February 29, 2020
Buenos Aires
The alarm went off at five o'clock to start us off on a rather up and down day.
Our lift was there as promised at 6:30 and we made it safely to the airport just a few kilometers down the road. Check-in was a breeze and we had an hour or so to spare before we needed to board. After half an hour an airport official camne and told us there was a problem with our bicycles. They were too large to get through the security scanner and they needed our packaging to be opened so they could inspect them. After a slight panic on our side about how we would re-package them the staff produced a roll of tape for the job.
After that the day was pretty easy. An uneventful flight to Buenos Aires where our bicycles re-appeared unharmed from the bowels of the aeroplane. It is in situations like this where I am so pleased we opted for Rohloff hubs because a derailleur would have been at a high risk of damage the way the bicycles were packed. Re-assembly was quick and we made our way with the help of Maps.me to the Duomi Plaza Hotel in the Bario Monserrat.
First impressions of Buenos Aires are how similar it is to a European city. It has some beautiful buildings and a gentle feel to it. Also that it is hot - about thirty degrees today which is a big change from Patagonia. I guess we will get used to it.
After spending the afternoon relaxing in the coolth of our air-conditioned hotel we strolled down to the Plaza de Mayo to take in the Casa Rosa from where Evita Peron used to address her followers in the forties and fifties.
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In need of food, we stopped off at a restaurant across the road from the Museo Histórico Nacional del Cabildo y la Revolución de Mayo. The only reason why we stopped there was that it was open at 7:30 and most Argentinean restaurants only open late at night. We ended up enjoying a couple of beers (me) and a half bottle of Chandon's Argentinean sparkling wine for Leigh (you can read about our visit to the winery two years ago at https://www.cycleblaze.com/edit-item/15914/) that helped to wash down a couple of steak rolls.
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Then we had a bit of bad luck. I discovered that my credit card was missing. I had last used it to draw money from an ATM an hour or so earlier on our way down to the Plaza de Mayo. I have called our bank and stopped the card but it is an inconvenience I could do without.
Today's ride: 9 km (6 miles)
Total: 1,963 km (1,219 miles)
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