Sunday, February 3 – transit from Bariloche to Puerto Varas, Chile
I’m writing this as I watch the Super Bowl at my B&B in Puerto Varas. The NFL is everywhere!
Today was my bus trip over the Andes into Chile. Before I get into the details, a bitch session! When checking on the trip, I spoke to both the reception staff at my Bariloche hotel and a representative at the city’s tourist office. I told them I wanted to take the bus to Puerto Varas. Their response was that I needed to take the bus to Puerto Montt and then transfer to a local bus for the 15 mile trip to Puerto Varas. Ok, thanks for the info. Ticket to Puerto Montt bought. Fast forward to this morning. I’m waiting to board and happen to notice the electronic sign on the front of the bus scrolling through the stops along the route. As expected, the last stop is Puerto Montt. But, the second to last stop is…Puerto Varas! So, I talk to the bus driver and he confirms that I will be able to exit at Puerto Varas, even though my ticket is to Puerto Montt. Unnecessary extra effort averted! (no thanks to my friends in Bariloche!)
Now, on to the trip! I was actually looking forward to a day of kind of doing nothing. Just relaxing, enjoying the scenery, and maybe doing a little reading. That’s basically the way it turned out, except it was all scenery watching and no reading!
The bus at the station in BarilocheMy Cama Ejecutivo seat (on the bulkhead no less!) Not bad, right?I tried to take some pictures along the route, but they didn’t turn out very well (reflections, blurry, small window of opportunity for the shot, etc.). This is one of the few mildly decent ones.Argentina border control. There was a huge line of cars waiting to be inspected!Inspecting bags at Chile border controlHello Chile!Cama Ejecutivo class also included free snacks. Bonus!It became rather hazy following our entry in Chile. Apparently this is caused by the wind blowing ash from a volcanic eruption that took place about 4 years ago. Many dead trees seen along the route as well.
We departed Bariloche at 10:15 and arrived in Puerto Varas at 5:45. Seven and a half hours. However, we spent one hour at Argentina border control and another hour and Chile border control. So, a little over 5 hours on the road. Not that bad really.
Interesting arrival in Puerto Varas. There is no bus station, just a bus stop (this is a pretty small town!). After being dropped off, I’m standing on the corner using Google Maps to try and figure out the location of my B&B. While I’m doing this a women drives up and starts talking to me (in spanish, of course!). I really have no clue what she’s talking about. Ultimately though I realize she’s offering me a ride! Very nice. Gracias! For a price. Oh. How much? Four dollars. Sold!
I had a somewhat leisurely morning. I did do some trip planning though. I booked my flight from Puerto Montt to Santiago for Wednesday. That was $116. I also booked my lodging for Puerto Varas (arrival on Sunday, depart Wednesday). A little bit of glitch here though. After I made the reservation through booking.com, I received an email from the hotel operator stating that they were overbooked and that I should cancel the reservation. One problem: booking.com is going to charge me a cancelation fee if I do that. So, I ended up having to call booking.com to sort it out. Kind of a hassle, but it all worked out in the the end, Puerto Varas accommodation is on the pricier side – I booked a B&B for $99/night. (I think I might have used the word “book” a little too often in this paragraph!)
In the afternoon I took a little hike into town. First stop: Holly Restobar! I wasn’t all that hungry, but I had to check out the menu (they even had one in english!). The Holly Burger was about $10. Seemed kind of pricey for Argentina (but then again, this is a tourist town!). There was also a Holly Salad, Holly Steak and a Holly Hot Dog! Yumm! I was also checking to see if they sold any merchandise, but sadly no.
Next, I was on a mission to buy some chocolate. I stopped in a few different shops, but ultimately I went with the place that gave me a free sample the other day (and again today!). Plus, their salespeople were friendly.
This is a nice store, but kind of expensiveAround $8.50This is the store where I made my purchaseI went with this promo package – $8
Now, the question is, how strong is my will power as I ration this purchase?
Miscellaneous ramblings…
I been asked often where I’m from. I always answer the same – Estados Unidos (United States, and never “America”, that’s seems like an offensive thing to say when I’m in South America!). I cringe a little when I respond, expecting the worse. But I’ve never received any backlash, which is kind of surprising.
