Oh, Argentina

My last post was fairly rushed (we were waiting to board our flight), so I wanted to write more about what it's been like traveling in Argentina and Uruguay, especially after spending so much time previously in Ecuador.

Argentines are certainly unique people, to say the least. I hate generalizing, but to give you a flavor, I'm going to do just that. The people here are sophisticated, smart, passionate, proud, and arrogant. They definitely love to talk and socialize!

Breakfasts consist of coffee and maybe some croissants, and could take place at one of the many cafes around town. Lunch could be just about anything, but ham and cheese sandwiches appear to be a staple, as well as steak sandwiches that include such toppings as ham, egg, and veggies. People can be seen in cafes eating lunch basically up until 5pm!

Dinner occurs anywhere from 9pm to midnight and beyond, with many restaurants not even opening until at least 8pm. Man oh man, do they do dinner here. The steaks are absolutely phenomenal, and the service you receive is truly top notch. At the older parillas (steak houses), the waiters are often older men who give the impression that they've served a lot of steak in their day. They are genuinely charming, not sticking to a corporate script or trying to "upsell" you anything, simply asking you what meat and wine you want (these are a given), if you want a salad and/or potatoes, and if you want your water with our without gas. Carrie and I are amused that most restaurants (especially in Buenos Aires) do not have tables for 2, because Argentines love to talk so much that they almost always dine in groups.

You can watch tango dancers in the streets, couples unabashedly kissing in parks, or kids playing soccer just about anywhere. There is an ice cream store every couple blocks, and they are all amazing. Outside of the city, the country has incredibly beautiful scenery in the Lake District, Patagonia, Mendoza, and Iguazu Falls, and thats just what Carrie and I saw. In Mendoza, you can ride bikes between wineries, tasting wine all along the way. Buses have seats that recline 180 degrees, serve hot meals, and even give you champagne or whiskey before bed, making long distance travel exceedingly comfortable.

So, what's not to love about Argentina? For one, Buenos Aires is a very busy and crowded city, bringing New York to my mind in terms of an American comparison. People do not really respect personal space all that much, frequently bumping you on the street or in lines. Very few places have small change, making buying things like subway tickets a nuisance at times. It seems like every museum or tourist attraction we try to attend is under construction. And since people love to travel here, all of the hotels get booked in advance, making reservations a necessity. However, most hotels don't take reservations over the internet, public phone calls are somewhat pricey, and travel agents aren't particularly helpful. The national airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, doesn't process payments on its website, making it necessary to call them (not free), or go to one of their offices, where you could wait up to an hour to speak to a person. And, it was the only country where we had something stolen from us (not once, but twice!)

Needless to say, Carrie and I have had a love / hate relationship with this country. What's hard is that we've lost the laid back feel we had in Ecuador, where we could make decisions spur of the moment and have things still work out. And the people's behavior and attitudes can get a bit frustrating after a while. But all in all, I think I'll walk away from Argentina with fond memories.

As for Uruguay, we basically found it to be like a bunch of suburbs of Buenos Aires. Colonia was a cute town, but nothing really happens there, so our 1 day was probably enough time. Montevideo is a pretty enough city with lots of tree lined streets, but again it seems that not much happens there (especially compared to other cities we have seen on this trip). Punta del Este would be a great beach town if the weather were nice. Lastly, everything was more expensive than Argentina, so it doesn´t have that going for it either. All in all, I would recommend staying in Argentina if you are in the area.

That´s all for now... Hopefully we can follow up with a more narrative post in the near future, as we have done a lot since the last post. We are spending the rest of our time in Brazil, soaking up as much warmth as possible before heading back to frigid New England in time for the holidays. Best wishes!