Before seeing Beth, I spent the one good, non-rainy day seeing Iguaza Falls on the Argentina side. After not getting to the Brazilian side of the falls the day before, at first, I thought I could see both sides AND catch my 5pm flight to Buenos Aires all in one day's notice. I am not sure who I convinced me of this feat, because it is NOT possible. First off, it took us at least an hour to cross the border (this was low season by the way) and second, I was told it's not worth it because the Argentina side is the better of two (Thanks hostel peeps! You truly are full of knowledge). Outside of eating cafeteria style meals (kind of like MCL in Indy. Yum Yum!), there's really not much to do in the city of Iguaza falls, so I was glad to spend the day at the falls with Adam, Gus and new friend Sofia before my flight to Buenos Aires. Iguaza Falls definitely a tourist trap, and I can't imagine what it is like to be there when it is high season, but we managed to see ALL three levels of the falls in 4 hours. Express traveling, people. Get on the board. The highlights of the Iguaza Falls were: comic-like joy rides up to the upper falls (it was like being in Disney world again cruising on those trains 1 mile/hr), the group selfies I kept taking of all us together (they will thank me one day), and lastly the Asian tourists. No matter where you go, they are always out in full force, snapping away pictures of anything and everything, left and right. It sort of made me feel back home in San Francisco (Don't take it personal Deanna). Upon seeing the falls, I had rushed back to the hostel, grab a taxi, and hit the airport, because you know busing is NOT for express travelers and I had to be at the airport the next day to pick up Beth.
Since I have been on this trip, I have not been able to watch the Pacers games. Luckily, Sabatico hostel in Buenos Aires had Directv with Game 6 of the Pacers/Hawks game, and after a couple of Quilmes 1L beers, I was watching the misery of the Pacers. Their season would be over for them if they lost, so everyone at the hostel looked at me funny every time I groaned, cheered, and slapped high fives with the other person interested in the game (he was from German. Loves Dirk). Thank God they won that game (along with Game 7) because Beth would had to put up with a bitter billy for next 10 days. The next day, I woke up early, grabbed a cab and headed to the airport to pick up Beth. Two problems with this trip, 1) I was NOT feeling well. Argentinians LOVE their meat and since entering the country, I felt like all I had been eating was meat. Well, something won my stomach over, because things were not normal for the 2 days (I will refrain from going into details), and 2) I had to have a conversation with the cab driver by myself again. Billpanol in full effect again. Pour cab driver. One thing I did notice on the way to the airport (and I was able to communicate this to the cab driver) was the pretty fall colors. Growing up in Indiana, I really enjoyed fall and watching the leafs change colors. This doesn't happen much on the west coast, and witnessing this view in a foreign country, felt pretty special. I was a 10 year old kid again looking out the cab window. Upon arriving at the airport, I was able to squeeze in TWO bathroom breaks before Beth came out of customs (Yes, I was in emergency mode). I wanted to put a sign together to really formalize things for Bepper, but my physical state was not up for it. However, when she came out the door, I made her wonder around a bit (she has to learn the traveling lifestyle) before taping her on the shoulder and hugging the closest thing to family in 3 months. And for once in my life, I felt a little smarter upon meeting her, because I knew more Spanish than Beth. Ha. However, to do operation express travel, old Bepper was going to have to provide the funds and within those 10 days, we did what Billy had planned.....period.
We traveled around Buenos Aires for 2 days before FLYING down to El Cafalate (express travel. Get on board), and couple of things to mention about BA (thanks to our free walking tour, I got the most information than any other city I have traveled), 1) the city is like walking through a architect's fantasy playland. I could not believe ALL the different types of structures throughout the city. French, Italian, Muslim, European, Colonial, you name it, it has a type of influence there. The problem is...many of the buildings are abandon or falling apart. Argentina is going through tough economic times at the moment (it's been cycle for them the last 10 years, more or less the last 50-60 years), but as a contractor/engineer, to revitalize one of these buildings and live in it, would be a major accomplishment in my life. 2) dulce de leche is EVERYWHERE. I mean EVERYWHERE, in your coffee, ice cream, chocolate, breakfast spread, etc. I am surprised they do not have dulce de leche pizza or a seasoning to put on your steak. Finally, the meat. I definitely ate something bad and Beth had a sketchy milanesa that left her sick for a few days. Let's just say, chose your food wisely. Other than seeing the San Telmo market and drinking good cups of coffee, Bepper and I took in a Tango show. Yup, I partook in a 30 min Tango lesson, became an act in the show, and actually enjoyed the event. If only I could have gotten one of those tango chicas numbers, it would have been a much better night.. All was great in Buenos Aires, but it was time to go....the mountains were calling.
