We are finally back in Buenos Aires, so I have email access for just a few hours before leaving for Iguazu Falls. I am going to post the entire two weeks of my journal from the trip beginning with Buenos Aires, then to Ushuaia, and finally on to Antartica. It has been a most amazing journey to experience such a spectacular and untouched part of our world. I hope you enjoy our adventures!

Blessings,
Barbara

ANTARCTICA TRIP – January 10 -28

Day One-January 10 — 11: Leaving the USA and Arriving in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Day Three – January 13:

We slept in and had breakfast about 10:30. After my shopping spree the day before, we ran out of pesos after blindly following the advice of the group about not needing to bring much money because almost everyone took credit cards. We waited in line at an exchange for a long time, only to find out that we needed our passports which, according to our instructions, we were supposed to leave in the safe at the hotel. Our next plan was to try the ATM machines with our credit cards, which did not work, so finally we were able to get 100 pesos each from the hotel to be charged to our room. Our other task for the morning was to try to find somewhere to buy a battery charger for my camera since mine was left plugged into the wall in my living room in Florida!.

After a frustrating few hours, we did find the charger ($70 US), I went back to the exchange with my passport and traveler’s checks, and Nancy headed off to the Design Center and Museum. Now that I was “flush” again, I decided to do a bit more shopping ;-), found one more leather jacket and several fun gifts for the kids and friends. We continue to be amazed at how nice everyone is and what good bargains there are here! (You will be surprised to know that I did have to buy an extra bag today to accommodate all the fun things I purchased..)

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Days 3 – 5 were a blur of activity–lots of sightseeing, shopping, the opening cocktail reception, walking, walking, walking, and last night an amazing Tango show. I will write more about what we have learned about Argentina, one of the loveliest countries I have visited, when we return in 10 days. In the meantime, we are leaving this morning for Ushuia and then will visit Terra del Fuego national park in the morning and board the ship in the afternoon for Antarctica. Other than part of a day and night back here in BA, we will be completely out of touch. Keep us in your prayers for safety, adventure, and wonderful new friends!

P.S. I THINK I made the 33# limit! 😉

Day Two:

After a luxurious and much-needed night of sleep, we had a late start and just barely made it to breakfast before it closed at 11:00. They have a nice buffet with lots of fresh fruit. Got caught up on email and then gathered our “stuff” and headed out on the street. We decided to walk to the museum area but took many detours along the way. We had read about the first place we stopped – their mission was to share cultural artifacts made by natives. I got a couple of pieces of lovely silver and horn jewelry.

As we wandered, we popped into various interesting shops and finally arrived at the museums just about the time we had to go back to the hotel for the opera tonight! We did have a lovely late snack at an outdoor garden area in one of the most exclusive shopping galleries in the city. One interesting thing we noted in the whole “Rodeo Drive” of Buenos Aires was that so few people in the shops spoke English, completely unlike all the small shops on Florida Street where it seemed almost everyone knew our language.

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ANTARCTICA TRIP – January 10 -28

Day One, July 10:

After all the trauma of finding out just a few hours before we left that my assistant was quitting in two weeks, a sleepless few nights trying to get everything ready to go, especially packing for almost 3 weeks with just two 30# bags (I cheated and will leave one BIG one at the hotel in between! ;-), and then the usual stress about leaving the country and making sure all the legal and family issues were covered, I could hardly believe I was really on the plane which left Tampa at 6:30 pm.

I got to Dulles and waited at the gate for my friend, Nancy Cobb, who was flying in from Chicago. When she hadn’t come and everyone else was on board, I checked with the agent. He said, “If she runs, she might make it!” Anyway, she did, and we were on our way. The 10 hour overnight flight was pretty uneventful except for having to go back to the gate for a sick customer to get off. I had a lovely Spanish woman next to me who was a lawyer in the US and was coming to visit family. She suggested lots of things for us to see, directed us to the best shopping areas ;-), and especially the best wines to try! We got a couple of hours of sleep and finally arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires. The customs forms were in such small print that no one could read them, and even the flight attendants did not know what they said, so bring a magnifying glass if you ever come here.

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