Buenos Aires to Mendoza - Day 7

Just as I get comfortable with BA we are on our way to Mendoza.  It will be an interesting place to go to and everyone we have spoken to say very positive things about it. 

When we woke this morning, it was raining and thundering.  We packed and left when the person came to pick up the keys.  After dropping our bags at a storage place we went and had a coffee.  While there the Adelaide couple we had met once before appeared and sat down to talk with us.  They have been coming to BA since 1999, so have seen it through Argentina’s various crises. 

Travelling is always interesting.  We hailed a taxi to take us to the airport and the one we got was a small one with a boot that barely took one suitcase but with a bit of pushing we managed to get the second one in, otherwise it would have had to go on a lap.  The taxi driver was very good and got us to the airport quickly. 

B and I were not seated together despite the same booking and there was little other option but to accept the middle seats.  What had happened, I think is that a number of people who were travelling together opted for aisle seats rather than being together.  The plane was clean and tidy and there was even reasonable leg room which was nice.  We were on board well before we were due to leave but for some reason we left half an hour late.  I really don’t like the marketing idea of seat, seat and bag etc as it means people bring these large bags on and there is not enough room which then means a lot of time for passengers and crew figuring out where to stow them.  Interesting that the difference in fuel used by the plane is going to be no different given the sort of weight in some of the bags.

It is interesting to reflect on our visit to Buenos Aires.  The information available suggests that it is a really dangerous place to go and implies that the chances of being mugged are high.  The Adelaide couple have been going to BA for nearly 20 years and had only had one instance where that happened and they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  There are neighbourhoods where there is a lot of crime but not in the in places most tourists visit.  We were in Palermo and wandered around in the place and felt safe quite late at night.  There was always a lot of people around.  Other recommendations were using the Subte (subway) with care.  We used it and like any big city such as London you just have to be careful.  It can be difficult to navigate the city but we eventually found Information centres to be really useful because they had people who spoke English.  I wished I had learnt even a little Spanish as that would have made some things a bit easier.  Many people in the areas we were in had a little English though.  At school here English is a compulsory language for about 10 hours per week, so a lot of instruction is given.  The place is very cosmopolitan but also relatively expensive.  Getting a SIM card (called Chip here) was an issue which we solved.  While not being connected can be good, it is great when you quickly need information about something.  Also, I needed to get in touch with NZ to sort out a credit card and the cheapest way to do it was by Skype.  At $7.90 per minute and given waiting times at the other end it would have been very expensive. Similarly getting a card (called Sube card) for the Subte was a bit of trial but people were helpful. Just finding out you only need one card for two people for instance, was really good.  The Subte and buses are worth using to get about as they are really cheap and frequent.  We did something like 12 trips for around $NZ8.  Try doing that in Wellington for that amount.

We were very lucky with the weather in BA. Each day thunderstorms were predicted but we would wake to either high cloud or sun.  It was very warm and humid with temperatures up to 30 degrees on a couple of days.  We were told this was not usual for this time of the year.  The only significant rain we got was when were leaving today but that had cleared by midday.

The flight to Mendoza took around an hour and three quarters.  We were met by our AirBnB host Andrea who was lovely.  She took us to our apartment and had her 16 year old son with her to translate.  She could understand what we were saying but did not have the confidence to speak in English.  We wished she would and would love to invite her over for a drink to help her practice her English.   The place is over double the size of the apartment we had in Buenos Aires and is close to a huge park and not too far away from the bars and restaurants.