The Patagonia is a nostalgic place. Knowing we were going there in Argentina's winter, it was going to be stretch to get any camping done while we were down there. I am so happy I carried my winter clothes (I have had them since Feb!) because it was Tahoe cold down there. We arrived to El Calafate in the midst of rain storm, and again with our time limited, we immediately booked an excursion to see the glacier (American's pronounce it like "gla-SUR", but it seems like everyone else in world says "gla-SEE-er". I don't think phonically we say it correct, but I continued saying "gla-SEE-er" to Beth all week in my piss pour British accent. It was our own personal entertainment) Perito Moreno, rain or shine. I do not how many people of seen a glacier in their life time, but holy smokes it was amazing to see it person. The massive size of thing alone is enough for you to have your jaw drop. It is awe-inspiring to just sit there and look at the thing (it's not really a "thing", it's a solid piece of ice that was formed by layers upon layers of snow compacted over thousands of years) all day. If only the weather was little better, we would have enjoyed a nice lunch on the catwalk benches. Outside from admiring the strong blue tint reflecting off the glacier, it was sad to see how much it has melted over the last 8-10 years and then hear the sonic boom of another piece crashing into the water. It literally sounded like fireworks going off in the distance. Once we got done gawking at the glacier, Beth and I spent the next hour and half walking on it. I felt like Bobby Boucher (Waterboy reference) after drinking water directly off the glacier. So crisp and pure....no filter needed. I do not know what it was about the glacier, but it felt very spiritual. I am not one of those extreme scientists analyzing the rapid destruction we humans are doing to all the glaciers across the world (along with the mother earth naturally heating up), but I will say if (and it's only a matter of when) this glacier melts away, it will be terrible tragedy for man kind. It is truly something special to see in our life time and upon walking away from it, it was really hard, just like Quilotoa lake, not to take my eyes off of it.
Originally, Beth and I did not think we were going to have enough time to go to El Chalten and I had read it sometimes shuts down in the winter, but I wasn't going to write it off until I talked to somebody in El Calafate. We knew we wanted to go to Bariloche, but since it was low season in the Patagonia, the buses are less frequent and flying is not an option because it requires you to fly to BA and then wait an entire day to catch a flight the next day. So, we had only one day and night to see El Chalten before getting on a 28 hr bus ride to Bariloche from El Calafate, and god damn was it a pretty day. We arrived to El Chalten without a single cloud in the sky and immediately dropped our packs to hit the trail. The town is so small that hiking & camping trails are accessible by foot outside the place. El Chalten was MY wet dream and damn me if I do not go back there again soon, especially in the summer. Anyways, we were on quest to see the Fitz Roy and nothing was stopping us from getting there. On the bus drive to El Chalten, we had a pretty good view of old Fitz the entire time, but when we got the first glimpse of it along the hike, it was even more serene that it actually made Beth shred a few tears. Again, I cannot describe the beauty and the vast openess of the Patagonia mountain range (I have seen my fair share of views from the Sierras, Casades, Rockies, and even the Andes), but it was chilling to be apart of it. I have always said to myself "I am a sucker for views." and iff you want to make this man smile, just put him in front of a mountain range. After first site of Fitz Roy, Beth and I ventured around for another couple of hours before heading back to town. We were only there for a day and the night, but we both were at peace at what we saw from our hike. At a moment's rest, Beth and I sat, looked up at Fitz Roy and thought to ourselves "we are one lucky sons-of-bitches". It was great to be able to share that moment with Beth.
Two things Beth was not found of on this express trip, 28 hour bus rides and shared dorm rooms. I made Beth do it for a few nights, but finally before we left to go to Bariloche, Beth insisted on getting a private room with two twin beds and she was willing to pay for it. Donezo. The Bank of Beth. The bus trip was pretty uneventful other than the random little towns we stopped at along the way, and remember thinking to myself how great of a bike trip this would make. We arrived to Bariloche late, and I was happy we made it here, because it was cute town with lush mountains surrounding the town and lake. One problem though....Bepper left her camera on the bus. Luckily I downloaded some of the photos before she lost it, but she didn't get a chance to download her pics of Fitz Roy. I felt so bad that it was hard to concentrate on what to do the following day because I knew how much Fitz Roy meant so much to her. After trying to do a venture with our friend Francisco, Beth and I decided to take the bus to the park and go for a hike. It's funny how things work out, because the minute we walked on the local bus, we were greeted by the Australian clan from the 28 hour bus ride to Bariloche. There were probably 2 -3 other buses that went by as we tried to figure out what to do and we happen to get on the one with these people.....you can't make this shit up. It was nice because it put an end to the thought of the camera, and we shared a good laugh with the crew when our bus almost tipped after an unpleasant stop. We walked around Nahuel Huapi national park and hiked to the top of Cerro Llao Llao and get once again another breath-taking view of the mountains in Argentina. This time we were looking at the Andes, and all the fall colors were in full effect. Beth and I left the group and decided last minute to take the chair lift up to Cerro Campanario on our way back to Bariloche. It would cost us 90 pecos to spend maybe 30 mins at the top (we arrived at closing time), but these are the decisions you make in express traveling and by god was it worth it. The fall colors covered the scenic views and deep down it made me really miss the 4 seasons in the US. Afterwards, we reconnected with the crew at dinner and enjoyed delicious steaks at Boliche de Alberto. Hands down best steak I had eaten on the trip, and it was great fun to be around other travelers (there's only so much Beth and I can talk about). We shared a pint at the local brewery (mmm, another IPA) called Andres before mailing it in for the night. And just like that, Beth and I's trip was over together. We flew back to BA the next day and she took off that Saturday night back for the states. I thought I was going to another week or so behind her because I wanted to continue traveling, but little did I know, I would be leaving my trip for good, 3 days later.