No stomach issues so far. And I drink the tab water, have drinks with ice cubes, and eat raw vegetables and peeled fruit. You’ve also read about my street food purchases. It’s my understanding that the situation in Chile is similar. Bolivia and Ecuador? Not so much!
I’ve put together a spreadsheet with several sheets tracking my bookings, forward planning, ATM withdrawals, credit card purchases, etc. (Kait can relate!). Another thing I’m tracking is my steps (thanks Fitbit!). From day one of the trip, January 9th, through the end of January I’m averaging 17,400 steps per day. Doubt I’ll be able to keep that pace up!
I have a travel insurance policy for medical and emergency evacuation only. I didn’t bother with trip cancelation or any of that other stuff (lost luggage, theft, interruption, etc.); mainly because I knew I wasn’t going to cancel! And those are the expensive parts of the policy. I have coverage for $50,000 in medical expenses and $1,000,000 in emergency medical evacuation for 11 weeks from Berkshire Hathaway at a cost of $27.
Saturday, February 2 – Bariloche
Today was a HUGE travel planning, research and booking day. I probably spent five hours working on this. It’s not something I enjoy, but obviously it needs to get done. My mantra on this trip has been “no itinerary”, but I’m at the point where certain things need to be finalized.
So, I booked the following: Easter Island flights and accommodation, flight from Santiago to La Paz, and accommodation in Santiago. I know this doesn’t sound like much, but seriously, it took a lot of time to sort through. I was also trying get the rough timing (and flights) to Ecuador somewhat finalized.
Finally, late this afternoon I had had enough with the planning and took a walk into town and stopped by an ice cream/chocolate shop outside of the tourist zone.
Triple scoop waffle cone – $2 (I had to eat most of the ice cream before it melted!)
Then it was on to the supermercado to pick up some dinner.
Gas station next to the grocery store – little bit of a line…This one’s for you Chuck – MAJOR markdown on Jameson! I was tempted for tomorrow’s bus ride, but no!
Well, tomorrow it’s goodbye Argentina (for now, I’m hoping to make a trip from Santiago into the wine country of Mendoza). I’ll be taking the bus over the Andes into Chile. Wish me luck!
Today was pretty low key. I spent the morning doing some trip planning and working on the journal. Then in the afternoon I decided to take a short hike to the west of the hotel along the lake (the city centre is to the east). My ultimate destination was a little beach called Playa Bonita.
A semi-hidden path off the road led me to this area on the lakefrontA cute inn overlooking the lakePlaya Bonita – this is not a sand beach, those are pebblesFound dinner on my way back to the hotel! Two empanadas for $1.25.
Travel Tip: For international travelers who obtain cash via ATMs, I highly recommend that you open a Schwab checking account. Using their ATM card incurs no foreign transaction fees, and, this is the big one, at the end of each month they refund all ATM fees. Huge! My first two stops on this trip, Argentina and Uruguay, have low limits on the amount of cash that can be withdrawn during each ATM transaction. I therefore ended up utilizing an ATM five times in January. Each time I was charged a fee of a little over $6. On February 1st I received a $30 refund from Schwab. Nice! I also have a Capital One credit card that charges no foreign transaction fees.
I forgot to mention a funny story from my flight to Bariloche. When we landed several of the passengers applauded. I was trying to remember the last time I experienced that. I’m pretty sure it was when I flew from Moscow to Yerevan on Aeroflot Airlines. In that case though the clapping was fully justified, considering parts of the plane’s interior were held together with duct tape!
Thursday, January 31 – Bariloche
I took an excursion today to Puerto Blest, which is a part of Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. This is the first national park of Argentina, established in 1934. Ironically, I’m currently reading a book about Theodore Roosevelt’s 1913 excursion into the Amazon, and prior to entering the rainforest he toured other parts of South America and visited this area.
The day started with a pickup at the hotel around 8:30. We then took a short drive to Puerto Panuelo on Lago Nahuel Huapi. From there it was about an hour boat ride to our destination of Puerto Blest.
