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Argentina

January 2022
A 16-day adventure by Sean Read more
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  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 1

    And, we are off..

    January 16, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ -17 °C

    When I booked this trip I certainly wasn't anticipating this omicron mess, But I am triple vaxed, and pretty sure I have already had omicron.. so gonna give this travel thing a try again.

    I could have used some clerical staff for all the paperwork involved. Proof of vaccine x2, proof of covid insurance, proof of a negative pcr test taken within 72 hours of the flight, a few declaration forms to the Argentinian government and finally a declaration form and copies of everything to air canada. Showing up at the airport without all these things would end the trip right there.

    My favorite part of travel is the unexpected turns. This morning I got a big one. The furnace stopped working and the house was 13 degrees. Luckily I called my hvac guy i met at camping last summer and he was able to fix it before my train to Montreal. Well mostly, he has to replace a part still but all of that is arranged now. Phew. Not the relaxing start I was hoping for. If that had occurred a day later maybe my pipes burst, my cats freeze to death and polar bears move in.

    One last thought in this airport entry.. I am getting far too used to the maple leaf lounge comforts. Sitting at a nice bar,, sipping a Guinness, watching the Dallas cowboys lose (they really have thought of everything!), ordering food.. all free. Next up, my business class pod on the plane. I wonder how many other people in business class checked in with a backpack haha.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 2

    Buenos Aires - Day 1

    January 17, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    That was a very long trip! 15-16 hours yikes. Had a brief stop in Sao Paulo on the way to drop off half the passengers, plus a silly insistence by Brazil authorities to pass everyone remaining through security and then back on the plane to continue onward to buenos aires.

    My $40 hotel (it's nice!) is in a very affluent area. Nice restaurants and bars for many blocks. And literally right next door is the Buller brewery. That may not be coincidence haha. Abdel recommended the area (recoleta).

    I immediately tried their ipa, which was nice but then a local recommended their honey beer. Oh my God, it is pretty amazing. I need to figure out how to run a beer line from this brewery to my house in Ottawa because there is nothing like this in Canada to my knowledge.

    Took a much needed nap after some food and when I came back out, things were busy everywhere.. on a Monday too. I found half a dozen places specializing in craft beers within 2 blocks of my hotel, so I felt compelled to do some sampling here and there.

    Chatted with a few bartenders for a while and was about to go home and sleep as everything was closing but my night changed entirely as I met an Italian who convinced me (wasn't hard) to go to another area with him that stays open late

    Caught a taxi with Leandro to this area that was very lively. And he literally tried to talk to every single female within a square kilometer and he got rejected or ignored at every turn. I have never seen anyone so oblivious to negative vibes. I had to drag him away several times. Eventually I just sat by myself to not associate myself with his advances on everyone. And while sitting there, I got invited to join a jenga game with some girls at the next table. Amusing that my complete lack of effort got more attention than leandro's relentless attitude.

    We all became friends quickly and hung out for quite a while. The boyfriend of one of the girls took my number because he wanted to invite me to a party later this week. I am already rich in friends here haha. But the most amusing thing is that leandro finally found a girl not repulsed by his advances. One of the jenga girls and leandro were kissing off and on for an hour. He was bragging to me that he was about to take her to his hotel ..... until I informed him that it was a man hahaha. I video recorded the ensuing reactions. Omg I am still laughing.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 3

    Buenos Aires - Day 2

    January 18, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    For some unexplainable reason I got up after 12 ;) I found a nearby restaurant and tried the famous Argentinian grilled meats. I think I ordered the wrong thing because it was probably enough to feed 3 or 4 people! English speaking people here are in short supply. Thank God for my phone translator that works offline.

    After lunch I ran into a guy exchanging pesos for dollars on the street. Abdel had told me to find one of them to get the better rates. At a bank, 1 dollar gets you 100 pesos. With this guy, 1 dollar got me 190 pesos. And new bills too. Two years ago, 1 dollar would get you 20 pesos. So, you can imagine how badly the Argentinian economy has collapsed. I probably should have exchanged all my American at once but I like to keep some American money on hand, just in case.

