take photos of the glacier and the fjord. We didn’t see or hear any significant calving, but we did get to stretch our legs.

At the top of the walk, Ann and I took a couple of photos and then walked back down the hill where the zodiacs were waiting. I made a brief detour to the portable refreshment table and had a shot of scotch whiskey with glacier ice.

 

When we all got back to the ship, we set sail again through Glacier Alley. Ann and I sat in one of the lounges as we passed several glaciers. Some of the glaciers were named after countries. When we passed them, the crew passed out food and drink associated with each country. By the time we reached the Italian glacier, we were pretty happy.

Before dinner we had a briefing on tomorrow’s landing on Hornos Island. This is Cape Horn. The landing could be called off if the weather is bad and the sea are too rough. So far our weather has cooperated and we anticipate the same tomorrow.

Dinner was at 8:00. We both had lamb. The portions were huge so we didn’t finish our main course. For dessert we had a non-birthday cake. Ask me about it.

We turned off out lights at 11:00.

Day 1 – On Board Stella Australis

Sunday – January 9

Stella Australis serves a very good breakfast buffet. Lots of carbs, protein and fat. The bacon is especially good – nice and salty. There are eggs, cereal, breads, fruit, vegetables, etc. Coffee is strong.

Our first excursion was to an island on Ainsworth Bay. We shuttled to it via zodiacs passing a very small islet where several elephant seals were resting on the shore. Francisco from the ship was our guide. As we walked around the island, he talked about the birds, the flora and the culture of the original inhabitants. We saw oyster catchers, cormorants, steamer ducks, geese, lichen, moss, canelo trees and much more. When we reached the zodiacs for our return trip, the crew had a table set up for hot chocolate, tea, coffee and scotch whiskey.

Back on the ship, we had a plentiful lunch buffet with wine, beer, etc. The desserts were especially good – calafate and vanilla ice cream, flan, cakes and fruit.

In mid-afternoon, we got onto the zodiacs again and went on a photo excursion around a special islet. The islet is special because it is a breeding ground for Megellanic penguins and cormorants. There were also some steamer ducks and chimango caracaras.

After we returned to the ship, we had some down time until lecture time at 7:00 and dinner at 8:00. Our OAT group has several tables reserved for all meals. Ann had hake and I had slices of beef.

Bed time was around 11:00.

Rio Verde to Punta Arenas And Our Ship

Saturday – January 8

We were not in a hurry today so we got to sleep in. Our breakfast in the common room was family style where we sat at long tables. We were the only people staying at the estancia so we had the room to ourselves. We were served a large breakfast  - juice, coffee, cereal, eggs and toast. When Ann and I were leaving to go to our room, the owner, “el Padrone”, followed us out the door and told us to come with him to show us something special. We hopped into his mini van along with one other guest and he drove us out into one of his fields to watch a sheep roundup. The gauchos (they are called something different in Chile) along with their dogs were herding a huge flock of sheep into a corral. It was amazingly fast and efficient.

After that, he drove us to his house which was only a quarter of a mile away. He didn’t invite us in but we could see where a major sheep rancher resides when he is at the ranch. The house was very humble.

He also drove us to where the Rio Verde crosses under the road. It was just a trickle. They are in a drought.

Back at the ranch, “el Padrone” lead our whole group on foot around his ranch. We watched them run the sheep through a selection gate where they separated the sheep they were going to sell from the keepers. Sheep with long tails get sold. Those with short tails stay. The rams also stayed.

After that, we watched one of the hired hands sheer a sheep. This was all very interesting.

We had some time to spare, so Julio led us on a walk through the fields to a pond where flamingos were gathered. I always thought that these birds are tropical. Apparently they aren’t.

Lunch was back in the common room. We had lamb, chicken and sausage which had been roasting in the huge fireplace and its small oven next to it.

After lunch, we checked out, got onto the bus and drove for 1 1/2 hours to Punta Arenas. We had some time to kill so Ann and I wandered a bit until we found the hotel where we got a free welcoming drink. The hotel also had several computers set up with free internet. I was able to check my email and Facebook accounts. Ann was a fortunate because Yahoo mail kept killing Firefox. We also walked through the town plaza where Saturday vendors were set up in their booths under the shadow of a stature of Magellen.

We said goodbye to Julio, our local guide, and Roberto, our driver after we went through security and before we boarded our ship, Stelle Australis. The ship is very new and looks it. Our stateroom is roomy enough for us. We have a large picture window so we can watch the scenery go by.

