Today I visited the Lyon Arboretum. It covers nearly 200 acres in the Manoa Valley near Waikiki, and has 7 miles of hiking trails. Due to Covid, the arboretum is only open on weekdays, and the number of visitors is restricted via an online reservation system (free). It was a great day for hiking – beautiful weather. I spent a lot of time on the secondary trails; so, thanks to that and the capacity limit, I barely saw anyone else while I was there.
I journeyed to the arboretum by, you guessed it, bus.
Bunch of pictures to follow, so feel free to quickly scroll through! And no, I’m sadly not able to identify the various flora…
Sukhothai-Style Walking Buddha StatueThis is awesome!Oh Oh! Should I turn back??More awesomeness!
I finished up the day by taking the bus to what’s becoming a favorite place – Ala Moana Park / Magic Island. I hung out there for awhile and then walked back to the hotel via the canal.
Today was devoted to travel planning, and I discovered that my “no itinerary” methodology is probably not the best way to go in Hawaii. At least with the smaller islands of Maui and Kauai. That’s because the availability of accommodation and vehicles is limited there, so the costs can be high. And there are not a lot of support services in place like there are in Honolulu. These are not locations where you show up, hang out for a while, and figure out a plan. I’ll need to get that all sorted before I go. This realization came to me after spending a few hours researching online bookings.
Basically, I’m an idiot!
I also checked on the latest regarding international travel. Not looking good on this front either. Towards the end of last year Thailand had eased entry requirements related to Covid. Well, just recently they’ve tightened things up again with quarantine mandates, even for the vaccinated. I’m not getting a good feeling about leaving the U.S. at the moment, so it looks like my worst case scenario (entire stay in Hawaii) will come to fruition. Oh no!!
Based on all the above I made the decision to stay in Honolulu for a while – like probably a month. That will give me time to finalize a plan for visiting the other islands. Honolulu (and Oahu in general) is known as the most urban and touristy of the islands, which I agree with. But I think it also makes it the best place to park for a while. There is a plethora of dining, grocery, and laundry options. It’s easy to walk from place to place. There’s a shared bike system. And the bus network to all parts of the island is great – at a maximum cost of $5.50 per day. As a result, no (or minimal) need for a rental car.
As I looked for places to rent for a month, it became apparent that Airbnb was my best option. I’ve found a few possibilities, but I think I’m going have a sleep on it before I pull the trigger.
My final travel planning task of the day was to revise my return flights on Southwest. I switched my return date from April 19 to April 11, and my city of departure from Honolulu to Kona (figured I didn’t need to come back to Oahu, I could just finish on the Big Island). And there was some good news! I received a $35 credit for making that change! Whoo hoo!
Okay, time to clear my head and get something to eat.
I ventured to the Diamond Head Market & Grill. The bus driver I was talking to a couple days ago actually told me about it. Popular with the locals. It was a little bit of a walk from my hotel, but I needed the exercise!No seating, just take away service (order on the left, pickup on the right). The doors to the far left are to the market. They have some great bakery items in there.I went with the Garlic Herb Chicken Breast with brown rice and salad ($11.50). Very good! I’ll definitely be back!
I mentioned the high yogurt (which infers grocery too) prices in a previous post. But honestly, the prices for the prepared meals I have had here so far seem right inline with what I’d see back home.
In the window at the Diamond Head Market & Grill was posted this excerpt from an Esquire magazine article entitled “100 Restaurants America Can’t Afford to Lose”…
Diamond Head Grill (Honolulu, HI): This takeout counter on the mauka (mountain) side of Diamond Head isn’t a scenic spot — just a sun-beaten parking lot with a few picnic tables along a concrete wall (Tim’s note: the picnic tables are gone) — but the plate lunches spill over with the likes of miso ginger salmon, kalbi beef and char siu pork, plus a heap of rice: white, brown or, the best, hapa, brown and white together. —Ligaya Mishan
Monday, January 17 – Waikiki
I was scheduled to check out of the hotel today, so I extended once again. This time for four nights at rate of about $150 per. Cheapest so far!
I went back to Airbnb to look at some of the long term rentals I had highlighted, and a couple of them were no longer available. Great! This was probably due to the fact that these places are typically available to rent on a daily basis and I was looking for something that would need to have one month clear of any bookings. I did find a possibility that was fairly close to my hotel though and was able to arrange a viewing for later this morning (I was impressed with the quick response from the Host). Once I saw it though, it seemed a little old and worn. So I decided to hold off on that one. Then another listing I liked abruptly disappeared from my list of options (again, booked – at least for part of the month I was requesting). Doh! I was beginning to think I need to pull the trigger on something soon.
There was another listing that intrigued me though. It was a newly refurbished studio cottage behind a house on a residential street that’s close to a lot of stuff. It wasn’t possible to view it today unfortunately, but based on the pictures, I decided to go for it. So I move in Friday, and I’ll be there for a month. It has a full kitchen, internet, TV, AC, and a parking spot (in case I ever do rent a car). The rate ended up being about $120/night. Not great. Not terrible (for Honolulu). This unit was discounted, but once again, I’m guessing I probably could have done better if I had booked this further in advance. Or at least I definitely would have had more options.
Now now that that’s sorted I need to get out and enjoy the rest of the day (and get something to eat!)!
I decided to take a walk around the outside of Diamond Head Crater (not the hike INTO the crater, just around the outside). Most the walk will be similar to the one I took a few days ago (along the ocean), with the difference this time being that I will be walking clockwise and starting at about the 9 o’clock position.
