Nuestros viajes - dos
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This article covers our time in Argentina, which included five nights in Buenos Aires, three nights in El Calafate, three nights in Iguazú, and then back to Buenos Aires for another four nights.
Day 13
We left Mexico City for Buenos Aires, Argentina, early in the morning of 5 November 2023. We had a long day of travel ahead of us as there were no direct flights between the two cities. This necessitated an approximately 5-hour layover in Bogota, Columbia. We boarded an Avianca flight to Bogota around 5 a.m. from a departure gate that had seen better days. People were buying beers and little liquor bottles, so they must have known something that we didn't. I don't recall an inflight service pass through, so maybe it was that!
The plane was quite small, and legroom was practically nonexistent. Being a somewhat frequent flyer and of a height of over six feet, I've definitely noticed over the years how legroom in economy has gradually decreased to the point of being much more uncomfortable. Nearly all airlines have been attempting to squeeze more money out of ticket purchases by breaking the economy section into other subsections and extorting money for the extra space. I refuse to play along, despite the inconvenience of having my legs dig into the seat in front sometimes. Having to pay extra to potentially save people's lives in an emergency (by booking the exit row seats) is another scam I'll have no part in.
We arrived in Bogota airport, got some food, and loitered around while we waited for our second flight. Despite the five-hour wait, time went by quite quickly. The second plane (also Avianca) was much better, and I was able to get some better sleep. When we arrived in Buenos Aires after midnight, there were long immigration queues at the airport, but we got through without an issue. We took a taxi to our hotel and chatted to our friendly driver about our travel plans while in Argentina.
Seeing Iguazú Falls was a big bucket list item for me. I was already aware from reading the news that a storm surge the week prior to our arrival had led to record high water levels, and some of the walkways and trails had been damaged or washed away. I was understandably anxious that this part of the trip would be a letdown. The taxi driver was also well-informed about this news, and we talked about it on the way to the hotel. Hopefully the situation would be improved when we got there.
We got to our hotel and checked in. We were staying at the Ilum Experience hotel in the Palermo Hollywood area of Buenos Aires. The hotel was very nice and modern, and our room overlooked the outdoor pool. We had been on the go for nearly a full 24 hours, so once we got to our room, we went straight to sleep.
Day 14
On our first full day in Buenos Aires, we slept in until noon. We obviously needed sleep! Having missed breakfast and not really feeling hungry anyway, we headed into the downtown Palermo area as we needed to get SIM cards. I was able to pay a little extra to my US mobile provider to get data and calls/texts in Mexico, but in Argentina, I couldn't avail of the same benefit. Since we would be in Argentina for about 21 days, we felt it would be a good idea to get a monthly mobile plan in case we got stuck out and about with no Wi-Fi to fall back on.
I had researched the options during the trip planning, and we tried both Claro and Movistar stores. What I had read online did not gel with the reality on the ground. The staff were pretty unhelpful, and it seems that we were unable to buy a SIM card at the actual store. It was not the experience I had with providers in other countries. At a small kiosk desk in a shopping mall, the attendant was very blunt and pointed to a small sign on the counter, explaining in Spanish what we had to do. While we were figuring out our next steps, an English couple that approached her received a curt "No!" when asked if she spoke English. And that was that! We left feeling no more enlightened.
We found a tech store nearby, and the staff there were very helpful despite the language barrier. We purchased two Claro SIM cards and were told to give it an hour or two for our registration to complete (we would get a text), then go online to purchase a prepaid plan. I cannot recall how much they charged us, and I don't have it in my notes, but I remember feeling it was surprisingly expensive. But we'll come back to that.
With phones sorted, we stopped for lunch at La Pharmacie. The food was decent, and we noticed the one thing that would continue throughout our Argentianian journey: the portion sizes were massive! Unlike the UK or Ireland, it's not too common to drink pints of beer here. Similar to continental Europe, people prefer to order glasses of beer or buy a large 500-ml bottle and share. Patagonia lager was a go-to for me throughout our trip. We ate outside since the weather was nice. The pigeons and other small birds were relentless in their attempts to make off with any food from the table or ground that they could. No sooner had people paid their bill and walked off, that the birds would swoop on the table to pick through their leftovers.
Buenos Aires has a very European feel to it, and while we discussed our first impressions, Dominique commented that she felt the vibe was quite unfriendly. That would improve over our trip, but we did experience time and again that if locals didn't have any English, they would make absolutely no effort to communicate or assist. I well understand that you cannot expect people to cater to your needs when English is not their first language. Especially without a little effort to speak their language on your part. But I cannot understand the attitude some people have around helping tourists or foreigners in need.
We returned to the hotel via a stop at a local store to get some provisions for the room. We went down to check out the pool and go swimming, but I think we came after the peak sunshine. The pool area caught very little sun in the later afternoon/evening, so the water was very cold.
Back in the room, we purchased our mobile plans, which ended up being good value for a month of calls/texts and 25GB of data each. It was around this time that I noticed that the dollar charges on my US bank account were working out much less than the peso equivalent we had paid that day for various things. We couldn't quite work out what was going on, but subsequent research enlightened us to the fact that Argentina has many different exchange rates for various situations and special cases. The "official" exchange rate used when doing a quick currency conversion on Google will likely not be the one used when paying for goods and services as a tourist. During our trip, we found ourselves paying about a third of the actual peso amount presented as a total. This worked out very much in our favour, so if you're looking for your next cheap holiday, consider Argentina!
In the evening, we went to a local restaurant called La Dorita for dinner. It was a nice little steakhouse, and the staff were great. We shared some empanadas for starters and then ordered a steak to share along with some vegetables as a side. Again, the portions were very large, and the single steak was an ample meal for two people. Even the sides were huge! My advice when eating out is to order a little at a time, because you may end up receiving more than you bargained for and just waste a lot of food. As this was Argentina, the wine options were also great, and I found myself drinking wine more often when we went out for food.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel. Dominique fell asleep, and I sat up for a little while scanning the TV channels for something in English. I ended up watching wayyy too much of the film Beverly Hills Ninja.
Day 15
The next morning we managed to get up in time for breakfast. It was continental buffet style with mostly cold offerings such as cereal, fruit, yoghurts, breads, deli meats, and cheeses.
Because we had done so much in Mexico City, and we had a lot planned for El Calafate and Iguazú too, we didn't really schedule a lot of activities for our time in Buenos Aires. We wanted to just get a sense of the city and enjoy some poolside relaxation time. With that being said, tonight we had tickets for a Tango show at 7 p.m.
