We have finally made it back to our side of the world. In three very long days, we traversed the globe from Bali, Indonesia to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mila documented our journey in an email she sent to our family. Here are the details of the hectic voyage
To fill you guys in on the last several exciting days...
We took off from Bali at around 10 am for our flight at 1pm 1/15/13
2 hours 40 minutes later we were in Singapore. Since our next flight wasn't until 2 am, we decided to hit the town to see some of the light shows again. Back to the airport at 10pm..check in at 11pm for flight only to be told we cannot board the flight without having an onward ticket from Argentina....shit! Spend 2 hours looking for a refundable flight/ arguing with the staff. Finally buy a refundable ticket only to hear "oh we don't actually need to see it"...really???
(in 15 countries traveled never have we been asked for an onward ticket)
Flight to Qatar, Doha airport 7.5 hours
3 hour layover
Flight to San Paola, Brazil 14.5 hours
Stay on plane for 1 hour as new passengers load
Flight to Buenos Aires 2.5 hours
At this point we are 1/4 alive and I nearly have a heart attack as the plane almost lands (literally 3 feet from the ground) then violently jerks back up into the sky. I look back and the flight attendant is shaking her head and looks rather pale. I panic and pray that our lives are not over. Scott is too tired to realize how scared i am. 20 minutes later, after more circling the skies at a very slow pace, we land
"The incident" is never talked about...
We arrive BA 1/16/13 and after customs we head outside. Passport control does not ask for onward flight as we thought...
Booking forward ticket- pointless and unnecessary and too stressful
Next we realize we made a reservation for our hostel for the incorrect day 17 not 16... We decide to spend the night at the airport and head to our hostel via a 2 hour bus ride at 7 am. We arrive at 10 am for a glorious shower. From the door of our hotel in Bali to the door of our hotel in Buenos Aires, 58 hours elapsed.
As you can imagine, we were quite happy to see our home in the San Telmo barrio of Buenos Aires when we eventually made it there. We hadn't slept in 3 days, but we decided to hit the town anyway. We walked around a bit and found a lovely little cafe to enjoy our first taste of Argentina. We had a great waiter and a nice bottle of wine. After lunch/ dinner we went back to the hotel and fell asleep at 4:00 PM. We didn't wake until the following day, well needed. Thank you sleep deprivation and wine.
Some observations from our first five days in this new country and continent:
1) South America is not nearly as inexpensive as South East Asia. We cannot believe a restaurant would have the audacity to charge $10- $15 for a dinner. In South East Asia, meals are $2- $5 and delicious. This will take some mental and financial adjustments
2) Many people we have spoken to in Buenos Aires don't speak any English. In most countries, the citizens adjust to the rest of the world and learn English. In Argentina, it seems like the citizens speak Spanish and it's up to the tourists to be competent in that language. We have enjoyed being able to have some BASIC conversations with the locals in their own tongue.
3) Argentina has a lot to offer. The more we look into it, the more excited we get to experience the natural beauty of this country. In the next two months, we will see the Iguazu Waterfalls (on a bus there as we write this) and Patagonia. Both of these have been high on our bucket lists since we first dreamed of this vacation. If you have never seen these places, look them up. It is hard to imagine that places this beautiful exist.
Please enjoy the following images from our first week in Buenos Aires
Cafe con leche y tres medialunas- we have been making a daily practice out of this morning tradition and will soon have to go on a 12 step detox program to get the butter out of our veins
San Telmo- the oldest barrio, European style with cobblestone streets
Our accommodations... Just kidding. We prefer not to stay with ghosts
La Boca- the most colorful streets we have ever seen lined with artists, shops, restaurants and tango dancers
A couple dancing the tango at a restaurant while an older gentlemen waits for his chance to sing
Mila wore her most colorful shirt as to not stand out
Around the area
Empanadas grande y delicioso
Buenos Aires Centro
Casa Rosada- this balcony is where Evita (Eva Peron) gave her moving speeches to the people of Argentina
Beautiful lights throughout the city
Teatro Colon- one of the most famous theaters in the world
Recoletta cemetery- many well known Argentinians are buried here including Evita. It's hard to know what face to make when you are in front of a grave and people are staring at you
Mila loves cemeteries
Other sites in Recoletta
For those Bill and Ted fans out there
Feria de San Telmo- occurs every Sunday. The main square was right outside our front door. People are selling everything you can think of. The booths go on for over a mile. If you click on the picture, you can see how far it goes
They still got it!!!
Music and street performers
Sleep standing
San Marco square- not sure where that light was coming from
Either Mila shrunk or that bench is huge
Parks around Palermo
The cobblestone streets of Palermo Soho
MALBA museum
Artwork by Frida Kahlo
And finally, King Kong constructed entirely out of marijuana. It was behind glass. Apparently people were trying to light it on fire... Or maybe it just has a high street value
We will see everyone next time from the majestic Igauzu Falls. If any of you want to join us on our adventure through Patagonia, let us know. We would love to have you.
-Scott and Mila
P.s. Thanks to Ryan, Pat, Tomo and everybody else for all your comments on the Ubud, Bali post. We have enjoyed reading them
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- Posted around the world from our iPad
glad your flight(s), after much turbulence and delay, finally landed safely.
ReplyDeletea family member who shall remain nameless but is your father would like you to lift potzilla from el museo.
Scott, Im diggin' the Prefontaine look! It's mysterious and wholesome... I made it my screen saver.Anyways, It's a good thing you guys are going through South America before coming back here. It will ease the sticker shock. We cried going from Italy to the US (comparing the cost of amazing wine and simple food between the two).It would be rough going from Bali to the US.
ReplyDeletePat, I almost cried laughing about Potzilla... Scott, see what you can do for Pops. Heck, for all of us! That would be an epic souvenir. One we could sit around and... enjoy. SKREEEEEEEONNNNNK
Lots of favorite pics here. Too many to list actually. The bench art that Mila is sitting on is close to some of the best Italy had to offer. No joke. I love that piece. Try to bring that home too while you're at it. The trees lining the streets of Palermo Soho and the color accent on Buenos Aires Centro are nice too...
Miss you guys lots. Can't wait until we all get together when you back...