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