Journal Entry #14

Finally, the principal goal of the summer has been accomplished. I am now here in Buenos Aires, the capitol of Argentina. I arrived in Córdoba a couple of days ago, accompanied by my mom, and we have since traveled to Buenos Aires. Upon our arrival at the airport in Córdoba, there was a counter within the airport offering the services of a remis, or a slightly more expensive and upscale version of a taxi, for 19 pesos into the city, which we gladly accepted (we returned to the airport later by taking a taxi for only 10 pesos, I am not sure if the remis is the only option other than the bus or if you can wait for a taxi at the airport). We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, which claims to be a 5 star hotel. Not meeting my mother’s approval, we toured the city in search of a better hotel, but could not find one. The Sheraton, which may have the modern infrastructure (such as wi-fi internet accessibility), the facilities (such as a pool and gym), and the service of five stars, certainly lacks the upkeep. The carpets are stained, the walls need paint, and the bathroom in the room in which we stayed needed a new bathtub (it had unsightly cracks in it). Unfortunatly, we could not find a nicer hotel, and altered our plans to come to Buenos Aires early. So we booked a hotel at the Intercontinental for the following night, located in downtown BA.

The next day, we went directly to the airport and purchased airplane tickets twenty minutes before departure time for about 80 bucks with Aerolineas Argentinas. What a great deal, and without all the hassle of the US airports. Arriving in BA (at the local domestic Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport) about an hour later, we went to the taxi stand outside, and for less than 15 pesos arrived at our hotel. A 5 star hotel for 149 dollars a night, the lobby was beautiful. However, we once again were left dissatisfied. As a government employee, my mom should have received a discount of about $50. We were told that because we booked this room on the internet, we could not have our rate reduced to the government discount. PEOPLE, LETS TALK CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! This hotel lost about $1000 because of this move. We decided to change hotels because of this maltreatment. I am sorry, but when you tell someone that the rate that you should get is $50 less than the rate than you are getting, and there is nothing that you can do to change this, you lose out big time. Not to mention the carpets were stained in the actual room.

We changed to the Loi SuiteS Recoleta Hotel across town. Slightly more expensive, the rooms are clean, have comfortable beds, and only allow slight traffic noises to enter. Plus the manager gave us a personal tour of the entire hotel in English. So after getting settled in, we went out for a snack at a place that specializes in empanadas and pizzas, which were both excellent. From there, we went to the close-by Recoleta Cemetery, and payed our dues to the famous and wealthy Argentine elite of the past. This cemetery is made up of ex-presidents, doctors, and many military generals, to name a few.

Last night we witnessed Señor Tango, a highly overpriced and overrated Tango show. For 190 pesos each, we were served overcooked cuts of what could have been the tastiest beef ever, given absolutely horrible service, and saw the tackiest, most overdone show ever. I can say in defense of Señor Tango that the dancing, music, and singing were excellent.

Today, we decided to make reservations for Bariloche. We used a travel agent called Patagonia Travel, which realizing that they could not “sell us”, offered us the real deal. So four hours later (I have no idea how things like this work here, but everytime I have been to a travel agent here, it has been an all day process. If anyone has any recommendations, please tell me!!!) we received our vouchers for airline travel, transport, and hotel.

Tonight, we dined at the best restaurant that I have quite possibly been to in Argentina. For 105 pesos, or about $35 US, this Italian joint in Palermo (Repùblica Arabe Siria 3285), with its romantic, dimly lit atmosphere, had excellent cuisine. For this small price, the two of us drank a bottle of Malbec D.O.C, a 2002 bottle made by the Bodega Norton, each ate delicious pasta dinners, split a salad and dessert, and topped it off with a porto desert wine. Not only was this restaurant very well priced, but we had some of the best service I have received in the three times I have been to Argentina.

Now we are awaiting the morning dawn, when we will further explore this Latin country, and make our way south to the highly acclaimed San Carlos de Bariloche and the snowy ski slopes of Cerro Catedral. Buenas Noches!