Price Check 2: This is much more straight forward then the fuel price checks I did previously overseas – no volume or currency conversions required here!So, coincidentally my walk around the crater just happened to take me by the Diamond Head Market & Grill. I told you I’d be back! Today’s choice? Teriyaki Beef Steak Sandwich ($10). Messy, but good! I liked this shot from the road looking down on the two people sitting on the beach, along with the surfers close by and further out. Note all the footprints on the beach, mainly from the surfers. It’s the end of a long holiday weekend, and Waikiki Beach is a little more crowded!
I was scheduled to check out from the hotel today, but decided to extend my reservation another three nights. It’s a nice place, good location, reasonably priced (for Waikiki), and most importantly, I’m still trying decide how I want to see the rest of the island. I’m in no rush, so let’s see how it plays out (can you tell that I’ve already assimilated some of that surfer vibe!)
My rate for the new reservation is $183/night all-in. A little higher than my original reservation, but that’s the price you pay for flexibility (or more likely in my case, indecision/laziness!)! I forgot to mention earlier that the rate includes a “to go” breakfast. It’s basically a pre-boxed meal consisting of fruit, pastries and a hard boiled egg. About the best you can ask for in a Covid world.
Also meant to talk about the local Covid policies. Basically it’s the same as Madison/Dane County – masks are required indoors, but not outdoors. There are some exceptions to the latter part though. For example masks were required at all times while at Pearl Harbor.
Today was pretty low key day. After sorting out my reservation I took a walk to Ala Moana Park. It’s not super far from my hotel, but it’s in the direction away from the tourist part of Waikiki and towards Honolulu. This area includes some beaches and is popular with the locals, but not so much the tourists. Perfect!
Surfers and Diamond Head. ’nuff said!Crowded? Not!I like this picture with the lifeguard station in the foreground and Diamond Head in the background.I found a bench nearby and parked there…for quite a while!
I stopped by the grocery store on my way back to the hotel. Which led to…
Price Check Number 1: I think these go for about $1.25 at my local Madison Pick N Save!
Saturday, January 15 – Waikiki
I woke up this morning to a text from Ali asking me if there were any local concerns regarding the tsunami. What?!? Wait! There’s a tsunami?!? Fortunately, there was only an advisory issued here, with no major wave impact expected. Whew! Disaster averted.
(And thanks for checking in Ali. I’m not the greatest at following the news while away. Especially the local stuff. As we all learned a couple years ago when Kait suggested I might want to take Covid seriously and get my butt on the next flight out of Argentina!)
Today is looking to be only moderately busy. I’m going to hike the Manoa Falls Trail. This is a 1.7 mile out and back trail located near Honolulu. And how do you think I’m going to get to the trailhead? You got it! Back on the bus!
Travel Note: Google Maps is great for providing local bus routes, schedules and real-time arrival status updates.
The trailhead is about a 15 minute walk from the bus stopThis hike was more treacherous than strenuous. That’s because the trail is mainly rocks covered with mud, which was rather slippery – especially on the descent.Clever use of a shipping container! (Although, with the current supply chain issues, they may want to consider putting it back into service!)The trail passes through many different ecosystems……and was used for filming scenes in Jurassic Park and LOSTQuoting from my guidebook, “The 150 foot waterfall can be an impressive cascade or, if rain has been sparse, little more than a trickle. This hike is more about the journey than the destination.” Have to agree on that one!
The bus stop near the trail happens to be at the end of the route, so when the bus arrives it parks for a few minutes to give the driver a break. For my trip back I happened to be the only one waiting at the stop, so was able to have a nice conversation with the driver. I found her and the other locals I’ve interacted with to be very friendly.
I decided to get a little more walking (and exploring) in on the return trip, so ended up exiting the bus well before it approached the area of my hotel. As I meandered along I happened to approach a McDonalds and got a sudden urge for an ice cream cone ($2). I can’t remember the last time I’ve be in a McDs, but I must say the cone tasted pretty good!
This is the canal that runs by my hotel. It has a nice path that’s popular with walkers and joggers.
For dinner tonight, a little Korean place near my hotel. I thought it would be a good choice after I saw some local Five-O* eating there a couple days ago!
*Five-O: Urban slang for police officers. Derived from the police drama “Hawaii Five-0.” In this case, a rather appropriate use of the term, if I do say so!
While were on the subject of Hawaii Five-0, who’s with me in saying that that show (the original, 1960s version) has the greatest theme song of all time?? Take a listen…
Marinated Kalbi (Boneless Short Ribs), Fried Egg, Rice and Side Salad ($16). Tasty!
Another beautiful day! I ended up spending most of it at Pearl Harbor. To get there I decided to take the local bus. It took about an hour and cost $2.75. I like taking public transportation when traveling for a few reasons: interaction with the locals; see different parts of the city; and most importantly, I’m cheap!
The grounds of the Pearl Harbor Memorial are beautiful. In the background are the USS Missouri and the USS Arizona Memorial.One of the Arizona’s three 19,585-pound anchors. The USS Missouri and USS Arizona Memorial are once again in the background.Lone Sailor Statue, the base of which contains steel from the USS Arizona.The short Navy shuttle boat ride taking visitors out to the USS Arizona Memorial. Reservations for the shuttle can be made in advance online at a cost of $1. Fortunately I did that. Those that came to Pearl Harbor without a reservation were required to queue for standby tickets.
Sidenote 1: As I travel I find it interesting that there are times when my perception of something that I have seen over and over again in photos and film are completely different from reality. The USS Arizona Memorial is one such case. For some reason, I thought it was further offshore; more isolated. Maybe it’s because I only ever recall seeing photos of it from overhead and by itself.