Before boarding the boat, we had to buy a ticket into the park – $11.50I stood on the bow during the trip. It was a little chilly, but this guy was over dressed!Some good views from the bow…
Puerto Blest (and Bahia Blest) is the starting point for three different hikes that are part of today’s excursion. The plan was for the group to go with a guide on each of the trails, but there was also the option for individuals to go off on their own and then meet at a designated point and time (maps were provided and the trails were well marked). So, of course, I took the latter option (I was one of the few). It worked out great because I had the trail (and photo spots) to myself (plus I’m anti-social!).
Our boat docked at Puerto BlestThat is Cerro Tres Hermanos (Three Brothers) in the backgroundOur boat heading back to Puerto Panuelo. Wait! How are we going to get back!?!A small hotel/restaurant at Puerto Blest. I just checked the rate for next week – $350/night.
The first hike was along a river that branches off Bahia Blest and formed a lake called Lago Frias.
Beautiful water color! Apparently it is due to tiny particles of pulverized rock being created from the friction of a nearby glacier and then entering the lake.
The second trail wrapped around the bay, first along the water, and then moving to the interior.
That is the hotel and boat dock in the backgroundA suspension bridge on the trail. The sign is warning that there is a 5 person limit on the bridge and against running or jumping.
The final hike went uphill along a waterfall, culminating at another lake. I took some pictures of the waterfall, but frankly, after Iguazu I didn’t have the heart to post any. (that sound pretentious, I know)
This is Lago Los Cantaros. In the background at the valley is Chile.To the right of the valley is Cerro Los CantarosAnd to the left of the valley is the backside of Cerro Tres Hermanos
The return boat ride to Puerto Panuelo originated from a dock opposite to where we were dropped off at Puerto Blest, but adjacent to the last trail of the excursion. The was called Puerto Cantaros.
The view from Puerto Cantaros back to Puerto Blest. (That’s the hotel in the background)Our return boat. Thankfully!
I was on the outside part of the boat again for the return trip. It was warmer than this morning, but more windy, so I sat on the leeward side.
Feeding the gulls was a popular activityNice views on the return trip…
The excursion ended with a drop off at the hotel around 6:30. A full day!
My plan for a restful day started out so well. So how did I end up putting in 25k steps?!? I spent the morning updating this journal and doing some trip planning. The latter is what put my low-key day in peril. I was originally going to book a trip that utilized multiple boats and buses to go from Bariloche to Puerto Varas in Chile on Sunday. It would take about 12 hours and the cost would be around $350. Supposed to be a beautiful journey. Well, after reading some not-so-great reviews (crowds, herding, weather issues), I decided instead to book a 7 1/2 hour bus ride. Now, this isn’t Greyhound were talkin’. South America is known for quality bus service (I’ll verify that for you on Sunday!). I reserved a seat in what’s called Executive Cama Class. It’s like business class on a plane, and includes leather seats with a reclining angle of 140° and a foot support. The cost? $21.59!
Interesting Cost Comparison: Bus to Puerto Varas is $22. My cable car ride on Monday was $18.
And to make my decision even easier regarding the boats/buses trip versus the bus-only is the fact that there is a one day excursion available that hits most of the prime spots covered in the trip to Puerto Varas. The excursion cost is $54. I’ll be doing that on Thursday.
How did all of this end up in me putting in so many steps? Well, my hotel is to the west side of the city centre, and I needed to go to the bus station to get my ticket for Sunday. The station is on the east side of the centre. I could have taken a taxi (right, too cheap!), or there is bus service. But that is kind of erratic, plus I needed a prepaid card in order to ride. And where do I get the card? The bus station. So, I decided to walk. It took around an hour. But I was making stops along the way to take pictures. Plus, it was another great weather day (low 70s, just rather windy), so it wasn’t really a bother.
After hitting the bus station I returned through the city centre, stopped at the tour operator’s office to book my Thursday excursion, and did some more roaming and picture taking there. I left the hotel around 1:30 and got back about 6:45.
