South American Adventure 2017 - Pt. 1
2017 South American Adventure
Day 1 – Saturday, January 28th – Seattle to Los Angeles and Beyond
Our 2017 South American adventure started on a partly cloudy, pleasant day in Seattle. With a mid-afternoon departure, I (Steve) had plenty of time to overthink my packing. That means I kept adding an item or two as the large red-patterned Dakine suitcase got fuller and fuller. At some point I started worrying that my bags might be too heavy: LATAM Airlines has a 23Kg (50 lb.) per bag allowance. And 16Kg for the carry-on. (This is the first time I’ve taken the laptop on an overseas trip). I however, was completely finished packing by midnight Friday, and was not stressed about it. It would seem old dogs can learn new tricks... or at least unlearn old ones - AFK
After breakfast at the 14 Carrot Café, we came back home and did some last-minute chores following Allan’s international travel checklist (circa 2004). We realized that items such as “travelers checks” and “money belts” no longer applied to how we travel and the list will get updated on our return. But it does help us remember to “turn off water and gas” and “lower hot water heater to ‘Vacation’ mode”.
We used Uber to get us to SeaTac airport, and arrived at 12:45PM. The airport was quiet and check-in at Alaska Airlines was a breeze. As it turned out, my bags weighed 19.3Kg and 9.0Kg, respectively. The lesson here is that I’m a bad judge of bag weight just by lifting it. Allan would also like the readership to know that his bags weighed less. (😉)
For some reason, Allan didn’t get TSA PreCheck on his boarding pass and had to go the normal security route. The airport was quiet and he at least got to use the Premium lane.
Allan wanted to see the mineral store (yes, there is really IS one) at the end of the C Concourse, where he bought a small bag of colored stones. We then made our way over to the North Satellite and hung out in the Alaska Airlines Board Room.
At approximately 2:00PM we made our way to gate N11 to board our flight to Los Angeles International: Alaska Airlines 472, a 737-990 registration N303AS, seats 2A and 2C (our favorites, as readers have come to realize). We pushed back on time and enjoyed the two-hour and twenty minute flight. A light-lunch was served and I spent most of the flight looking out the window.
In comparison to our late fall 2016 flights to Southern California (featuring brown landscapes with dramatically low lake levels), there was snow from pretty much southern Washington State all the way down to Southern California. We flew due west of Yosemite National Park, and the snow covered El Capitan and Half Dome peaks were clearly visible. When we were coming into LAX, the downtown Los Angeles backdrop of the white mountain tops and the warm glow of a late afternoon sun provided the kind of background that Los Angeles County marketers have used to sucker people into moving there for years.
We landed on the north complex of the airport and quickly taxied to Terminal 6, gate 65 on the other side of the airport. After collecting our two checked bags, we walked outside for about ten minutes to the Tom Bradley International Terminal to check-in with LATAM Airlines. Compared to our incredibly stressful 2010 experience with check-in and boarding, this one went smoothly and calmly. Allan had his revenge when the TSA security was the same for all passengers: no special privileges for Premium class passengers, and certainly no TSA PreCheck. This was peak hour at the terminal with many European-bound wide-body aircraft scheduled to leave. So, there were very long, very slow-moving lines. Did I mention the one TSA agent who was barking at people as if he were a Marine drill sergeant? Because loud and slow is the way to speak to hundreds of non-English visitors. It was embarrassing.
While waiting, we heard the shouts and saw the signs of protestors marching through the terminal. They were protesting President Trump’s executive order the prior day barring Muslim visitors from seven countries, even if they were coming back into the U.S.A. on legitimate green cards. We witnessed a bit of history, as these protests were also occurring at other major international airports, like Seattle and New York JFK. We were apologizing to foreign travelers in line with us about the cause of the protest, but not the protest itself, which was peaceful.
Eventually we got through security and had time to enjoy the shopping-mall like ambience of the recently-renewed terminal. High-end stores and huge multi-screen visual displays were the order of the day. Those visual displays were dazzling, and were “art” rather than “commerce”.