We went to an introduction session where we learned about the services on the ship, were introduced to the captain and his officers and where we were entertained by some folk dancers.

Dinner was at 8:00. Ann and I both had tuna steaks and lots of wine.

We finally got o bed at 11:00.

Parque National Torres Del Paine to Rio Verde

Friday – January 7

While leaving our hotel at 8:00, a red fox was lying in the grass near the path leading to the bus. I took some photos of it.

Our bus took us to the same trailhead where we were yesterday. We walked over the swinging bridge, along the lake’s beach and climbed into a large flat-bottom 20-person boat. It took us a short distance where we boarded a large sight-seeing boat which took us to the glacier at the head of Lago Grey. The view of the glacier was wonderful. Because it is receding, we could see where it had carved some of the rock faces in front of it. The wind had calmed down from the previous day but it was still cold next to the glacier. A highlight of the tour was having a pisco sour served with 12,000 year-old glacier ice.

Back on the bus, we drove back to the restaurant near the Argentina border where we had lunch a couple of days before. This time Ann and I had roast beef sandwiches with tomatoes and avocado. She had a cappuccino while I had a local cervesa.

We got to Escancia Rio Verde around 6:00. Our tour leaders kept emphasizing that this is not a hotel. It’s a sheep ranch that has rooms and food. Electricity is produced with a generator and tap water is not potable. They asked us not to take showers because they were having a draught. Rio Verde has become a trickle. Our room was clean and comfortable – on a par or better than many rooms we have had in Europe.

The large rustic common room had a huge fireplace. It also had tables set up for meals. Our dinner was served family style. We had a soup containing a whole potato, corn, carrots, etc. It was our main and only course. It was filling. We did not needmore food.

We got back to our room around 11:00. It was still light outside.

Parque National Torres Del Paine

Thursday – January 6

We learned about the Patagonia wind today, a day for two walks. Our first walk left from the front of the hotel and wound its way alongside Lago Grey to a trailhead. We then balanced our way across a swinging bridge over a raging river. Then we walked along the lake’s beach and across it on a sandbar. This is where we encountered strong wind. It was blowing steadily with strong gusts down the lake from the glacier at its head. The gusts were strong enough to push us off balance.

At the end of the sandbar, we followed a hiking trail on the side of an island to its end where we could sit on a bench and view the glacier at the lake’s head. Although the wind was strong, the temperature was warm so we were not uncomfortable.

We retraced our steps back to the trailhead, got onto the bus and drove to a park headquarters to eat our sack lunch. We ate at a picnic table holding down our food so it wouldn’t blow off of the table. There was lots of food in the sack including a roast beef sandwich with avocado.

We then drove to another trailhead where we hiked to another bench. We passed a thundering waterfall, serene lagoons and colorful meadows. The view from the bench was across a lake looking at 10,000 foot peaks. The mountains in Patagonia are very dramatic and look very tall because their base is at 200-300 feet.

After this hike, we stopped for a nature call where we saw a family of outland geese. Then we bused back to our hotel.

Dinner was at 8:00. Ann and I had perfectly cooked hake with a vegetable soufflé.  Bed time was at 11:00 and it was still light outside.

El Calafate to Parque National Torres Del Paine

Wednesday – January 5

We left El Calafate at 8:00 on our bus with Marco, Carolina and Gabe for our two-stage drive to Parque National Torres Del Paine. Our route in Argentina was on nicely paved roads in good weather. The direction was south and then west. The terrain was mostly flat with the Andes poking up in the west. Carolina and Marco kept us entertained with lessons on history and culture in Argentina. There was friendly nationalistic banter between them – Carolina is from Argentina and Marco is from Chile.

Among other things, we learned about the custom around drinking mate from Carolina. Mate is similar to tea. It must be prepared properly with the perfect temperature of hot water, the right amount of mate and the correct amount of sugar. It is mixed in a gourd-like bowl and then passed around among friends who sip it through a silver straw with a strainer on the liquid end. We all shared the bitter brew.

Our first stop on the route was at a road-side cafe/hotel. Carolina mentioned that it had wonderful hot chocolate, so we tried one. They pour foamed hot milk into a glass and add solid dark chocolate. You stir it to melt the chocolate and then drink it. It’s tasty, but nothing special.