I will say the last 3 days of my trip will be locked in my memory has a faith in humanity. After Beth left, I spent the night at Sebastian's family's house in Recoleta for a BBQ. Little did I know, I was the topic of the OF THE BBQ. I spent time dressing the meats and asking questions to Sebastian about how to do a proper Argentinian asado (he provided every answer in English). Then, as we waited for the meats to cook to perfection, I sat in his parents lovely back patio talking stories with Sebastian, his girlfriend Nachi and 3 sisters (May, Feli, Belu) plus 1 brother (Maximo). They were all very kind and extremely nice to me, and it was a fitting way to spend the last few nights in Buenos Aires. I felt loved. Sebastian, muchos gracias amigo. Vamos a ver el uno al otro vez pronto! The next night I ventured into bar called the Alamo (thanks Will for the recommendation) to watch the Pacers game. I was able to spend the evening chatting it up with a guy from Chicago, girl from New Jersey, and another girl from Finland (this whole trip I wanted to meet someone from each Scandinavian country and Finland was last on my list. Mission accomplished). The Pacers won and we drank the night away with the Argentinian drink of choice..Fernet and Coke. Yummy. Outside of walking around San Telmo again and having lunch with Sofia from Sweden, I went on the yellow bus tour of Buenos Aires on my last day, but decided to jump off and walk around La Boca district. Walking the Caminito and seeing all the colorful houses, made me feel like I was traveling back in time. I can only imagine what the early settlers did in this wonderful place before the time of cars, phones, and social media. They probably just chatted away their life, listen to good music, and danced tango. What the life! But, that evening was definitely the best. I went and saw the La Bomba de Tiempo (live music!) before dragging the whole crew from the hostel to La Cholita for one last BBQ with Sebastian and his girlfriend. At first, I felt a little uneasy dragging Sebastian and his GF out late for dinner with a bunch of randoms (Argentinians eat late anyways!), but in the end, it turned out to be a great dinner. We all swamped stories and talked like we were old friends. That is the beauty of traveling, you meet people like you, and sometimes the conversations you have with them are more important then all the places you have seen or been to around world. Becoming diverse in this world is more than just seeing cultures of people's life in their current surroundings (trust me this is a big thing), but talking to people from other countries who are looking to achieve more out of their life than what's been handed to them. It's common goal for all of us in our life, to be more well rounded, and I will say this trip helped me tremendously. Hopefully, I can share this new appreciation to everyone around me, but let it be noted, this once be the last time!
Iguazu Falls - Argentina Side
Group Selfie
Thumbs up People!
Power stuff here....but not the best looking color (use to be blue, but due to deforestation, the water is more brown due to soil run off from the rain)
Part of America in Buenos Aires?
Why not?
She like LOVES country in other countries
Congress building
A nice smile but inside a pile of misery and pain in the stomach
The amazing Eva Peron. She's everywhere.
Run into Frank from Ecuador on the walking tour in BA. Love traveling
Streets of BA
Sibling love
You know the old saying "put a house on it!" Yeah, me neither
Beers with Sebas
Just checking out cat skins in the middle of Buenos Aires
I mean LOVES coffee
I couldn't stop staying at this building. If only I could buy, move it to SF, and restore it. I'd be rich!
San Martin Plaza, BA
Beautiful architecture in BA
Always napping
Yes please to all of these places
Fernet, #1 export country....Argentina
Perito Moreno Glacier
This just ended, Beth loves arbols!
Lots of quality time together
Just thought this was a cool pic
Walking the glacier
Looks fake, right?
My attempts at being artsy (filter: Chrome)
Who cares about New York???
Lots of colorful trees on our hike.
Memorial moment here.
Takin it in....
....then, having a hack.
View form hostel in El Calafate (American de Sur)
I mean REALLY close from tipping
So Ben decided to walk
Fall in Bariloche
I mean LOTS of quality time.....
....just missing Anne
Always time for #bkselfie (Cerro Campanero)
Steak dinner with good peeps
Anchor Steam repping in Bariloche
Riding dumb and dumber style
Preparing the meat at the Butler's asado
La Boca
The Caminita
Diego Maradona > Lionel Messi
Wish I could have seen a live game. Next time.
Tourist Billy on the Yellow Bus
La Bomba de Tiempo
The Terrazas Estroli crew with some photo bombers!
The last supper
Back in SF on a rather nice day
Back in SF on a rather nice day
Thanks for reading the blog. Hope you enjoyed. Until next time, let the world open your eyes to the beauty surrounding this wonderful place.
Ciao,
Burner Billy
P.s I might have a Part 2 starting this summer, but I will be calling it the US of A circuit - More to come!