We made our way to the OneWorld Lounge on the 5th level and enjoyed the calm ambience and low-key lighting (I always look best in low-key lighting). The very large lounge didn’t provide a view of the tarmac (much to my disappointment), but had a great variety of food and drink offerings. They even had Lamingtons on the dessert tray, which an Australian gentleman corrected my mistaken thought that they came from Australia. In fact, they come from New Zealand (he said, “Lamb and Lamingtons”. I’d never heard the phrase, but who was I to argue with a feeling-no-pain Aussie bruiser?).
At about 7:30PM we left the lounge and made our way to Gate 130, where we boarded our LATAM 787-8, registration number CC-BBB. It was our first time on a 787, and we were both excited to see what the real experience would be. The high ceilings and layout gave the impression of open space.
LATAM configures their 787s in three classes: Premium Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Our seats were in 2J and 2L in the forward Premium Business class, the right pair of the 2-2-2 seating layout. There were three rows between Door 1 and Door 2, and then two more rows after Door 2. The spacious seats featured 72-inch pitch (the distance from one seat back to the other) with large video screens and copious legroom. The crew assigned to Business class were a mix of friendly men and women: the women had hair pulled back in knot, red uniforms, and very red lipstick. The men wore long-sleeve white shirts with black vests. And no lipstick.
Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits were handed out, as well as menus for the flight (more on the menus later). We made ourselves comfortable and were introduced to our friendly cabin manager, Carolina. We were offered a bowl of nuts and a drink: we both had orange juice, although champagne and water were also offered. The warm touches I remember from previous LAN flights were still intact.
Across the aisle from me was an American guy who was traveling on business to Cordoba, Argentina (via Santiago). He reminded me a little of Seth Rogen. Definitely an Apple geek: he had an iPad Pro, AirPods for his iPhone, etc. etc. Very friendly.
After boarding completed, we had an on-time pushback of 8:35PM and the engines growled to life. It was very quiet in the cabin (a hallmark of the plane) and the engines sounded more like a motor than a jet engine: a low-growl so to speak. We taxied along the south complex of the airport and took off to the west (I think we were airborne right at the point of the Tom Bradley terminal). The plane banked left over the Pacific and we started our way toward Lima, Peru.
It was a surprisingly choppy flight, particularly over the Baja Peninsula. Nevertheless, the flight attendants got to the dinner service: the men were plating in the galley, and the women were taking the orders and bringing drinks. It turns out the menus we were handed were for the northbound flight from Santiago and Lima. Our choices were a cheese ravioli or lamb. Allan chose the former, and I chose the latter. My first course was a puree of squash soup, accompanied by a green salad. Fresh warm rolls were offered. The lamb was quite moist and flavorful, accompanied by carrots and zucchini. For dessert, I had a cheesecake that was light rather than dense, with blueberries and strawberries. We both enjoyed some decaf coffee.
Once the dinner service was completed, we adjusted our seats into flat beds and slept for about four hours (we had both changed our shirts into our British Airways First Class pajama tops prior to takeoff). The plane was blissfully quiet.
Day 2 – Sunday, January 29th – Lima to Buenos Aires
I ended up having a nightmare: I was in our house in Seattle and heavy rain was smashing against the side of the house in wave after wave. I called out to Allan as I thought the house would collapse and I woke up with my heart racing. Or I woke with my heart racing because one of the male flight attendants was waking me up to have breakfast served. It was still dark in the cabin, and most people were still asleep.
My breakfast was scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms, a roll and some toast points. And good, strong coffee. As the sun rose in the east, the sky started to slowly reveal clouds over the Pacific. The electro-chromatic windows of the 787 all were kept low on the other side of the plane, which faced the quickly rising sun. We landed in Lima, Peru at 7:25, approximately 30 minutes ahead of schedule, after an eight hour and ten minute flight.
