Day 97 Flight to Buenos Aires

January 27, 2000

We are up and ready by 0730am. Esteban has arranged for us a ride to the airport. We load our things in the back of the truck and for $20 we are at the airport.

After an hour the ticket counter opens, we check in, and are lucky our bikes and luggage are 65 kilos and we are not charged extra. Our carryon luggage (where we packed our heavier tools and stuff) must be at least 40 kilos. No wonder these Chilean hills were trough!! and Patrick had so many snakebit punctures.

We have coffee in the cafe and pastries we brought with us, and it begins to rain.

We find the gate (there is only one domestic) after going through the detectors. Patrick has to unload one bag for inspectors to look at the stove and confirm no fuel, and to hand inspect his camera film.

We position ourselves at the front. A large group arrives, and Rachel see s Quark tags on the luggage and hear Australian accents also sees Faulknen Island, Antarctica , penguins on shirts and hats. She asks a few, "how was the Drake Passage?"

We start talking about the trip. They were on the sister ship, Akademik Vavilov to our ship Akademik Ioffe. They say going they only got the tail end of the storm, but heard about a ship that was in trouble (us).

The flight to Buenos Aires is uneventful. We could see the mountains and Beagle Channel flying out of Ushuaia, and the Argentine coastline.

After collecting our luggage, we are immediately approached for a taxi ride. We are told $29 for all our stuff, we see he will not barter and agree. Everything fits, we pay the driver, he doesn't think our $20 dollar Argentine peso is good, but eventually takes it and we are on the way to Hotel Brisas Del Mar, recommended by Peter; in the area of San Telmo. The room is only $15 and has a ceiling fan. It is hot, but less than we were expecting. We settle in and it's only about 2:30 pm.

We walk down to San Telmo Square then Defensea Street passing antique shops and a pub with Belgian beers. The streets are being redone, the asphalt removed, and the cobblestones re-laid. We reach the Plaza de Mayo and watch the "mothers of the missing" march.

We walk along the pedestrian mall and stop to watch street performers tango dance. We walk some more to the American Express office, this is where we could pick up mail, if there was any. This is what Rachel used all through NZ and Australia. The clerks seem unfriendly, we ask for them to check under other names. Mom's letter and Bolivia guidebook should be but is not here. We walk more past the major bus terminal and arrive at the International Post office at 5_20 pm. It is Closed at 5....we walk back to find a bookstore recommended in the Lonely Planet and buy guidebooks for Bolivia and Perus, only they are Footprints, not Lonely Planet. This feels like betraying an old friend, yet we've not been happy with the LP and have met other travelers with books by Footprints.

We walk on and find the subway to take us back to our district. We've walked enough for today. The subway is clean but hot and muggy in places.

At 9pm we meet Peter in the square for beers. He is staying at the Hotel Carly right by the Plaza and is with an Englishman, Steve. The beers are expensive. We wander on down Defensea and find a cafe. Rachel has Beef de chorizo and gets two large steaks!! We enjoy wine with the meal. We will meet Steve and Peter tomorrow and go to the Belgian Beer Pub.

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