After breakfast, we walked along Avenue Juan Bautista Justo to the Parque El Rosedal gardens. This is a beautiful rose garden set in a wonderful, large park near one of the airports in Buenos Aires. We strolled over the gorgeous Puente Griego, the Greek bridge, and through the Jardín de Los Poetas, dedicated to renowned poets. There are so many rose beds of all different varieties in the garden, and you'll definitely want to stop for photos. We continued over to the Patio Andaluz, a wonderful patio with tile mosaics in bright colours. Parrots were swooping in and out of the trees as we walked through the park. [Image 1] [Image 2]
Next, we ventured over to the Jardín Japonés, an idyllic garden filled with Japanese landscaping and motifs, ponds, and bonsai trees. There's a sushi bar and a cafe in the garden, which has a reasonable entrance fee. It was very hot today, and I welcomed any opportunity I could get to stand in the shade. This Irish skin of mine is usually guaranteed to burn! [Image 3]
On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped by the Distrito Arcos, which is a pretty cool outdoor shopping mall. Some of the stores are built into the arches of the railway viaduct that runs along one of the mall boundaries. I thought it was a really smart use of the space. There are some decent clothing brands represented here if you want to do some shopping, and there was a sale happening in pretty much every store we walked past. We stopped and had a drink at the beer garden, Maldini—all of this walking was thirsty work!
Back at the hotel, we got ready for the tango show. Since it's mentioned here in my notes, now is as good a time as any to talk about the bidet situation in Argentina. Standalone bidets are very common in Argentina, and we had one in every hotel where we stayed. I had never used one before, so I was curious as to the benefits and experience itself. Suffice to say I am now a convert!
The bus picked us up at our hotel shortly before 7 p.m. We had booked the tango show through Viator and had chosen the option to include dinner at the theatre. The small van/bus made some stops at other hotels to pick up additional guests and then dropped us off at La Ventana, a lovely little theatre in the San Telmo district.
We were given our vouchers that we exchanged for our tickets and headed inside to be shown to our seats. There was a silly little photoshoot in a staging area where each group could get their photo taken with some props. Participation seemed mandatory, but the photo they tried to sell us later was entirely optional—thankfully!
The seating area was in the cellar below ground level, and it was communal seating, with four people on average at a table. We didn't have anyone seated with us, however, which was good because space was at a premium. It was dimly lit and atmospheric, with historical knick-knacks and memorabilia adorning the walls.
Dinner orders were taken somewhat chaotically, and the service wasn't great, if I am being honest. A guy seated on his own at a table beside us waited for ages to get his order taken and wasn't given wine or bread in the meantime. A bottle of wine was put down between every two people, and although drinks were billed as "free flowing," getting additional orders was difficult. The food was good, though. I had steak and a really nice dulce de leche pancake for dessert.
There was an elderly couple seated at the table next to us, and their adult son and daughter had come with them. The mother was seated next to me, but she kept talking past me to Dominique—I think she was trying to marry her off to her weirdo son.
After dinner, the show started. There was a full band at the back of the stage who played while the dancers did their thing at the front. The dancers consisted of three couples, and between them and the band crowding the small stage, it was a wonder no one tumbled off the front! The dancers' coordination was amazing, and they went through sequence after sequence effortlessly. [Image 4]
After the Tango portion of the show, an Argentine gaucho band came on to perform. Their music sounded quite similar to Peruvian music, with pan pipes, guitar, and drums. They were dressed in traditional outfits, and I enjoyed them a lot. They played the main theme song from the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which was fun. [Image 5]
Next up, an Argentine "Fabio" came on stage and unfurled some Boleadoras, a type of throwing weapon consisting of lengths of chord with weights on the end. You've probably seen cowboys use them in movies, throwing them around animals' legs from horseback so the animal falls to the ground, entangled. The performer proceeded to spin them on either side of himself, performing all sorts of twists and elaborate tricks. When the weights hit the stage surface, it added to the sound of his tap shoes, and he was able to time the sound with the music that the gaucho band played behind him. [Video 1]
The last performer sang a rendition of the song 'Don't cry for me, Argentina' from Evita with patriotic visuals playing on a screen behind her. The whole show was about an hour in total and was really good. At the end, the waiters brought around plates to solicit tips, and we were given the opportunity to purchase our printed photo from earlier. The bus picked us up outside the theatre and dropped us off back at our hotel. All in all, it was a good night and worth the money to experience something traditionally Argentinian.
Day 16
The next day we took an Uber to La Recoleta Cemetery, which along with the graves of notable Argentine figures, also contains the crypt of Eva Perón, a.k.a. Evita. It may seem like a bit of a macabre tourist destination, but the crypts and mausoleums on display here are truly spectacular. There is an entrance fee, and you can also hire a tour guide to help you navigate this labyrinth if you wish.
Having a strong interest in history, I was more interested in seeing the final resting place of Admiral William Brown. Admiral Brown, who was born in County Mayo, Ireland, holds the credit of founding the Argentine Navy. He is highly regarded in Argentina. There are many streets, navy ships, colleges, and football teams named after him. [Image 6] [Image 7]
There were some very elaborate and enormous statues and mausoleums in the cemetery, and the level of detail kept the eye engaged for quite a while. Some tombs were still well tended to, while others were in quite a bad state of disrepair, with even the coffins themselves busting apart. Although some graves had their most recent inscription added decades or even a century ago, there would be fresh flowers.
On our way out, a performer wearing a long cloak was seated outside one of the gates. The cloak covered his whole head and body, and a costume prop made it look like his head had been severed from his neck. Some music was playing from a stereo at his feet, and using a two-handled saw and a fiddle bow, he played along to the music; the saw produced an eerie sound, like a theremin. It was quite entertaining! [Image 8]
As one does after visiting a graveyard, we went across the street to the Buller Brewing Company for beer and nachos. It was quite a nice bar, and they had a good selection of in-house beers.
We walked further into the downtown area afterwards, passing some fine examples of European architecture. Teatro Colón had a particularly beautiful exterior, and although we didn't partake, there are tours available of the inside, which looks amazing in photos I saw online.