Lima’s modern airport was hopping, even at such an early hour. We had to clear security again, and then were allowed back into the departures area. Many duty-free shops, as well as several large shops with Peruvian knick-knacks. Peru is big tourist business. We made our way to the Sumaq Lounge, which was also busy at this early hour. We both enjoyed refreshing showers (in private shower rooms) and had some more coffee. The lounge even had a fresh orange juice maker, with a large basket of fresh oranges nearby. You’d load them into the top of the device and watch as they were split and squeeze into your waiting glass.
We gave ourselves about 45 minutes to walk around the large and modern terminal. There were a great variety of people going to many destinations in South America (and also back to North America). But we started to get worried as the Departures board continued to not post a gate for our connecting flight to Buenos Aires. Flights before and after were showing their gates, but not ours. Eventually, Gate 19 was posted and we headed toward the waiting crowd. As it turned out, our aircraft arrived about 30 minutes late, and at the time we were to board they were just unloading the passengers.
Once the crew was aboard and the plane refreshed, we boarded (after the elderly and families with children). LAN Peru flight 2429 was operated by a 767-316(ER) aircraft, registration CC-BDC. We had seats 2A and 2C in the three-row Premium Business cabin, with the same seating and layout as our previous flight. Despite the boarding delay, we took off only ten minutes late and headed down the coast of Peru.
Before takeoff we were given orange juice and a bowl of roasted peanuts. After takeoff, we were handed more basic amenity kits (just earplugs, an eye mask, slippers, and a pen) and lunch was served: a small piece of roast chicken, quinoa, green salad, and a dinner roll. Dessert was a surprisingly good flan.
We continued down the coast of Peru, and then turned inland south of Iquique, Chile, just north of Antofagasta. The Atacama desert stretched below, arid and brown in the mid-day sun. As we continued southeast toward Salta (in far west Argentina) the landscape was dotted by snow-capped volcanic peaks. Allan said it looked as if the earth had been turned upside down and the peaks dipped in powdered sugar. It was breathtakingly beautiful. And symbolic of the horrific drought that Chile is experiencing this year: wildfires have already consumed tens of thousands of acres of forest. Most maps show this area as being entirely snow-covered: it was anything but.
There was some evidence of mining as we flew over the southern coastal part of Peru, with some open pit mines and what appeared to be tailings left to bake in the desert nearby.
I've always had a special fascination for deserts: large expanses of dry, not necessarily desolate landscape. Empty, remote, alien. The intense heat repels me, but the intensity of life in such places is compelling. I always experience a strange, unexplained yearning when flying over them. - AFK
After crossing into Argentina, the landscape became greener and filled with farms. Very reminiscent of flying over Kansas. After approximately four hours, we landed at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, having completed approximately 7,000 miles of air travel in approximately 23 hours from start to finish.
We both felt fairly refreshed (thanks to the 787’s excellent cabin pressure and humidity, and the shower in Lima) and walked into the very warm, moist Argentinean air (approximately 88 degrees at 6:00PM).
We cleared immigration rather quickly, after they took a photo of our faces and our thumb prints), and didn’t have to wait too long for our bags. There was no customs to speak of, although the last step was putting our bags through a detector (perhaps looking for illegal fruits and plants, just like Hawaii). After a few minutes waiting for Taxi Ezeiza to get their act together (credit card person was in the loo, so Allan got cash, just in time for the credit card person to return), our driver Beto drove us into the city, an approximately 30 minute drive on a busy highway that reminded me of the Van Wyck Expressway in New York.
Mike and Chuck were already in the apartment on Azcuénaga (near Juncal) in the Recoleta neighborhood, with blessedly strong air conditioning cooling the place. (They had arrived on Wednesday and did a lot of sightseeing before we arrived).
The apartment was owned by a gay American couple, and they rent the place out (it was featured on an episode of “House Hunters International”). The cost worked out to about $150/night for all four of us. It was modern, with two full bathrooms, a large patio outside, spacious living room, dining room, and a good-sized (for the city) kitchen. We slept upstairs in the loft, which was quiet and cool. -Lovely apartment.Very easy and well located. -AFK
After changing out of our travel clothes, we headed off to a neighborhood Italian place for dinner: Los Pinos (Azcuénaga 1500, Recoleta). Our waiter spoke some English, having dated a woman in Shoreline, Washington years ago. Small world indeed. The food was plentiful and the atmosphere relaxed. After dinner we walked around the neighborhood and then headed back to the apartment for a good night’s sleep.