    From there, went to the cemetery across the street. It is considered one of the must see places in buenos aires. It was amazing. All the rich and famous are buried here, but buried is the wrong term because all the tombs are above ground in huge elaborate stone mausoleums.

    From there hopped into a taxi to some massive garden estates in the wealthy Palermo district. The first was a huge rose garden that must sprawl for a good km or two. Roses weren't really in bloom but it was still quite pretty. And the other is a picture perfect Japanese garden.

    Went back to the hotel for a nap and then to the Skybar restaurant atop a downtown building for some drinks and supper. Much earlier bedtime this day haha. But a really nice day wandering about.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 4

    Buenos Aires - Day 3

    January 19, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today I was ready for a lot of walking. My hotel is about 10km from Boca stadium and I decided I would zigzag around through Centro area and check out the buenos aires architecture and see if I can get all the way to the stadium on foot.

    The buildings here remind me so much of Paris. Juliette balconies everywhere and beautiful grand structures at most intersections with a smattering of Greek, Roman and Spanish influence too.

    After wandering all over downtown, I made my way into San telmo which is all cobblestone for a very long ways, and cute restaurants throughout.

    The walk from San telmo to the stadium wasn't great but the distance was minimal. Once there, everything became really colorful really quick. It's like 100 home owners decided to split 200 different colored cans of paint together.

    Argentina is where tango originates from, and the caminito area is where it is most celebrated. A few different outdoor restaurants had a tango couple dancing as ambience with your dinner. Cute. And I may have struck a tango pose or two myself :)

    Finished the night in the upscale neighborhood of Palermo for dinner and a few drinks with a friend made Monday evening. It's nice to not always be at restaurants alone and people have been very easy to interact with so far.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 5

    Buenos Aires - Day 4

    January 20, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I originally planned to ferry across the river to Colonia in Uruguay for a day trip. Supposed to be a gorgeous little town on the water. But in today's new world it would have required a pcr test, departure forms for Argentina, arrival forms for Uruguay and then departure forms for Uruguay and more arrival forms for Argentina, all dealing with covid. Ugh.. I just didn't have that level of commitment to the idea. But I am kinda kicking myself now.

    Instead, I walked to an island adjacent to downtown called Puerto Madero, about an hour walk from my hotel. Lots of high-rise condos, and a 2km strip of waterfront restaurants. Definitely geared for tourists or the more well off Argentinians. I got sunburned on the way, and wiped out from the heat, so I decided to make this waterfront my home for a few hours and have a lazy day by the water. I can think of a lot worse places to hunker down. All you people in Canada know exactly what I mean haha.

    On the walk back, passed through another area with gorgeous old buildings, and then into a very hectic area full of businesses and lots and lots of people. Had fun bartering more US dollars to pesos with some freelance money exchangers and found a sweet spot to escape the heat and cool off with a cerveza.

    My conversation with the money exchangers went something like this:

    Them: 1 dollar for 150 pesos
    Me: No, 190
    Them: ok 155
    Me: no, 190
    Them: 160, final offer
    Me: bye
    Them: ok 170
    Me: is this the exit?
    Them: 175 and it will not get better than this
    Me: 190
    Them: 175 (and folded arms in defiance)
    Me: (walking out the door)
    Them: ok ok ok 180. Very good price for you
    Me: no
    Them: 185 and cannot go higher
    Me: (leaving again)
    Them: ok ok (gets the money out). And they congratulated me on the price. (Which makes me highly suspicious that they still won the negotiation)

    Took a quick nap at the hotel, and then found another brewery type restaurant a block from the hotel for some food. And capped things off at a lively, no-frills outdoor lounge.

    Definitely excited to start seeing the country though. Saw everything I wanted to in buenos aires, except a soccer game, however the schedules didn't align. Relaxing last day but I want to see more. Off to Patagonia tomorrow woohoo    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 6

    El Calafate - Day 1

    January 21, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Hopped on a 3 hour flight to the far reaches of Patagonia in the south end of south America. This might possibly be the closest I will ever get to Antarctica - that said, I just met a couple who just returned from Antarctica and it sounds amazing. On the radar now and I know exactly how to get there! Sorry mom haha.