We continued walking to the Plaza de Mayo, which is the oldest public square in Buenos Aires. Casa Rosada, the Pink House, houses the president's office, and it is a very pretty building. The sky that day was so picture perfect—a clear, deep blue, and white puffy clouds—so we stopped to take some photos. Tours of the Casa Rosada are available to pre-book. [Image 9]
Down by the waterfront, along the Río Darsena Sur, old warehouses and dockyards have been converted into modern, sleek hotels and apartments with all manner of restaurants, bars, and shops to keep you entertained. The "Puente de la Mujer," or Woman's Bridge, that crosses the river here, looks a lot like the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin. Subsequent research informed me that they were both designed by Santiago Calatrava. We stopped by the Hard Rock cafe here, which was quite underwhelming compared to other Hard Rock locations we had visited. [Image 10]
While scrolling around on Google Maps, I noticed an Irish bar in the area called The Malin Head. I had never been to an Irish bar abroad before that was named after a place in County Donegal where I come from, so I was very curious to pay it a visit. I would come to curse that curiosity.
When we arrived, we sat at the bar and ordered two pints of (lukewarm) Heineken as they didn't have anything Irish on tap. We were the only customers in there at that time, and the bar itself was quite dark and musty. There was some typical Irish memorabilia on the walls: street signs, flags, etc., but it didn't give the sense of Irish ownership. Dominique availed of the facilities and came back appalled at the level of uncleanliness. She described it as a scene from the movie Saw. Toilet conditions and cleanliness in public or bar/restaurant bathrooms seemed to be a common issue we noticed as we travelled throughout Argentina.
We quickly finished our beers and got talking with the owner as we paid. When he heard I was from Donegal, he got excited and mentioned he had friends from Donegal, naming some towns. He seemed nice, but I think that may have been the only Irish connection here. I was quite disappointed in the experience. After we left, Dominique told me she saw a cockroach crawling across the bar as we took our seats. How this place has a 4-star rating on Google and serves food, I have no idea!
We got a taxi back to the hotel. The driver was listening to a football game on the radio. Two local teams, Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo de Almagro, were playing, and the driver listened intently as we meandered through the evening traffic. With the little Spanish I have, I managed to deduce that he was a San Lorenzo supporter.
Later, we went to Fabric, a sushi restaurant close to our hotel, for dinner. The Palermo Hollywood location was the original location apparently, but they've since expanded to several locations throughout the city. It was a very trendy place inside with cool lighting and unusual interior design elements. Ordering sushi was difficult because it was hard to understand how much came with each menu item, but we ordered a few things and were happy with the amount we got. The cocktails were really nice.
It was close to midnight when we got there, and the place was really busy, even at that time. People in Argentina eat out late, and it wasn't unusual to show up at a place around 7 or 8 p.m., peak hours elsewhere, and for it to be easy to get a table. When we were getting ready to leave, a freak gust of wind picked up outside, and people seated outdoors poured into the restaurant for shelter.
Day 17
The next morning, Dominique went out early and grabbed us coffee and empanadas for breakfast. We planned to take it easier today since we would be flying to El Calafate the next day. We decided to hang out by the pool and take advantage of the sun being in the right location in the sky! The water was still cold, but we braved the frigid waters anyway. The hotel had a conference space, and it seemed to be busier than usual around this morning with business meetings. It was also the first day of a series of three Taylor Swift concerts happening in Buenos Aires, so likely the hotel was booked out with "Swifties".
In the evening, we tried to get a table at Parilla Don Julio, a popular steakhouse in the area. Bookings are strongly advised and can fill up weeks or months in advance. We didn't have one, but apparently there are limited seats available if you show up when the restaurant opens. We made our way over, but there was already a line of people who had obviously been more eager than us. The waiting list was already full, so we made alternate plans.
We went with our second choice, Parrilla Don Benito Soho, another steakhouse, not far away. Our waiter seemed to employ a laidback attitude, almost bordering on "I don't give a fuck," like he'd seen it all before. I was intrigued by the kidneys offered as a starter, so we shared a plate of those and also a 14-ounce Ribeye steak. Dominique wasn't a fan of the kidneys. I thought they were okay, a bit salty maybe, but the portion itself was way too much.
When we asked about wine, the waiter tried to upsell us on a very expensive bottle. Little did he know we have cheap tastes when it comes to wine! Throughout the whole meal, staff were showing up to start their shifts and they kept opening a cabinet down by my left-side where all of their personal belongings were stored. It was quite disruptive to the whole experience.
After our meal, we stopped by Boticario for drinks. We had to wait outside a little while until we were called for seats at the bar. Their whole theme is based on an old pharmacy, with tincture bottles and lab equipment in display cabinets all around. Their cocktail menu was also based on the same premise. We tried a handful of different options and also had one of the nicest Margaritas since we started our travels.
When we got back to the hotel, I realised that I had forgotten to reapply sunscreen after swimming earlier in the day. I had obviously gotten sunburnt and my skin was now starting to hurt!
Day 18
Today we were heading to El Calafate. We checked out of our hotel, leaving our bags behind reception, and went for breakfast to 1640 Café Restó. We had a hit or miss experience with using Uber in Buenos Aires and were advised to try the local app, Didi, for ordering rideshares. We went back to collect our bags and ordered a normal sedan car to take us to the airport. What showed up was almost comical. We had two large suitcases and a smaller suitcase too, along with a smaller bag or two. It was like fitting everything into a clown car!
The bag drops at the airport had long queues, and since the airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, only had a 15-kg baggage allowance on national flights, we had to pay extra fees. Security was a bit chaotic but fast. Even though we had given ourselves plenty of time, we had to go straight to the gate because boarding was "soon".
A huge storm was approaching Buenos Aires, and the rain had started outside. The sky was an ominous grey, and there was thunder and lightning also. Our boarding time came and went, and there were no announcements about what was going on. By now the gate was crowded with people, and looking at the weather outside, we all speculated about whether our flight was going ahead.
Looking at the flight information board, flights started to gradually update as delayed or cancelled. Things weren't looking too good. Announcements started to come over the P.A. system, but they were in Spanish only. A bathroom near our gate flooded with water all over the concourse, and some roof tiles fell down from the ceiling. Thankfully, they missed the people standing around below.
After several hours of waiting and fearing the worst, I tried to message our tour company about postponing our pre-booked tour the following day in El Calafate. I never heard back. Three hours later, we were one of the lucky flights that didn't get cancelled, and we were able to board the plane.
The flight was extremely turbulent for the first hour or two. There was no service throughout on account of this. Dominique was really anxious, but I managed to get some sleep! Flying over El Calafate, the environment looked strange. The vegetation was brown and pretty much devoid of trees.
When we arrived, we managed to get our bags quickly and got a taxi outside to the hotel where we were staying, Apart Hotel Jardin. We had booked a standard double room but were upgraded to a family apartment because of some construction they were doing to add additional rooms. The hotel was nice, but basic. Probably suited more to backpackers or people who would be gone all day and only needed a bed.