Our nice paved road soon turned into a dirt road a mile or so before we came to the Argentina border checkpoint. We had to disembark and file through the guard house to have our passports stamped.

Shortly down the road, we stopped at the border of Chile. We got off of the bus with all of our luggage. The border guards inspected the bus while we went through immigrations and customs. We were warned that we had to declare any food that we had or else we could be fined Chile has a thriving agricultural industry that it wants to protect. I declared the salted peanuts that were in my backpack but they didn’t bother to check them. We were also told that there was a reciprocity fee (visa fee) of $140 each. They didn’t bother with this either. So we happily walked over the border to our new bus and loaded our bags. Our Argentina bus, driver and local guide had to leave us here. We had to say good-bye to Carolina and Gabe.

A few feet in front of the bus was a restaurant/tourist shop. We had our first Chilean meal on a long table on the second floor. I had a filet with French fries while Ann had a sandwich and a huge cappuccino. We had fun paying for our meal when the credit card machine stopped working. This was interesting for some of our group that didn’t want to use their cash. They persevered though because the restaurant took American dollars, Argentina pesos, Chilean pesos, etc.

When I went outside to get some air, I noticed two fully loaded custom-made touring bicycles. They and the equipment on them looked very used. I went inside a found the pair of young men they belonged to and found that they were on month 18 of a journey from Alaska to Ushuaia, the southern tip of South America. They had one month to go.

We had to wait at the restaurant for a while because Julio, our local guide, was delayed because of a transit strike in Punta Arenas. Apparently the government tried to raise the price of gas and “The People” di not like that. So they blocked all of the roads in and out of Punta Arenas. Julio finally showed up and we were off for Parque National Torres del Paine.

Julio is a young Chilean man who teaches an ESL course at the local university. He sets his schedule so that he can spend part of his week teaching, part of it leading tours, part of it kayaking, running and mountain biking and part of it being with his family. He speaks American English extremely well and knows a lot about geology, biology, history, culture, etc.

Once we turned into the park, we were on a narrow gravel road. Dust was not an issue because the wind was blowing so hard that all of the dust and dirt blow away before we could feel it. The weather was only partly cloudy so we had very good views of the mountains, lakes and rivers. We stopped several times for photos. We had excellent views of the Torres Del Paine. We also saw animals – guanacos and a huemul.

We got to the Lago Grey Hotel just before our 8:00 dinner. The started us out with pisco sours. Then we had an appetizer, soup, a main course of lamb chops and a huge slab of chocolate ice cream cake. We got to bed after 11:00. It was still light outside.

El Calafate

Tuesday – January 4

This was our first exploration day. After a good buffet breakfast we boarded our bus at 8:00 for a trip into Los Glaciares National Park to see Moreno Glacier. Our day guide, Carolina, set up a great tour. We took a secondary gravel road for most of the way and stopped several times to get out to watch and take photos of lots of birds. We saw Andean c ondors, black chested buzzard eagles, crested caracaras, chimango caracaras, American kestrels, lesser rheas, rufous-collared sparrows, Chilean flamingos, black-necked swans, coscoroba swans, black-faced ibises and southland lapwings. (Eat your hearts out, Suellen and John). We also saw some animals including foxes, horses, cows, sheep, goats and hares.

 

At the glacier we took a long scenic walk on a well-constructed metallic trail with banisters. It was constructed this way to keep people off of the delicate terrain. There were several observation decks where we could stop, watch the glacier and take photos. The glacier is across a narrow part of the lake. The trail has lots of ups and downs. We saw and heard many calvings two of which were huge. It was much more intimate that our Alaska glacier experience. The weather was partly cloudy with a few periods of showers.

The trail ended at a visitors’ center where I finished my box lunch. There were lots of people there and I heard several languages – English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, etc.

At 2:30 we got back into the bus for the ride back to our hotel. The main diversion on the way was a scene from the wild south. There was a sheep and a lamb running loose next to the road. Three dogs were trying to round them up. They chased them back and forth across the road eventually ending up next to one of three gauchos on horseback. He picked up the lamb, threw it over his saddle, took it away from the road, dropped it onto the ground and rode off.

A little about the terrain – The land is fairly flat here similar to the high desert in California. There is very little vegetation – good only for raising sheep and goats. To the west are the snow-capped Andes. The elevation was 900 – 1400 feet.