    The ride from the airport was like landing on the moon. Mountains and plains, but totally barren everywhere. Such a stark landscape but beautiful at the same time, especially with Andes as a backdrop. And the colors of the water were a very striking blue. Apparently the Andes mountains are so big, they prevent precipitation from getting very far past them and only 300mm of rain hits anywhere from here to the Atlantic. A desert of sorts. The only trees you will see here are ones that people planted and continue watering. Or ones that are in proximity to the mountain chain and dump their precipitation in snow or a bit of rain before dissipating.

    Checked into my super cute hotel and headed off to explore the lakeside area a bit before supper. Definitely a much longer walk than it looked on the map, but I was told there were lots of birds there. Too late in the day to do much else, so why not. Came across a swampy lagoon that didn't look overly special until I got a bit closer and noticed hundreds of flamingos. It was really hard to get close to them without getting wet so my pics are not the best. But flamingos! Haha. I wasn't expecting that.

    Spent the rest of my evening sampling different beers from the two micro breweries on the main strip and chatting to the bartenders. Purposely kept it early because tomorrow is a day I have been highly anticipating. Stay tuned    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 7

    El Calafate - Day 2

    January 22, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Oh boy. This was quite a day.

    I signed up for a glacier tour that also included a long drive around the Patagonia landscape. I was the only person on the bus who didn't understand Spanish but the tour guide dedicated half her explanations for me alone. I was really touched and thankful (and I felt quite guilty for the unbalanced attention). I got to know almost everyone on the bus eventually as they all wanted to assist or just introduce themselves. Such warm people.

    Started the tour with a drive through some of the barren highlands. I saw hundreds of large hares scattering as we drove by, eagles, buzzards, and a smaller version of an ostrich all over the place. Plus a number of other large birds I cannot identify. I loved how I could spot an eagle every km or so sitting on a fence post. You would never need a zoo here as the local wildlife is so abundant and easily accessible.

    Eventually arrived at one of the many Ranchos for a scheduled break. As soon as we arrived, a bunch of goats and a baby wanaco (Llama family) hurried over to greet us. The wanaco and I became best friends forever very quickly, as I had to repel its kisses many times. I think perhaps the lesson learned is to not kneel or bend down to a baby wanaco's level, but I was thoroughly enjoying it haha (yikes, perhaps I have been single too long haha). I was told they are not domesticated but they found it stuck in their fence and have been nursing it back to health. It freely wanders in and out of the house like part of the family. I so dearly wanted to bring him back to Canada!!

    From there we made our way to Perito Morena glacier/national park. My pictures and words are not worthy of how incredible an experience this was. I am still quite emotional from it.

    It's a massive glacier that descends from the Andes mountain range into Lago (lake) Argentino. To understand its size, which is hard to capture, it is 15 stories high above the water and 20 stories deep into the water. 5 km wide (or long?) and I apologize but I forget how long.

    We started at a high elevation and hiked down to the lakeshore in about 40 minutes. From there, hopped onto a boat that took us within 300 meters of it. Being the peak of summer, it made massive cracking noises every few minutes and I witnesses several large portions breaking off and crashing into the water. Like a skyscraper being demolishioned.

    From there, back on the bus to a nearby hill directly opposite the glacier with a phenomenal number of trails and viewing platforms ("balconies"). Took me a few hours to explore every portion of it. About 4-5km just hitting up different vantage points. Choosing these pictures is such a challenge as its all so incredible and overwhelming.

