Buenos Aires, Argentina -
As I take my seat on the bus to Mendoza, I am sweating profusely because of nerves, the heat, exertion, but despite that the sweat also brings respite from the activity in Buenos Aires and
time to think about the past few days. The bus ride to Mendoza, near Santiago but still in Argentina, goes by quickly despite being 14 hrs long. The smell of the countryside at times is like a field of honesuckle flowers. The lightning throughout the night is calming. The vineyards I see during dusk tell me I'm heading to a great place.
Final Chapter, The Departure - Our bus was to leave at 720pm, yet the sun would still be an hour away from setting despite having risen at 550am. We were to be ready to board by 700pm, so Joe, Aaron, and I agreed to meet back at the hostel at 545pm. This decision nearly led to our demise as we soon found out. First, there was a problem with finding a taxi. The Che Lagarto Hostel staff called 3 companies before one finally agreed to come get us, at 630pm...Thankfully, Aaron had earlier spotted a taxi gas station close to the hostel and had run to flag one down that would be able to take us, the bikes, and all of the gear. After 10 minutes, I found myself sitting in the trunk area of the minivan confined on 6 sides by: the taxi roof, some pannier bags, the bikes, the window, a seat, and the trunk door. At least I got a good look at general traffic rules (go where you want, whenever you want) looking backward! We arrived at the Retiro (Terminal del Omnibus) with time to spare. With about 10 minutes before departure, we finally get the notice to proceed to bus lane #6. With bikes in hand, we are told almost immediately that it wouldn't be possible to take the bikes on board. The people at the ticket booth told us otherwise. PANIC!! What to do? A gift from the heavens descended upon us in the form of Rafael, a Brazilian who also planned to bike around Chile who had checked his bike an hour before. After much debate about 3X faster than my comprehension level, we had 5 minutes to run downstairs with the bikes, send them off with the shipping company, and return to the bus before it left. How hard is it to run through a crowded bus station (think like a train station with dozens of buses and hundreds of people) with a 50lb box that's about as big as me? Actually, pretty easy when the adrenaline is pumping through me. Rafael and I opened a little gap between Aaron and Joe, my travel buddies, but we made it to the place. The guys at the shipping company downstairs also made haste in preparing the form and 120 pesos later for the 3 bikes, we were running back to the bus. Note to self - when they say arrive 20 minutes before, make that 1 hour 20 minutes before departure.
As I take my seat on the bus to Mendoza, I am sweating profusely because of nerves, the heat, exertion, but despite that the sweat also brings respite from the activity in Buenos Aires and
time to think about the past few days. The bus ride to Mendoza, near Santiago but still in Argentina, goes by quickly despite being 14 hrs long. The smell of the countryside at times is like a field of honesuckle flowers. The lightning throughout the night is calming. The vineyards I see during dusk tell me I'm heading to a great place.
Final Chapter, The Departure - Our bus was to leave at 720pm, yet the sun would still be an hour away from setting despite having risen at 550am. We were to be ready to board by 700pm, so Joe, Aaron, and I agreed to meet back at the hostel at 545pm. This decision nearly led to our demise as we soon found out. First, there was a problem with finding a taxi. The Che Lagarto Hostel staff called 3 companies before one finally agreed to come get us, at 630pm...Thankfully, Aaron had earlier spotted a taxi gas station close to the hostel and had run to flag one down that would be able to take us, the bikes, and all of the gear. After 10 minutes, I found myself sitting in the trunk area of the minivan confined on 6 sides by: the taxi roof, some pannier bags, the bikes, the window, a seat, and the trunk door. At least I got a good look at general traffic rules (go where you want, whenever you want) looking backward! We arrived at the Retiro (Terminal del Omnibus) with time to spare. With about 10 minutes before departure, we finally get the notice to proceed to bus lane #6. With bikes in hand, we are told almost immediately that it wouldn't be possible to take the bikes on board. The people at the ticket booth told us otherwise. PANIC!! What to do? A gift from the heavens descended upon us in the form of Rafael, a Brazilian who also planned to bike around Chile who had checked his bike an hour before. After much debate about 3X faster than my comprehension level, we had 5 minutes to run downstairs with the bikes, send them off with the shipping company, and return to the bus before it left. How hard is it to run through a crowded bus station (think like a train station with dozens of buses and hundreds of people) with a 50lb box that's about as big as me? Actually, pretty easy when the adrenaline is pumping through me. Rafael and I opened a little gap between Aaron and Joe, my travel buddies, but we made it to the place. The guys at the shipping company downstairs also made haste in preparing the form and 120 pesos later for the 3 bikes, we were running back to the bus. Note to self - when they say arrive 20 minutes before, make that 1 hour 20 minutes before departure.
Roger, The Teacher - One of the greatest things about traveling is that you can meet the most 
interesting people. Roger was a retired naval officer-turned teacher from San Diego (graduated HS in MI, near me). He served in Vietnam, but it was impossible to tell how old he was just by looking at him. Our conversations spanned everything from school systems in various countries, politics of the US, economy of MI, and various cultural tidbits in the area. For the record, he says the most beautiful women are in Brazil where he lives, and owns a little store on the beach. Just a vault of knowledge, we wished Roger would be traveling with us as well! He said to come visit sometime, I just might take him up on that offer...
interesting people. Roger was a retired naval officer-turned teacher from San Diego (graduated HS in MI, near me). He served in Vietnam, but it was impossible to tell how old he was just by looking at him. Our conversations spanned everything from school systems in various countries, politics of the US, economy of MI, and various cultural tidbits in the area. For the record, he says the most beautiful women are in Brazil where he lives, and owns a little store on the beach. Just a vault of knowledge, we wished Roger would be traveling with us as well! He said to come visit sometime, I just might take him up on that offer...The City, General Thoughts - The city itself is rather cheap, in comparison to similar experiences in other places. For example, a great steak dinner cost only $7, and lunch one day cost me $1. Empanadas are wonderful. There are tons of things to see and places to visit. San Telmo was one of my favorite areas; on Sundays they have a giant market on a street that is closed off for about 1km where you can purchase almost anything you can think of. I also visited (and got sunburned while there) a giant park wedged between the Rio Plato (seperates Argentina from Uruguay) and the city. 
It has an amazing walking path that passes by gorgeous areas full of birds and other wildlife. I saw my first and only mosquito in Buenos Aires there in the brush just off the beach. It was a good hike, but I didn't use enough sunscreen! 
There were few things specific to Buenos Aires, or Argentina for that matter, that I couldn't get elsewhere so I chose not to buy anything. Those things unique to this country are pretty much the various foods you can get. Yummy! On the other hand, one downside to Buenos Aires is the trash on the street. It's amazing because there are ¨recyclers¨who go through the rubbish to 
pick out anything that can be turned into a small profit. Though they put everything back into the bags, the dump trucks that come around don't collect everything sitting around. The result is a city that hurts for a clean-up. Nevertheless, it's insignificant in the general scheme of things.
pick out anything that can be turned into a small profit. Though they put everything back into the bags, the dump trucks that come around don't collect everything sitting around. The result is a city that hurts for a clean-up. Nevertheless, it's insignificant in the general scheme of things.
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