Puerto Madero & Heading Home

The last two days in Buenos Aires we spent around the Puerto Madero, Plaza de Mayo and Florida Street shopping areas.

Puerto Madero was a really pretty area with plenty of tourist and English speaking people... and the prices that often come from such areas.  The bridge that links the two sides of the port is really stunning at night.

Bridge at night

Uruguay - historic boat

If you are in the Puerto Madero area I highly recommend taking a tour of one of the two historic boats that are docked there.  The entrance fee is only a ARS 2 Peso donation, which is less than 50 cents US.

Fragata Sarmiento

Below Deck - Fragata Sarmiento

Spanish Controls - Fragata Sarmiento

Helm - Fragata Sarmiento

Tiny Cannon - Fragata Sarmiento

I am not sure what the last cannon pictures is really supposed to do, it was pretty tiny.  I guess you could use  shoot tiny clowns out of it, if you wanted.

We made it to the airport about 3 hours 30 minutes before our flight departure time.  I would recommend between 3 and 3 1/2 hours if you plan on flying out of Ezeiza Airport to an international destination.  I would also recommend printing your boarding passes ahead of time.

Boarding Pass Line:  30 minutes (estimate, we printed ours in advance - but another lady on our flight didn't)
Baggage Check Line:  50 minutes
Immigration Exit:  45 minutes
Security:  30 minutes

Airport

Our plane was having some maintenance issues so we were delayed about an hour.  When we were ready to go it was told to us that the Argentine air traffic control had discarded our flight plan and that we had to submit a new plan.  We were lifting off around 2 hours and 30 minutes after our initial departure time.

I was really impressed with American Airlines when we arrived at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.  They had already advised customs that there was a plan of about 300 international travelers that were delayed so they had extra staff waiting.  We went to collect our bags and took them to the ticket counter that was conveniently located right past our baggage claim area.  We lined up and one-by-one they got us on new flights.  They called over additional personnel here also to process our line faster.  We were through customs, had a new flight and our bags checked within 45 minutes of landing and were only delayed 2 hours and 45 minutes from our original landing time.

Now I am home and back to the daily grind.  So, I guess - this is my last post.  It has been fun and I hope everyone enjoyed reading my entries.

Until next time,

Tim

Review: Say Hueque, Andesmar, CATA Internacional, ByT Argentina, Hilton

So, I decided to save all of my reviews of the various places that we stayed and services we used for one blog so people that aren't interested in hearing about these can just skip this post.  That way readers didn't have to sift through the other blogs for more interesting information.

Say Hueque
This is a company that made a presentation at our initial orientation when we arrived at the University of San Andres.  I understand why they say the are the "travel agency for independent travelers."  The people at the agency were extremely nice, so that part of the service isn't the problem - it's the support and actual value.  I almost used them for my trip to Iguazu, but what they were quoting for $510 - I found for $350.

I know that travel agencies offer the value of not having to figure some things out for yourself, so initially I felt better that I booked the Mendoza trip through a travel agency when the bus companies went on strike.  I sent my representative an e-mail, so she decided to call the hotel - I wasn't there.  She didn't reply to my e-mail until after I returned to the hotel and they told me I had a phone message from her.  I asked her about options to get back to Buenos Aires and her best advice was to just wait.  I ended up finding an airline ticket that could be reserved for up to 6 hours without payment.  I went ahead and reserved a plane ticket for the next day and then not having to pay for it, but had the strike continued at least I would have been able to return to Buenos Aires.

Overall:  I would not recommend this agency - for the amount of support they offer, you are better off just booking it for less yourself.

Andesmar
This was my favorite bus line - we took it going to Mendoza.  If I have advice for travelers in Argentina it would be to use the Omnibus service.  If you have the extra $25 USD it is MORE than worth it to take the "cama suite" option on the lines.  The seats recline like a bed, you get your own t.v., they have curtains, the seats are leather and the food is better.

Cama Suite on Andesmar

Also, the added bonus on Andesmar is that you get to play BINGO and the prize was a bottle of wine!

Overall:  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CATA Internacional
This is the bus line we took returning from Mendoza to Buenos Aires.  It was comparable to Andesmar because we booked the "cama suite."  The difference was the shocks on this particular bus was probably due for maintenance because it was a little bumpy at times.  The service was still good, but there was no BINGO.  Also, they only had one of the movie options in English with Spanish subtitles.  Both bus lines offered your own selection of movies.

