Argentina 2016: 1 - Preparation and getting there

George McLachrie and Leo Verlaan, friends from Vancouver, Canada for 50 years, had talked of a trip together when we all turned 70, but in the end nothing came of it. This year we are all 75 years old, so Argentina was chosen as a destination and I put together a trip including hotels, flights and ferries.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

The first thing I found out this morning was that my flight to Lima, where I was to connect for Bueno Aires, was cancelled with no explanation. Monika, my company general manager, got in touch with Avianca Airlines and arranged a flight to San Salvador from where a flight to Lima would connect with the Buenos Aires flight. It was a scramble to be at the airport 4 hours earlier than expected, but Marilynn put together a quick breakfast while I packed before she drove me to the airport.

The one hour flight to San Salvador on an Airbus 321 was comfortable, and even though the flight was short a hot meal was served with wine. I had time for a beer in the lounge before the very comfortable four hour flight to Lima on an Airbus 330. The service was excellent. After a few drinks and an excellent meal I had a siesta on the flat bed seat.

There were no formalities in El Salvador, but Lima had a series of line ups. There was no immigration or customs, but there was a slow line for security, a slower one to get into the airline lounge, and another to get a beer. By this time I had to drink it down to join the check in line and another in the jetway.

The plane was another Airbus 330 with the same layout. I had a large scotch, but declined dinner due to the large meal on the last flight, and was able to sleep for a couple of hours. There was a four hour time change from Lima on the four hour flight.

Thursday, Nov 10, 2016

Being first off the plane there was no line in immigration, and customs was quick. A taxi booth that accepted credit cards to prepay the US $41.50 fare and a fast ride with no traffic got me to the very nice Bulnes Eco Suites Hotel before 6 AM, but as the hotel was full they couldn't promise a room before the 2 PM check in time. There was a lounge on the 10th floor with tables, chairs and a couple of two seat sofas. Using the free wifi I sent a couple of emails then tried to sleep on one of the sofas before going for a walk around the largely residential area with a lot of small shops and restaurants. A couple of croissants and tea did for breakfast.

The very cooperative hotel staff had a suite for me by a little after 1 PM. It has a king bed, sofa and TV in one room and twin beds, a TV, kitchen table, microwave, fridge, coffee maker and large balcony in the other. Being first there, I commandeered the king bed!

I then set off on a subway (called subte) trip to change money. Hotel people provided a map, US$20 of pesos and instructions to buy a subway pass at a nearby drug store. I walked a block to the subway looking for a farmacia, Spanish for drug store, but didn't find one. There was one I'd passed earlier in the day in the opposite direction, but they didn't sell Subte cards. When I returned to the hotel I learned that in Argentina a drug store is not a drug store, it is a convenience store, and one was located two doors from the hotel. The subte fare is 8 pesos (54 US cents) per ride, so I bought 3 cards with 50 pesos on each for the 3 of us.

I went down into the subway, and fortunately asked if the train was going the direction I needed to go. The answer was no. There is no way to go from one track to the other without leaving the subway, crossing the street at a crosswalk and descending again. Having accomplished that, I faced an array of gates with different symbols on them. Someone pointed out I was trying to put my card in the wrong slot of the wrong gate. Once I got the gate right I tried to figure out the card - in spite of a magnetic strip, it turned out to be electronic and needed to be placed on a reader. After several attempts a lady waiting behind me pointed out that when the card is read a tiny green arrow illuminates to indicate one can push through the gate.

The train was packed, so it was necessary to stand but I missed the stop where I wanted to change trains, however from the end of the line it looked like about a 12 block walk to one of the very few state banks that would change money. My knees were already complaining from the neighbourhood walk from the morning.

Once above ground I asked a policeman for Ave Florida where the bank was located. He pointed so I headed that way. After a few blocks it didn't seem right, as the hotel map showed Florida to be a pedestrian street and the one I was on had a huge traffic jam caused by a parade and demonstration involving thousands of people. A policeman who was trying to sort out traffic told me to go two blocks that way, three blocks left, turn right and it'll be a couple of blocks from there. Similar directions from various people had me doing a through exploration of that part of the city over the next hour and a half. It even involved marching in the parade as I tried to work my way across a wide street filled with protesters with banners, drums and explosive fireworks. Eventually someone confirmed I was at the beginning of Ave. Florida, and right beside the subte station I started from, so I started off on the 12 block hike to Banco Metropolitano to change money. It was 32 degrees C (90 F) and I didn't have pesos to even buy water - I tried but they wouldn't take US dollars.

After hiking 5 blocks someone approached me to exchange money. The hotel warned me not to change money on the street, but as my legs were about to collapse, I was desperately thirsty, the heat, crowds and distance to go gave me all the incentive needed to trust my long experience dealing with street money changers. I followed the fellow to a magazine kiosk where I negotiated with the proprietor in a dark corner. Eventually he agreed to a rate 5 pesos higher than offered, 2 pesos over the official rate. He sorted three equal bundles of money so my partners would not have find a money changer, then directed me to a place a block away that sold cold beer.

My return to the subte station involved two stops where ice cold one litre bottles of Quilmes beer went down well, accompanied by a delicious quiche in one place. This time I had no problem with the subte, and I got a seat as it was the beginning of the line. On the way to the hotel I stopped at our friendly "drug store" to have the balance on my subte card checked - it was minus 15 pesos. I had not only used the whole balance of card trying to learn the system, but surprisingly the card accepted overdrafts! After bringing the card back to 50 pesos and buying some water I headed home for a siesta.

Dinner was at nice restaurant a couple of blocks from the hotel. Food in the area is not expensive and beer is also reasonable. It was an early night with a sleeping pill to overcome any jet lag.