Last minute deal to Argentina |
2007-02-14 |
It's been a bit of an unexpected whirlwind, but here we are in Buenos Aires, Argentina!
We left Vilcabamba on an overnight bus to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city to rendezvous with our backpacking gear that's been waiting patiently at Empresas Amazonas since arriving from Montreal at the beginning of the month.
After hours of strolling in the hot humid streets, sticky with sweat, we casually duck into an air conditioned travel agency to see about plane tickets to Buenas Aires for sometime later in the week. Buenos Aires, both because it's the southernmost International airport before Patagonia (which is still a couple of thousand km south through nothing but enormous cattle ranches and agricultural land) and to partake in Argentina's largest Carnaval a few hours north in Gualeguaychú that's peaking this weekend.
Little did we realize it, EVERYONE's on holiday next Monday and Tuesday for Carnaval, and all flights out of the city in all directions are FULL!! Our only option is a flight leaving a few hours later, at full fare - get this - $1640 for the pair - OUCH!!, or wait until March for the next available seats.
Living in Ecuador is so cheap, and this is a huge scale shock. To put it in perspective, the best hotel in Vilcabamba, Madre Tierra cost us $13 each a day including five star meals. We could live like kings for over two months for the cost of that one transport... Put another way, you could rent a mountainside home for $50/month and hire a chef and maid for $5/day each. Even if you spent $100/month on groceries to feed us all - which would be very hard to do - we could soak in paradise for four more months...
We chew on it, and chew, and chew some more... and finally bite. We have to be at the airport in two hours! Ciao Ecuador, onward!
So here we are, sitting at an outdoor café on Ave de Mayo watching as the incredibly cosmopolitan, European-feel city of 12.5 million goes by. Hippies, indigenous farmers and the herb-collecting, fountain of mother earth soaking centairans walking down the dirt roads gives way, shockingly and suddenly, to fashonistas, suited, tanned and sun glassed jet-set singsonging the Italian-like Spanish into their ultra-thin mobile phones along the FOURTEEN lane Av 9 de Julio.
This is nothing like the third world South America we've known. Decidedly Barcelona-esque. How fabulously exciting to be faced with another culture shock on our way. Signing off to go explore.
We left Vilcabamba on an overnight bus to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city to rendezvous with our backpacking gear that's been waiting patiently at Empresas Amazonas since arriving from Montreal at the beginning of the month.
After hours of strolling in the hot humid streets, sticky with sweat, we casually duck into an air conditioned travel agency to see about plane tickets to Buenas Aires for sometime later in the week. Buenos Aires, both because it's the southernmost International airport before Patagonia (which is still a couple of thousand km south through nothing but enormous cattle ranches and agricultural land) and to partake in Argentina's largest Carnaval a few hours north in Gualeguaychú that's peaking this weekend.
Little did we realize it, EVERYONE's on holiday next Monday and Tuesday for Carnaval, and all flights out of the city in all directions are FULL!! Our only option is a flight leaving a few hours later, at full fare - get this - $1640 for the pair - OUCH!!, or wait until March for the next available seats.
Living in Ecuador is so cheap, and this is a huge scale shock. To put it in perspective, the best hotel in Vilcabamba, Madre Tierra cost us $13 each a day including five star meals. We could live like kings for over two months for the cost of that one transport... Put another way, you could rent a mountainside home for $50/month and hire a chef and maid for $5/day each. Even if you spent $100/month on groceries to feed us all - which would be very hard to do - we could soak in paradise for four more months...
We chew on it, and chew, and chew some more... and finally bite. We have to be at the airport in two hours! Ciao Ecuador, onward!
So here we are, sitting at an outdoor café on Ave de Mayo watching as the incredibly cosmopolitan, European-feel city of 12.5 million goes by. Hippies, indigenous farmers and the herb-collecting, fountain of mother earth soaking centairans walking down the dirt roads gives way, shockingly and suddenly, to fashonistas, suited, tanned and sun glassed jet-set singsonging the Italian-like Spanish into their ultra-thin mobile phones along the FOURTEEN lane Av 9 de Julio.
This is nothing like the third world South America we've known. Decidedly Barcelona-esque. How fabulously exciting to be faced with another culture shock on our way. Signing off to go explore.
Comments
What can one say - back to "civilization", sorry guys, it had to come at one point :)
So awesome! A friend of mine who lives in Uruguay once told me "Carnaval" is one of the best parties there is. Enjoy the beach parties, dancing, drinks, hot weather, etc... :)
Hey guys,
Glad you made it to Buenos Aires. It's a beautiful place. The pampas of Tierra del Fuego await and are a world apart. Try to visit Uruguay while you're in BA.
Ciao,
Guillermo
Hey guys,
Glad you made it to Buenos Aires. It's a beautiful place. The pampas of Tierra del Fuego await and are a world apart. Try to visit Uruguay while you're in BA.
Ciao,
Guillermo