Hey friends,
We've recently from an epic adventure in Argentina and I can't wait to share it with you.
Firstly, am the only one who didn't realize how far south Buenos Aires is? When I saw that it was 9-hour fight from Miami, I was flabbergasted. Obviously, my geography leaves something to be desired.
We had 2 full weeks in Argentina, and we decided to explore 3 areas of Argentina on our vacation: Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Iguazu. We managed to slip in a 24-hour adventure to Uruguay, which was definitely a worthwhile addition!
Here's what I'm going to do: I'll outline each section of our adventure with some recommendations/tips for anyone who might be interested in our itinerary - very travel blog-Esque
Once we get the facts out of the way, I'll provide you with the dirt of the trip. You know, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Feel free to skip to the dirt and maybe bookmark the blog if you ever decide to travel to Argentina and want some advice.
Let's start with Buenos Aires!
The first and last leg of our trip took place in Buenos Aires. Although I'm not a big city person, I really enjoyed Buenos Aires and have locked it in as one of top 3 big cities (Edinburgh and Cape Town are also on that list).
The first thing that I noticed when we arrived was that the Spanish language sounded much different than any other Spanish-speaking country we've visited. People spoke more with their hands, and the cadence was more melodic, as opposed to clipped. I immediately recognized it as having an Italian influence, which I later found to be true due to a massive immigration of Italians to Argentina in the late 1800's - early 1900's. Not only is the language influenced by the Italian culture (have you ever witnessed 2 Uber drivers argue explicitly with their just their hands, windows up? EPIC!), but the food also has massive Italian influence.
During the first leg of the trip, we stayed in an area called Palermo Soho. This was the perfect starting place for us, as we felt very safe to wander around, exploring picturesque squares/parks, incredible restaurants, and cute boutique shops.
On our last leg of the journey, we chose to stay in downtown Buenos Aires. We were within walking distance to the iconic monuments and architectural landmarks. This area was busier, and although I never felt unsafe, there were people sleeping on the streets and the traffic was less forgiving - like you may get clipped if you prematurely step onto the curb. It had a totally different vibe than Palermo, but I'm glad that we explored both areas.
Here are things that we did in Buenos Aires:
- Walking Food Tour: DO THIS! This was one of the highlights, and perfect for our first night. Our host was super passionate about Argentina and food, and taught us so much about the politics, culture, and history of Buenos Aires. We visited 4 very different and delicious restaurants, where we began our obsession with the EMPANADA!
- Rooftop Asado Experience: This was another really fun experience where we attended a rooftop asado (Argentinian barbeque) at a local Buenos Aires home. There are spots for 12 people, and we lucked out with a very interesting and interested group of people. I would think that this experience could be lame if you were surrounded by duds. The food and conversation were really good! We're glad we did this one!
- La Recoleta Cemetery: This is where all the notable Argentinians are buried and often referred to as the most beautiful cemetery in the world! Honestly, I wasn't expecting to spend a lot of time here, but we happened upon a live ceremony, complete with a marching band, and it was quite extraordinary. We took the time to translate some of the plaques as well, which was interesting. I would check it out!
- Teatro Colon: This is a magnificent opera house, renowned for having the best acoustics. You need to sign up for tours, which filled up a day in advance during our trip. Check ahead to see if the main opera house has the lights on. Apparently, there are times when they turn the lights to the main opera theatre off in preparation for an opera. I'm not sure that the tour would be worth it if you were unable to experience the main opera house.
- We did the hop on, hop off bus trip. I wouldn't recommend this. Ubers are super cheap, and I think it's a better use of your time to select a few areas of the city and take Ubers to the locations.
- You must visit the San Telmo market on a Sunday! With a nice mix of tourists and locals, the market spans about 10 blocks and has such a great vibe! There are booths with local wares, as well as live music and SO MUCH DANCING! I loved this. People just toss their purses aside and dance in the streets. Ev and I grabbed a table at a small local restaurant, drank wine, and took in the view. I highly recommend!
- Take an Uber to Puerto Madera. There is a magnificent bridge, which is an iconic landmark. There are tons of fabulous restaurants and walking along the river in the evening is an incredible experience - again...more live dancing in the streets!
Mendoza/Uco Valley
The next leg of our trip was Mendoza. It's about a 2-hour flight from Buenos Aires, and located in western Argentina, near the Chilean border. Although we flew into Mendoza, we chose to rent a car and drive closer to the Andes mountains to an area called the Uco Valley. This area is known for its high-altitude vineyards that produce incredible Malbecs and Chardonnays. The wineries were not like any that I'd ever visited before. They were very sleek and modern - almost industrial looking! The wineries, called bodegas, are mostly family run, and it is apparent that the families take great pride in what they produce!