And sleep, we did.
Day 3 – Monday, January 30th –Buenos Aires
We awoke around 8:00AM, and then had a lazy morning as Chuck put together a breakfast of fresh rolls, pastries, cheese and meats. More Scandinavian than South American, but just as enjoyable.
We decided to explore the Palermo Soho neighborhood, and walked east along the tree-lined streets. The building architecture is all over the map: some beautiful late 19th-century edifice will be next to a 40s tropical style next to a modern high-rise apartment building. The streets were clean, and the traffic seems to flow fairly well. We stayed in the shade as much as we could, because the heat and humidity were stifling (temps were over 90 today). We carried bottles of water to keep hydrated.
We used the Alto Palermo mall as a chance to shop and cool off. Allan and Mike both bought colorful shorts, although I think the very cute sales boys had a lot to do with it. There are plenty of cute guys here in all shapes and sizes. - Quite so! - AFK
We were going to visit the Botanical Garden, but it appeared closed for renovation (although through the gates it was lush and shady). At some point we decided to get lunch, and Mike found a recommendation for an Argentinean steak named Parrilla Don Julio (Guatemala 4691, Palermo Viejo). It was an amazing (albeit pricey) meal: incredibly moist tenderloin steaks, a killer chimichurri, and fresh, hot "papas frites" (French fries). Allan and I started with a tasty multi-color beet salad, with shredded lemon peel. Mike and Chuck started with a fig and arugula salad, also excellent. The restaurant itself was lined floor-to-ceiling with shelves of wine bottles that had peoples’ comments pasted on the front. The service was very good, despite our communal attempts at Spanish. I know enough words to get into trouble…
After lunch, we walked through the leafy neighborhood, enjoying the shop windows and passing scenery. But given the heat and post-lunch sleepiness, we decided to take the subway (Subte) back to our neighborhood.
Buenos Aires has six subway lines, lettered A, B, C, D, E, and H. The original Line A was constructed in 1913 and was the first subway line in Latin America. We rode that one back in 2010. The stations aren’t air conditioned, but kept cool through large ceiling fans. The platforms are wide, and the trains modern (though again, not air conditioned). It uses a credit card like pass that can be charged up. Each ride is 7.50 Argentine Pesos: about fifty cents each. And the card is only swiped when you enter the station, so it can be used by one person, then swiped for another. (Thanks go to Jon Nicholson for lending us his SUBE card from his trip here in November!)
The D line took us from the Plaza Italia station to Pueyrredón in about ten minutes and we got back up to the sweltering streets and made our way back to the apartment (after a stop at the local market to pick up more drinks and food items). The coolness of the apartment made for nice, long nap…
In the early evening, we ventured out and headed toward the more upscale section of Recoleta, near the infamous cemetery (again, visited in 2010). Our destination this time was a restaurant that featured incredible empanadas (little baked foldover pies with different fillings): El Sanjuanino (Posadas 1515, Recoleta). There was no wait, and our plucky waiter took good care of us. Initially we were at a very tight table for four, but he moved us to a more spacious table for five.
We (myself, Chuck, and Mike) enjoyed a delicious carafe of sangria, followed by several different kinds of empanadas. I had the chicken as well as cheese and onion. Allan enjoyed the ham and cheese variety, as well as chicken. Chuck had the corn, which was quite outstanding. And Mike had some combination of these same ones. We also shared more French fries (see a pattern here?) as well as some melted provolone. It was a fun dinner, and compared to the very pricey lunch, a much more reasonable cost. It was nice for us to take the boys to a place that we’d enjoyed in 2010.
We leisurely walked home, again enjoying the shop windows and the male scenery. Once again the welcoming coolness of the apartment helped us have a great night’s sleep.
