Patagonia 2012 = Buenos Aires - Stay 2

During our second stay in Buenos Aires, we enjoyed the following activities:

• we stayed at the A Hotel (formerly the Art Hotel). Very nice place tucked into the city. A little difficult getting to when you don't speak Spanish and you hand a taxi driver a piece of paper asking to go to "A" Hotel.
• visited the U.S. Embassy to get Melissa's emergency passport so that we could travel into Chile for our five day stay at Ecocamp Patagonia. The Embassy was very friendly and had the passport ready later that afternoon
• checked out the Plaza Naciones Unidas, Floralis Generica. Very cool sculpture that actually opens and closes each morning and night, like a real flower would
• toured La Recoleta Cemetery. Sounds odd, but it is a must see in the city! Just check out the photos and you will see why.
• went to a private wine tasting through a company called Anuva Wines. The owner is from the states and started these tastings in BA after falling in love with Argentinian wines. It is a great way to try some wines from all around the country without having to travel. And they are all wines that you can't get in the U.S. We were however, able to purchase a case through a special distribution connection they have and it was delivered to our house in CO. Still enjoying them!

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Buenos Aires - Stay 2

Patagonia 2012 = San Carlos de Bariloche

After our unplanned, uncomfortable and unforgettable 20hr bus ride West across Argentina, we spent a couple days in San Carlos de Bariloche. Most of the time we were on the phone with the airlines, banks and U.S. Embassy (Melissa needed to replace the stolen passport) trying to resolve the stolen purse issue. We slowly filtered everything out. Then, realizing that we would need to head back to the Embassy in Buenas Aires before being able to enter Chile on the next leg of our trip, we decided to get out and see the sights:

• we rented a car and drove the Circuito Chico around a peninsula on the edge of Nahuel Huapi Lake
• visited the lavish Lalo Lalo Hotel
• stopped for a small hike to an ancient roman stone bridge
• found a great little roadside cafe called Punto Panoramico for some delicious empanadas and microbrew
• amazing steak and wine dinner (again) at El Patacon "Restaurante Argentino", right next to our hotel
• explored one of the biggest ski areas in South America, Catedral Ski Resort, by gondola and chairlift
• visited the shops downtown and made a stop at the police department to get an official report on the stolen purse (no one spoke English, so that was an adventure in itself!)
  
  
  
  To view photos from
  San Carlos de Bariloche,
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San Carlos de Bariloche

Patagonia 2012 = Buenos Aires - Stay 1

Well ... to say the least, it has been quite a while since our trip to South America in November. After returning to the states we have been super busy with Christmas, work, a trip back to NH and playing when we can up in the mountains here in Colorado. We were finally able to sort through the 1,400+ photos we took and the following posts are a little snapshot of our amazing trip.

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After two flights and more than 15 hours, we landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina to start our two week adventure.  It proved to be a trip of a lifetime!

During our first stay in Buenos Aires, we enjoyed the following activities:

• sightseeing downtown along Avenida 9 de Julio (the widest Avenue in the world with up to seven lanes in each direction and flanked on either side by parallel streets of two lanes each)
• walking around the Boca (home to the Boca Juniors where Diego Maradona once played) and San Telmo neighborhoods
• stopping by The Pink Palace (Argentina's "White House")
• checking out the shops on Florida Street
• enjoying a huge Argentinian wine and steak dinner
• watched a crazy soccer match at River Plate against the Argentinos Juniors (0-0 tie), stadium seats 65,645

Unfortunately there were major city transportation strikes planned for the day we were to fly out to San Carlos de Bariloche and our flight was canceled. We decided to take a 20hr bus ride across the country instead of waiting three days for the next flight. At the sketchy bus station, Melissa's purse was stolen. The camera with most of the photos from the first few days, including almost all of the soccer game, was with the purse.

This interruption and theft caused us some delays, extra travel and a sooner return to Buenos Aires than originally planned in order to get a replacement passport for Melissa so that we could continue our trip in Chile. Overall we had some headaches and a lost a day or so in Bariloche, but we were able to reschedule flights, accommodations and activities to keep our trip on track.

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Buenos Aires - Stay 1