At the far end of the Memorial is a shrine made of marble bearing the names of all those killed on the USS Arizona. The bases on the left and right are inscribed with the names of those crew members who survived the 1941 sinking, have subsequently passed away and had their ashes interred within the wreck by U.S. Navy divers.
Sidenote 2: As I was looking at the names on the shrine I discovered that an admiral, Isaac Campbell Kidd, was one those killed on the USS Arizona. He was the highest ranking casualty of Pearl Harbor.
Oil leaking from the sunken battleship can still be seen rising from the wreckage to the water’s surface. This oil is sometimes referred to as “the tears of the Arizona” or “black tears”.I also visited the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (ticket cost: $25). The Museum includes two hangers with many historic aircraft on display inside as well as on the surrounding grounds. Douglas SBD Dauntless (Dive Bomber)Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Fighter); with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle alongsideBoeing B-17E Flying Fortress (Multi-Engine Bomber). This plane was recovered after spending 50 years in a New Guinea swamp!Another pin for my bulletin board
It was a wonderful day at Pearl Harbor. There is so much to see; I could have definitely spent more time there. A very sobering experience.
Picked up some Indian take away on the walk back to the hotelVeggie Korma ($10). Hit the spot!
After dinner it was time to head to the beach…
Lining up to watch the sunset (with Diamond Head in the background)And it didn’t disappoint!
I slept somewhat better last night, and am ready to do some exploring! It’s another beautiful day, so trekking Diamond Head (DH) seems like the perfect choice.
From my hotel in Waikiki, walking the direct inland route to the DH park entrance would probably take about 45 minutes (taking a bus is also an option). I’ve read though that an alternate wraparound route along the coast is a beautiful walk. It’s takes about double the time, but I went for it. Very happy I did! Took that route back too.
Here’s a rough sketch of the route I used to walk from my hotel to the entrance of Diamond Head. As you can see, not the most direct!Cool surfboard storage area along a path down to the beachNot a typical sight in Wisconsin!A view of Diamond Head from a little coastal park I came across on the walk Hard to see, but there are surfers out there! I wanted to include the sign because I thought it was funny that the Hazard warning was covered up with stickers!
The trail to the summit of Leʻahi (Hawaiian name for Diamond Head Crater) was built in 1908 as part of Oahu’s coastal defense system. Round trip, the hike is 1.6 miles, with an elevation gain of 560 feet. So, pretty easy. There are some steep stairs and a narrow, lighted 225-foot tunnel to traverse, but that’s about it.
You can see part of the crater in the background.**INFLATION ALERT!!** This sign near the entrance indicates the fee for those walking into the park is $1 (cash only). Well, in actuality the cost was $5! (credit card only) Are you kidding me?!?Hikers along a switchback can be seen at the bottom of the pictureNot very crowded, which was nice!Diamond Head Lighthouse, dating to 1899. The road adjacent to the lighthouse was part of my walk to and from the park.View of Waikiki and Honolulu from the summit of the crater.The first souvenir of the trip ($4). Will go on my bulletin board at home. Found this cool seaside path on my walk.Oh Oh! Fortunately I survived.Came across tonight’s dinner spot on my way back to the hotel. Luckily I arrived there a little early. By the time I got my food the place had filled up.Ahi tuna in pineapple teriyaki sauce with potato/macaroni salad ($14). Mmmm!
Ended up doing over 30k steps today. Hopefully I’ll sleep better tonight!
Monday, January 10 – transit from Madison to Honolulu
After a one year hiatus (thanks Covid!), the Winter Escape is back!!! Omicron be damned!
So, once I made the decision to risk my life to flee another Wisconsin winter, I faced a more important choice: Where should this battle against Covid take place? Warm weather overseas escape options were severely limited due to lockdown scenarios. Once my focus pivoted to the States, Hawaii pretty much became my main focus. I’d never been there (I prefer visiting new places); it has the allure of a foreign country; and they’re open for business! The pieces ultimately came together in October when I received an email from Scott’s Cheap Flights (thanks Kait!). Hawaii was on sale!
I ended up booking a round trip flight from Milwaukee to Honolulu for $440 on Southwest Airlines (as in previous posts, I plan on being transparent regarding the costs I incur; hopefully it will assist you in future travel planning). The duration is set for about three months. I consider spending the entire time in Hawaii the “worst case” scenario. Terrible, I know! Basically, what I mean by that is my hope is to travel to other places in the region as pandemic restrictions ease. Thailand is open, so that is a possibility. However, thanks to a tip from Holly, I’ve discovered that Fiji and Tahiti have also recently reopened. Those two are both high on my wish list. I’m following the same approach on this trip as I did when I went to South America for three months in 2019 – no set itinerary, just a list of places to see and things to do. I’ll figure it out as I go.
My journey started at 6:45am on Monday in Madison with a ride to the airport from Chuck. I don’t mean Dane County Regional. This is Milwaukee folks. Huge thanks Chuck! And did I mention that is was 2 degrees in Madison as the road trip commenced? Yeah, risking my life to escape that wasn’t a concern!