Here are some pictures from my day’s journey…
A windy day – a few white caps on the lakeIglesia CatedralNational Parks Administration BuildingI’ll need to stop in to this place before I leave!Backpacker mania at the bus station. Check out the guy with guitar. He was singing too. If I stayed much longer I might have had to slap him around a little!The main shopping area in the city centre. Of course there’s a McDs!A popular ice cream shopPastry shopThis is supposed to be the best chocolate shop in town. The place across the street gave me a free sample though, so I’m voting for them!Inside Mamuschka’s – they have a little cafe tooPlaza Expedicienarios del Desierto. A popular gathering place in town. Notice the St. Bernard? Sadly, it’s charged out as a photo prop.Another shot from the Plaza. And there’s the St. Bernard…Tonight’s dinner via the supermercado. $2.75! (chocolates courtesy of the hotel!) Don’t freak out! I had a great breakfast at the hotel – eggs, fruit, juice, yogurt.
You’ve probably noticed the new header picture. It was inevitable, right? Sorry Colonia, it was fun while it lasted!
Saturday, January 26 – transit from Puerto Iguazu to Buenos Aires
I had a flight around 3:30pm today, but check out was at 10:00am. Mmmm, what to do? Honestly, it was too hot to get motivated for any outdoor activity. So, I decided to camp out in the hotel lobby and review my pictures (literally 100s) and work offline on my journal. I surprised myself and was actually very productive!
My hotel’s front desk staff told me getting to the airport by 2pm for my flight would give me plenty of time (this is a small airport). The minivan was booked (Taxi? Too expensive, of course!) and I indeed arrived at Mayor Carlos Eduardo Krause Airport by 2. But wait, there was a HUGE line wrapped around the arrivals area waiting to check in for my Andes Airline flight. And it’s not moving very fast. I’m seriously wondering if I, or my luggage, are going to make this flight. And the folks behind me in line are looking a little worried too. But then I happened to notice the Arrivals display and realized the Andes flight from Buenos Aires was running late. A quick walk over to the departures display confirmed my hope – my flight was running 90 minutes late. Whew! One of the few times I was happy for a delay!
Sidebar: I should have done my homework on Andes Airlines before booking. The departure from Buenos Aires was late; you now know the return was late; and while at the airport on Sunday for my departure to Bariloche, I notice that the Andes flight to Puerto Iguazu had been cancelled. Yikes! Dodged a bullet there!
When flying into Puerto Iguazu, the pilot had announced that the passengers on the right side of the plane would have a brief view of the falls about 2 minutes before landing. Unfortunately, I was on the left. However, on the return I luckily was again assigned to the left, with a window seat (double lucky) and armed with this knowledge was able to get the picture below of the falls. It’s not the greatest shot (the hazy window didn’t help), but still kind of cool.
Sitting next to me on the flight was a young man named Mbaye. He had immigrated to Brasil from Senegal 6 years ago. He is now the owner of a business selling tools, with shops in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aries. Impressive! He spoke French, Portuguese, Spanish, but very little English. So of course we talked for most of the flight!
I spent the night at the same Apartment Hotel as my previous two bookings in Buenos Aires. Even had the same apartment! I really like this place and the city. I will seriously consider returning here next winter.
Sunday, January 27 – transit from Buenos Aires to San Carlos de Bariloche
This flight was booked on LATAM Airlines. Much better experience than Andes! Their online check-in was very efficient. Sadly though during the process I noticed that I was assigned a middle seat on what looked like a fully-booked flight (duration: 2 1/2 hours). I did see however that a window seat on the exit row was available for an additional charge. As I’m rather frugal, I really didn’t plan on taking the seat. But, couldn’t hurt to check. The cost for the seat PLUS priority boarding? $4.30. Ahh, yes please!
San Carlos de Bariloche (Bariloche) is in Argentina’s Patagonia region. It borders Lago Nahuel Huapi, a large glacial lake surrounded by the Andes Mountains. Bariloche is a popular base for hiking and skiing the nearby mountains and exploring the surrounding Lake District.
The hotel I chose is across the street from the lake on a hill and is about a 20 minute walk to the city centre. I took Holly’s advice and splurged a bit by upgrading to a lake view room. Glad I did! The rate, including a nice breakfast buffet, is about $97/night. I’m booked here until Thursday.
View from my hotel room!