We spent one day driving around, taking in the beautiful Andes scenery and stopping at a cool city called Tunuyan. It was the Easter long weekend, and Argentinian people celebrate both Thursday and Good Friday - turning it into a super long weekend. We saw local families camping by the river with their horses, selling food and crafts at a market, and of course - dancing. I absolutely loved watching people just get up and dance. Dance truly is a symbol of the Argentinian identity!
We hired a private driver for our second day who took us to two incredible bodegas (wineries). Our driver spoke excellent English and had prior experience as a high school teacher, so she filled us in on all the history, as well as the backstories on all of the bodegas. We had an incredible day touring the wineries, tasting ALL the wine, and enjoying a beautiful lunch with the Andes as our backdrop.
Tips:
- We decided to skip the city of Mendoza, as we were "citied out," and enjoy the quieter countryside of Uco Valley. If you do this, rent a car. It's easy to get around, and there are no Ubers or public transportation in the Uco Valley.
- Ensure that you pre-book your vineyard tours/lunches. There was no walk-up option; however, we were there during the Easter long weekend, which was a much busier time.
- Arrange for a driver if you're wine tasting. You're driving on highways, and the police presence is high. Our driver explained that they will pull you over if they suspect you've been drinking.
Iguazu
The next leg of journey took us to Iguazu, a city on the Brazil/Argentina border known for its spectacular Iguazu Falls.
To get to Iguazu, we had to fly back to Buenos Aires and catch a 90-minute flight to Iguazu. There were no connections available out of Mendoza.
As soon as we breathed in the humid air in Iguazu, we knew that we were in completely different climate. Iguazu reminded me of Costa Rica in this respect - lush jungles and a tropical climate.
We stayed at a beautiful resort deep in the jungle, overlooking the Iguazu River. Although our resort was very family-orientated, there was a very special serene "Adults only" pool and bar with a fabulous river view. We spent a lot of time here!
We spent an entire day touring the Iguazu Falls. You do not need to book a private tour or a package, as you can pay at the gate, which gives you access to beautiful trails and a train that takes you to, what feels like, the top of the world. The trails are easy to traverse, and many people were pushing strollers with ease, although there were a lot of crying children, which makes me think that it's a long day for a baby/toddler.
Iguazu Falls really are breathtaking. When the wind shifts, the water droplets soak your face. The air smells like the "fresh scent" that you aspire to achieve with laundry soap. The water is so powerful. It's just magnificent.
Tips:
- Allow yourself a solid 6 hours to take in Iguazu Falls. Wear good shoes!
- Taxis are available and cheap. I recommend taking a taxi to The Triple Frontier, a cool spot in Iguazu where Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay all meet. We went at sunset, which was a great time to catch markets, and snap a great sunset view of this national wonder.
Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
The last leg of our journey was a last-minute decision! We had 3 final days in Buenos Aires before we flew back to Cayman and decided to venture across to Colonia, Uruguay via ferry for one night.
I'm glad we added this stop to our trip. I think it was worth it!
There are multiple daily ferry options, and travel to Colonia was a quick 90-minute ferry ride from Buenos Aires.
Colonia del Sacramento was founded by the Portuguese in the late 1600's, and I could immediately tell that the Spanish language and the people were different than the in Buenos Aires. The pace was much slower and relaxed.
The historic quarter of Colonia is a UNESCO world heritage site, featuring cobblestone streets, brightly painted colonia houses, and historical site ruins. It's a very quaint and picturesque city. This would be a fabulous stop for photographers!
Tips:
- We found that very few people spoke English, but that's cool. We used our Google Translate app and the people were so friendly and very willing to communicate with us, using any means possible!
- You can opt to go over to Colonia on the ferry for a day trip. We decided to spend the night in a really cute boutique hotel called Charco Hotel, right in the middle of the historic area. The restaurant was phenomenal, and perhaps one of our best meals. I highly recommend this hotel!
- Colonia Del Sacramento is not cheap - the hotels and food are slightly more expensive than Buenos Aires. This was the one place on our trip where we were unable to use our credit card for a taxi. They accepted American cash.
THE DIRT!
If you've hung in here until now, thanks.
If you scrolled down, skipping the travel blog, welcome to THE DIRT.