The trip included a layover in Las Vegas of about 5 hours. I should note here that I paid an additional $25 total to get early boarding on both the flight to Vegas (4 hours) and Honolulu (6 hours). Considering Southwest charges no bag fees, I didn’t feel too bad about the outlay. And it turned out to be a great investment, as I was able to snag an exit row window seat on both flights! (Southwest has open seating – choose any unoccupied seat when you board the plane) As the flight’s departure time in Vegas approached, the gate agents were huddled in discussion. This can’t be good. It turns out one of the flight attendants failed to show up for the flight. Oh oh. Can you say “canceled flight”? Fortunately, they were able to sort it out (not sure how though, as I never saw another FA appear – don’t care). This resulted in our arriving in Honolulu at 11:00pm, around 30 minutes late. Apparently ours was the last arrival of the night. The airport was deserted!
Hawaii has made it easy for vaccinated domestic travelers to visit. No tests. No quarantine. And to expedite the arrival process, they’ve set up a website where visitors can upload their vaccination details. Once this is complete, a QR code is generated, which can be scanned by Hawaii airport personnel. However, Southwest has accelerated the process further by performing the scan at the departure airport and then issuing a wristband to the traveler. Slick!
I ended up getting an Uber from the airport to my hotel in Waikiki for about $23, which I thought was pretty reasonable. (It was only about a 20 minute drive at that time of night) Arrived at the hotel around midnight (4am in Madison). I booked the Coconut Waikiki Hotel for 4 nights at an all-in cost (incl taxes and fees) of $164/night (welcome to Hawaii!).
My room at the Coconut. Impressed that I remembered to take this picture before I crashed? Hope so!
Tuesday, January 11 – Waikiki
Finally fell asleep around 1am. Woke up a 5. A.M. UGH! Hello jetlag.
View from my room’s balcony. Settle down, that’s not the ocean. It’s a canal. It’s about 5 blocks in the other direction to the beach.Exterior of the Coconut
It’s going to be a beautiful day! Clear skies, temps in the 70s. Which way is the beach?
Here it is! The lack of crowds reflect the morning hour – I was up 5am remember!Duke Kahanamoku Statue. He was a competition swimmer who popularized the ancient Hawaiian sport of surfing in the early 1900s.
I did some walking around the beaches and parks of Waikiki today. But I have to admit, after yesterday’s long day of travel followed by the lack of sleep (and probably old age!), many rest stops were required!
Not a bad place to take a break!
By 2pm I was pretty much whipped. So I headed back to the hotel and chilled. I was able to get in about 14k steps though, so not a terrible day. I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to do more exploring, but I need to remind myself that this is a three month marathon, not a sprint!
Saturday, March 21 – transit from Buenos Aires to São Paulo
The heading above will give you a hint as to what occurred today…
The day started off with a couple pieces of good news. I awoke to an email from Copa Airlines stating that the flight from Panama to Chicago on Sunday night had been reinstated. It was kind unsettling though that the email I received immediately prior to that indicated the flight had been cancelled! I did confirm via their app and web site though that the flight was indeed a go.
I had also emailed a question yesterday to the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires regarding my Brazil quarantine/country departure issue. They responded this morning indicating that they have not heard of any problems with travelers leaving the country while under quarantine. I’m feeling better now!
Additionally, I received notice late last night from Air Canada that my return flights on April 4 have been canceled. This was predictable. What’s interesting is that they notified me at least 14 days prior to departure. This is significant because, as of December 15 of last year, Canada has enacted some new rules supporting travelers’ rights. One of those rules imposes significant requirements upon the airlines if they cancel a flight within 14 days of its departure. So, a smart move by Air Canada regarding the timing. (I learned this during my research of all things associated with this historic situation we are currently facing)
I’m having second thoughts about taking the flight to Panama early tomorrow morning however. I’ve been looking into the situation in that country, and have discovered the following:
As of 11:59pm on Sunday, Panama will be halting all international flights in and out of their country. My flight to Chicago is scheduled to depart at 6:30pm on Sunday.
All international travelers entering Panama are subject to a 14 day quarantine.
I also have concerns about the reliability of Copa Airlines at the moment. This stems from the fact that:
My planned departure on Friday morning was postponed until Sunday morning.
They canceled, and then reinstated, my flight to Chicago on Sunday night.
Looking on their website, I’ve discovered that they had a flight scheduled from Panama to Chicago for this morning, and it was canceled. Likewise regarding a flight scheduled for tomorrow morning; it too has been canceled.
So, because of these issues, I started investigating alternate itineraries. My best choice looks like a LATAM Airlines flight this evening to Miami, connecting through São Paulo. I have flown LATAM several times, both last year and this year, and have found them to be very reliable. I also like the fact that we are transiting through Brazil, because they have few COVID-19 restrictions at the moment. Okay, I’m convinced. Let’s do this! Cost of one way flight to Miami: $430. Very reasonable, I think. And coincidentally, about the same amount of the credit that I’ll be receiving from Air Canada for the canceled return flights.
My flight departs at 7:30pm, and I’m leaving the hotel via taxi around 3:30pm. With the city under lockdown, there should zero traffic, so the drive will take 45 minutes, tops. Normally this would be plenty of lead time. However, we have an X-Factor: What type of checks will be taking place at the airport, and how long will they take? Hopefully I’ll make it!
We’re cruising along unimpeded on the way to the airport, when all of sudden we notice cars traveling in the wrong direction towards us on our side of the divided highway. What the…? Coming around the bend we see there is a HUGE traffic jam leading up to the entrance to the highway’s toll booths. Nooooooo! The taxi driver attempted to make a u-turn like some of the drivers we encountered, but by this time the police had blocked that maneuver. We have no choice to wait our turn in this very disorganized queue. And we’re barely moving!
