Planes, Trains, Autos, Etc. PART 2
Sunday, January 4, 2009
After a rather benign stay in Guayaquil where we've been half a dozen time, the real adventure began. First the plan:
- Fly to Montevideo
- Next day to Buenos Aires and onto Iguazu solo while Sinzi and Diego hang with abuelo.
- Spend 20 hrs at the Iguazu Falls in Brasil and Argentina.
- Fly to Buenos Aires and meet up with the family who take the ferry over.
- Relax in the big BsAs a few days before ferrying back to Montevideo.
I crashed after we arrived at Sinzi's dad's pad, and I do mean pad. It was the penthouse of the apartment building - two floors, a sprawling layout for an apartment and views of the city on one side and two balconies looking towards the sea (and a golf course). Then we went to go to the zoo, but the workers were on strike so we ate meat - lotsa meat at a parrillada called Las Llenas (literally 'The Full Ones'). In Uruguay, like Argentina, cattle is big and we ate a pot of assorted meats - sausage, steak, ribs, liver, and something else. Then onto the mall to finalize my travel plans for Iguazu and pick up a couple of souvenirs.
The next day I got up for an 8:30am flight. While mi suegro was driving me to the airport I was looking at the itinerary and could not find the name of the hotel I was to meet them in the next day in Buenos Aires, so we agreed that I would call them later tonight and get that info. So anyway I flew to BsAs, had an early lunch an then was off to Iguazu. I counted 5 other gringos on the flight, but would not see another one for 30 hrs.
We landed and the tour company picked me and some others up. While the others were being whisked away to their hotels, in Argentina, I got sent on my private tour of the Brazilian side of the falls. It was late and the sky was darkening so we rushed to the Brazilian side at 4:45 pm (last entrance at 5 pm) and I got on a bus where the atmosphere was like a college party - all younger people having a good time. The bus stops and I get off to walk a one-mile trail where the falls can be seen panoramically. At the end of the one-mile trail, you reach the edge of one fall and there was pathway that went over the water about 300 ft out. Now the day I was there it was raining, but had it been completely clear out, the ever-present mist from the walls would drench you. Not exactly camera-friendly conditions so here is some video courtesy of YouTube.
Afterward I was dropped off at my hotel at which time I find out I am not going back to Argentina today. I'm staying in Brazil at the Colonia. So now its time to call my father-in-law in Montevideo. I ask the service desk what the county code is and how to dial out. So armed with his business card, home phone, cell phone, and the travel agency numbers:
- Attempt 1 - All ph #s - Receive message saying "Numero incompleto."
- Attempt 2 - Obtain correct country code from service desk - "Numero no existe"
- Attempt 3 - Go to service desk - double check country code - use their collect call feature, speak to an American - "That number does not exist."
- Attempt 4 - Go to internet, find missing link, the city code for Montevideo and...."Numero no existe"
- Attempt 5 - Wait for Sinzi to call me. twiddle twiddle, panic. I'm flying to a city of 10 million tomorrow and I don't know where to meet up!
- Attempt 6- Brain fart - Call parents, get ph# of Dusya, call her, tell her the scoop and give her my phone number at Colonia. Wait and twiddle.
- Viola - Sinziana calls and lets me know what hotel to go.
Next day I did a group tour of the Argentina side of the falls which has much more walking paths, and even a train. You can also do a little rafting and go either behind some falls or go to a little island in the river. I took a bunch o photos. For the last part of the tour, since I had to fly out earlier than everyone else, my guide who spoke no English basically said, "you have 90 minutes to see the last two falls (Circuito Superior) and then get to the entrance for your ride." So I hit those falls, and jog back to the entrance forgoing the train ride, hit the souvenir shop for shirts for the family (didn't even try to figure out the prices), run to entrance, get my backpack/luggage out the locker room, run even faster and catch my ride. Sweat profusely. Check my shots as I rest during the can ride:
At the airport I change clothes and check in. I am told that have the option of going on a different plane, a larger one, to the international airport (I came through the BsAs domestic airport). I ask which is closer to the downtown area. I hear, "...uummm, about the same. Its OK. As a Aerolineas customer, you can take and inter-airport shuttle bus if you need to." Low level concern builds...
I get on the plane - somehow it was first class and so very much needed. Then we land. Rising to mid level concern - J. Newbery AeroPark Airport was right in town and now I'm very far from any buildings except the airport. Guess I'll be exercising my shuttle bus option. (I later find out I am at Ezeiza International Airport which is 34 kilometers from town.)
As we leave the plane and walk through the rampway, we descend down to the tarmac, get into a bus, are driven literally 150 ft to our baggage claim room. And that's it. No phones, no ATM, no service desk, just a room with a luggage conveyor. I look in my pocket - 80 pesos.
Then I see a "VIP Taxi" stand inside the building (and several taxi amigos on the street 20 ft away - not too sure about those guys) and ask "Cuanto cuesto por uno al Hotel Milan?" - "100 pesos." Minor level panic. I know where to go but just don't know how yet. Then as I leave the taxi stand, I here someone speaking in worse Spanish than mine to the same taxi stand guy. I turn around and see an Asian girl. She then walks back to the luggage convey and meets up with presumably her boyfriend. I follow. Turns out they're from Seattle. Long story short, me, Audrey, and Mike split a taxi fare as they are staying in a nearby area. Case closed.
PS. I found out later that my original departing flight never made it to Iguazu to begin with, so had I not changed flights, I would have spent another night there.
PART 3 - Busy Buenos Aires & Leisurely Uruguayan Coast
Posted by Mark and Sinziana 10:17 PM
Labels: Argentina, Diego, travel, Uruguay
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