Day 1 – Saturday, January 28th – Seattle to Los Angeles and Beyond
Our 2017 South American adventure started on a partly cloudy, pleasant day in Seattle. With a mid-afternoon departure, I (Steve) had plenty of time to overthink my packing. That means I kept adding an item or two as the large red-patterned Dakine suitcase got fuller and fuller. At some point I started worrying that my bags might be too heavy: LATAM Airlines has a 23Kg (50 lb.) per bag allowance. And 16Kg for the carry-on. (This is the first time I’ve taken the laptop on an overseas trip). I however, was completely finished packing by midnight Friday, and was not stressed about it. It would seem old dogs can learn new tricks... or at least unlearn old ones - AFK
After breakfast at the 14 Carrot Café, we came back home and did some last-minute chores following Allan’s international travel checklist (circa 2004). We realized that items such as “travelers checks” and “money belts” no longer applied to how we travel and the list will get updated on our return. But it does help us remember to “turn off water and gas” and “lower hot water heater to ‘Vacation’ mode”.
We used Uber to get us to SeaTac airport, and arrived at 12:45PM. The airport was quiet and check-in at Alaska Airlines was a breeze. As it turned out, my bags weighed 19.3Kg and 9.0Kg, respectively. The lesson here is that I’m a bad judge of bag weight just by lifting it. Allan would also like the readership to know that his bags weighed less. (😉)
For some reason, Allan didn’t get TSA PreCheck on his boarding pass and had to go the normal security route. The airport was quiet and he at least got to use the Premium lane.
Allan wanted to see the mineral store (yes, there is really IS one) at the end of the C Concourse, where he bought a small bag of colored stones. We then made our way over to the North Satellite and hung out in the Alaska Airlines Board Room.
At approximately 2:00PM we made our way to gate N11 to board our flight to Los Angeles International: Alaska Airlines 472, a 737-990 registration N303AS, seats 2A and 2C (our favorites, as readers have come to realize). We pushed back on time and enjoyed the two-hour and twenty minute flight. A light-lunch was served and I spent most of the flight looking out the window.
In comparison to our late fall 2016 flights to Southern California (featuring brown landscapes with dramatically low lake levels), there was snow from pretty much southern Washington State all the way down to Southern California. We flew due west of Yosemite National Park, and the snow covered El Capitan and Half Dome peaks were clearly visible. When we were coming into LAX, the downtown Los Angeles backdrop of the white mountain tops and the warm glow of a late afternoon sun provided the kind of background that Los Angeles County marketers have used to sucker people into moving there for years.
We landed on the north complex of the airport and quickly taxied to Terminal 6, gate 65 on the other side of the airport. After collecting our two checked bags, we walked outside for about ten minutes to the Tom Bradley International Terminal to check-in with LATAM Airlines. Compared to our incredibly stressful 2010 experience with check-in and boarding, this one went smoothly and calmly. Allan had his revenge when the TSA security was the same for all passengers: no special privileges for Premium class passengers, and certainly no TSA PreCheck. This was peak hour at the terminal with many European-bound wide-body aircraft scheduled to leave. So, there were very long, very slow-moving lines. Did I mention the one TSA agent who was barking at people as if he were a Marine drill sergeant? Because loud and slow is the way to speak to hundreds of non-English visitors. It was embarrassing.
While waiting, we heard the shouts and saw the signs of protestors marching through the terminal. They were protesting President Trump’s executive order the prior day barring Muslim visitors from seven countries, even if they were coming back into the U.S.A. on legitimate green cards. We witnessed a bit of history, as these protests were also occurring at other major international airports, like Seattle and New York JFK. We were apologizing to foreign travelers in line with us about the cause of the protest, but not the protest itself, which was peaceful.
Eventually we got through security and had time to enjoy the shopping-mall like ambience of the recently-renewed terminal. High-end stores and huge multi-screen visual displays were the order of the day. Those visual displays were dazzling, and were “art” rather than “commerce”.