Well, 45 minutes (and much stress) later, we finally make to the head of the line. It turns out they are not collecting tolls, but questioning drivers as to why they are out during the lockdown. In my case, they just asked to see my flight itinerary and we were sent on our way. I still have two hours until my departure, so hopefully crisis averted!
As I’m about to enter the departures area of the terminal, I’m stopped by a police officer asking to see my boarding pass. Only ticketed passengers are allowed into the airport. After being cleared there, I have to pass one more checkpoint before I’m allowed to enter: I’m directed to a gentleman in full hazmat gear who takes my temperature by pointing a device at my forehead. I pass this test as well! Whew! (As my friend Xavier told me, it’s a good thing they didn’t have a blood pressure requirement, because by this time mine was definitely spiking!)
I enter a pretty much empty terminal. Dropping off my bag takes no time at all. So, here we go, off to my final hurdle: Passport Control. Once again, there is no queue at all to see an agent. I present my passport. He spots my entry stamp from March 12, looks at me, and…places the exit stamp in my passport. Thank you! Would kissing you at this moment be inappropriate?!?
Sidenote: The taking of thumbprints upon Argentina entry and exit used to be a requirement. No more.
The departures area is very quiet. All the shops and restaurants are closed, except for one: Outback Steakhouse. They are providing take away sandwiches, salads, drinks and desserts. And they are doing a brisk business. Smart move Outback! I’m starving. So I grab something to eat. And, considering I have a 12 hour layover coming up, I decide to buy some extras for tomorrow as well. (This decision was made easy by the fact that I had a bunch of Argentine Pesos I needed to get rid of. The currency exchange office at the airport was closed.)
Outback – openDuty Free – closed
Sidenote: While waiting for my departure, I tried to cancel my Copa Airlines flights using the United Airlines app. (I booked the itinerary using my United miles). I went through all the steps to have my miles and fee refunded, and after hitting the submit button, I received a message stating an error had occurred and I must call United customer support. Right, good luck getting through! I try one more time, but to no avail. I guess I can kiss the miles and cash goodbye…
The two hour flight to São Paulo goes off without a hitch. The 737 is about half-filled and I have a row to myself.
I departed a Buenos Aires airport at 7:30pm that was pretty much on life support. I arrived at a São Paulo airport at 10:00pm that was in full party mode! All of the shops and restaurants were open and occupied. What a difference!
Sunday, March 22 – transit from São Paulo to Miami
I would normally be dreading a 12 hour layover, but in this case, I think the relief of being on the way back to the U.S. eased the pain! (By the way, I could have booked an itinerary with a shorter layover, but it would have been more expensive. Cheapness prevails!) Fortunately, I was able to find a fairly secluded area of a terminal to stretch out on a row a seats without armrests and actually get a few hours of sleep. The rest of the time I did some reading and walked laps around the terminals. Not terrible. (It turns out there is a hotel connected to one of the terminals. I could have spent my layover there, but you know, the cheap thing…)
The eight hour flight to Miami is on a wide-body triple-7. Again, pretty empty. I have a row to myself. This is a great situation for the passengers, but I feel a little bad for the airline (until I start thinking about added fees, shrinking seats and legroom, terrible customer service, etc.). I’m just thankful LATAM is still operating the route!
I have Global Entry, but in this case it was of no benefit. There were zero lines at immigration in Miami. I was expecting some type of medical check upon arrival, but there were none. Maybe that’s because we were coming from Brazil, a country not considered to be of high risk? (except in the eyes of Argentina!)
Upon arrival, I still had an uneaten grilled ham and cheese sandwich from Outback in Buenos Aires. So I declared it. Mistake! Bringing in meat products is a no-no, so I will now need to go through an agricultural inspection and likely hand over the sandwich. Prior to that though, I still have to pick up my luggage. While waiting at baggage claim I ask the security guard if I can just eat the sandwich before I leave. No problem buddy! So when I exit through the ag inspection area, I just give them the wrapper from my sandwich!
Now I need to book an airport hotel. There are plenty available, but none are operating their airport shuttles. Not a biggie. I ended up using a free night I earned from Hotels.com for the hotel and spend $7 on an uber to get there.
While still in Buenos Aires, I had looked at one-way flights from Miami to Chicago, so I knew they were outrageously cheap. I book a non-stop on American for tomorrow morning at a cost $21 (and there were multiple flights available on this day at this cost). Amazing! And again, a big thank you to American for still operating this route!
Footnote: It turns out the Copa flights to Panama and Chicago went off without a hitch. Oh well! I don’t regret the changes I made.
Monday, March 23 – transit from Miami to Madison
All the common areas in the hotel are closed, so the normally free breakfast is not available. Oh well. Another $7 uber gets me back to the airport.
The Miami airport is quiet – not as dead as Buenos Aires, but not nearly as active as São Paulo. There are a few shops and restaurants open.
The flight to Chicago is on a 737, and I continue to have a row to myself. The interesting thing is that I booked the cheapest fare, so I wasn’t allowed to choose my seat; it was automatically assigned by the airline. And they placed me in a middle seat. In a row with no other passengers! Weird!
The final leg of my journey was via a bus to the UW Madison campus, followed by a lyft to my house.
Sidenote: The area at O’Hare where I wait for the Madison bus also services the hotel shuttle buses. And I notice here, unlike in Miami, the buses are fully operational. It’s interesting to see how different policies are in place in different locations.
Costs on this final day of my journey:
Non-stop flight from Miami to Chicago: $21
Multi-stop bus from Chicago to Madison: $31 (which was more crowded than I expected)
Non-stop Lyft from UW Campus to my house: $14
Trip Notes:
These last few days of the trip had some stressful moments, no doubt. But what an interesting journey! I’m glad I was able to experience it. (Of course, I’m not sure I would be saying that if I was still stuck in a foreign country for an indefinite period! Again, a thought Xavier pointed out to me!)
