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Argentina

January 2022
A 16-day adventure by Sean Read more
  • 16footprints
  • 2countries
  • 16days
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  • 7videos
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  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 11

    Cordoba

    January 26, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I wanted to get from mendoza to iguazu but all the flights required layovers in either buenos aires or Cordoba. So I figured rather than spending most of my day in airports, I would have a day in Cordoba instead.

    Arrived at 10am but unfortunately check in wasn't until 3pm. This hotel had big comfy couches in their lounge area, so I sprawled out and got some much needed rest while waiting for my room to be ready.

    Afterwards wandered some of the nearby streets. Found a few nice craft beer places to sample and didn't do much else. Purely a day to recharge my batteries. Have to be up at 5am for the flight to Iguazu, and this should be one of the biggest highlights of the trip.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 12

    Iguazu - Day 1

    January 27, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Woke up a 5 and got out the door at 530am looking for a taxi on the streets to the airport. Wasn't sure this was the right strategy but was not feeling great about the 15 min estimate from the front desk. Luckily found one quickly and off we go

    My very friendly taxi driver (Ramon) in iguazu spoke perfect English and gave me his whatsapp number in case I wanted to hire him for any other rides. Was able to check in immediately and then got Ramon to pick me up, take me to the ATM and then to the waterfalls.

    The iguazu national park is huge. Several kilometers of trails lead to all sorts of different waterfalls. Some individual ones, some clustered ones, and mostly to the main attraction where there are seemingly an endless string of dramatic waterfalls carrying off into the horizon, or the 270 degree devils throat waterfall area.

    Just the infrastructure put into elevated walkways/catwalks was dizzying. And of course the falls themselves were mind blowing beautiful. I started on the lower paths which took me near the base of some falls, and then made my way up to the higher areas that put me over top of the falls too. I will have to let the pictures paint the scene as it's too surreal to describe. Watch the video because it's hard to capture in a still image.

    After I saw pretty much everything, I was done. Overheating from the super humid jungle temperatures and legs burning from what had to be 10-15km of walking. Earlier I had decided to hike on the jungle path to the furthest falls destination instead of taking the small train like everyone else. Was nice but drained me quite a bit.

    Took the train back and for some reason had an instinct to get off at a halfway station to relax with a beer in the jungle before heading back to town. Hilarious decision as the seating area on the edge of a lot of trees got overrun with coatis and monkeys. The coati were everywhere, especially the baby ones. Under and on top of tables. A number of monkeys showed up as well. Fantastic entertainment while I tried to cool down.

    On my walk out of the park I also saw what I thought was a capybarra but I was told it is a paca paca. Plus lots of lizards all over the park throughout the day.

    Back to town for a nap. And then hit up a nearby restaurant where I met some nice locals who chatted with me for a while and exchanged contact info for possibly meeting up another evening while I am in town. That's very nice (again).

    Edit: I can only attach 2 vids per entry. Will attach more to tomorrow's entry    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 13

    Iguazu - Day 2

    January 28, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Samiah from Vancouver, who I met in mendoza, was flying into Iguazú for the weekend. So we planned to meet and do a jungle hike together.

    So I called up trusty Ramon to pick me up, hit the bank, and then to iguazu national park. When I got to the wicket to purchase my day pass, I realized I didn't have my credit card anymore. I accidentally left it in the ATM. So we raced back to town and Ramon got his friend at the bank to open the machine and pull my card out. I had a backup card, but was an awful feeling for a bit there. In Canada your card gets spit out before the cash. Here it is the opposite. Regardless, was rushing far too much.

    Finally back to the falls. Found Samiah and off to find the jungle hike trail. However, it was closed due to the torrential rain storm we got the previous evening. Then we realized neither of us had done the speedboat to the falls option yet, and new plans were set in motion.

    I want to emphasize it is promoted as "Under the falls". Did this mean you drive behind a wall of water? Samiah and I soon found out that it is quite literally right into the falls in several different areas haha. I felt like I was being waterboarded at times but I couldn't stop laughing. Oh my God it was so insane and so fun at the same time. And I am so thankful I bought a plastic case enclosure for my phone right before doing this!!

    When we weren't being pounded with water, it was also incredibly beautiful. Had a more panoramic view than many other angles I had on considerably drier land. Again, I have so many videos, that I will have to spill over one or two into tomorrow's entry.

    Samiah was staying right in the park, and was doing a helicopter tour on the Brazil side the next day, so we parted ways and I headed back into town. Messaged Maria who I met the evening prior, and she took me to a nice restaurant to cap off a pretty crazy day. It's going to be so weird going back to working everyday from a computer in my bedroom, oh so soon.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 14

    Iguazu - Day 3

    January 29, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Got up early to arrive at the park when it opened to do a 7km round trip jungle hike to a waterfall and again with Ramon as my driver. Wildlife is usually much more active in the morning and was hoping to see a lot more. Especially a toucan.

