Author: Tim

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

• 2000: working in Houston
• 2001: working in Corpus Christi
• 2002: working offshore, Bay of Campeche
• 2003: working offshore, Bay of Campeche
• 2004: working in Kuwait
• 2005: working in Kuwait
• 2006: working in Houston
• 2007: working in London
• 2008: working in London
• 2009: on vacation in Malta
• 2010: on vacation in Paris
• 2011: working in Yokohama
• 2012: working in Perth, Australia
• 2013: working in Perth
• 2014: on a business trip in London
• 2015: working in Houston
• 2016: on a business trip in Yokohama
• 2017: in transit to Tokyo for a business trip
• 2018: working in Houston
• 2019: on vacation in Buenos Aires

Sunday, January 20 – Colonia

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.

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.

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…

Saturday, January 19 – Colonia

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.

The perfect ending to today’s journal entry…

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)!

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.

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.

Wednesday, January 16 – Buenos Aires

I know you’re all dying to hear about my Tango experience, so I’ll lead off with that! 🙂 First off, the hotel pickup went smoothly, that was a good start! I was pretty skeptical going into this, but I must admit I enjoyed the evening. I sat at a table with a friendly Brazilian family. They spoke some spanish and a little english, I speak a little spanish and no portuguese, so it worked out great! The dinner was surprisingly good. I had butternut squash soup, chicken involtini, and mousse cake. There was also free-flowing wine. And that “special attention” that I was promised? A glass of champagne following dinner. OK, apology accepted. Now on to the show! The dancing was amazing. There were four different couples dancing either as a pair or in groups. A band accompanied them, also performing instrumentals or with a male and female singer during the interludes. I attempted a couple pictures, but the low lighting in the theatre didn’t accommodate.

Earlier in the day I visited the Museum of Latin American Art (MALBA), mainly because I wanted to check it out, but also because it was 1/2 price Wednesday! ($2.50, rather than $5 – yes, I’m cheap!) As with yesterday’s museum post, I’ve included a couple of my favorite pictures, but I’ve also set up a link to the museum’s web site if you have further interest.

I thought of another one of my travel safety habits to share. I do NOT walk around staring at my phone! Mainly because I like to observe my surroundings, but I also want to be aware of my surroundings. Crime is an act of opportunity. Not paying attention is an opportunity. In fact, when I go out here in Buenos Aires I leave my phone in the room safe. I have a map for directions and a little Canon Powershot for pictures.

Oh, I’m pleased to report that, following the “locked PIN” incident, I have used my credit card on several occasions with no issues! Whew! Crisis averted! 🙂 And finally, a BIG thank you to everyone for your comments! It’s great to hear from all of you while I’m away.

Thursday, January 17 – Buenos Aires

Today will likely be my last full day in Buenos Aires. 🙁 It’s been a wonderful experience. Beautiful city. Clean. Safe. Much green space. And very friendly. Hopefully I can return one day. (there’s a lot to see out there though!)

It was another beautiful day, so I took advantage and did some more roaming around. In the eastern part of the city is the Palmero Rose Garden – containing more than 18,000 roses, a lake, fountains and busts of famous writers. It was a perfect day to visit!

Came across another Armenian business. I thought it was cool that they included genocide remembrance signs in their window!

And I made it back to the Armenian cafe, Viejo Agump, that was closed when I stopped by last Friday. Very nice place! I had an excellent meal of sarma frio, pilav, and fresh squeezed orange juice. I’d have to say though that I prefer the Sergenian sarma and pilaf recipes (but I may be biased!) .

By the end of the meal I was stuffed, but I had to try some Baklava, so I ordered a piece for take away. Tasted great later that night!

Tuesday, January 15 – Buenos Aires

There was on and off rain today, so it was a good opportunity to hit a museum. And bonus! It was gratis Martes (free Tuesday) at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which is located fairly close to my apartment. It’s a wonderful collection, with works by many of the well know masters, and a nice Rodin display. I’ll post a couple pictures below, but to best appreciate the museum you should check out their web site (linked above).

Poor timing alert – their visiting exhibit at the moment is the works of JMW Turner, on loan from…The Tate Museum in London! Oh well.

A formal dinner was planned for this evening (more on that later), so after the museum I dropped by a place called La Cocina to pick up some of their empanadas (meat and vegetable-filled pastries) to take away and snack on. Empanadas are very popular here, and La Cocina is a favorite amongst the locals.

Regarding dinner, I’m ashamed to say I made a reservation for a Tango performance, which includes a meal. I usually abhor this touristy stuff, but felt obligated to attend while in Buenos Aires. And I was assured by my friend German at the front desk that this was a very authentic, local show. It should be noted that the package also included a hotel pickup and return. Well, after I waited, and waited, and waited 45 minutes in the lobby for the ride (maybe they were delayed due to rain-related traffic issues?), German received a text stating that they were having vehicle problems and would not be able to pick me up. So we have rescheduled for tomorrow night, and I have been assured that I will receive “special attention” while in attendance. I’ll let you know how it goes!

I’ve been asked to comment on safety and security concerns in each of the places I visit. I think this is a great idea! I’ll lead off by saying that, as most of you know, I’m a pretty boring guy. So I naturally tend to avoid the situations where a lot of the problems occur – doing stupid stuff, at stupid times of the night, in stupid locations. Most of it is common sense. Also, prior to traveling I’ll review the US State Department reports on each of the countries I visit. They provide a good safety analysis. In addition, I’m not flashy and try to blend in when walking around (I’ve had three locals so far stop me on the street and ask me questions!). Finally, pickpockets are the scourge of tourist and densely populated areas. I’ve been lucky so far in that I haven’t been a victim. I think one reason is that I usually walk around with my trusty Lands’ End canvas messenger bag hooked over my shoulder. I keep everything in there and out of my pockets. When over the shoulder it can’t be snatched, and the canvas is too thick to cut.