Seats on CATA Internacional

Overall:  Recommended

ByT Argentina
This is a service that was recommended to me from one of my professors.  There is a search engine and you can rent an apartment that comes fully equipped for less than many of the hotel rooms.  The minimum stay is generally 3 or 5 days depending on the apartment.  The other catch is that you have to pay in U.S. Dollars - so you will have to come prepared.

Also, with this service I would recommend booking the transfer through their company to the apartment.  It is only $190 ARS Pesos, but they organize a car that will take you directly to the hotel you have rented.

They are kind of willing to work with individual situations and arrival times - so that helps and they will help you determine how long it will take to get to the airport and will be waiting to receive you at the apartment.

The apartment above was bigger than many hotel rooms in the city and it had T.V., WIFI and local calling included for $75 a night.  You are able to search by the area of town you want to stay in.

Overall:  Recommended 

Hilton
Hilton Buenos Aires is where we are staying on our last night in Buenos Aires.  I would recommend booking this through a website once you are in Argentina if you have the chance.  Some of the discount website like Despegar will give you a better rate in Argentine Pesos than you can get from the states in U.S. Dollars depending on the exchange rate you are getting from your bank.

The above room was about $200 USD per night.  The service has been absolutely excellent and when we showed up earlier than scheduled check-in from our bus returning from Mendoza they gave us two free drink vouchers for the restaurant and free WIFI while we waited.  The check-in time is 14:00, but they got us into our room at 10 a.m. because they told us they knew we probably wanted to shower.

Overall:  Highly Recommended


If you have any questions about the services that I didn't answer above - please e-mail me.

Ciao,

Tim

City of Mendoza

Yesterday we had planned on visiting several parks throughout Mendoza, Argentina.  However, in the morning, we dropped off our laundry and found out that there was a "paro" or strike for all long distance omnibuses throughout Argentina.  This was concerning because we were booked on one of those buses at 7:30 p.m. from Mendoza to Buenos Aires.

The night before we had been out looking for a place to eat and were able to snap a couple of pictures of the beautiful fountains at Plaza Independencia near our hotel.

Throughout the day there are also street vendors in this park.  I tried to take a picture of the vendors, but one of them took that opportunity to offer me some marijuana.  I politely declined...

Inside of Plaza Independencia there is also this huge sign that reminds you that, in fact, you are in the Ciudad de Mendoza.

The day of the strike we still wandered around and were able to visit a couple of parks between checking the newspapers and e-mailing the travel agent.

This is a gazebo in Plaza Bellegrini that I am sure looks better in the summer time.  This isn't a great picture, but it looked like a cozy place to sit.

Fountain in Plaza Espana

We referred to Plaza Espana as "Tile Park" because there was so much detailed tile work.

This is one of the only public water fountains I have seen during my stay in Argentina.

We ended up getting a little lost en route back to the hotel to check for updates on the travel situation and stumbled upon another park, but I can't remember the name.

Unknown statue is unknown park... I don't get lost very often and was frustrated.

As we walked around the city we saw the intricate canal system.  Our tour guide told us during our mountain tour that the runoff from the Andes fuels the entire aquatic system of Mendoza.

This is one of the canals.  These lined the roads, parks and sidewalks.  In the summer apparently they flow with the water from the melting snow.

Long story short... we ended up making our bus and it left on time for Buenos Aires, which was quite a surprise to everyone.  We took a CATA Internacional bus back to Buenos Aires - which I plan to review in my next blog.

Ciao,

Tim

Uruguay Redux

So, now that the program has ended and I am on vacation time I have switched gears into a bit of a tour guide.  I went back to Colonia, Uruguay but took the faster ferry through Buquebus this time.  We ended up leaving a little late, but it turns out that even though they quote 1:15 minutes to get to Colonia, it probably takes closer to an hour.

The Duty Free shop on the faster ferry was much larger - two floors!  However, you aren't allowed to go on the top deck, so the only view is from the windows.

This time we went to Uruguay it was imperative that we eat at El Drugstore again.  I know I alluded to the delicious food here in my previous blog, but I never got around to writing the review because of my computer problems.  Everything that I have had there has been ridiculously delicious.

El Drugstore

Shrimp in Lemon Sauce

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This time the weather was much better and some of the pictures we were able to get were a little more typical of what people might enjoy about Colonia.  It was easy with a golf cart again to finish all of the sights in one day.  We arrived at 10 a.m. and then our ferry left at 8:30 p.m. which allowed us to view the sunset.

