Patagonia – Day 19: The day in Buenos Aires and the trip back to the US

Date: 11/28/2014 (Friday)
Starting Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ending Location: San Francisco, CA
Miles Logged Today: 0Miles on motorcycle
Total Miles: 2313 miles

Morning Breakfast

Finally, a much more normal breakfast…  We were given eggs, fried ham, potatoes, and a host of other delicious items.  It seems that Buenos Aires is no longer a city of Adventure Travel, but instead, is simply a great big, cosmopolitan city, and the capital of Argentina.

A day of sightseeing

Peter, Leslie and I decided to leave the hotel at about 10:15 AM, and head out and enjoy the hop-on / hop-off bus tour of the city.  The first station stop for us was about a 4 block walk, and once we arrived, we waited for the first bus.  The first bus arrived, but would not allow us to board, because we would need to buy tickets and they could not sell them.

After waiting for 2 more buses, we were finally able to board and off we went for a day of sightseeing.  These buses seems like a real tourist thing to do, but after all of the high-stress adventure travel, a day on the bus, with a guided tour playing in your ear is a welcome change.

At about 12:30 we stopped for lunch, and found a nice community of artisans selling all types of wares.  I purchased a painting, and a few other items, and I know that Peter and Leslie were taken in by all of the “amazing things that we could purchase”.

In this section of the city, there were great little restaurants, and much in the style of New Orleans, on every 2nd story balcony, there were caricatures of figures, portraying roles like tango dancer, prostitute, mayor, etc.

We ended the tour at about 3:30 PM and headed to the hotel.

Dancing the tango

BuenosAiresTangoDanceIn case you’ve been in a closet for years, and don’t know much about Buenos Aires, it is one of the worlds most renowned places for Tango dancing.  And so, in these small communities of shops and restaurants, it’s not uncommon to see several exhibitions of tango dancers.

These two dancers were on a stage at our restaurant, and I was able to snap a few pictures of them.  Now, this picture is not one of my better shots, but at least it’s in focus.  The other pic’s were not really even in focus.

If I had to blame something, I would say that these damn tango dancers were moving so very fast, it was difficult to keep track of them and to film them satisfactorily.  In actual point of fact, there were other patrons in the way, I did not want to get up and leave my seat, and they were moving pretty fast overall.   So, perhaps you could forgive me on this…

Lunch – The best lunch of the trip

We found a little restaurant where we could order salads, and empanadas.  The Waldorf salad did not bear much of a resemblance to what I’m used to, but it was delicious.  The empanadas were baked, not deep fried, and while I only got the beef and chicken, Peter was a bit more ambitions, and he also ordered a ham and cheese empanada.  Go figure…

Airport departure

At exactly 4:45, I boarded a cab to the airport.  The traffic was very bad, and it it took over 70 minutes to get there.  After about 45 minutes of customs and immigration work, I headed to the Admirals club lounge to relax, look at email, and get ready for the trip home.

The flight home

So, here’s the thing.  We’ve all traveled quite a bit over the years, and there is seldom anything important that happens on the flight.  Such was the case for this flight. There is nothing extraordinary to report and after almost 20 hours of airports, and airplanes, I arrived at SFO, where my buddy Paul picked me up, and dropped me off at home.  It was nice to get home, a place with a welcome bed, and familiar territory.

So, what comes next

Well, the trip is over, and I’ll review all of the posts, correct the grammar, add some more pix, and work on the epilogues.  After that, it’s time to start planning the next trip.  Perhaps Alaska, or Mexico, or South America. Who knows…

About the Author

Cliff Musante

Cliff Musante is a technologist, business leader, motorcycle enthusiast, father, grandfather, and more. In June, 2013 his passion for motorcycles was revitalized, and he set out to ride across Patagonia. Since then, he's logged thousands of miles, ridden across the US, and on July 10, 2019, he began a 120 day trip through Europe, and then on to Russia, China, and parts East. This 'Blog is the story of all of his adventures.

Comments

  1. Cliff, welcome home – and thank you for “taking us with you” via your photos, videos, and experiences!

    1. Paul, thanks for the warm welcome. It has taken a great deal of time to keep the ‘Blog current while on the road, but I’ve found it to be very rewarding, and I hope that I’ve been able to give each one of you a little bit of a vicarious experience from Patagonia, a place that many people wonder about, but few will visit.

  2. It’s a bit fitting that the weather welcoming you home is rainy and gray. Perhaps you’ve brought it with you from so far away. It’s just as well that the Buenos Aires steak went missing as we can hunt one up locally sometime soon. Welcome home Cliff!

    1. Larry, I’s nice to be home, and I must admit, when I looked outside and saw what you’re calling “rainy and gray”, I saw it just another Patagonian day. Perhaps I’ve been affected by all of this travel…
      Thanks for the warm welcome.

  3. Welcome home Cliff. Really enjoyed reading about your adventure and re-reading your revisions.

    1. Hey Alex,
      Maybe next time I’ll convince you to learn to ride a motorcycle, and then we’ll convince Didi that you’re in need of a world-wide adventure, and then we’ll plan a trip to Africa. What say you?

      To be honest, working on the content for the blog was hard work, and it took quite a bit of time, but I enjoyed every minute of it, and it’s a great historical record for all of my friends, and others who might be thinking about the trip themselves.

  4. Cliff,
    I’m bummed because the trip is over and now I can no longer start my day by reading about your adventures. Thanks very much for all the work that must have gone into it. See you soon.

    1. Hi Burke,
      I’m really happy that all of you enjoyed the Blog so very much. I’m ready for a brief rest, and so the timing of the end of the adventure was probably, but it sure does seem like I need another one of these adventures very soon.
      I guess you could say that I’m all dressed up, with no place to go (actually, I have a few places to go, but need more vacation days…).

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