Buenos Aires - our first time

Thanks to our Uber driver - a former neighbor, we were able to get to the airport for our 7am flight to Sydney. It's such a nuisance flying out of Sydney it adds so much more time to the trip. Four hour wait in Sydney, 13-hour flight to Santiago, 4-Hour wait there and then 2 hours on to Buenos Aires. It was a long day. The day did not get off to a good start. I realized at the airport that my wallet was not with me I thought it was on the floor in the bedroom, turns out I dropped it on the path near the front door (thank you Tanya for finding it). It had some cash and one card in it so not much of a problem. I have a second credit card (not in the wallet) and Bob has two cards it's just a nuisance.. Must be more careful and close bags before carrying them. Apart from that, the day was uneventful.

The airport is a long way from the center of Buenos Aires, the drive did give us an opportunity to see the outskirts. There were many green open spaces and many people used these spaces for picnics. Most of the outer suburbs consisted of 10-15 story apartment blocks. Not very attractive, concrete with what looked like a lot of mould on the outside. It's a hot humid place.

Our accommodation in Buenos Aires is an apartment owned by friends. It is particularly well positioned very close to the center of town in what I think is an expensive area. We were told that it is safe around here. Given the number of people walking dogs and the level of cleanliness of the street, I would say it was an up market neighborhood.

The apartment is in an old very attractive building. The building is divided into multi-level apartments. Security is tight. There's a very solid front door with a double lock and bolts on the inside. A small set of marble stairs lead to a locked gate and another heavy door, locked before you get inside the apartment. The ceilings are incredibly high and the rooms large and luxurious. There is a mezzanine off the main living /dining area with two single beds and a bathroom. I can't imagine staying there at this time of the year because it is hot and humid and although there is air conditioning, it's struggling given the height of the ceilings and the fact there's no door at the top of the stairs leading to the mezzanine. It is very comfortably furnished with very nice art on the walls which isn't surprising given the owners spend quite a bit of time here and I know they have excellent taste. No prints or the type of wall decoration you would find in a hotel here.

Bed was very welcome after such a long day. At least we didn't have to stay awake until evening before going to bed. Crossing the date line is always a problem when it comes to jet lag and sleep.Læs mere