The trip was planned for a six week duration. It ended up lasting four. And I would say three out of those four weeks were very enjoyable. It was when venues starting closing and restrictions were being imposed that it became uncomfortable.
Lessons Learned: Things were moving very fast over the last few days of the trip. Looking back, I’m not sure there is anything I would have (or could have) done differently. Well. there is one thing I should have done, and that is utilize the information provided via the web site of the U.S. Embassy in Argentina. One critical piece of information that I may have missed is the fact that all means of internal transportation within Argentina were being halted on March 20. I only heard about this because I spoke to the tour director at my hotel in Salta. However, this information was also available from the Embassy web site. Being unaware of this situation would have been devastating.
This turned out to be a pretty inexpensive trip, with costs well under my default $200/day all-in budget.
Steps: My average daily step count dropped precipitously over the last few days of the trip, but I still ended up averaging 14,500 per day. And when you combine my Europe and South America trips from this winter, over the 61 days I totaled 982,000 steps. (15,600 per day) Not bad! That compares to last year’s total of 1,095,000 steps over 75 days. (14,600 per day)
Country Count: Adding the countries I toured in Europe, combined with Brazil, I have now visited 70 countries. Will I have the opportunity to see any more? The current situation seems dire, and may leave that somewhat in doubt, but I have confidence a resolution to this crisis and a return to normalcy will occur. The question is: How long will that take?
My health situation: As I write this, I’m feeling fine. Obviously, with my traveling over the past several days, I’m probably at a higher risk than most of contracting the virus. I’m not too concerned though, as I have no underlying health issues that would precipitate a severe reaction.
Many thanks to everyone for following along on my journey. I really appreciate it. And I especially enjoyed your comments and feedback along the way. It can get a little lonely on the road, so hearing from all of you really brightened my days!
Thursday, March 19 – transit from Salta to Buenos Aires
Well, the good news is I made it to Buenos Aires. We’ll get to the bad news later!
Being able to board the plane in Salta became a non-event. Laughably easy, actually. The only check was the typical screen of the bags. All that effort and anxiety for nothing. I’m just happy I was able to make the flight.
I booked a boutique hotel for the night in Buenos Aires before I left Salta (confidence in making the flight!). I got a quick response from them though stating that they were closing for two weeks due to the virus. (I was really impressed with their prompt reply). After that I decided to book something with a major chain from their website, figuring that would provide up-to-date information. I ended up going with an ibis property in the city center. (that I could cancel by 6pm tonight – confidence eroding?)
(I checked on going back to my usual apartment, but their rates had tripled since I left for Salta – from $50 to $150 per night!)
When I departed Salta, the city was like a ghost town. Apparently the president had issued a lock-down order for the country the previous day, in place for two weeks. You wouldn’t know it in Buenos Aires though! When I arrived what I observed was pretty much business as usual – including a major traffic jam on the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel (cost: $6 – the domestic airport is close to the city).
During my check-in at the hotel the Brazil quarantine issue came up again. This has me concerned. They were good about it though, letting me stay there, and telling me to just be careful when I’m outside. She also mentioned that people were supposed to be staying inside. I pointed out that that obviously wasn’t the case today! She just sighed and agreed.
$45/nightI like this reception areaCool mural on the wall by the bed!
Friday, March 20 – Buenos Aires
The fact that I’m writing this today is a hint of the bad news…
I was scheduled to fly out at 11:30am today. I woke up early, ready to make the trip to the airport. Checking the status of my flight however, I discovered that it had been postponed until early Sunday morning. Not good!
As I was getting ready to head down to reception, I coincidentally received a call from them. They wanted to confirm that I was checking out. When I responded that I actually wanted to extend a couple nights, I was informed that the hotel was closing today! Apparently there were only two of us staying there, so the company was consolidating all the guests from their three hotels in the city into one. And the new hotel was only about 7 blocks down the road. $65/night.
As soon as I stepped out of the hotel, I discovered that Buenos Aires had gotten the message about the lock-down. There was very little traffic or people outside. Strange!
Checking into this new hotel we had to discuss Brazil again. This hotel is going with much stricter measures though. Basically, I can’t leave my room! The only food I can have is from room service. Convenient for them! (I went out from my hotel last night to pick up some take away for dinner)
This Brazil quarantine issue has me frustrated on so many levels:
They’re not even considered a high risk country by the CDC. I suspected the policy was due to Argentina’s animosity towards Brazil, and discussing this with the hotel reception staff this morning, they pretty much agreed.
The policy was announced on March 16. I returned to the country on March 12. So, obviously there was no mention of it when I went through immigration. I didn’t even know about it until March 18. It seems like I should be exempt, but that ruling is left to the interpretation of the enforcer in each case!
So, since from returning from Brazil, I have: a) re-checked in to my apartment hotel in Buenos Aires with no issues, b) flew from Buenos Aires to Salta, c) checked into my Salta hotel with no problem, d) flew back to Buenos Aires, and e) checked into last night’s BA hotel with no restrictions. And now, this latest hotel invokes the the first strict set of rules I’ve encountered? Pointless.
