South of America

A new continent to explore. Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, and wherever else works in. Meer informatie

Volgen Overzicht Kalender Foto’s Delen

Het begin van de reis
7 oktober 2023
South of America Reiziger
Adventure
19 september 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
You know it’s a new country when it requires this yellow form and many arm jabs. I didn’t have any side effects. Also the water filter is small and will be a backup to bottle water.
I’m starting my countdown to departure. 17 sleeps and a wake up.Meer informatie
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ReizigerHave a great trip!!!
01-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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South of America Reiziger
Packing- the steps
5 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Step 1 - Throw everything you think you want to take on the bed. Make sure everything fits. Don’t buy new things to take on the trip that you haven’t worn and washed a couple of times. Step 2-Get rid of 3 or 4 shirts.Meer informatie
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Step 3
5 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Side one with the buckles. Carefully roll up the shirts and put in a packing cube. Use the pants on the bottom to cushion around the wheels structure. Bathroom and tech bags on the sides and fill the remaining side. Side two (with the zipper) less structured things. Tripod, shoes, slippers, random individual items. Underwear and bras cushion on the side. Socks in the shoes. Zip up the whole thing and weigh it. This was 32 pounds. Too heavy and large for carry on but one bag works.Meer informatie
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Backpack
5 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Laptop, power cords, usb cables, back up power bank and iPad. Usually I carry the laptop and put the power block and cables in the luggage but this is a 9 hour layover in Houston so I will carry it along. Also paper copies of itinerary, travel docs, and passport. No Argentine pesos as the exchange rate is impossible do manage from the US. But I’m ready with crispy bills for exchange. The gray pillow thing is a blanket/pillow. Good for sleeping on the plane or worse case on the floor of a terminal. Works also as a picnic blanket, neck pillow, and a wrap up poncho.Meer informatie
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24-hours to go
6 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ 🌙 64 °F
Woke up early with the thought that I’d be sleepy and able to hit the pillow early tonight. A 5:00 am departure is a 3:00 to the airport. Let’s see how that goes…. And besides it is time to check in for my flight…. It’s getting real…Meer informatie
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How to spend a 9 hour layover?
6 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ 🌙 64 °F
Ahhhhhhhh……😃😃😃. Throughout the planning of this first leg I wasn’t sure about the 9 hour layover in Houston. I have lounge access from several different travel options (all from travel hacking), and For about 3 seconds I had looked at Polaris lay flat. But the $8,000 price tag made that impossible. So I used miles for the ticket and paid 200 for premium seating.
But…..
This morning when I checked in first class—- Polaris—- Lay flat seats showed up at check in….!! And it was 400.00. Say what?? Yesterday that seat was $8,000 so, I did what any self respecting traveller would do… clicked it and just like that… I’m going lay flat on the 9 hours to Buenos Aires!
The Polaris seat comes with Polaris lounge access on top so now I have access to the exclusive Polaris lounge (not the run of the mill United Lounge) for the 9 hour layover. It’s a total win/win/win/win… heck you get the idea. This will be me flying to Buenos Aires in 22 hours…I’ve never flown this level before…. I’m beyond excited.Meer informatie
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ReizigerGlad to see you indulging in much deserved luxury!! Enjoy!
06-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerMe too… I’m all giddy inside.
06-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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South of America Reiziger
Its Early!!
7 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ 🌙 64 °F
A benefit to the first flight of the day is seeing that your plane is already here. Disadvantage is that the Centurion Lounge doesn’t open until after you plane depart.
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ReizigerBoo
09-10-2023Reageren
ReizigerI was hoping to see what your sleeping seat looked like
09-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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South of America Reiziger
Planet Houston
7 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Easy flight and I’m in the Polaris Lounge. So far it’s just like a regular United Lounge… is that pretentious or what? The dining room opens at 11:30 and we’ll see.
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Vending Machines
7 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
Here’s what you can buy from vending machines at Houston (IAH). The lego machine is my favorite.
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ReizigerSo bored that you've resorted to doing an inventory on vending machines.
08-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger9 hours is a long time…
08-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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Walk-about
7 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
I’ve got lounge lounge access in Houston (IAH) to five locations.
KLM - not open for my access until 7:30
Air France - not open for my access until after 5:30
AmEx CENTURION- open and a good looking food area, but really busy.
United (regular lounge) -open but a line out the door.
United Polaris (first class only)- this is where I spent most of 9 hours except a couple of walks to stretch my legs.Meer informatie
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My driver in Buenos Aires
7 oktober 2023, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
This is apparently how I will find my driver in Buenos Aires. I can’t outrun McDonalds.
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ReizigerNothing suspicious here.
08-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerPay no attention to the man behind the curtain
08-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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South of America Reiziger
Embassy Area
8 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
I’m my first quest for pesos I found Embassy’s instead. Just one block from my apartment. I know one was the Philippines, and one was Malaysia. The street had lots of little guard buildings. Kind of cool.Meer informatie
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Pizza Anyone
8 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
These are my take and bake pizza options at the supermarket across the street. I’m not to sure about them but I will give one a try before I leave… which one should it be?
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ReizigerNot the egg one... yuck
09-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerI agree. Two of them have eggs.
09-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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Arrived Safe
8 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Arrived safe and sound in BA. No immigration trouble except that the document I had to prove I had a place to stay didn’t have the address. So there was a moment of fiddle with my phone and the internet and airbnb. But it worked out.Meer informatie
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+1 walking, -2 finding pesos
8 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