I walked into town this evening. Bariloche is known for its Swiss alpine-style architecture and chocolate. There was plenty of both on display! Overall though I wasn’t impressed (Hence, I didn’t take any pictures. I’ll get some though before I leave). Very touristy (which you know I love!). But I will be trying the chocolate (I’ve read that a company offers a factory tour with free samples!)! And this is a good place to be based for excursions. For dinner I stopped in a little shop run by a Hungarian family and had a falafel wrap.
Monday, January 28 – Bariloche
After two long days in Iguazu Park, followed by two travel days, I’m pretty much exhausted. It’s such a beautiful day though (clear skies, temps in the low 70s), I willed myself outside!
About two miles down the road from my hotel is Cerro Otto (Mount Otto), with cable cars ascending to the summit (around 4,500 feet above sea level). At the top is a revolving restaurant (apparently the only one in Argentina), and hiking trails. To get to Otto I take a walk along the lake. This turned out to be a great few hours! There was beautiful scenery along the way and on the mountain. Below are a few pictures.
View of the Andes from the lakeGoing up!The summit cable car station – with revolving restaurant at the topI liked this cloud formation!Came across this cute little flower shop on the walk back to the hotel.
Besides being exhausted, I’m a little tired of moving every few days! So I decided to extend my stay here in Bariloche until Sunday. I even got a lower rate for the extra three nights ($92 per)! Whoo hoo! Now I need to decide which excursions I want take while I’m here. I also need to do some advance planning for the rest of the trip. And I have to remind myself once again that this is an 11 week journey, not a 10 day vacation! Rest days are a good thing!
I apologize for not updating the journal over the last few days. The internet connection in Puerto Iguazu was very sllloooooww. The hotel claimed it is a citywide issue. I guess I’ll have to take them at their word!
Tuesday, January 22 – transit from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu
Today’s main meal was breakfast. Leftovers from last night’s birthday dinner. A hearty start to the journey ahead!
The domestic Airport in Buenos Aires is only about a 15 minute drive from my apartment, in a nice location overlooking the waterThe flight to Puerto Iguazu took about 90 minutesThe flight really didn’t rock all that much!
My hotel was pretty nice. Located just on the edge of town, it’s on the way to the Falls, and a block from where the bus to the Falls stops. The rate included a nice breakfast buffet, so that turned out to be the main meal on each day of my stay. The buffet included eggs, fruit, juices, and assorted meat, vegetables and bread. The hotel’s drawback? The aforementioned internet issues.
Wednesday, January 23 – Puerto Iguazu
It’s hot here people! Highs were in the upper 90s today. I was excited to go to the Falls, but was kind of tired, so decided to roam around this little town today. It’s really not much of a place. If not for the proximity to the Falls, there would be no reason to visit (but I guess you could say that about a lot of places).
So, I’ve been to The Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. This is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers. And I can now say that I have also visited The Triple Frontier (El Hito Tres Fronteras) of South America, where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet at the intersection of the Iguazu and Parana rivers. I guess Puerto Iguazu is not a one hit wonder after all!
Brazil to the right, Paraguay to the left. Rio Parana is vertical, Rio Iguazu horizontal (and feeds the Falls)The lower grade fuel cost works out to about $3.91/gal
Since breakfast was going to be my main meal for the next few days, I thought I’d stop by the grocery store to pick up some snacks (for the Falls and otherwise). Thankfully, Supermercado Tio Juan was just a couple blocks from the hotel!
The meat department at Tio JuanThe price of a bottle of wine was in the 3-5 dollar range!
Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25 – Parque Nacional Iguazu
“Poor Niagara” Eleanor Roosevelt supposedly uttered upon seeing Iguazu Falls. I can understand her sentiment! I would typically want to avoid any place that attracts people armed with selfie sticks, but in this case the beauty of the Falls and the park more than made up for having to tolerate that attack on normalcy. I’ve posted some pictures below, with the usual caveat that they really don’t do it justice. Also hard to describe is the sound of the falls. Just so powerful and thundering. (See, I did a terrible job of trying to describe it!)
