Nearly 30 hours, over 8,000 miles, and 4 flights

(I wrote this in Antarctica and posted with a back date to the actual date I wrote it, after I returned to Argentina and have some internet access.)

Thankfully, Day 1 was uneventful. I did last-minute packing in the morning (seriously, limiting to 30 lbs and ensuring I had all the equipment I’ll need was tough) before Keith dropped me off at the airport for my first of four flights. I flew from San Jose to Dallas (no issues, just a packed flight, a crying baby, and a screaming toddler), then onto Buenos Aires. The overnight flight to BA was nice because I had an empty seat next to me. It made me more comfortable, and I probably dozed for more than half the time. I also watched the pilot for Glee so I could know more about this show that a lot of people are talking about.

I scheduled my flights with a long layover in BA in case I needed to switch airports (I will need to do that on the way home, but luckily not on the way down because it takes at least an hour) or in case one of my flights was delayed. My flights were on time, so I had plenty of time. One of the benefits of this new $140 reciprocity fee (aside from supporting the Argentine economy) is that US citizens are ZIPPED through customs because we represent a lot of revenue (nearly 600 pesos per person). At least 100 people got off the plane before me, yet I was through immigrations and customs so fast that I had to wait for my luggage – that has never happened to me before at this airport. It’s funny, this is the international country that I’ve visited the most in my life, but I’ve never been here in the spring. I hope to come back one Thanksgiving and stay here rather than just passing through.

The weather was gorgeous in Buenos Aires, and Ezeiza is right along the river, so it would have been a great day to get out and enjoy the area. Unfortunately, I had a 30lb bag with me, and I was dressed for Antarctica so I was too hot to traipse around outdoors. I walked around a bit and then came indoors to wait for the time when I could check my bag. Keith and I found a free way to text back and forth during that time, courtesy his Verizon plan (so glad he hasn’t moved to AT&T yet!). That was a great way to spend some of the time, since we’re not sure we’ll be able to communicate much once I’m on the boat.

After I checked my bag, I was finally able to move from the zoo outside (so many people, nowhere to sit) into the gate area. It was so much quieter inside, and a welcome change of scenery. I do enjoy people watching, so I spent an hour doing that. I saw a woman with high-heeled leather knee-high boots. Nothing out of the ordinary, except they had peep toes! I also learned that although Buzz Lightyear has the same name in Argentina, Woody is named Bull down here. (I chatted with the mother of a toddler who had a Woody toy.) While I was people-watching, I planned to charge my computer and phone so I could type this blog on my next flight. Alas, the adapters I have with me wouldn’t work in the airport chargers. I started missing Pastor Jorge and Pastor Guillermo, because I realized they’ve taken such good care of me in Argentina when I’ve been here that I don’t even know what kind of adapter to use!

There was a gal next to me charging her laptop, so I asked where she got the adapter and she had purchased it in the terminal just before passing through security. It was less than U$D7, so I decided to buy one (heck, that was less than the no-protein salad I had just purchased). Walking through security had been somewhat a joke (leave laptop in bag, leave shoes on, leave jacket on, pretty much do whatever you want). As a result, the line was short (no more than a half dozen people waiting at any given time) and I knew I could get out, buy the adapter, and be back through security in less than 10 minutes, which would give me nearly an hour to charge before we boarded.

I asked one of the security guards if I could exit there, and our conversation went something like this:
“Why?”
“I’d like to go buy an adapter so I can charge my phone and laptop.”
“There are no adapters to buy.” [I didn’t know if he was being a jerk or trying to save my time/energy here…]
“I sat next to a woman who just bought one at that store right there for 20 pesos, and I’d like to buy one.”
“You can’t.”
“I can’t?”
“You can’t exit.”
“Really?”
“Really. Only in an emergency.”

I was surprised that the security to EXIT the gate area was more stringent than the security to ENTER the gate area, and it sure didn’t make me feel safe. I chuckled as I thought of my other experiences in this airport. I’ve enjoyed the extremes: you can come in, but you can not leave. They go from “Don’t line up” to “Last call for boarding” in one minute (literally). And my favorite one was a few years ago, the day after that shoe bomber guy tried to blow up a plane using liquids. I had been in a remote area of Argentina for 10 days, so I hadn’t seen or heard the news. I was passing through security to fly back to the U.S. and the agent removed my conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, etc. and advised me that I could not bring them on board. He briefly explained the new regulation. Our conversation (translated) went something like this:
“You also may not take this lip balm on board.”
“Really? It’s not a liquid.”
“For this new regulation, liquid includes cream, gel, or spray.”
“This lip balm is not a cream, gel, or spray.”
“You can not take it with you.”
“The flight is 12 hours, I must have some moisture from the dry airplane air.”
“You may not take your lip balm on board.”
“Okay, what may I take?”
“Look lady, it’s your stupid country’s stupid rule, so take whatever you want.”
And he threw all my liquids back in my bag before ushering me through his line. All I wanted was lip balm, but he gave me everything. Nice! But not the safest…

Needless to say, I didn’t get the adapter before I boarded my flight to Ushuaia. Onboard they served an alfajor with dulce de leche (yum!). I continued my traverse of the Americas: from the west coast of USA to the south-central area of USA to the central-west coast of Argentina and now to the southeast border of Argentina. As we flew into El Calafate, we saw the Fitz Roy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Fitz_Roy) glacier and other glaciers in the Patagonia region. I’d like to come back and hike there, like I read about in the magazine that was in my seatback pocket.

After a short stop in El Calafate, we started my fourth and final flight of the day, and just over an hour later we touched down in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, at the base of the Andes on the island called Tierra del Fuego. (I learned that it was named this by Magellan when he saw the fires of the native inhabitants across the Strait of Magellan from mainland Argentina.) Nearly 30 hours, over 8,000 miles, and 4 flights later, I landed on time exactly where I needed to be. I checked into my hotel, gathered my welcome packet, ate some dinner, met some folks, and went to bed after midnight.

One final note: I am grateful that I speak Spanish, as it has come in useful all day. I did make two notable mistakes today: (1) asking for no helado (ice cream) instead of no hielo (ice) with my water; and (2) not accentuating the r enough in cargar when asking the hotel reception to charge my phone (instead, he thought I was asking him to defecate, cagar, on my phone).