After shopping and then finding out I needed my passport to use a credit card (more on why later) I realized that having cash would be a good idea. So, I sent myself money to Western Union (a legal and safe way) but then found out that they close at 2:00 on Saturday and won’t open until Monday. strike two. Oh well, I will get a bus pass and see Buenos Aires… wrong again. The pass costs 300 pesos, about 85 cents USD, but they only take pesos. Out of luck. Oh well. I will walk for my adventure and health.
And to be clear… when I wrote this I thought it was Saturday. Turns out it was Sunday, so the wait was short. Isn’t travel fun when you skip a calendar day… but get it back…hmmmmMeer informatie
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+1 walking - -1 pesos
9 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
A nice breakfast then day 2 of the pesos quest. Western Union should be open (it’s Monday, but I thought yesterday was Saturday which is my own issue). The WU that is literally 94 feet from my apartment still doesn’t have WU system. WU 2,3 and 4 same issue. I stopped for lunch. (Chicken with fries, a coke and a bottle of water 7,000 pesos or 20.00 USD). If I’d had cash I would have had a 3.00 pizza but such is the life when you are on a quest.
Then 5,6 and 7 same story.
I give up, That’s all for me.
Tomorrow I have a private guide who said she can help me with the “black market” exchange. Anything that works is good for me. Upside is that I did see some nice things today.Meer informatie
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Worlds Most Beautiful Bookstore
10 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
El Ateno Grand Splendid. A converted theater into a bookstore. What a great reuse of a huge space. National Geographic magazine gave it theWorlds Best title and I can see why. The stage is a coffee/pastry area and each balcony is either shelves or a reading nook.
It lives up to the hype.
I couldn’t resist getting the first book in the Spanish version of my favorite Enid Blyton series the Famous Five. I got my first book in English on my first trip to the UK in 1970… ish.Meer informatie
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Reiziger The boy and the bull on an island Am I close? What book did you purchase?
10-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerI should read you post before I start asking questions.
10-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger Pretty amazing use of an old theater
11-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerBeautiful!
13-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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South of America Reiziger
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Cementario de la Recoleta
10 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
I’ve been to many cemeteries, but this one is a different level literally, as what you see is only half of the space.
The most famous person buried there is Evita Peron. Everyone else, for the most part, was a city leader, or generally a rich person. It wasn’t as creepy or scary as you would expect. And I didn’t get any weird vibes, instead, it was really interesting to walk through and peek around the following doors, and past the cobwebs.
Absolutely I must see in Buenos AiresMeer informatie
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ReizigerNeed to do a little research, find out if you have any ancestors behind one of these doors.
10-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger Is this like a sitting room to visit the deceased?
11-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerI think like a sun room. Some had ferns.
11-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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South of America Reiziger
+3 -locate Pesos!!!!
10 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
Finally success! I was able to exchange USD for Argentine pesos. It was a good day. Can you guess how much I exchanged?
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Reiziger100$ US
10-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerI think that 1k bill is worth about $3. I can see more than 10 of those big bill. So it's more than $100. I do not think you would cash out more than $200. So I'm guessing it's $140.
10-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerI'll go high...$300
11-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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Food Tour
11 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
I’ve done a few food tours in places but this one was amongst the top. Four restaurants all around the Palermo neighborhood and included wine, food and tips. I’m all about the wine, but I will admit the empanada was pretty darn good. Also, steak (of course) and a place with just cheese and wine, and the flan with dolce de leche and cream was excellent. I didn’t take many pictures as I was trying to “be present” and take it all in.Meer informatie
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Penguin Wine?
11 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
Adel, apparently in BA the wine decanter is a penguin. For reasons not abundantly clear. This one looks like it was dripping blood but the wine was pretty good. Why this is a “thing” will take more research and I would buy one but it won’t last 2 plane trips. Plus Adel would never drink wine from a penguin and it made me laugh.Meer informatie
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ReizigerI have tried telling you that penguins are secretly evil things!... This is proof that they are carnivorous little bastards! that meat looks yummy tho!
13-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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Walking to Wine
12 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
Today I came to the Palermo neighborhood for dinner before my wine tasting. I love BA for its cafe style. Restaurants everywhere and there is always movement.
The is a vibrant city and it’s always moving. Maybe it’s the 15.5M people combined with great bus/train/subway system that is about .12c ( yes twelve cents) a ride or it’s the weather. But whatever it is I’m all in.Meer informatie
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Fernando
12 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
A very herbal liquor mixed with coke…. Imagine hay, a handful of savory spices and coke. I’m not a fan but I’m told for many young Argentines it’s their “entry” to alcohol. I’d think it would swear them off alcohol but who am I to judge?Meer informatie
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Argentine wine tasting
12 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
Well, let’s just say I enjoyed my evening.
My favorite is the Clos de los Siete - a blend from Mendoza.
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ReizigerExcellent! $30 at BevMo
18-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerAnd not expensive here either. It was really well developed
19-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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No Stop Sign or Signal
12 oktober 2023, Argentinië ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
After sitting and eating my dinner, and staring out the window at this intersection I finally saw it.
There is no signal or stop sign. The intersection has cross walks but everyone (pedestrians, cars, bike, ambulance) takes the right of way. It’s amazing to me that I didn’t see a crash. But then again it’s this way all over and these drivers used to it. YIKES!!Meer informatie
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ReizigerOMG!
13-10-2023Reageren
Reiziger looks like the speed bump is pretty efficient at slowing people down, and the other people just have to "go for it"..... I would be sitting there for a month before I could cross...lol
13-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
ReizigerThis city would be hazardous for people who are rules followers as you’d never get anywhere. I learned the rule is…You cross when you see an opening, cars go when they see an opening. In the end you hope you all don’t end up at the same place at the same time.
13-10-2023ReagerenVertalen
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