FUN-travel: Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 7, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina
The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Tehai Area
- 7:15 – wakeup to full sun w/clouds over the Andes
- A – good coffee
- 11:00 – shuttle to airport
- 1:35 – flight departs
- Air Canada is code share w/LAN – Star Alliance member – United card gets us into lounge
- B – plane late so we hurry & wait
- C – get upgrades to biz class
- A – only 2 hr flight
- 3:30 arrive – only takes 75 mins to get through customs
- Taxi takes 1 hr to downtown – flat rate $40 outside of terminal (more expensive inside)
- A – 5:45 – back to Urban Recoleta Suites & taxi driver knows where it is
- 8:00 – dinner back to Fervor – white salmon, creamed spinach, grilled mushrooms VG
FF – (FUN-fact) – 90% of all volcanic activity on earth occurs in the ocean. It is estimated to contain some 10,000 volcanoes, of which at least 1,133 are active, and concentrated in a tiny patch of the South Pacific, not much bigger than New York State.
Rano Raraku
FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina to Valparaíso, Chile – 15 days – Seabourn Cruise
February 5, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina to Valparaíso, Chile – 15 days – Seabourn Cruise
The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 5 – Sunday, February 3 – Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay – sunny, nice breeze – low 80’s
Chris Learns Tango
- A – 8:00 am wake up – get cappuccino this morning!
- A – pack up & ready for next big adventure
- 12:00 – taxi to ship terminal for Seabourn Cruise
- takes 15 min – $15
- place is out of control with people everywhere!
- A – Seabourn has a “speed line” & whisks us through terminal
- 1:00 – board ship
- C – nice lunch outside w/champagne
- 2:00 – cabin ready – unpack & relax
- 4:00 – emergency drill (taken very seriously since Costa Concordia ended up on the rocks)
- 5:00 – siesta
- 7:15 – dinner in main dining room – escargot, strip steak
- 8:00 – Super Bowl “tailgate” party in grand salon
- B – on ESPN & none of the good commercials
- 2:00 am – last ones to leave the theatre
FF – (FUN-fact) – We have to move our clocks ahead one hour.
FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Day 3
February 4, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Day 3
The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 4 – Saturday, February 2 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – mid 80’s
- 8:30 wake up – nice & cool, overcast
- 10:30 – walk to pick up bus @ stop 15 for 2nd half of tour makes 7 stops
- 11:30 walk up to Palermo/Soho section
- 12:30 head back to hotel
- A – really, really long walk – 5 miles
- 3:00 – cold beer & salad break @ Cafe Victoria – arugula, spinach, prosciutto, olives, shaved parmesan, cherry tomatoes – tasty & good! $27
- siesta time
- 7:45 – dinner @ Fervor again – grilled mushrooms, French fries, white salmon, nice Malbec blend from Catena $66
FF – (FUN-fact) – US dollars will get you a much better exchange rate in restaurants. Instead of 5 to 1 you can get up to 7.25. That’s a 20% savings!
FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 4 days
February 4, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 4 days
The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 3 – Friday, February 1 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 95 degrees & feels like 102!
La Boca
- A – 9:30 wake up – slept great
- 11:30 – “hop on hop off” Bus Touristico picks up 2 blks from hotel
- $120 pesos (around $24 each) for 24 hrs
- want to go back to La Boca (we were here in 2009) lots of colorful buildings & oversized sculptures of odd looking people
- B – city doesn’t look as pretty – lots of graffiti – dirty
- 1:30 – get to La Boca – walk around – meet nice couple from LA
- lots of outdoor cafes w/live music & couples Tango dancing
- 4:30 – get off bus @stop 15 – not too far from hotel – takes about 20 mins
- B – really too hot for good walk
- 7:00 dinner @ Puerto Cristal in Puerto Madero
Bar Sur Tango
- A – grilled provolone w/oregano & olive oil, spinach, lentil, veggie salad – VG – pink salmon overcooked & Alamos malbec wine – $108
- 9:00 – Bar Sur for Tango – short walk from restaurant (10 blocks)
- A – only 10 tables, very intimate – 2 couples dance, 1 singer, 3 musicians – $126
- 11:00 – take taxi back – $10 seems to be the average to get around town
- A – get to hotel just as rain starts pouring down
FF – (FUN-fact) – Buenos Aires has lots of big grand parks.
FUN:travel – Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv – 71 days
February 3, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv – 71 days
The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Travel is very personal! We are working on finding the right mix of cruising and land tours that work for us. The best part of cruising is you get to unpack your bags. The best part of land touring is that you get to spend more time with the locals. The worst part is the physical and financial toll of flying out of the country. It has turned into a real hassle these days! That is why we choose to take longer vacations (and because Chris is now retired we can)
- The travel motto is “I want to be surprised, and not pissed off.” And “We are only doing this once.” So we are on a journey to see as much as we can, while we can. Seeing Wonders of the World guide us to many of our destinations.
Day 1 – Wednesday, January 30 – Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv – 71 days – Longest Trip Ever Taken
- 12:43 pm flight to Buenos Aires – 3 hr layover in Houston
Day 2 – Thursday, January 31 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – overcast, hot & humid
- A – all flights on time
- arrive 10:45 am
- B – takes 2 hrs to get through customs & retrieve bags
- taxi from airport takes 45 min – driver has no GPS and can’t find our hotel
- A – booked Urban Suites Recoleta @ Booking.com – only $138
- A – nice big room!
- across from the cemetery where Eva Peron is entombed
- A – lots of outdoor cafes
- B – hot & humid w/overcast skies
- light salad & wine for lunch (dressing tasteless & wine tasty)
- A – take afternoon siesta
- A – dinner @ Fervor recommended by hotel
- A – split white salmon, grilled vegetables, & sorbet – nice malbec $68 US
- 12 midnight take sleeping pill
FF – (FUN-fact) – All restaurants charge for a table. It costs more to sit outside. We paid anywhere from $2.00 to $4.00 per person.
Evita’s Tomb