Because of our delayed flight, it was around 10 p.m. when we got checked in and settled. We decided to head into town, which was a short walk away, to get some food and look around. It was quite cold, but not intolerably so. As we perused our food options, we noticed that there were a lot of dogs sleeping in doorways and just generally milling around the place. We figured there were just a lot of stray dogs, but we'd soon learn more about this!
The town itself reminded us of Queenstown, New Zealand, an alpine resort town mostly focused on the tourism industry. Most of the restaurants seemed to be closing up, so we settled on Big Pizza, a no-frills pizza joint tucked away in a shopping complex. They had pizza and they had beer, so we were happy!
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at an ATM to get some cash for tips, etc. for the tour. We found Santander was the most reliable bank for large withdrawals, which were necessary on account of the devaluation of the currency. We grabbed some wine from a store and were then followed all the way back to our door by two beautiful dogs. They must have wanted some of our leftover pizza!
Day 19
We had an early start today as we were booked for a tour to Los Glaciares National Park to see the spectacular Perito Moreno glacier. We headed to the main hotel building to get breakfast before our pickup. The offering was similar to Buenos Aires: continental and cold! It was 3,000 pesos per person, which we were confused about since we were sure we had breakfast included with our booking. Thinking back on it now, there may have been a mistake on the hotel's part when we were moved to one of the apartments since these are self-catering.
A large bus came to pick us up and made quite a few more stops around town to pick up more people at various hotels. If there's one thing El Calafate has no shortage of, it's hotels! There was also so much construction going on everywhere.
With all of our pickups complete (about twenty people), the bus headed out of town along Lago Argentino toward the National Park. It was a wet, foggy morning. Our tour guide explained the difference in environment to us: the steppe outside the park is dry, and there aren't many trees (as I had noticed from the plane), while the Patagonian forest inside the park is much wetter, and trees are more plentiful.
We stopped at the park entrance to produce our park tickets, which most of the group had pre-booked online. From prior information, we had understood that payment was by cash only at the gate, but that turned out not to be the case. Regardless, in the interest of saving time, it was recommended by the tour group to purchase the tickets ahead of time.
As we got closer to the glacier, the lake turned a milky colour, which was from all of the deposits in the ice melt. We got our first view of the south face of the glacier from afar and stopped at a layby for photos. Some breakaway chunks of ice were drifting down the lake away from the glacier face and looked massive.
We continued on the bus up to the Perito Moreno walkways, a network of steel and wooden boardwalks that lead to wonderful vistas of the ice behemoth. There's a small cafe and visitor centre too. We had about thirty minutes before we had to catch our boat, but we were assured we would come back here afterwards. Be careful walking on the steel gangways as they were quite slippery when wet; we saw an older woman who had a nasty gash on her forehead after a tumble.
We got back on the bus and returned a short distance along the road to the small pier where some boats were moored. One by one, a multitude of tour buses emptied their passengers, and we all piled into our assigned vessels. The boats were actually quite spacious and had plenty of seats inside if you didn't want to venture out into the cold air. With that said, as soon as we were permitted, everyone went outdoors for a better view.
The boat trip was about an hour in total, and we got tremendous views of the south face of the glacier. Photos just do not do justice to the scale and beauty of the ice. It was such a deep blue colour, and there were towering stacks, pillars, and cavernous caves formed from the ice block. Huge chunks went floating past the boat. We spotted some people up on the ice surface. This was a tour option with a different company: walking along the top of the glacier! We could hear the ice creak and groan, and if you were quick and alert, you would catch chunks falling off into the water. [Image 11] [Image 12] [Image 13]
Once the boat docked back at the pier, we got back on our bus to head back to the boardwalks. The weather had cleared by now, and the sun had come out. We were able to see far more of the scale of the glacier as it went up and over the mountains behind. We were told the full glacier is larger in area than the city of Buenos Aires! Taking the signposted "Blue Route" trail through the boardwalk, we got some magnificent photos. There were kayakers out in the water approaching the north face of the glacier. Again another tour option. [Image 14] [Image 15] [Image 16] [Image 17] [Image 18]
We were dropped off back at the hotel around 5:30 p.m., making the same circuitous route through town to drop off other people. Dominique's brother had given us a restaurant recommendation from his previous visit to El Calafate. Since they didn't take reservations and were very popular, we got ready quickly and walked over to Pura Vida.
On the way, we saw a dog barking and stubbornly stopping a pickup truck from proceeding along the main road. It was a very funny scene, as the dog seemed to act on a personal vendetta.
We managed to be one of the first people in the line outside the restaurant just before its opening, and a long line formed behind us. We shared a delicious mushroom-topped bruschetta as a starter, and the bread and the lentil dip brought for the table were also fantastic. Dominique ordered the beef stew on her brother's recommendation, and I ordered the lamb stew. Dominique's stew came served in a pumpkin. Both were amazing! For dessert, we split a flan that came with a delicious caramel sauce. If you are in El Calafate, definitely try this restaurant.
On the walk back to the hotel, the town seemed busier than the night before. It had been a long day for us, however, and we headed to bed early.
Day 20
We woke up a little later the next day. With no tours on the cards, we made up an itinerary on the fly. We walked to the nearby Reserva Laguna Nimez, a pleasant nature reserve with a variety of birdlife to see. The fee was around $10 a person, and they only accepted cash. The ticket was valid for a week, so if you wish to pay a return visit, you need only present your ticket again.
We spotted a number of hawks, waterfowl, and even some flamingos. One particular bird of prey kept swooping dangerously close to us. Were we a target!? The trail loops around the park, and there is a perch to get a nice view of the beach and waterfront of Lago Argentino. It was a really sunny day but cold, and the wind could whip up suddenly out in the open.
We had skipped breakfast at the hotel this morning so stopped at La Cantina Piadineria & Beer House across from the nature reserve for some great burgers. After, we walked along Avenue Costanera Presidente Nestor Carlos Kircher (what a mouthful!) that hugs the lake edge. We heard some music coming over a loudspeaker, and curiosity got the better of us. It was coming from Campo De Doma, a small showground where there was a rodeo competition happening.
We paid the entrance fee (1,000 pesos per person) and headed in for a quick look. Rural people had obviously travelled from all around to attend the multi-day event, and there were many campervans and horse trailers parked up. A small boy, maybe five or six, on horseback confidently galloped past us through the mud.