So, this all has me worried that when I go through Argentina exit passport control on Sunday morning, they will prevent me from boarding the plane because it has been less than 14 days since I arrived from Brazil. If so, I’ll provide the above points in defence. (talking to the hotel reception staff this morning, they thought they’d let me leave) We’ll see what happens…
And I received more bad news today. My flight from Panama to Chicago has been canceled. I’ve been trying to call the airline, but haven’t even been able to make a connection (“all the circuits are busy”). I went to their web site and noticed they have some flights to Miami on Sunday (but none after that day!), so I’m hoping to switch to one of those.
So I’ve spent my day in the hotel basically researching various travel scenarios, including if I’m delayed until Friday due to quarantine. (of course, things are changing so quickly, it’s hard to say what the situation will even be like on Friday!)
I think I need to spend the rest of the day chillin’! (Just ordered some spaghetti from room service) Unfortunately, all the TV stations are spanish language, and the internet service isn’t fast enough for streaming. But I do have a book I’m reading, and I have some iTunes videos on my laptop.
If anything happens tomorrow, I’ll post an update (hopefully no more bad news!).
So, it all began last night when I went to meet with the hotel’s travel coordinator to enquire about taking a tour today. After trying to confirm a spot with the various companies, he discovered that all of the tours had been cancelled indefinitely. Not a surprise. But then came the bombshell – he also told me that he had been informed that as of Friday all public transportation services (planes, buses, etc) within Argentina would be suspended. Whoa! With that, I quickly determined that I needed to get back to Buenos Aires pronto. The travel coordinator suggested I head to the city center to book a flight at the office of one of the local airlines. Fortunately there was just a short line there, and even better, one of the representatives was outside answering questions. He told me that the airline had not yet officially been informed by the government about the suspension of service. Mmmm. I’m thinking I need to head back to Buenos Aires, regardless. He also told me their office only handled changes; and that I needed to make new bookings online. Back to the hotel I went, and was able to book a flight with no issues for $130. I guess this news hadn’t been fully disseminated yet.
This sudden action made me realize that I shouldn’t wait until April 4th to return to the States. Air Canada was offering a partial refund on any unused portions of their bookings, so I decided that instead of paying their exorbitant one-way prices, I would cancel the rest of that trip and look for an alternate (and hopefully inexpensive) way back. After a fair amount of searching I came up with a trip from Buenos Aires to Chicago, with a connection in Panama. It’s on Copa Airlines, but I booked it through United using 33k miles and paying an $87 fee. I’m pretty happy with that! The flight departs Buenos Aires late morning Friday and I arrive in Chicago a little after midnight.
I was feeling pretty good about the way things were coming together. Until this morning! After breakfast, I went to the hotel reception desk to ask about the timing for going to the airport tomorrow. After that conversation ended, I was told that I would need to get a medical certificate that would clear me to board the flight. What? Really? I was informed that a police medic could come by in the morning to give me a quick exam and then provide the certificate. This just seemed odd, so I decided to head back to the airline office again to get their take on this.
Well, the line was pretty long this time (the flight cancellations beginning Friday had become official), but what the heck, I needed to get this sorted. It was interesting too in that the police were on hand to make sure that everyone in the queue kept a safe distance from one another. Thankfully, after about a half hour wait a representative again came outside to make sure everyone in line needed to be there. He had no clue about the certificate requirement, so he brought in the police officers to ask them about it. Well, it turns out there is a questionnaire I would need to fill out at the airport tomorrow, but they offered to do it today while I was there at the office. Nice! And with the help of a very nice local woman acting as a translator, we got it done and I was given a copy.
Okay, once again I’m feeling pretty good about things. Not so fast! After meeting with the police, I was given the opportunity to go to the head of the line and confirm the situation with a representative in the airline’s office. She too had no idea about the medical certificate requirement, but she did say I may have a problem getting on the plane tomorrow. The issue was my trip to Brazil. I traveled there on March 4th and returned on the 12th. Well, on the 16th the Argentinian government declared that everyone arriving from Brazil would need to be quarantined for 14 days. (the CDC does not list Brazil has a hazard country; I think this situation stems from a country rivalry thing). So even though the requirement came into being after I returned, she thought the issue would be that I had not yet been back in Argentina for 14 days. Ugh! She said it was just her opinion though, and I should go to the airport tomorrow and see what happens. Brother! (She also mentioned that I should have received a form when I entered Argentina, explaining that I was required to be quarantined. I didn’t receive that, and there were no issues about quarantine brought up when I went through immigration)
When I got back to the hotel I told the guys at reception about my exploits, and after they heard my story they offered me something that I’m hoping will be my ace in the hole! The hotel has a team of medics on retainer, and a pair of them happened to be coming by this afternoon to check on another guest that may need to be quarantined. They said they could exam me as well, and if all was good, provide me with documentation I could present at the airport tomorrow (and Friday). So, the two medics arrived at my room dressed in full hazmat gear. Very strange times! Well, I passed the exam and have the document, of which the medics said would allow me to sail through the airport inspection (hope so!). So I’m feeling a little better again! And afterward, I spoke with the hotel manager to thank him for offering the medic services. While talking, he mentioned that he was confident the Brazil thing would not be an issue because I had returned before the quarantine order was in place. I’m with him, let’s see what happens!
Hopefully I can provide an update for you tomorrow from Buenos Aires!
Sidenote: When researching return flights, I came across several one ways from Miami to Chicago on Sunday for around $20 each! On American Airlines. Crazy!
Sunday, March 15 – transit from Buenos Aires to Salta, Argentina
I’m flying out of the Buenos Aires domestic Airport today, which is a much shorter ride from the hotel than was the trip to the international airport. Taxi is basically my best option; not too terrible though with a fare of about $6 (20 minute ride on a Sunday).