    I got all the way to the waterfall but there was no waterfall. Just a murky green pond where it used to be a swimming hole at the base of the falls. And aside from a deer in my path, I didn't see anything else. But I guess I should be happy.. one guy I talked to said all he saw was a butterfly haha.

    Decided to take all the falls trails and revisit everything one last time, and because it was my second time through, I knew where to bypass all the secondary stuff. I ended up having an incredible stroke of fortune as I found monkeys on every single trail. And most notably one that ran from the forest right up to me and I was sure it was going to jump on me. Also saw two more deer in different spots, one that scared the crap out of as it leapt out of the jungle in front of me, across the path and disappeared into the jungle on the other side. I half expected to see a jaguar chasing it and i took a few steps back and paused for a few minutes just in case. Saw some more exotic birds and some really big spiders. Plus one large coati while I sat down for a quick rest and another large one just as I approached the exit gate. Oh and I may have also seen the most gorgeous waterfalls ever too haha.

    Got back to my hotel for a siesta, a quick beer and snack at a nearby craft beer place and then off to supper. Maria invited me to her house for a small dinner party with her niece Samanta, and Samanta's husband Galo. And the personal cook Andres joined us too. Maria has an outdoor kitchen (and an indoor one too) with a wood fired oven and I am told it is a very traditional Argentinian way to cook meats. I feel so honored to have been invited to join them. Lots of wine, music and even some dancing. One last day in buenos aires coming up and hopefully a flight to Canada 🤞    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 15

    Buenos Aires - Day 5

    January 30, 2022 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Returned to buenos aires a day before my flight home to get the necessary covid test well within the required 72 hours. I got the same hotel I had earlier in the trip but this time upgraded my room which has an awesome view over the famous cemetery.

    Becky, who I met in mendoza on the horseback tour was still in buenos aires because her flight got delayed a few times. So we met up at the airport to get our tests done. And then hung out for a few beers before she had to catch her flight. Americans only need an antigen test that indicates they are no longer contagious. Which I think makes sense. But I am not sure how reliable they are. Canada requires a full pcr test.

    While we had our beers, my result came back. I have covid. I will not being flying home the next day. Full stop. I was ready for that but at the same time, not exactly.

    That created a flurry of thoughts and emotions as you might imagine. Mostly the uncertainty.

    But now that I have contacted everyone I met; and the necessary people back home; and changed my flight; got my insurance claim going, made arrangements at work..... I am in a better place mentally about it all.

    I will take the test again exactly one week from now. If it's positive again, I will be here for a second week. And according to air canada, reentry is allowed once Canadians are beyond 11 days of a positive test result. Knowing this information greatly removes a lot of uncertainty that I had at first. There are cases where people kept testing positive for 90 days. That concerned me the most.. by a lot!!

    Back to logistics.. My covid insurance gives me 200 dollars a day for my hotel and food. It will be very difficult to spend that much in this country. So that's pretty awesome.

    That said, I might not continue the blog this week. Probably won't have a lot to add. I am healthy, I have coverage, I am in a beautiful place, I have sick leave I can use at work - there are far worse situations I could be in.

    I wanted to give two huge shout outs. To mom and dad for funding this amazing expedition. What an incredible 50th birthday gift. Love you so much.

    And to Becky who fronted me 400 American dollars right before hopping in a taxi. That is unbelievably kind. Becky, you are amazing. It's coming back your way and then some as soon as I return.

    It's not that I don't have money, but on the blue market, American dollars get double value in pesos So things that cost 10 bucks, now cost me 5. But I will still get 10 bucks back on my insurance claim haha! I wonder if Manulife is following my blog.    Read more

  • Sean PlamondonArgentina
    Day 24

    Home Finally

    February 8, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C

    Made it back to Canada. Fortunately my second covid test came back negative and I only had to wait a week to come home.

    I was a bit surprised nobody in Canadian customs checked my covid test result upon landing in Montreal. Air canada did before I boarded, so perhaps that's the checkpoint. I got flagged for extra questioning - that's ok, I hadn't talked to anyone for 15 hours, so I was happy to discuss my trip, even with a customs agent haha. And also flagged for another covid test at the airport. But aside from that, easy breezy trip home. There was another stop in Sao Paulo again and then getting super comfy in my business class pod.

    Back in buenos aires, upon checking in, Argentina has a departure declaration app, which wasn't working on my phone. So I got sent to a migration office by the airline to sort it out. Took me a long time to find it and I got shoo'd out of a few offices I should not have been in haha. And when I finally found them, they said it doesn't matter. I asked for a document to give the airline that this obligation has been waived, but the officer just laughed and said to tell them she said it was ok. And surprisingly, it worked.

    What a fantastic trip. Some of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. Made lots of new friends and even a romance during my forced extended stay in buenos aires. So anxious to see my daughter Alexa but I am definitely sad to leave as well. Back to reality.    Read more

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