    One of the Argentinians on the tour, Sergio and I went for some beers at the El zarro brewery and eventually for some lamb and wine at a fantastic nearby restaurant. We were the last ones to leave as they were fully booked but they gave us a very late seating out of kindness. I guess we over extended our stay, but Sergio reassured in Argentina, lateness is no problemo here haha

    We finished the night at the Patagonia brewery which turned into a club surprisingly and then to another club where I surprisingly met a bunch of Israelis who were really enamored with the fact I was Canadian for some reason. They were such a fun crowd. Ok, I guess that about covers it. Wow.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 8

    Mendoza - Day 1

    January 23, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Mostly a travel day. First flying to Bariloche and after a 2.5 hour layover, connecting to the wine region of Mendoza. Didn't arrive until about 5:30pm. A bit too late to do any exploring. I literally booked my hotel at the airport, which was a bit rushed and the results reflected it. I will have to be more attentive to details going forward.

    By the way, this city is so wine focused even the airport property has a vineyard on it!!

    Mendoza has an enormous strip of restaurants one after another for what looks like a kilometer. It's pretty impressive. All outdoor patios as far as you can see. Perfect area to unwind with a beer and some food. I think I ordered the world's biggest steak. See pic.

    I remembered it was the American football playoffs so I decided to see if I could find the game somewhere. Walked up and down with no luck then remembered there was an Irish pub... they had it on a TV inside and somehow I convinced them to replace the soccer game on the outside TV with the football game.

    This immediately garnered new friends from all the Americans sitting there. And met a Scottish guy (Ross) at the table next to me. We quickly became buddies and spent the rest of the night chatting over beers. Two women sitting next to us helped us out with understanding our waitress and when they left shortly after they handed a phone number to me and said we should contact them tomorrow and meet for drinks. We looked at eachother and laughed "what just happened?" haha    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 9

    Mendoza - Day 2

    January 24, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today I went on a horseback riding wine tour. Started off at a rancho, and our group all saddled up and meandered through wine orchards for 2 hours on horseback. Extremely relaxing. My horse was of a similar frame of mind and was always far behind everyone else which was kind of nice to just be on my own for a bit. I guess that's a funny thing to say from a solo traveler haha.

    After that we went to a winery/restaurant for an upscale meal and a number of different wines. Everything was amazing and the estate was gorgeous.

    The two Argentinians on the tour are also on my tour tomorrow, so I will see them again soon. The other two girls (one Canadian, one American - Becky) suggested we meet up for drinks in the evening so we met up at that same street with all the restaurants. Had some drinks and the Canadian (Samiah) and I made plans for the weekend as we will both be in iguazu at the same time while her friend has to fly home before that.

    After the girls left and I was finishing up my wine, I somehow became a bit of a celebrity. All the staff and friends hovered around me asking a million questions and also getting me to dj the songs on their sound system. And then taking me another nearby location to hang out for a beer. The night was capped off with some of the guys at my table getting up and doing a street rap performance. I am definitely not lacking for company so far.

    Edit: darn I couldn't upload the video of the street performance. Too long for this apps allowances.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 10

    Mendoza - Day 3

    January 25, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    My morning started with an 830 pickup with the tour group taking me to Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America.

    In the van I met two more Canadians from Vancouver (Ramona and Mark) and re-united with Argentinians Alexis and Veronica from the horseback riding tour. All 4 are super friendly and wonderful people to spend time with.

    We winded our way up into the mountains, eventually stopping at a pretty lookout stop for a quick photo opportunity. But the "quick" part is a lie because the vehicle broke down and that's as far as it would go this day. While we waited for a replacement, Mark and I hiked down to the lake below. And when we got back up, cuddled with some very young puppies that someone else had in a crate outside their vehicle.

    Once the new van arrived, back to the ascent into the Andes. Had a few stops for lunch and at the Inca Bridge and then finally reached an area near the base of Aconcagua. We did a small hike a bit higher with a better view of the summit, which unfortunately had clouds blocking the peak. But gorgeous terrain. And then the 3 hour drive back to mendoza.

    Went for dinner and tried some different malbecs with my new friend Tatiana in that same restaurant area on Aristides Avenue. Overall, a fantastic 3 days in mendoza. A bit sad this morning leaving for Cordoba as I would have loved to have seen more of mendoza and also spend more time with new friends made. And a bit of a heavy heart towards Tatiana. We had so much in common and connected really well. Haven't felt that way in quite a while towards anyone.    Read more

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