The airport’s departures area. Not quite as architecturally pleasing as the Florianopolis airport!
I’m travelling to Salta for a few reasons: its colonial architecture, varied museums, temperate climate, and accessibility to nearby tourist destinations. Nicknamed Salta la Linda (Salta the Beautiful), it has a population of around 600,000 and is situated in the Lerma Valley, 3,780 feet above sea level, in the foothills of the Andes mountains.
It was about a two hour flight from Buenos Aires, and still no appearance of virus concerns, as the plane was probably 3/4s full. Again, taxi was my best option for getting to the hotel, with a fare of $8 (15 minute ride).
My hotel$73/night, including a nice buffet breakfastThe hotel has a spa, which includes an open-air indoor pool, jacuzzi, and well-equipped gym
Monday, March 16 – Salta
One of my goals in Salta was to take a trip on the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds), which originates here and is now basically a tourist trip that reaches an elevation of 13,850 feet in the Andes. So, after breakfast I made the seven block walk to the train station in order to book a ticket. Well, bad news awaited me. You guessed it, due to COVID-19, the train service has been suspended for a least 2 weeks, maybe longer. Kind of a bummer, but understandable. It’ll just give me an excuse to come back another time!
The museums are closed on Monday, so I asked the concierge for some ideas on what to do today. One thing in particular intrigued me – a set of stone steps that reach up the side of Cerro San Bernardo. San Bernardo is a hill located east of Salta, with a summit that is about 1,000 feet above the city. Sounds like a good plan for the afternoon!
The hill I hope to conquer is dead head! Passed this along the way…The steps begin behind that monument ahead This is Monument General Martin Miguel de Guemes – a Salta native and war hero who fought against Spain in the Argentine War of IndependenceThis is the Museum of Anthropology, which is right adjacent to the start of the steps. Maybe I’ll have a chance to check this out tomorrow.Okay, let’s get started!I later learned that this staircase consists of 1,021 steps, and along the way there is a series of 14 temples dedicated to the Way of the Cross (you can see one in the previous picture). It was a good workout!There weren’t a lot of great views along the way due to the fact it was a heavily wooded trailThis spider’s got a nice view though!
I was expecting some type of viewing area at the top of the stairs, but all it did was intersect with a road winding further up the hill. I walked a little ways up the road, but due to it’s winding nature, I couldn’t really tell how far or where it was leading. So, I abandoned and walked back down. Well, the following day I talked to the concierge about it, and it turns out that road does lead to the summit, and I wasn’t too far from it. Doh! I guess I’ll just have to go back there later in the week.
While resting at the bottom of the stairs I had a couple interesting conversations. The first was with a local young man who owns a hostel in the city. He said that his inn has 10 rooms, and he recently had six cancellations. And this came from not just foreign travellers, but also Argentinians. Interesting…
The second conversation resulted from the first, as this couple heard me talking and realized I was from the U.S. They’re from Baltimore and wanted to talk about the virus situation. It turns out they were scheduled to fly back this coming Saturday, but their flight was cancelled. They ended up being on hold an hour with Delta before sorting out their return. Unfortunately, they had to cut their trip short and will be flying back from Buenos Aires on Wednesday. It’s amazing how fast things have changed over the past couple weeks!
I finished the day by hitting the pool and jacuzzi. Not bad!
COVID-19 Sidenote: I found out that, as of today, the Galapagos Islands are closed to all visitors. I went back and looked at my log from last year, and realized that by this date I had already finished my trip there. But man, I’m so thankful this mess didn’t interfere with my plans then. (Last year at this time I had not yet traveled to Easter Island)
Tuesday, March 17 – Salta
I’m excited to check out some museums today! I have a few in mind, but I wanted to ask the concierge for some ideas too. Well, here’s his suggestion: How about none! As of today, all of the museums are closed for at least two weeks. Of course! Oh well, just have to carry on with other things. How about a roam around the city (and some work on the journal)?
I started out in a place called Plaza 9 De Julio. This is the main square in the city, originating from the 16th century and is named after Argentina’s independence day.
Catedral Basílica de Salta – Roman Catholic cathedral dating to the 19th centuryView from the side courtyardThe rear area of the cathedralCathedral interiorMuseo Arqueológico de Alta Montaña – Archaeology museum housed in another 19th century buildingCentro Cultural AméricaCabildo Histórico de Salta (History Museum of the North) – a restored 18th century government building with exhibits about Argentina’s colonial and revolutionary historyThe center of the Plaza looking back at the Cathedral (she’s looking at the birds, not the church!)More from the Plaza
We’re now off the Plaza and looking at few more buildings in the city center…
Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, ca 19th centuryThe church’s interiorConvento San Bernardo – a Catholic temple that is one of the oldest buildings in the city, ca late 16th century
And finally, a couple other cute buildings in the city center…
COVID-19 Sidenote: I’m scheduled to return home on April 4, but I’ve started looking at earlier flights. I’m booked with Air Canada, and they are offering to waive their change fees. However, the traveler is still responsible for any increases in the fare costs. I’ve looked at their one way fares to Chicago, and all of them within the next few weeks are in the $1,500 range (my round trip ticket was $960)! That is ridiculous! I may look at other airlines for cheaper fares and then see if I can get a refund on my unused portion from Air Canada. I guess my main concerns are: a) what if Argentina suspends outbound flights, or b) what happens if I get sick (I do have medical travel insurance). Not so much worried about a canceled flight, since Air Canada would be responsible to get me re-booked. We’ll see. Things are absolutely changing fast!