We were back at the hotel around 4:30. I took some downtime working on my photos and blog. Ann went to an optional movie called “My Favorite Enemy” a semi-comedy about a boarder conflict between Argentina and Chile.

Dinner was on our own. Ann and I went to a small cafe called Viva la Pepa. We had quiche, pizza and local beer. On the way back to the hotel we stopped to have some dulce de leche ice cream.

We wanted to get to sleep fairly early but at 10:00 it was still light outside (El Calafate is way south and it is summer in the southern hemisphere). I finally put on a sleep mask and ear plugs and went to sleep. Did I mention all of the dogs around us that like to bark in the night?

Buenos Aires to El Calafate

Monday – January 3

We were up by 5:30 after a very restful night’s sleep. We could have slept longer, but we had a last minute itinerary change and had to catch a morning flight to El Calafate. We were originally scheduled to be in Buenos Aires for another day but the airlines changed thinks around for our tour. This means that we spend an extra day in Patagonia. We like this change because we came to see nature, not the city.

After a really good buffet breakfast, we got onto our bus and drove to the domestic airport. Our flight was in two segments – Buenos Aires to Bariloche and then to El Calafate. It was unusual that we had to pick up our bags in Bariloche and check them in to El Calafate. I guess the airlines do not have reciprocal agreements. We had plenty of time between flights, so it was easy.

Marco, who got to El Calafate on an earlier flight, met us at the airport with our bus. We drove directly to Kosten Aike hotel. This is another nice hotel. We are on the second floor so it is easy to take the stairs. There is no air conditioning but it is not needed. The weather is cool for the middle of the southern hemisphere summer.

We are officially in Patagonia.

We took a short orientation walking tour around our hotel. Then Ann and I stopped at a cafe La Lechuza, for some snacks and good local beer. We split some empanadas – carne, pollo and tomato, cheese and basil. We also had some local craft beer.

 

 

We had dinner at Kau Yatun. The restaurant features grilled meat – beef, chicken, lamb and sausages. The meat is served on mini-grills that are placed on the table. We also had a salad bar and more empanadas. The restaurant also features entertainment- a guitarist/singer and dancers doing local folk dances. It was a fun evening even though we didn’t get back to the hotel until 11:00.

Buenos Aires

Saturday and Sunday – January 1-2

Our first two days of the new year were very long. On New Year’s Day we got up at 2:30 am. Our Bay Porter shuttle arrived at 3:30 and took us to SFO  for our 6:00 American Airlines flight to Miami. We booked this leg of our flights ourselves because it was cheaper than the OAT option. We spent a few hours in the remodeled Miami airport having lunch at Chile’s. Our over night LAN flight to Buenos Aires was very comfortable with lots of leg room. We were served both dinner and breakfast. In between, we watched movies, read and slept. I took a couple of Tylenol PMs which helped me sleep but left me a little groggy after we landed.

Marco, our OATS tour guide met us at the airport and put us on a bus to the Amerian Hotel. Our 10th-floor room was comfortable with non-evasive air conditioning. This really helped because it was hot and humid in Buenos Aires.

After we got settled, Marco took us on a short orientation walk around our hotel. When the walk was over, we went to the Galerias Pacifico, an upscale mall, where we used the ATM and had lunch in the food court – salads for both of us. We also splurged on a local ice cream favorite – dulce de leche. It was delicious.

At 2:00 we had a group meeting where Marco explained the tour’s procedures and itinerary. We also made quick introductions of ourselves. When our meeting was over, we met Virginia, our local guide. She and Marco took us on a whirlwind tour of Buenos Aires. Highlights of the tour were a visit to La Boca – an old part of the city which features outdoor and indoor markets with lots of artwork, crafts, tourist gift shops, cafes and a local outdoor market – a visit to the graveyard that had the tomb of Eva Peron, and a visit to Plaza de Mayo - the main plaza of Buenos Aires where we saw the “Pink Palace”, the Cathedral Metropolitana, and other prominent buildings.

At the end of the tour we were dropped off at La Posada de 1820 where we had a delicious Argentinean steak and lots of wine.

We walked back to the hotel and collapsed in bed by 10:00.

2011-11-02 – Home to Buenos Aires

We got here this morning. We checked into our hotel, had an orientation walking tour around our area, ate lunch in a mall’s food court, had our first group meeting, went on a city tour which included a visit to Eva Peron’s grave, and had an Argentinian steak dinner. It’s now after 9:00 and we are very sleepy. More later.