I spent two full days in the park. The round trip bus ride from the city to the park was about $8. The park entry cost was $18 on the first day and $9 on the second day. The park is well organized, with walking trails, platforms and train service between three different areas. One thing I thought was interesting: Maps to the park are offered in Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. That’s right, no English. A snub? You decide!
I got to the park early on Thursday. The morning was cloudy, which was a blessing and a curse. Good because it kept the temps down, but bad for photography. So I took my time roaming around the different trails, getting a lay of the land, absorbing all the subtleties of the park, and noting the locations of prime photo ops. By afternoon it had turned partly cloudy so I made a return visit to some of my favorite viewing spots.
I went back to the park first thing Friday, arriving to a crystal clear day. So in the morning I revisited the spots that I knew would be crowded later in the day. Then in the afternoon I took a rather long hike on a lesser used trail that led to a secluded set of falls. A nice way to conclude my visit!
The train stations get pretty crowded, so I ended up walking between them. One was only about a 10 minute hike, the other around 25 minutes.
There is a lot of animal life in the park. The first two pictures are of Coatis. They are found all over the park and are quite used to humans (as you can tell!). They’re rather tame, but can become aggressive when food is within their reach!
Plush-crested Jays are trash birds at Iguazu. Literally. They stand on the railings hoping the tourists will feed them trash.
I guess I’ve delayed the main attraction long enough…
Monday, January 21 – transit from Colonia to Buenos Aires
I’ll lead off with a formatting note. You’ve no doubt noticed I’ve changed the header picture. The previous photo was a favorite from my Egypt trip, but now that I have accumulated some images from this journey it seemed like it was time to change. I’ll probably keep switching it out over time.
Today I took the ferry back to Buenos Aires. Same issue with folks queuing up well before departure. Still don’t get it! Once again I was near the last to board. But this time two gentlemen from Argentina offered me a seat at their table. I ended up talking with one of them, Alejandro, for the entire journey. His broken english and my measly spanish were enough to get us by! We looked over my maps and he gave me travel tips; he showed me pictures of his family; we talked about his work as a chef. It was a wonderful experience. The people here are so friendly!
So, today was my birthday. Figured a special meal was in order. I hadn’t tried a well-renowned Argentinian steak yet, so that seemed like the obvious choice. Coincidentally, there is a popular restaurant on the same block as my apartment. They open for dinner at 8 (yes, they eat late here!); I arrived a little after, which was a good thing because they filled up quickly! My selection: bife de chorizo (sirloin) – medium rare, vegetales asados (grilled vegetables), and a small bottle of wine from the Mendoza region of Argentina. Side note: There was a couple sitting next to me that requested an english speaking waiter. I went all-in with spanish, and was so proud! Of course, I had no clue what I would end up with! (kidding! must admit though that I did use my friend German at the front desk and Google translate on my phone for a little help)
Total cost of the meal? $18!! Take that Colonia! (yes, I’m still bitter!) And I couldn’t finish it all, so I had the leftovers boxed and I’ll have it for breakfast tomorrow prior to flying out to Iguazu Falls.
I mentioned my birthday. Well, while working overseas I’ve been required to keep a daily log of my whereabouts for tax purposes. So I thought it would interesting to see where I’ve been on my birthday over the past several years.
Today was another beautiful day – clear skies with temps in the mid 70s. I’ve been super lucky with the weather! (did I just jinx myself??) I did some more wandering today, but this time off the beaten path – outside of the historic centre.
I thought this was kind of interesting…nice planter!
To the east of town I found this amazing cemetery. Very well maintained, yet in a rather scruffy neighborhood.
I’ve told you about my boycott of the Colonia restaurants. Well, today I was determined to find something reasonably priced, and not from the super-mercado! The solution was there right in front of me as I roamed outside of the tourist areas. Street food!!
I ended up getting a sandwich called a chivito. It is said to be the national dish of Uruguay, and contains thin sliced beef, cheese, tomatoes, olives, lettuce, and a mayo-based sauce. It was still about $6, but better than a $12 grilled cheese! I ordered it take away so I could enjoy it on the balcony of my hotel room.
Finally, the reach of the NFL is impressive! I was able to watch both conference championship games live in my hotel room – via Fox Sports Latin America and ESPN LA. With spanish commentary of course!