Regarding Buenos Aires specifically, I’ve felt completely safe here. I know there are a couple dodgy areas (that I read about and was told by the hotel staff), so I avoid them. Also, I see the foot patrol police out in force as I walk around the city. I’ll keep this feature going as I visit other areas on my trip. Thanks for the suggestion JKU!

Monday, January 14 – Buenos Aires

Today was another beautiful day for walking – partly cloudy with a high in the upper 70s. I ventured back to explore more of the city centre and also checked out the newer and more exclusive area by the waterfront called Puerto Madero.

The pictures below are from Plaza de Mayo in the city center. The plaza takes its name from the events of May 1810, which resulted in the first successful revolution in South America’s fight for independence from Spain.

Here are a couple pictures from the city centre in the vicinity of Plaza de Mayo…

The Puerto Madero Waterfront is a short walk from Plaza de Mayo. The ship in the picture is the Presidente Sarmiento. It was launched in 1897 as a training vessel for the Argentine Naval Academy. It is now a museum.

I also went on a tour of Teatro Colón today. It is a beautiful venue. I took a bunch of pictures, but they really don’t do it justice. I’ll post one though – this is an upper reception area and is of note because it was used for a dinner gathering at the G20 Summit held here at the end of last year.

OK, it’s meal time! As you can tell from my previous posts, and you’ll see here, I like frequenting little, out-of-the-way cafes. As opposed to the places in the tourist areas, they offer a nice local feel, good food, and reasonable prices (and have I mentioned that I’m cheap?!?).

So today I ordered the chicken risotto, totally ignorant of the fact that its similarity to the chicken with rice dish that I had a couple days ago would be uncanny! Doh! Oh well, it was very good, and as you’ll see, I received a surprise at the end of the meal!

Sunday, January 13 – Buenos Aires

It was raining this morning and into the early afternoon, so it turned into a quiet day. That was probably a good thing because I have to remind myself that this is an 11 week journey – not every day needs to consist of 25k steps!

I spent the morning finalizing this journal and getting it published, doing some trip planning and reading (a book about Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing excursion into the Amazon – appropriate!). I was originally scheduled to leave Buenos Aires on Wednesday but have decided to extend and will now depart Friday. (the beauty of not having an itinerary!) I like it here – the city, where I’m staying, and will take advantage of the great internet service to research and plan the next steps of the trip.

I did make it out for some roaming around this afternoon. It was fairly quiet on the streets, it being Sunday and many shops were closed. I ended up back at Teatro Colón and was going to take a tour, but they were booked up until late afternoon, so I bought a ticket for tomorrow. (After attempting to use my US credit card and being told by the ticket agent that my “PIN was blocked” I ended up forking over cash (ugh!). A subsequent call to the credit card company (via Skype using my apartment’s wifi) resulted in the representative informing me that the card was not blocked (huh?)) Point taken – backup cash and backup credit card.

Not a very photogenic day, but I did have another Armenian sighting. This looked like an interior design shop…

Finally, here’s a bonus pic from a couple days ago of The Recoleta Cultural Centre. It’s very close to the cemetery.

Welcome to My South American Travel Journal

My goal is to update this as often as internet connections allow. Starting out the posts will likely be pretty simple. Hopefully my skills will improve over time and the site will look a little more professional! I’m also thinking you’re going to want mostly pictures and less of my writing. Which is fine with me!

Thursday, January 10 – arrived Buenos Aires

Arrived at Ezeiza airport around 9am. The immigration line was massive. Took approximately 90 minutes to clear! Reminded me of entering Nepal, or maybe Sydney (haha)! For a city of nearly 3 million people, the international airport is badly in need of expansion.

Opted to take the bus (similar to a van galder) into the city center, then transferred to minibus for transport to my hotel/apartment. Cost was 12USD versus 40 for a taxi (I’m cheap, plus I like the local immersion). Total transit time (from Chuck’s generous pickup on High Point Rd to the hotel drop off): 26 hours.

I’m staying in the Recoleta area of the city. It’s near the city centre, and a great place for walking. The architecture and streets have a very Parisian style. I ventured out for a while today, but was pretty tired. No pictures unfortunately. Sorry! Definitely tomorrow!

Friday, January 11 – Buenos Aires

Today was a beautiful day – clear skies, low humidity and high of 75 degrees. Perfect for walking!

I visited La Recoleta Cemetery today. An amazing place – containing the vaults of the notables in Argentinian history. Here are some pictures…

There is a large Armenian population in Argentina/Buenos Aires – estimated at 100,000. I saw much evidence of that in my roaming the city today. I even came across an Armenian cafe, but unfortunately they close at 2pm on Friday. I’ll be back! (saw sarma on the menu posted in the window!)

Saturday, January 12 – Buenos Aires

Today was another beautiful day for walking! It was a little warmer than yesterday with a high around 80 degrees. I concentrated on the City Centre area of Buenos Aires.

I mentioned before how the city reminds me of Paris. Here are some examples of the architectural similarities I noticed…

Finally, I realized I hadn’t posted any pictures of my apartment, so here ya go…