Let's break this into 3 sections: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Let's start with the bad.
The BAD
Domestic air travel in Argentina is not for the weak-hearted.
To be fair, I screwed up. I did a bit of research and knew that a few of the airlines were not reliable; however, when I saw that they offered multiple flights a day (like one every 2 hours), I assumed that if a flight was canceled, we could easily hop on the next.
I was wrong. Very wrong.
Our first domestic flight was from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. We arrived at the airport at 8am, 2 hours before our departure time to find everyone standing in a very long line at the Fly Bondi Ticket counter. We found another couple who spoke English and they explained that Fly Bondi had canceled the flight. I immediately was like, no biggie, this airline has 5 more flights to Mendoza today.
Nope. Fly Bondi canceled all 6 of the flights to Mendoza that day. There was no reason given. The weather was perfect. Poof - the flights were just erased from existence.
Panicking slightly, Ev and I got on our phones to look at other options. There were no other airlines flying that day and it looked like we wouldn't be able to get to our destination until the next evening, which seriously impacted this leg of the trip. We considered renting a car and driving 13 hours to Mendoza. I implored Chat GPT, "Is it safe for 2 non-Spanish speaking white people to drive from Buenos Aires to Mendoza?" (Apparently, it's okay-ish during daylight - not super convincing).
By the time we reached the ticket agent, people were yelling at the agents and security guards were sent to de-escalate the situation. It was a shit-show.
I approached the young ticket agent, who looked OVERWHELMED. I attempted to engage her in Spanish, and she quickly switched to English, after I butchered her language.
I said, "This must be really stressful for you."
The girl took a deep breath and her demeanor changed, "Hold on," she said.
She returned a few minutes later and quietly said, "The 6am flight is still delayed and there are 2 seats available. Run, and you can catch it. Don't tell anyone."
We did as we were told and managed to get on that flight.
I'm still thankful that she creatively solved our problem.
And...just be nice. Everyone is going through something. Seriously, I feel like people turn into their most selfish version once they enter an airport.
Our second issue with Fly Bondi was when they sent an email about 15 hours before our return flight, stating that our flight time had been changed from 10am to 6am. This was a huge change, as we had a 90-minute drive from our hotel to the airport, which meant a 2:30am departure from our hotel after a full day of wine tasting.
OH MY GOD.
I did not let the early departure affect my ability to down every single taste of wine that was offered to me. I gave zero F's. Zero. I wish I would have given like 2.
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| This looks like regret |
I found myself walking around the rental car at 4am attempting to walk off the hangover at a gas station and not vomit en route to the airport. It was rough.
After our 2 Fly Bondi experiences, I decided to rebook our next flights with the national airline, which is Aerolineas Argentinas. The cost was double, but well worth it.
Also, passengers who fly with Fly Bondi are generally miserable. I mean, you would be too if every flight you booked was either cancelled or rescheduled.
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| No! Just NO. |
Ev hilariously ended up breaking up in a fight in one the of the airport lines.
Two ladies were arguing in Spanish - it appeared to be over one of the ladies trying to get ahead of the other in the "line" (these "lines" didn't actually exist, from what I could see).
Ev was merely a foot between these two angry women, who were going at for at least 10-minutes, yelling loudly back-and-forth in Spanish across Evan's increasingly annoyed face.
I was seated a few feet away but could see that Evan was quickly losing patience.
He finally shouted, in the deepest, sternest, "dad" voice ever...."ENOUGH!"
The ladies appeared shocked, yet one attempted to convince Evan that she was in the right. Obviously, Ev had no idea what she was saying in Spanish, but he immediately cut her off, very calmly and slowly stating, "I. DON'T. CARE."
Everyone stopped in their tracks. The fight immediately stopped and everyone was silent.
I noticed the husband of one of the fighting women nod respectfully at Evan.
I choked on my water and began snickering uncontrollably. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. Evan and I laughed about this our entire trip. So funny.
Argentina is a huge country, and the only way to explore other areas is to use the domestic airlines. Pay more and use the national airline. Do NOT make the same mistake that I made. Fly Bondi resulted in a lot of unnecessary stress on our vacation and caused me to reconsider whether I could ever drink wine again. Boo. Don't ever get between me and my wine.
THE UGLY
Can we discuss the influencers for a minute or two?
I am so over this.
You all know that I love a good picture. I want to capture memories! Seize the moment!