We found a spot along the perimeter fence and watched some of the gauchos attempt to stay on a bucking horse for as long as possible. The competition assistants would spend some time tying up a horse to a wooden pole lodged in the ground. Then, when the competitor was atop the horse and ready to go, the horse would be let loose and would furiously buck to get the unwanted rider off its back. Other gauchos on horseback would keep close in the event they needed to pull the rider off the horse or get the horse back under control. It was quite the spectacle of bravery. [Image 19] [Image 20] [Video 2]
Once we'd seen enough, we continued on along our path and ended up at the El Calafate sign. It has a wonderful backdrop of Lago Argentino and is a good photo opportunity. Along our walk, we saw many dogs lazing around or up to no good. One was having a great time chasing some waterfowl down by the water, and another plonked himself down in the middle of the road. When I researched online, I found out that the dogs are not stray for the most part; they have owners but are let loose to wander through the town. There were some very beautiful dogs, with thick, shaggy coats of fur to deal with the cold climate. It's their town; you're only visiting! [Image 21] [Image 22] [Image 23] [Image 24] [Image 25] [Image 26]
Walking back up to the main street in town, we decided to visit the Yeti Ice Bar. I'd never been to an ice bar before, and we thought it would be fun, albeit a little tacky. There were two options for tickets: one where you just get one drink, and the other in which you can drink all you want in 25 minutes. We opted for the latter, and it cost 7,900 pesos per person.
They waited until they had gathered a good-sized group together, and then we proceeded inside. We were given cloaks and gloves that weren't really all that warm in hindsight and taken through a large, insulated door to the walk-in freezer. A temperature gauge inside informed us that it was minus fifteen degrees Celsius!
There were plenty of opportunities for some really cheesy photos taken by a staff member against ice-themed props and sets. These photos were available for purchase afterward. We mainly drank some rum and cokes and tried their "dulce de leche" shot, which was really good. The bartender encouraged us to smash our shot glasses on the floor (they were made of ice, of course!). The area was pretty small, and we all stood around awkwardly freezing our asses off. Needless to say, we didn't last the 25 minutes!
After this experience, we headed to La Zorra taproom to sample some local craft beers. It was a nice bar inside with some good beers on tap. I saw one of the most interesting urinals in the bathrooms here, which was fashioned out of a beer keg. We met a couple, who were both immunologists, from Dublin. They had been travelling all over South America since February. This was a common thing we heard when chatting with fellow tourists. Everyone seemed to be on a trip lasting several months.
Dinner this evening was at NINA Pasión y Sabores, a restaurant on the main strip with a biker theme. The place was very busy, and I cannot recall if we made a reservation or not, but we did have to sit at the bar for a bit while they got us a table. The food was very good, and the drinks, even better! One of the dogs from outside kept sneaking into the restaurant when someone went through the front door. It was hilarious watching the staff continuously catch him wandering around the tables and chasing him out. Back at the hotel, we paid for our stay since we would be leaving early in the morning. The whole stay worked out at $32 a night!
Day 21
The next morning, our pre-booked taxi arrived on time, and we were off to catch our flight to Puerto Iguazú in the north of Argentina. We got checked in at the airport in good time. There weren't many facilities here to utilise since it's more of a small, regional airport. We both got a ham and cheese sandwich (always an available option in Argentina for some reason) and some coffee at a small cafe at the gate.
There were no direct flights from El Calafate to Puerto Iguazú, so we had a three and a half hour layover in Buenos Aires. At Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires, we parked ourselves at a Hard Rock that was conveniently located right next to our gate. In all of our time spent in airports over the years, it was the first time that our gate was directly next to a bar, the toilets, and a flight information board. Score!
Our flight was about forty minutes late taking off. We noticed that there were quite a lot of seniors on both this flight and the one from El Calafate. There was supposedly a complimentary shuttle to take us from the airport to our hotel in Puerto Iguazú. I messaged the front desk before we left, and there was still no response from them when we landed on the other side.
Flying into Puerto Iguazú International Airport is unbelievable! If you're lucky, you can see some of the falls and the river from the plane, but just landing in the thick, dense jungle is more than enough of a thrill! We got our bags and went outside, hoping the shuttle would be there. As we exited, the heat and humidity hit us instantly. Insects were everywhere.
There were several men holding signs with people's names on them. We could not spot ours amongst them, but we did see one of the signs had the logo of the shuttle company we were supposed to be getting. We approached the driver holding it and asked about our hotel, but he was unaware of any pickup for it. He asked us to wait until his actual guests had arrived and then called the main office. Thankfully, he was able to take us with him.
The drive towards downtown Puerto Iguazú was interesting. Signs by the roadside warned of the dangers of monkeys, boars, and jaguars instead of the usual deer. Beautiful hotels lined the main road into town, and we eventually were dropped off at our hotel located up a bumpy, dirt road. We made sure to tip our driver as a thank-you for helping us out!
We were staying at the La Aldea de la Selva Lodge, a really beautiful hotel surrounded by the jungle. I was very excited when we booked this place, but first impressions were mixed. The hotel itself is very nice, and the setting is spectacular. However, when we checked in, we asked about the hotel shuttle and got brushed off by the front desk attendant. "But you got here, right?" were his exact words, if I recall correctly, and no apology was offered. Reading Google reviews now, we weren't the only people this happened to. There was also some confusion on his part about whether we had paid already (which we had), and he "allowed" us to sort it out later. No information was provided on breakfast. [Image 27]
After we checked in, the front desk guy walked us through the meandering path to our cabin. None of the rooms are actually part of the main hotel building but are separate cabins spread throughout the property. The room was fantastic and very spacious. A balcony had some loungers, a jacuzzi, and a hammock with complete privacy.
We ate at the hotel restaurant that night since we had an early start in the morning. Getting into town from here would have required a taxi, and we didn't feel like it. The restaurant is a bit odd as it is part of the main lobby and therefore doesn't have much ambiance. The food was decent, but the service was very slow considering they weren't very busy.
Before bed, I purchased our park passes, which were 20,000 pesos per person. Most organised tours don't include park admission in their prices. It rained very heavily that night, and because the roof was metal, we were kept awake by the sound of it hitting the roof. There was also thunder and lightning.
Day 22
We woke up the next day very tired due to the interrupted sleep from the night before. Breakfast was served in the same restaurant area that we had dinner in the night before. There was some hot food along with continental offerings such as deli meats, fruits, and cereals.
We were picked up for our tour of the falls on time at the hotel entrance by a small 12-seater van. Our guide for the day was Frederico and the driver, Ernesto. We stopped by some other hotels to pick up our other passengers: a group of three guys from London, a man from North Carolina, and two older female friends also from North Carolina.