Let’s Talk Money!
I thought you might be interested in the cost of stuff so far on my trip.
Apartment in Buenos Aires is $70/night. I’ve booked it four different times, all at the same rate. The longest booking was for 6 nights though, so no discount for an extended stay.
Bed and breakfast in Colonia was $60/night. Cheap, considering the exorbitant restaurant prices. (Calm down Tim!)
Ferry ride: $60 each way
Meals at the cafes in Buenos Aires were about $7
Empanadas: between 75 cents and $1.25
Tango show with dinner/drinks/transport: $65
Teatro Colon Tour: $16
Round trip airfare to Iguazú Falls: $140
One way airfare to Bariloche: $130
Let me know if you have questions about any other costs. Below are pictures of the Argentine and Uruguayan banknotes and coins.
Can you guess who that is on the 100? Yep, it’s Evita.Is that Albert Einstein on the 500?
It’s interesting that, due to the fluctuations in the Argentinian peso, all real estate for sale in Buenos Aires is listed in U.S. dollars. Here’s an example…
You read that right – it’s $1.7 million! Obviously this is a high end apartment in the city centre, but, in general, apartments are expensive here.
Colonia del Sacramento is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay, founded in 1680 by the Portuguese. The Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) section of the city has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. There are also some nice beaches not too far from the historic area. It’s a fairly small town – very easy to walk around. Which is what I did today! Under clear skies and temps in the low 70s. Awesome! So, below are a bunch of pictures from my rambling about.
Now, the observant among you will no doubt notice that many of the pictures from the historic district contain no people! (I’m looking at you X & Linda!) Well, that’s because I was out early taking the pictures. Latin American early, that is. 9am!
It’s interesting that there are a fair amount of old cars around town. Seems like they are mainly used for promotional purposes.
This is a touristy area, something I usually try to avoid, but I’m glad I made the trip. However, I’m boycotting the restaurants! The prices they’re charging are ridiculous. For example, 12 USD for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich! Really? So, it was back to the supermercado for me! (I do have alternate plans for tomorrow though. Watch this space!)
Yesterday I promised you a picture from the balcony of my hotel room. If you look closely in the background you can see the bow of a ferry docked at the terminal.
Friday, January 18 – transit from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Today was a travel/rest/journal update day. I took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento (Colonia) in Uruguay. It’s about a 75 minute ride across the Río de la Plata. The boarding process was just like taking an international flight. First step, drop off your luggage…
Then it’s on to immigration. Here you get the Argentinian exit stamp, then take a few steps and meet with the Uruguayan immigration official to enter their country. Very efficient, and similar to the way it’s done in other parts of the world (e.g., train from London to Paris).
Finally, let’s proceed to the departure gate, where I got a nice view of our ferry preparing to dock and offload the passengers (and vehicles) from it’s Colonia trip.
Now, here’s where it got interesting. There is no reserved seating, so about an hour before departure people started lining up to board the ferry.
Wait. Really? This is a 1 hour trip people! Who cares where you sit?!? I was one of the last to board and found a nice, big, comfortable window sill to sit on for the journey (really, it was comfortable!). And I had a great view (except for the salt spray clouding the windows)!
The bar was a popular spot on the trip! Duty free drinks maybe?
Next stop Colonia! Here are couple shots taken from the ferryway (? – instead of jetway!) on the way to the terminal.
My bed & breakfast was a 5 block walk from the terminal, along the the road parallel to the river in the picture above.
Has a great balcony overlooking the river! I’ll post a picture tomorrow.
A simple meal tonight from the supermercado (supermarket!). Water, yogurt and pascualina – a spinach and ricotta pie that is very popular in Uruguay.
Travel Tip: I’m utilizing hotel (or other) wifi to access my financial (and other) accounts via my laptop. I’ve therefore subscribed to a VPN service to provide an encrypted connection to the internet. And an added bonus is the fact that the service can also provide me with a U.S. IP address. That way, the possibility that my financial service providers will freak out over the fact that someone from Uruguay may be trying to log into my account will be eliminated! My subscription is month-to-month and I’m paying $12/month for the service.