We made our way to the OneWorld Lounge on the 5th level and enjoyed the calm ambience and low-key lighting (I always look best in low-key lighting). The very large lounge didn’t provide a view of the tarmac (much to my disappointment), but had a great variety of food and drink offerings. They even had Lamingtons on the dessert tray, which an Australian gentleman corrected my mistaken thought that they came from Australia. In fact, they come from New Zealand (he said, “Lamb and Lamingtons”. I’d never heard the phrase, but who was I to argue with a feeling-no-pain Aussie bruiser?).
At about 7:30PM we left the lounge and made our way to Gate 130, where we boarded our LATAM 787-8, registration number CC-BBB. It was our first time on a 787, and we were both excited to see what the real experience would be. The high ceilings and layout gave the impression of open space.
LATAM configures their 787s in three classes: Premium Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Our seats were in 2J and 2L in the forward Premium Business class, the right pair of the 2-2-2 seating layout. There were three rows between Door 1 and Door 2, and then two more rows after Door 2. The spacious seats featured 72-inch pitch (the distance from one seat back to the other) with large video screens and copious legroom. The crew assigned to Business class were a mix of friendly men and women: the women had hair pulled back in knot, red uniforms, and very red lipstick. The men wore long-sleeve white shirts with black vests. And no lipstick.
Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits were handed out, as well as menus for the flight (more on the menus later). We made ourselves comfortable and were introduced to our friendly cabin manager, Carolina. We were offered a bowl of nuts and a drink: we both had orange juice, although champagne and water were also offered. The warm touches I remember from previous LAN flights were still intact.
Across the aisle from me was an American guy who was traveling on business to Cordoba, Argentina (via Santiago). He reminded me a little of Seth Rogen. Definitely an Apple geek: he had an iPad Pro, AirPods for his iPhone, etc. etc. Very friendly.
After boarding completed, we had an on-time pushback of 8:35PM and the engines growled to life. It was very quiet in the cabin (a hallmark of the plane) and the engines sounded more like a motor than a jet engine: a low-growl so to speak. We taxied along the south complex of the airport and took off to the west (I think we were airborne right at the point of the Tom Bradley terminal). The plane banked left over the Pacific and we started our way toward Lima, Peru.
It was a surprisingly choppy flight, particularly over the Baja Peninsula. Nevertheless, the flight attendants got to the dinner service: the men were plating in the galley, and the women were taking the orders and bringing drinks. It turns out the menus we were handed were for the northbound flight from Santiago and Lima. Our choices were a cheese ravioli or lamb. Allan chose the former, and I chose the latter. My first course was a puree of squash soup, accompanied by a green salad. Fresh warm rolls were offered. The lamb was quite moist and flavorful, accompanied by carrots and zucchini. For dessert, I had a cheesecake that was light rather than dense, with blueberries and strawberries. We both enjoyed some decaf coffee.
Once the dinner service was completed, we adjusted our seats into flat beds and slept for about four hours (we had both changed our shirts into our British Airways First Class pajama tops prior to takeoff). The plane was blissfully quiet.
Day 2 – Sunday, January 29th – Lima to Buenos Aires
I ended up having a nightmare: I was in our house in Seattle and heavy rain was smashing against the side of the house in wave after wave. I called out to Allan as I thought the house would collapse and I woke up with my heart racing. Or I woke with my heart racing because one of the male flight attendants was waking me up to have breakfast served. It was still dark in the cabin, and most people were still asleep.
My breakfast was scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms, a roll and some toast points. And good, strong coffee. As the sun rose in the east, the sky started to slowly reveal clouds over the Pacific. The electro-chromatic windows of the 787 all were kept low on the other side of the plane, which faced the quickly rising sun. We landed in Lima, Peru at 7:25, approximately 30 minutes ahead of schedule, after an eight hour and ten minute flight.