I'll set the scene for the day right now. It never stopped raining until late in the evening! We had brought rain ponchos from home, but they were also available to purchase at the store just outside the park entrance. Frederico, or Freddie, as he said to call him, led us through the main gates and off on our tour around the park. Insect repellant is also a good idea, as the bugs can get quite hungry!
Our tour was supposed to include a trip on one of the trains that goes around the park, but because of the storm damage from a few weeks ago, they weren't running. As previously mentioned, some of the trails were also damaged and inaccessible, including the famous Devil's Throat walkway. We walked along the lower and upper trails, stopping off for photo opportunities and breaks.
The views were just amazing, and the sheer amount of water coming over the falls was something else. We were told the normal flow is around 1.5 million litres per second. On the day we visited, it was around 6 million litres per second. During the storm, it reached 20 million litres per second! On account of this heavier flow, many of the smaller individual falls had combined into larger ones. Due to the fact that the water was quite muddy and there was an intense spray thrown up, we probably didn't see the falls at their most beautiful, but they were utterly impressive nonetheless. [Image 28] [Image 29] [Image 30] [Image 31] [Image 32] [Video 3]
I remember being impressed at the infrastructure to get people to the best views and across the river—the gangways seemed solid and were wide enough for two people to pass by each other in places. In saying that, we did see some twisted metal laying in the river from the damaged trails.
As is the case with most popular tourist hotspots, we had a lot of people to contend with to get the prime locations for photos. Some people can be so pushy and hog the space—get your photo and move along, pal! We probably got our best photo of the day from one of the official photographers—it helped that they had a ladder to climb up on! [Image 33]
We saw some exotic birds on our walk and also spotted Black Capuchin monkeys playing and eating fruit in the treetops. There's a hotel situated within the park itself, and apparently they have issues with the monkeys getting into people's rooms and generally causing trouble. Signs throughout the park warned people to be wary of the coati, a raccoon-like animal that could go after their food. One walked by us on the railing of a bridge we had to cross, but he kept to his own business.
We had done quite a lot of research before going to Iguazú Falls in order to determine which side of the falls we wanted to see most. Eighty percent of the falls are on the Argentine side, while the Brazilian side offers more panoramic views of the falls in their entirety. Freddie was running a tour to the Brazil side the next day and informed us that the Brazilian side can be done in less time but offered some fantastic views.
When the walking portion of our tour was done, we headed down to get on our 4x4 truck for the drive down to the pier. The truck was open-top, and it rained on us for the whole 20-minute trip through the jungle. The road was pretty much a dirt track, and the ride was bumpy in places. Sit back and enjoy the experience. Oh, and watch out for tree branches!
The truck arrived at the boat dock, and we were handed some waterproof bags to put our belongings in. By this time, everything was already soaked anyway! Life jackets were also dispersed. We weren't allowed to remove our shoes until we were on the boat, so bringing a pair of sandals or something similar would be a good idea.
Once the whole group was on the boat and secured, we were off up the river towards the falls. The trip was very bumpy as the boat skipped over rapids and landed with a smack on the water again. One of the staff walked up and down the aisle with a waterproof GoPro taking video and pictures of us all. The boat brought us up close to both sides of the falls and even under the thundering cascade of water itself. If we had thought that we couldn't get any wetter, we were wrong! It was great fun!
On our return to the pier, we were given our boat number to memorise. As we walked back up the steps to catch the truck back, there was the opportunity to purchase the video/photo package that the Go-Pro camera had captured earlier. We didn't get to preview the content or see it once we purchased it; instead, a link to the files would be sent to us the next day. It was 7,000 pesos, and we thought, why not? Reviewing the material the next day, we got the very generic video and a dump of photos of everyone on the boat. We found two of us, and it is probably possible to pull some stills from the video as well. Likely not worth it in the end. Some people had brought their own GoPros, so that was likely a better idea.
The truck brought us back to the area with some restaurants and cafes, and we grabbed some hot food. Freddie had planned to give us an hour here but came and found us to ask if we minded leaving early. Some of the others in the group didn't fancy sticking around, and we agreed, since we were soaking wet and dreamed of a warm shower and a change of clothes.
On the bus ride home, Freddie and the driver, Ernesto, shared some "maté," a caffeine-rich herbal tea that is very popular in Argentina. It is supposedly very potent. You will regularly spot Argentinians communally sharing the tea, using elaborate maté cups and a flask of hot water to pour over the maté leaves. We never tried it when we were there, as it didn't seem to be something available to purchase in a store, like getting a cup of coffee, for example.
Arriving back at our hotel, we tipped the guys and changed into dry clothes! It was still raining, but we headed down to the pool area and got some drinks at the bar down there. The place never seemed very busy, so we had it to ourselves. After a little while, the sun came out, and it stopped raining at long last. We were tired and didn't feel like going out anywhere, so we headed back to the room to order room service. There was a guy under the chalet in the dark with a torch, which we found quite strange, but then confirmed that he was indeed an employee! [Image 34] [Image 35]
Our communication woes with the hotel staff continued. We messaged the front desk on Whatsapp (which was the best way to request things, we were told) to put in a room-service order. After twenty minutes, there was no confirmation response. We called the front desk and were told to message on Whatsapp, but when we said we did already, the employee said he'd check. Another twenty minutes go by with no follow-up. We called the front desk again and got the same spiel about messaging them on Whatsapp.
Dominique walked down to the restaurant to check up on the status of our order. She was told that the service staff were busy and the order had indeed been put in. The whole time, none of this had been confirmed, so the communication was just very poor. After we had eaten, Dominique fell asleep, and I waited up until the hotel's laundry service arrived with our clothing.
Day 23
We had a bit of a late start today. Returning to our room after breakfast, we found that all three of our keycards were not working. We made our way to the front desk and asked one of the attendants to help us with new cards. He said he had no English and offered us his phone so we could converse via the translator app on it. Since we had other things we wanted to bring up about our experience, we asked for a manager or someone who spoke English. He first said no one was there now, but when we persisted, he called up to someone upstairs who came down and spoke with us. We asked about the confusion about whether we had paid for our stay yet, and after some checking on the computer, he confirmed that we were good. Everything here felt very disorganised.
The weather today was very nice and sunny, although a little hazy. It would have been a nicer day for the falls had we opted for Freddie's offer to add us to today's tour on the Brazilian side.
We planned on spending most of today out by the pool. There were quite a lot of bugs around, so in addition to sunscreen, we made sure to apply some bug repellant. We didn't feel so alone since there were a lot more guests around today. The pool was very nice, and the cocktails were even better!
