[This message has been edited by pablo]
As expected, the trip to Argentina was long but not too grueling. It began in Portland, Oregon and the first leg of our journey was to LAX for our flight to Buenos Aires. Lan Chile, one of two airline companies going to Argentina from the West coast was our choice. They were slightly less expensive than the other airline, COPA. I was somewhat surprised at how nice the service was with Lan Chile. There were more stewardess than domestic airlines and much better service. Even their food was good for airplane food. We flew down on a large Airbus.
We stopped in Lima, then Santiago, changing plans there before the final leg into Argentina’s capital city. Total time elapsed before arriving was more than 20 hours with over 6,500 miles behind us.
Prior to my trip I had made numerous contacts with locals seeking their assistance. One particular young lady and I hit it off and began to develop a friendship over a two month period of exchanging information, photos and chatting in Messenger. As I previously mentioned, I had confided with her that one of the main reasons why I wanted to visit Argentina was to not only see her country but also meet the women. She kindly agreed to help me by not only suggesting accommodations, but also with advice on what to see and do, and introduced me with a few of her friends and those that caught my eye.
I really did not know what to expect, having heard differing viewpoints about the Argentina women ranging from snobbish to friendly. Soon I would find out firsthand, but based on my initial contact with this Portena, I would have to conclude that they were like other Latin American cultures…warm and hospitable.
Arriving in BsAs and going through customs was a breeze. A declaration form provided by the airline needed to be submitted along with my passport. It only took a few minutes to clear customs, claim my baggage and then to find a taxi. The cost of the trip into town was 35 pesos and took about 30 minutes to get to our hotel in Recoleta, one of the nicer neighborhoods in BsAs.
The current exchange rate depending on where you go is 2.7 to 2.9 pesos to the dollar. The peso was once pegged to the dollar and with the present economic problems in Argentina, the dollar is obviously much stronger now allowing one’s visit to be relatively inexpensive. Lodging, travel, food, etc., are all had at a third of what they once cost.
I am staying at a small hotel called the Ayacucho Palace Hotel (www.ayacuchohotel.com.ar), located at the streets of Ayacucho and Pena. Although not living up to their name, it is clean and comfortable and close to many of the cities sites. Cost per night is 62 pesos which includes a continental breakfast at the adjoining café. There are other hotels that are less expensive and certainly those that cost more. For me, it was nice accommodations.
Day 1
I met my lady friend, I will call her Maria, early in the morning. She lives within walking distance from the hotel. When we met we greeted each other the customary Latin way with a hug and one kiss with cheeks touching. I have to admit, I really like this custom, something I wished we did back home in the States. Even some of the men do this when greeting their amigos. I think I only observed a couple handshakes during my entire stay in Argentina.
Maria brought a suggested itinerary over for us printed out for each day we would be in BsAs and included maps of places to go and things to do. I appreciated how kind and thoughtful she had been in taking the time to do this, taking a couple “yankee” (not gringo) new friends under her wings. She was getting laid off from work and it would be her last week. It was as if she was our volunteered tourist guide. It was easy trusting her, as she was always looking out for our best interests, asking nothing in return. For example, when I suggested she meet us at the airport at my expense, she refused, stating it was money that need not be spent. Maria also saved us money when she hooked us up with a travel agent here to purchase airfare for two other cities we wanted to see while in Argentina- Cordoba and Mendoza. I thought about purchasing an airfare pass available for foreigners while still in the States at a cost of about $100 each leg, but she suggested waiting and purchasing tickets after we arrived. It was autumn in Argentina, not a high time for tourists. As it turned out we were able to get tickets much cheaper in-country using a local travel agent, a friend of her family. After discussing it with my travel buddy, we decided to ask her to come with us but she wasn’t interested in Cordoba but gladly accepted our offer to go with us to Mendoza. A number of Portenas did not think much of Cordoba but thought Mendoza was a beautiful city. Soon we would find out. Total cost for roundtrip airfare for the three of us was only $282. (I have the travel agent’s name and email address if anyone would like it. This lady is great.)
Day 2
During the day we went to an area along the river called Puerto Madero. There are mostly nice shops and restaurants in this area. Food in Argentina is excellent, and prices very cheap. A nice steak dinner for two complete with drinks, dessert, and a bottle of champagne cost 49 pesos.
Another place that was suggested we go to was Senor Tango. It is a live theatrical performance of a tango show, well known in BsAs and mostly frequented by visiting tourists and a few locals. It was an amazing performance of dancing and singing by various actors. The theatre is huge with three levels. You can opt for dinner with the show or without the food. I would suggest eating elsewhere as the food was mediocre. The dinner starts at 8:00 PM and the show at 10:00 which lasts for 2 hours. The women, both in the show and in the audience were stunning.
One thing that I’ve noticed about Argentineans is that they eat late and stay up very late. Dinner is usually eaten around 9:00 PM.
Okay, for all of you that have been waiting to hear my impressions of what the women look like here. All I have to say is…