Lima’s modern airport was hopping, even at such an early hour. We had to clear security again, and then were allowed back into the departures area. Many duty-free shops, as well as several large shops with Peruvian knick-knacks. Peru is big tourist business. We made our way to the Sumaq Lounge, which was also busy at this early hour. We both enjoyed refreshing showers (in private shower rooms) and had some more coffee. The lounge even had a fresh orange juice maker, with a large basket of fresh oranges nearby. You’d load them into the top of the device and watch as they were split and squeeze into your waiting glass.
We gave ourselves about 45 minutes to walk around the large and modern terminal. There were a great variety of people going to many destinations in South America (and also back to North America). But we started to get worried as the Departures board continued to not post a gate for our connecting flight to Buenos Aires. Flights before and after were showing their gates, but not ours. Eventually, Gate 19 was posted and we headed toward the waiting crowd. As it turned out, our aircraft arrived about 30 minutes late, and at the time we were to board they were just unloading the passengers.
Once the crew was aboard and the plane refreshed, we boarded (after the elderly and families with children). LAN Peru flight 2429 was operated by a 767-316(ER) aircraft, registration CC-BDC. We had seats 2A and 2C in the three-row Premium Business cabin, with the same seating and layout as our previous flight. Despite the boarding delay, we took off only ten minutes late and headed down the coast of Peru.
Before takeoff we were given orange juice and a bowl of roasted peanuts. After takeoff, we were handed more basic amenity kits (just earplugs, an eye mask, slippers, and a pen) and lunch was served: a small piece of roast chicken, quinoa, green salad, and a dinner roll. Dessert was a surprisingly good flan.
We continued down the coast of Peru, and then turned inland south of Iquique, Chile, just north of Antofagasta. The Atacama desert stretched below, arid and brown in the mid-day sun. As we continued southeast toward Salta (in far west Argentina) the landscape was dotted by snow-capped volcanic peaks. Allan said it looked as if the earth had been turned upside down and the peaks dipped in powdered sugar. It was breathtakingly beautiful. And symbolic of the horrific drought that Chile is experiencing this year: wildfires have already consumed tens of thousands of acres of forest. Most maps show this area as being entirely snow-covered: it was anything but.
There was some evidence of mining as we flew over the southern coastal part of Peru, with some open pit mines and what appeared to be tailings left to bake in the desert nearby.
I've always had a special fascination for deserts: large expanses of dry, not necessarily desolate landscape. Empty, remote, alien. The intense heat repels me, but the intensity of life in such places is compelling. I always experience a strange, unexplained yearning when flying over them. - AFK
After crossing into Argentina, the landscape became greener and filled with farms. Very reminiscent of flying over Kansas. After approximately four hours, we landed at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, having completed approximately 7,000 miles of air travel in approximately 23 hours from start to finish.
We both felt fairly refreshed (thanks to the 787’s excellent cabin pressure and humidity, and the shower in Lima) and walked into the very warm, moist Argentinean air (approximately 88 degrees at 6:00PM).
We cleared immigration rather quickly, after they took a photo of our faces and our thumb prints), and didn’t have to wait too long for our bags. There was no customs to speak of, although the last step was putting our bags through a detector (perhaps looking for illegal fruits and plants, just like Hawaii). After a few minutes waiting for Taxi Ezeiza to get their act together (credit card person was in the loo, so Allan got cash, just in time for the credit card person to return), our driver Beto drove us into the city, an approximately 30 minute drive on a busy highway that reminded me of the Van Wyck Expressway in New York.
Mike and Chuck were already in the apartment on Azcuénaga (near Juncal) in the Recoleta neighborhood, with blessedly strong air conditioning cooling the place. (They had arrived on Wednesday and did a lot of sightseeing before we arrived).
The apartment was owned by a gay American couple, and they rent the place out (it was featured on an episode of “House Hunters International”). The cost worked out to about $150/night for all four of us. It was modern, with two full bathrooms, a large patio outside, spacious living room, dining room, and a good-sized (for the city) kitchen. We slept upstairs in the loft, which was quiet and cool. -Lovely apartment.Very easy and well located. -AFK
After changing out of our travel clothes, we headed off to a neighborhood Italian place for dinner: Los Pinos (Azcuénaga 1500, Recoleta). Our waiter spoke some English, having dated a woman in Shoreline, Washington years ago. Small world indeed. The food was plentiful and the atmosphere relaxed. After dinner we walked around the neighborhood and then headed back to the apartment for a good night’s sleep.