Later, we headed into town and got dinner at Restaurante La Rueda 1975, a seafood and steak restaurant. In case you haven't noticed by now, steaks are a very popular menu option in Argentina! The restaurant was very beautiful inside, and the food was fantastic. We tried a delicious blood sausage.
After dinner, we took a walk through town to get a sense of the area. Puerto Iguazú is, of course, mainly geared towards tourists due to the proximity to the falls. There were a lot of restaurant and bar options, and a very nice pedestrianised area too. It was extremely humid that night, and someone had the bright idea to go bowling. It seemed like a million degrees inside the bowling alley, as I don't think they had any A/C. The beers helped, but we were drenched in sweat by the end of the game.
When we got back to the hotel, we enquired about a late checkout since our flight was not until around 4pm the next day. They tried to charge us a lot of money for it, but we ended up getting it for free due to our poor service experience during our stay.
Day 24
The next morning, we checked out and got a taxi to the airport. Check-in and security at the airport were quite fast, and we made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. Yet another Hard Rock cafe awaited us here, so we got some beers and food before takeoff. Upon boarding the plane, the heat outside was intense, so the plane was uncomfortably hot until they powered up the engines and the A/C came on. The flight took off on time and took around two hours.
We arrived back in Buenos Aires for our last five nights of the Latin American adventure. We got a taxi to our accommodation, Home Hotel, which was again in the Palermo Hollywood area of the city. It was a very beautiful hotel with friendly staff and trendy, hip decor. We checked in and were shown to our room. It was on the smaller side but perfect for our needs. We intentionally did not plan much for this leg of the trip, preferring to take it easy and soak in the atmosphere and surroundings of the neighbourhood.
That night, we had dinner at Green Bamboo, a Vietnamese restaurant that appears to have closed down permanently since our visit. It was a really cool restaurant with some nice, Asian design touches. The cocktails were good, and we had some excellent pork bao buns. The beer and saké we chose weren't great, though. For mains, we had "Dau Phung," a peanut and lemongrass chicken curry, and "Goi Vit," a marinated duck dish with vegetables. Both were full of flavour and very tasty.
Walking back to the hotel, we noticed the area was busy for a Thursday night. We checked out the garden and the pool area at the hotel, had a drink in the bar, and headed to bed for the night.
Day 25
Breakfast the next morning was a little different from what we had become accustomed to, with the hot food being made to order. We didn't have very much planned for today. Dominique got her nails done (very cheap, apparently), and we had massages booked at the hotel spa later in the evening.
The massages were great, and although I prefer more intensity in my massage, I was really tested on some of those pressure points! Oh, and the toes—I thought I was going to end up kicking the guy in the face accidentally!
That night, we had dinner at a small little pizza joint, Ammazza!. The pizza was really fantastic, and the playlist was just up my street; some Bowie, some Rolling Stones, etc. We were seated at the window and watched a guy conduct a bit of a parking scam on various drivers attempting to parallel park on the street. He would come over unsolicited and "guide" the driver into the spot, even if there was miles of room on either side. When they got out of their car, he would approach them, demanding money in a somewhat threatening manner. Some people got freaked out by the whole affair and decided to just get back into their cars and drive off.
When we got back to the hotel, we had an incident with a replacement mini-fridge (our fridge wasn't working on the first night) where it knocked out power to the whole room. The staff were very helpful in getting the power restored and apologised for the inconvenience.
Day 26
Today, we are going on a trip to Las Pampas to visit a working ranch and become "gauchos" for the day. There were many tour options available on Viator, but we decided to organise it through the hotel since they had the option too.
A car arrived to pick us up 45 minutes early for the tour. We were used to taking buses on our tours, so at this point, we were uncertain if the car would be bringing us the whole way. We stopped off at another hotel to pick up an Italian woman, then at another to pick up a woman from Chicago. We thought to ourselves that it could not possibly be all of us in this tiny car!
Thankfully, the car pulled in at another hotel, and our driver asked us to wait out front for the bus. When it arrived, the minibus had already made some stops, so, with us four from the car, there were about twelve people in total. Our driver was Maxi, and our tour guide was Alexandra. Apparently, the reason for the weird pickup experience was because the original tour driver had to go to the hospital with suspected appendicitis. One memorable couple from Miami would provide us all with plenty of laughs and entertainment for the day.
It was an approximately 2-hour drive to San Antonio de Areco, a small town northwest of Buenos Aires. On the way, we stopped at a petrol station so we could use the facilities, and our tour guide took us into a store nearby that sold leather goods, jewellery, and other Argentine craftsmanship. There were some gaucho paraphernalia also, such as daggers, clothing, and hats. I spotted a really beautiful, leather-bound, bilingual version of the Argentine poem, Martín Fierro, in a display case, but it was not for sale. The poem is very famous in Argentina, and its story focuses on the titular gaucho and his adventures.
We arrived in the town of San Antonio de Areco, and the bus dropped us off at the goldsmith and silversmith workshop of the artisan Mariano Draghi. Here, we had a quick tour of the workshop and viewed the various elaborate wares. There was lovely jewellery, weapons, plates, vases, and goblets. We also saw some amazing concept drawings. [Image 36]
Back outside, we got some time to wander around Plaza Ruiz de Arellano, a beautiful town square surrounded by colonial-style buildings. It reminded me a lot of Coyoacán back in Mexico City. I spotted some trees lining one edge of the plaza that had really gorgeous lavender-coloured blossoms. Alexandra informed me that they were Jacaranda trees. [Image 37]
The bus picked up again outside the Parroquia San Antonio de Padua, a beautiful small church on the southern edge of the plaza. It was very busy, so there was just enough time to get a photo of the outside before we had to head off.
The ranch that we were visiting, Estancia El Ombú de Areco, was a short drive away. The bus headed down a dusty road through the fields surrounding the ranch, and we soon arrived at the compound. The main farmhouse dates back to 1880, and all of the buildings were just so beautiful. Apparently, you can opt to stay the night at one of the suites here.
We were welcomed with homemade empanadas and our choice of beer or wine. Dogs roamed the estate and there were many horses in the paddocks. I even spotted some hawks flying around. The surroundings are just wonderful, and the whole thing felt like a dream.
Once we were finished, it was time for horseback riding. There were two options here: riding your own horse or a carriage ride with a group around the farm. Dominique and I opted for the former. My horse's name was "Montecito." When everyone was mounted up, we set off on a trail around the farm grounds. One of the staff led the way, and all of the other horses fell in line behind. They were very well-trained!