The wind was a little stronger on the second trip.

The sky was a little more clear. 

Sunset with a man and his dog fishing

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of the sunset.  Shortly after we returned to the terminal to be processed back to Argentina.  I now have a lot of stamps on my passport...

Ciao,

Tim

Iguazu - Day 2

On the second day at Iguazu we had much better weather.  It was really sunny and the sun decided to be quite photogenic.  On this day we decided to only go to the Garganta del Diablo, which is the biggest opening of the waterfalls.

If I have any advice it would be to do the Garganta last if you have the time to explore the rest of the park first.  I think it would make the other waterfalls seem less impressive if you did them after.

There were a ridiculous amount of people in he park the second day and it was a little more difficult to get pictures without hoards of people in them, but it was worth it.

In this photo you can see the water rising from the waterfall, it looks like smoke from a fire to me.



This is the spot where you could really start to tell the water was pickin up speed.



Garganta del Diablo

Garganta del Diablo

In this photo you can see the trajectory of the water, the power pushes it so far from the ledge before it falls.

Across the canyon these smaller waterfalls were more visible the second day.

Just as in my last post I wanted to take some video to share with everyone.

Also, on the second day we were able to make some cute, new, little friends.

There were about 20 of these little guys jumping around the trees.  One of them actually started to approach a lady who was not intelligent enough to put her orange away while she watched.

Hope you enjoy.

Ciao,

Tim

Iguazu - Day 1

Sorry that I have not been able to post.  I am making an attempt to update my blog from the computer at the University of San Andres.  Because of the computer issues these posts will not be exactly chronological, but still should include some of the amazing things I was able to do down in Argentina. 

We decided to take a 17 hour bus ride to Iguazu on our long weekend.  It was actually a pretty comfortable ride on Via Bariloche.  Our dinner, breakfast, coffee, blanket and pillow were all included.  The round trip was only $250 USD, which I thought was reasonable for such a long journey.

We arrived at Iguazu and it had been raining so some of the areas were closed.  Our first day at the park it continued to be quite a dreary day, but I still was able to take same great pictures and video. 

These waterfalls were voted one of the seven natural wonders of the world a couple of years ago and are truly stunning in person.  They are considered one of the top tourist attractions for all of Argentina.

We started at some of the smaller waterfalls like the one pictured above. 

These little guys were wondering around freely and were pretty good at getting food from the tourists.

I think this picture is great at showing exactly how wide the waterfalls were.  It sometimes seemed as if they went on forever.  In fact, if my research proves me correct, these are the widest chain of waterfalls in the world.

I actually stood where the guy with the trench coat is... but it was too wet to take a picture.

Entrance into the park was $130 ARS Pesos, but with views like this one... I think it was worth it.  Also, if you got your ticket stamped the first day - your entrance the second day was half price.

It is my opinion that this is something you really have to see in person, but video is a little closer to doing this justice than photos so I thought to include some.

I will update more as time allows.  The new part for my computer should be here on Friday and then I will be able to catch up on some of the things that I have been doing.

Ciao,

Tim

La Bomba de Tiempo

Tonight we had a group excursion to La Bomba de Tiempo.  We all were told to meet on the B line of the subway here at a stop in the Abasto Mall.  It turns out that inside of this mall they have a play place for the children.  It is called Neverland.  I am sure they were going for a Peter Pan theme, but all I could think of was Michael Jackson.

As I was going up the escalator with a couple of the girls I noticed that the V wasn't light up.  I made the comment... man, just like when kids left Neverland Ranch... missing their "V."  (The V I am referring to is "V"irginity - for those of you not following.)  It wasn't my best work, but I thought it was clever.

The outside of the mall was pretty fancy though.

Abasto Mall - Buenos Aires, Argentina

The shows that we went to see were at the Ciudad Cultural Konex which was a pretty interesting venue for a show.

If I am being honest I really liked the opening act more than La Bomba de Tiempo, but that is because the opening act had a singer in the group.  I took short videos of both, but could only get one to work - luckily it's of the act I liked more. 

The dancers were also included  in the entertainment of the first group.  A big chunk of our group left during the first song of the headliner.  I left after I had been there for a few songs... because I felt like I was probably going to have a pretty good contact high going if I stayed much longer.

La Bomba de Tiempo

I am feeling a little under the weather tonight - so that is all until next time.

Ciao,

Tim