But...I can also put my phone away and live in the moment as well. It would appear that this is becoming too challenging for some people, who choose to live through their phones.
Iguazu Falls is a beautiful National Park with thousands of incredible photo-worthy spots.
I observed so many beautiful people march up to a "photo spot," immediately set up their phone and then proceed to "create content" while removing clothing, striking ridiculous poses, and throwing their hands in the air with artificial joy, then immediately march on to the next spot to repeat the process.
Like are you even having fun? Did you actually "see" anything? Grrrr.
I didn't want these people to detract from my experience, but I could feel myself becoming more annoyed as the day progressed.
When we finally reached Devil's Throat (the top of the falls), and entered the viewing platform, I was immediately awestruck by the incredible view. It was jaw-dropping.
But then I looked around and all I could see were people creating content.
One guy removed his shirt, groomed himself for a solid 5 minutes and then flexed. He literally flexed his muscles, high in the air, above one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. Ugh.
I made a decision right there and then that I was NOT going to let these annoying people affect my experience.
I've recently completed a mindfulness course and decided to put a lesson into practice.
I stood at the railing over the magnificent falls, closed my eyes and practiced the "Five Senses Technique," where I focused on what I could see, feel, hear, taste, and smell.
It worked! I was lost in my senses for a solid 15-minutes. I could actually taste the water on my face when the wind blew the falls in my direction. The roaring of the water drowned out the noise of the other observers, and I was truly lost in the moment.
When I opened my eyes, the only people I noticed were other people like me...people who were visibly moved by the scene. I watched one older man's eyes fill with tears as he approached the viewing area. I heard the quick intake of breath as people approached the falls and gasped. Wow. It was incredible and I may have enjoyed watching people's "first look" more than the falls themselves. So cool.
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| My attempt at influencing |
THE GOOD
Honestly, there was so much good to report from this holiday.
The food was incredible.
The people (other than the Fly Bondi passengers) were kind, helpful, and welcoming.
The areas that we chose to explore were a perfect mix of adventure and chill for us.
Ev and I really enjoyed each other. It was so nice to get away and adventure together. I loved our time together!
Another win...my body did its job. Other than the always painful right knee, the prosthetic joints carried me through jungles, vineyards, and long airport lines. I have no idea why the left hip isn't following in the other joints footsteps, but it's hanging in there longer than anyone expected and I'm SOOOO grateful for that.
But I think that the highlight of the trip, perhaps influenced by my mindfulness course, were the connections that I made (or felt) with people along the way!
I thought a lot about the Fly Bondi ticket lady experience. This poor girl was having a very bad day. She was being yelled at by multiple people and had a line 100-deep of angry passengers to deal with. We've all been there. Sometimes you just want someone to notice that you're a fricken human - notice that you're going through it and empathize with you. When I reached the front of the line, although I was stressed about our travel situation, I just thought, "Shit. This girl is struggling." Simply by noticing and commenting, I felt like we formed a (quick) human connection. In turn, she did us a solid. It was a good reminder to get out of my own head and pay more attention to my environment and the people in it. Be present with others. Honestly, it's helped a lot with my anxiety.
While in Uruguay, Ev worked in a coffee shop while a toured about the city. When I met up with him at noon, he had just ordered quite a bit of food, and I reminded him that we didn't have a lot of time before our ferry left. As his food arrived, I encouraged him to pack up and eat quickly.
I could see that the servers in the restaurant were confused by our behavior. The food had just arrived and we were packing up. They were speaking quickly to each other in Spanish. I put on the google translator to eaves drop and could see that they were confused, "Did he order this? Did you bring him the right thing? Why are they leaving?"
I approached the servers, and translated the following to Spanish, "My husband has no sense of urgency. We have a ferry to catch, and he ordered this food not realizing that we don't have time. The food is great and the service has been excellent. He lost track of time."
The ladies listened to the translator and then nodded and rolled their eyes, saying, "Hombres!" ("Men!")
One server attempted to tell me something in Spanish. I couldn't fully understand, but I knew that she was telling me about her "esposa" (husband), touching my arm gently, and laughing with me.
Ev continued to pack up his computer while downing his Malbec, saying, "I feel like you're talking about me!" Bahaha. NOOOOOO.
I laughed with this group of ladies for a solid 5-minutes, and it occurred to me that being annoyed with your husband is universal. It transcends borders, languages and cultures. Humans are all the same. We really are. And how cool is it to travel 5000 miles to come to this realization!
Cheers to connections! (but not the cheap domestic airline connections)