The weather was just amazing that day, and it was the most pleasant experience to casually ride around the fields and be in nature. My inner cowboy was definitely happy! Where do I sign up? [Image 38] [Image 39] [Image 40]
Back at the farmhouse, we dismounted and took some pictures. Lunch tables had been set out for each tour group under a wonderful canopy of tall trees. It looked like something out of an old rural Italian wedding scene! Okay, okay, my first thought was The Godfather. Red and white wine were served, and beer was also an option. There was bread, rice, and salad brought out for the table to share. The staff then walked around with plates of steak cuts, sausages, pork chops, and chicken, dishing out as many servings as you wanted. [Image 41]
Entertainment was provided by a 3-piece gaucho band. A couple performed some traditional dancing and then proceeded to gather up volunteers from the various tables for some audience participation. A little boy sang his heart out, and he reminded me of Miguel from the movie Coco. The band played a really beautiful song called 'Carnavalito', and I've been unable to find a recorded version that matched it since. [Image 42] [Video 4] [Video 5]
After dinner, there was some time to walk around the grounds before we reconvened for one last performance. We formed a semicircle around a man on horseback, and another man standing nearby began to softly strum a guitar. This was a demonstration of a traditional Argentine horse whispering called "Doma India." It was very impressive to watch the level of control and trust between horse and man. After this spectacle, we boarded the bus again for the journey home. Tips were welcomed at the ranch but not solicited. [Image 43] [Video 6]
Our time in Argentina happened to coincide with the run-up to the national presidential election. Posters and signs for the two candidates, Javier Milei and Sergio Massa, were all over Buenos Aires. Our trip to the Pampas occurred the day before the election, and our guide, Alexandra, made sure to inform us of a quirk of Argentine elections. From 8 p.m. the night before until 9 pm after the polls close on election day, there is no alcohol allowed to be served in Argentina. What a disaster!
Later that night, we went for dinner to KBBQ Parrilla Coreana Hollywood, a Korean BBQ restaurant. The food was delicious, but I cannot comment on the beer and wine options since we were forced to settle for Pepsi!
Back at the hotel, we were able to order some margaritas, which were the best we had on the whole trip. I'm not just saying that because they were our only options that night! I think hotels get a free pass from the alcohol curfew, much like hotels in Ireland did on Good Friday.
A building near our hotel must have been having a party that night, because there was music and crowds of people talking loudly until the early morning hours. That's one way to get around an alcohol ban!
Day 27
Not much to report today. Because of the election, most things were closed, so we decided to have a pool day. We had contemplated going to a neighbourhood called "La Boca," a working-class neighbourhood famous for the football team, La Boca Juniors. It's supposed to be a very nice area, but most tourist guides mentioned its high crime levels. Since it was over an hour round trip by taxi, we figured the payoff may not have been worth it.
The pool area in the hotel is very beautiful, a little oasis surrounded by greenery. It was not very busy with hotel guests, but the same cannot be said for the hotel restaurant located just adjacent to the pool. The hotel was obviously a very popular brunch spot since there was a constant stream of customers throughout the afternoon.
In the evening, we went back to the restaurant we had gone to on our second night in Buenos Aires, La Dorita. This was our last night in Argentina.
Day 28
After breakfast and packing our belongings the next morning, we settled our hotel bill and left our suitcases with the hotel staff. Our flight back to the US wasn't until 10:30 p.m. that night, so we had a LOT of time to kill. The hotel worked out cheaper than we expected due to the exchange rate. If we had been in town a few more days, things probably would have gotten much cheaper. The "Argentine Trump," Milei, had won the election, and one of his aims was to devalue the currency even more.
We spent our final morning walking around the neighbourhood. It was a public holiday, so the streets were quiet as the city was slowly waking up. We went to a few bookshops because I wanted to find an English copy of the Martín Fierro poem. I had to settle for a Spanish version—an incentive to improve my language skills, I guess!
We stopped off at the Distrito Arcos again as Dominique wanted to look for clothes. I relaxed with a beer. The weather was very hot again today, and it was nice to be in the shade. We got lunch at a small cafe that seemed to have a theme on the United States. Weird, random posters depicted American life; NASCAR, Eminem, etc.
Back at the hotel, we got a final margarita for the road and grabbed our luggage. We had ordered an Uber to take us to the airport. Once the driver found out that I was Irish, he got very excited! He said he had some Irish blood in his family and started trash-talking the English. What a character!
At the airport, we had to go through immigration (emigration?), which was weird because I've never had to do that when leaving a country. Once we had passed through security, we bought a couple of handmade scarves as presents for some family. Quite a few hours later, it was time to board our plane. We had a layover in Dallas first, then our onward journey to Los Angeles to spend some time with Dominique's family. All of the passengers had their carry-on bags checked at the gate by security for liquids—another first!
The flight was just over ten hours but actually went by pretty fast. We had a tight connection in Dallas, and despite arriving a little early, we spent some time on the tarmac waiting for a gate. Back on US soil! We made it to the gate about ten minutes before boarding started. Dallas-Fort Worth is a pretty big airport, apparently! With that, our Latin America adventure had come to a close. We still had a lot planned to do in the US before we headed off to Ireland, but the big migration was getting closer.
Final thoughts
I was very excited to be able to add some places in Argentina to our itinerary as I had always wanted to go there. Compared to Mexico City, Buenos Aires didn't really blow us away. Certain areas are very nice, but there didn't seem to be as much to do or see overall. If we did the trip over, we probably wouldn’t have spent so much time there, instead a night or two up in San Antonio de Areco, or a few extra days in Patagonia.
El Calafate was my favourite place on the trip. The town itself was very pleasant and peaceful, and seeing the Perito Moreno glacier was just amazing! While you are down this end of the world, there are some other places that are supposed to be worth a trip, such as Ushuaia and El Chaltén. Fellow travellers we met had either been to one of these places, or had them on their itinerary.
Although I had always wanted to see Iguazú Falls, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed by that portion of the trip. The woes with the hotel aside, we didn't get the full experience of the falls due to the storm damage. You can't always get the weather to play ball, but the non-stop rain that day also detracted from the enjoyment of the tour. Fingers crossed it's a sunny day if I ever go back!
Argentina is very good value for money. Getting there is probably the most expensive part of a trip, because everything else worked out delightfully cheap due to the favourable exchange rate. I would really advise learning some basics in Spanish, because outside of the tourist industry, most people seem to prefer to converse in their language over English.
All in all, despite a few setbacks, we had a fantastic trip to Argentina. Definitely get out of the main cities and explore the wonderful rural and natural landscape, if you can.