And sleep, we did.
Day 3 – Monday, January 30th –Buenos Aires
We awoke around 8:00AM, and then had a lazy morning as Chuck put together a breakfast of fresh rolls, pastries, cheese and meats. More Scandinavian than South American, but just as enjoyable.
We decided to explore the Palermo Soho neighborhood, and walked east along the tree-lined streets. The building architecture is all over the map: some beautiful late 19th-century edifice will be next to a 40s tropical style next to a modern high-rise apartment building. The streets were clean, and the traffic seems to flow fairly well. We stayed in the shade as much as we could, because the heat and humidity were stifling (temps were over 90 today). We carried bottles of water to keep hydrated.
We used the Alto Palermo mall as a chance to shop and cool off. Allan and Mike both bought colorful shorts, although I think the very cute sales boys had a lot to do with it. There are plenty of cute guys here in all shapes and sizes. - Quite so! - AFK
We were going to visit the Botanical Garden, but it appeared closed for renovation (although through the gates it was lush and shady). At some point we decided to get lunch, and Mike found a recommendation for an Argentinean steak named Parrilla Don Julio (Guatemala 4691, Palermo Viejo). It was an amazing (albeit pricey) meal: incredibly moist tenderloin steaks, a killer chimichurri, and fresh, hot "papas frites" (French fries). Allan and I started with a tasty multi-color beet salad, with shredded lemon peel. Mike and Chuck started with a fig and arugula salad, also excellent. The restaurant itself was lined floor-to-ceiling with shelves of wine bottles that had peoples’ comments pasted on the front. The service was very good, despite our communal attempts at Spanish. I know enough words to get into trouble…
After lunch, we walked through the leafy neighborhood, enjoying the shop windows and passing scenery. But given the heat and post-lunch sleepiness, we decided to take the subway (Subte) back to our neighborhood.
Buenos Aires has six subway lines, lettered A, B, C, D, E, and H. The original Line A was constructed in 1913 and was the first subway line in Latin America. We rode that one back in 2010. The stations aren’t air conditioned, but kept cool through large ceiling fans. The platforms are wide, and the trains modern (though again, not air conditioned). It uses a credit card like pass that can be charged up. Each ride is 7.50 Argentine Pesos: about fifty cents each. And the card is only swiped when you enter the station, so it can be used by one person, then swiped for another. (Thanks go to Jon Nicholson for lending us his SUBE card from his trip here in November!)
The D line took us from the Plaza Italia station to Pueyrredón in about ten minutes and we got back up to the sweltering streets and made our way back to the apartment (after a stop at the local market to pick up more drinks and food items). The coolness of the apartment made for nice, long nap…
In the early evening, we ventured out and headed toward the more upscale section of Recoleta, near the infamous cemetery (again, visited in 2010). Our destination this time was a restaurant that featured incredible empanadas (little baked foldover pies with different fillings): El Sanjuanino (Posadas 1515, Recoleta). There was no wait, and our plucky waiter took good care of us. Initially we were at a very tight table for four, but he moved us to a more spacious table for five.
We (myself, Chuck, and Mike) enjoyed a delicious carafe of sangria, followed by several different kinds of empanadas. I had the chicken as well as cheese and onion. Allan enjoyed the ham and cheese variety, as well as chicken. Chuck had the corn, which was quite outstanding. And Mike had some combination of these same ones. We also shared more French fries (see a pattern here?) as well as some melted provolone. It was a fun dinner, and compared to the very pricey lunch, a much more reasonable cost. It was nice for us to take the boys to a place that we’d enjoyed in 2010.
We leisurely walked home, again enjoying the shop windows and the male scenery. Once again the welcoming coolness of the apartment helped us have a great night’s sleep.
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